The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

“Let go of me,” she demanded.
“Or what, bitch? Without Hunter here to protect you, how do you figure you’ll get away? You are all alone, Nari,” he said, snarling that last word.
Blake raised his hand, hitting her across her face. Pain exploded in her cheek, but she turned and scratched him back, trying to get out of his grip just as Jessica came running in.
“She’s not alone,” Jessica yelled.
The redhead ran into the room, her claws extended, but she wasn’t fast enough. Blake sidestepped her and smacked Jess across the face, pushing her in the process. The force of the hit had Jessica slamming into the far cabinet and slumping to the floor in an unconscious heap. That really pissed Elissa’s Tiger off.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she growled, her eyes burning with the force of her Tiger.
She could see the moment he realized he’d fucked up. It was in the panicked flare of his nostrils. The acrid stench of his fear mixed in with a touch of madness burned her sensitive nose.
“How? You’re just a normal,” Blake spat at her and backed up.
Elissa recalled Hunter had knocked his sorry ass out before the Puspa had been finished with her.
Too fucking bad for him.
It was not her job to make sure he was informed about her new inner Tiger. In fact, she felt a mild hint of satisfaction when he looked shocked. The weaker male dropped her arm as if it burned him.
“No. That is where you are wrong, Blake. I am not just anything. I am the Nari of the Maverick Pride, and what you are doing is treason,” she growled with the force of her animal urging her forward.
Weakened and confused, Blake backed up. He slipped on the puddle that had formed beneath him, landing on his back before her. Elissa saw the opening and pounced.
Straddling his chest with her weight, she held his arms beneath her knees and used one claw-tipped hand to squeeze his throat. Blake bucked, but she was immovable.
“Lissa?” Jessica’s slurred words had her focusing on her friend. Fortunately, the younger female was not seriously injured. Unfortunately, Blake used her distraction as an opening to hit Elissa in the head, sending her across the room.
Her head ached, especially around her ear where Blake had struck her. Fucking coward. She felt dizzy and nauseous.
Shit.
Her hand went to her stomach, but she forced herself to drop the telling move. She’d only just found out and had yet to tell her mate. Worry made her careless and Blake scrambled to his feet and grabbed her by the hair, slamming her into the kitchen island.
“Dammit,” she snarled, whipping around it.
She moved faster than ever before, facing him in a crouched stance she’d seen MMA fighters on television use. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to fight, but her Tiger was there to urge her into action, and the beast did.
“Ha, did you think you could beat me? You’re nothing but a whore!”
“How did you get out, Blake? Was it Reg? Did he let you out?”
The wheels had started turning, and the man was the only one of them who’d had contact with Blake the past few days. It hurt to think one of the Pride, one of Hunter’s Honor Guard, could have strayed, but she had to ask.
“That little prick turned his back on me the second Hunter claimed you. I had to convince him to help me this time. They all forgot me, and after everything we did together! I had them all eating out of my hand, citing the old laws. A Neta cannot rule without his Nari to temper his beast and cubs to lead after him! It was a perfect excuse to get rid of him. Fucking Prince Hunter, the golden boy with his perfect family and life. It should have been mine!”
“Why Blake? Hunter didn’t choose his parents any more than you chose yours.”
“We’re not all perfect princes,” he spat the word. “My Dad never stuck around, and my mom was just a human whore like you. She didn’t want me. Didn’t know what to do with me once I started shifting.”
“That’s not Hunter’s fault. You were his friend. How could you do this?”
Elissa really wanted to know. How could he just plot to betray the only person who had ever shown him any kindness?
“It was easy. I’ve hated him since I met him,” Blake stated.
The truth of his words stung. Her heart ached for her mate. He’d been too kind to this man from the beginning. Accepting him and taking him in. Hunter did not deserve to be treated that way.
Her Tiger’s fury on her mate’s behalf almost sent her to her knees, but she had to remain vigilant. She wanted to end his life, but even a strong female was no match for a stronger, larger male.
He was once the Beta of the Maverick Pride. However unworthy, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Dammit. She would just have to keep him talking until help arrived.
“Come on, bitch. Enough dallying. It’s time for me to remove you from Hunter’s life. Now that you’re mated, that alone should kill him,” he snarled at her.
“Not if I kill you first,” she snapped back.
Right then, she could have too. He might be bigger, but he was threatening her heart, her life. No way was Elissa going to take that lying down.
“I’ll take it from here, mate.”
Elissa turned as Hunter appeared in the doorway. His gold eyes met hers, lips grim, he spoke to her without words conveying his love and anger at the treatment she’d received in under a second. He was making sure she was okay, so she nodded slightly.
That was all he needed. Hunter flew across the room like a raging storm. His fist connected with Blake’s face once, twice, hell, she lost count as her mate repeatedly struck.
Blake groaned, then begged, but her mate was beyond pissed. His fury was tangible, and it was right there as he knocked the shit out of the lesser man. Elissa couldn’t say she was sorry, especially when Jessica groaned, reminding her Blake had hurt the female.
Protective instincts had her racing to the female’s side. Elissa growled when she saw the nasty cut on her scalp from where she’d hit her head on the corner of the countertop.
A crash sounded from the next room, followed by a roar. It sounded as if Blake had hit Hunter over the head with one of the heavy flower vases she had ordered and filled with fall branches and leaves earlier that morning.
The jerk!
She ran to see what was happening, and saw Blake, the coward, using her mate’s distraction to his own advantage. Calling on his fur, he meant to attack in his Tiger form!
“Hunter!” she screamed.
But Elissa needn’t have bothered. True, a shifted Blake was running at Hunter with his claws extended, but her mate was one hundred percent Alpha male.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into his enormous Bengal Tiger. His thick, orange fur had massive black stripes, so dense and glossy, his appearance that much more striking than the ex-Beta. Hunter’s beast was easily half again as big as the other man’s, with thick muscles and enormous claws and fangs.
He looked more like a prehistoric version of his wild cousins than the muted creature Blake had turned into. Elissa’s own beast chuffed in appreciation of his fine figure and his fighting prowess. She could not wait to see him in action.
Bloodthirsty beast, she thought.
The other man tried to fake him out, but Blake grossly underestimated Hunter’s speed and strength. One thing was obvious. Her mate’s Tiger was done playing.
Elissa knelt beside Jess, having moved her towards the doorway so she could watch the events unfolding. She had a cloth against the other woman’s wound and held it there to stem the bleeding.
She was torn between helping her Pride mate and watching the battle. Hunter was her entire life. Should anything happen, no, it did not bear thinking about!
Luckily, she did not have to ponder it for long. With a tremendous roar, her mate tore Blake’s throat out and spat it onto the living room floor like so much garbage. He wasn’t wrong, her Tiger insisted.
The smaller Tiger’s body twitched and shook as his life drained away. Elissa waited to feel the disgust and regret that she was sure would fill her after such a seemingly senseless death, but she didn’t.
In fact, her Tiger roared in approval. The she-beast wanted to bathe in the blood of their enemy.
Okay, well, too bad.
She was so not doing that. Instead, she waited for her mate to stop his snarling to look at her. The Tiger turned his golden gaze, and she found a question there in his eyes.
“You did good. You protected your Nari, now, I need Hunter back,” she said, running her hand over the Tiger’s head, allowing him to sniff and chuff at her before he shifted back into his human self.
“Elissa,” he said, and dropped to his knees.
That brought his head to eye level with her chest. He hesitated for a second. Oh no. She wasn’t having that. So, she pounced and brought them both crashing to the floor. His arms engulfed her, crushing her body to his, and she sighed. Much better now.