Page 71 of Edward’s Bunny
Brian nodded rapidly. “My Nana loves you. I think I may have to keep an eye on her. She thinks you’re yummy, as she said before we left.”
I burst out a laugh. “I nearly died when she said that. It did bring some much-needed levity to the situation. Even your sister cracked a smile.”
“That’s true. Nana always had a way of breaking the tension. I—”
Brian stopped speaking, and we both jumped to our feet as my study door burst open. Walter came barreling in, his expression severe. Fuck. When it rains, it fucking pours.
“I apologize, Your Majesties, but there’s an emergency,” he said.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“Many members of the pride are here, along with an unknown lion. He’s formally challenging you for the pride.”
My lion roared within me, and I growled. “I’ll kill them.”
I stepped forward but was stopped by Brian grabbing my arm. “Wait, Edward. What does this mean? In a colony, we have challenges for alpha, but we don’t have sharp teeth or kill each other. How does this work in a pride?”
“We do battle, but unless one submits, it often leads to death,” I admitted truthfully.
Brian’s eyes widened. “Wait, you can die?”
“Bunny, I won’t die. I’ll—”
Brian raised his hand, cutting me off, and turned to Walter. “Why is he challenging Edward?”
Walter shifted uncomfortably before answering. “Many in the pride believe it’s not right that… that Edward has a male mate.”
“Fucking bigoted fur balls.” Brian twirled around to face me. “I don’t want to cause you problems, Edward, b—”
I was the one to cut him off this time. “I’m not giving you up. I will fight whatever battle, whatever lion. I will always choose you.”
Brian smiled and stepped closer before leaning in and kissing me. “I love you. I was going to say I didn’t want to cause you problems, but I hate bigots—kick his ass.”
I grinned and kissed him again. Walter cleared his throat, and I pulled back and faced him. “Where are they? Have you found out who’s behind this?”
“They’re out on the back lawn, and I’ve narrowed it down to Dan Borrut,” he replied.
I growled at the mention of Borrut. “After I allowed his daughter to stay in my territory. How fucking dare he?” I clenched my fists, my anger boiling over. "Gather the rest of the pride. I'll face this challenge head-on, and I'll make sure everyone understands that Brian is here to stay. Bigotry and hatred have no place in my pride. This ends now."
Walter bowed his head and left the room. I held my hand out to Brian, who, without hesitation, clasped it and walked out toward the challenger. I was done playing around. I was done hiding my love. Two enforcers stood guard by the ornate bay doors and bowed their heads as we approached.
“Open the door,” I ordered.
They both hurried to comply, and Brian and I stepped out onto the patio with our heads held high. Walter was right. Much of the pride was already here. We were missing only a few. I scanned the area and locked gazes with the lion I’d never seen before.
He was a younger lion: built like a brick house and towering over most in the crowd. He had to be at least two to three inches taller than my six-three. He was shirtless and his olive skin appeared to glisten in the dim lights of the patio. His jet-black hair was slicked back and his eyes were dark as coal. His bushy brows deepened his harsh features. The words ‘menacing’ and ‘sinister’ immediately popped into my mind upon inspection.
I lifted my chin and stared down my pride. “It seems someone decided on a pride meeting without mentioning it to me.”
“Perhaps that’s because you’re not fit to rule,” the unknown lion said as he stepped up. “I’m Dothan Adams, and I challenge you for King of the Satchel pride.”
“Now, wait a second, Dothan. Give the king a chance to step down or denounce that…that person next to him,” Dan interrupted.
The doors behind me opened, and Walter stepped out, the other lions of the pride by his side. I was surprised to see Walter’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Martha, along with them. She was the current head lioness, but she had planned to leave with her new lover.
Her expression shone with pure disgust as she spoke. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Dan. How dare you bring an outsider to challenge our king? You’re too weak and too much of a coward to challenge him yourself.”
“Stay out of this, lioness,” Dan snapped.