Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
“Rumor has it that you brought some stray cat home, Leo. What? My friends aren’t good enough for you, but you’ll go slumming with the first slut you see who shakes her ass at you?”
Leo rose slowly from the chair he’d been occupying by the bed his mate was resting in. His bed. The only one she would ever sleep in again.
She’d been so tired when he brought her into the house, she slept through the sponge bath he’d given her.
He couldn’t stand the sight and smell of all the vampire blood on her, so he’d taken the time to wash every speck off that he could find.
He wasn’t able to do her hair, but they would take care of that when she woke up.
At least most of the vampire stench was gone.
“You will watch what you say about my mate, Scarlet.” He kept his voice low, but he didn’t bother to hide his anger.
“Mate?” Scarlet threw her head back and laughed.
“Nice try, brother. You don’t have to make up a mate just so you don’t have to bond with someone of my choosing.
” She looked over at Hollie and sniffed loudly.
“Not only that, but if you were going to, you could have found someone more…sophisticated. She looks and smells like trash.”
“Enough,” Leo roared, his eyes turning a dark blue as his fangs dropped. “You are done, Scarlet Lyons. The timeline of your eviction just moved up. I want you and Russell out of my house today. I don’t care where you go, I want you gone.”
Scarlet’s eyes widened, and she gasped loudly. “You would throw us out over her?”
“I would do anything for her,” he snarled, moving closer to the bed, not trusting his sister not to attack his woman.
“I want you gone, Scarlet. You’ve done nothing but cause issues since you moved in here, after I took over as alpha.
Issues in my household, issues with the pride.
I’m done. Pack your things and get out.”
“The elders will be hearing about this,” she snapped, her body shaking as she pointed a finger at him. “You won’t be alpha much longer. Soon, I will be in charge of the pride. This will be my house. My town.”
“For the last time, this has always been my house, Scarlet. Our parents never owned it. I bought it when I moved out of their home. You will never get your hands on it. And the elders are just older shifters in the pride; they have no say over anything. I’m in charge.
” Leo could feel his lion at the surface, wanting to shift and show his sister who the true alpha was, and it definitely wasn’t her. “Go! Get the hell out of my house!”
He was aware of Russell coming into the room, along with Caiden, Jensen, and Caleb, but he never took his eyes from his sister. She was acting batshit crazy, and he wouldn’t put it past her to go after his mate.
“This is my pride,” Scarlet screamed. “Mine!”
Leo watched in disbelief when Scarlet began to shift, as if she were going to challenge him for the alpha position.
There was no way she would win against his lion, and he didn’t want to have to kill his only living relative, but he would do whatever had to be done to keep his mate safe and his pride out of her greedy hands.
He waited as long as he could, hoping she would rethink her death wish, but once she was fully in her lioness and ready to pounce, he realized he had no choice.
Suddenly, Hollie emerged gracefully from the covers and shifted faster than anyone he’d ever seen before.
One moment she was a beautiful, blonde-haired blue-eyed woman, the next she was a fierce queen, protecting what was hers.
She leaped from the bed with a loud roar, slamming into the other lioness and rolling them both across the floor. Russell cried out in fear, moving quickly away from the doorway as the lionesses fought. The others moved as well, making sure to keep their distance from the sharp fangs and claws.
Breaking away from Scarlet, Hollie let out another roar, then sprang at her again.
She pushed her out into the other room, knocking over things as they went.
Scarlet fought back, but she never had a chance.
She was no match for his fiery, magnificent mate.
Fur flew, along with blood, but Hollie never wavered.
Scarlet was a threat to not only him but their entire pride, and his mate was protecting them all.
“Shit!” Caiden called out. “Get the patio doors open before they go through them!”
“Got it!” Caleb was across the room, but he was too late. Hollie plowed into Scarlet, and they flew through the glass, shattering it. They both landed on the cement patio, a few feet apart from each other.
Hollie stood, shaking pieces of glass out of her fur, her eyes never leaving Scarlet.
Then she began to stalk toward the other lioness, slowly, menacingly.
Scarlet scrambled to her feet, her legs shaking as she began to walk backwards in a low crouch.
Her head swung around, taking in the number of people that were there, all pride members.
They usually stopped by off and on throughout the day, but word had gotten around quickly about the alpha-mate, and many had wanted to see her.
There were at least thirty of them, watching in shock at the battle that was happening in front of them.
Scarlet raised her head and roared, a lioness full of anger and fear, with no way out.
It was a dangerous combination. Leo saw the moment her eyes went to a young girl, just four years old, who had wandered a few feet away from her parents.
A hard, conniving look flitted across her features, and he knew she was going to try to use the child to get out of the mess she was in.
It wouldn’t work, but she wasn’t thinking clearly at the moment.
Leo yelled Scarlet’s name, racing toward her, not only to save the child, but a part of him wanted to save his sister, too. He didn’t want her to do something foolish she wouldn’t be able to come back from.
He was too late. Scarlet jumped toward the girl, but before he could grab her, Hollie was there. His woman had Scarlet down on the ground in an instant, her sharp teeth around his sister’s throat, drawing blood.
Leo had no doubt Hollie had seen what Scarlet was planning, and he was afraid there would be no leniency in the lioness.
He didn’t expect any, after what his sister tried to do.
As alpha, he should have been the one to stop her and exact justice, but his mate was handling it for him.
Somehow, she knew the torture he would go through if he had to make the decision between life and death for his own sister.
Hollie growled fiercely, digging her teeth into Scarlet’s thick fur and skin. Blood dripped to the ground, but to Leo’s surprise, Hollie didn’t make the final kill. She stood over his sister, threatening to end her life, but didn’t actually sink her fangs deep enough to do it.
Leo heard someone come up beside him and scented his beta, but he couldn’t take his eyes from the scene in front of him.
“Here, Alpha,” Caiden muttered, handing him a dark blue robe that he must have gotten from Leo’s bedroom.
“For when your mate is ready to shift.” When he finally glanced over at his best friend, Caiden grinned.
“Unless you want the pride to see her in her birthday suit. I’m not sure either of you are ready for that just yet. ”
Leo growled deep in his throat and yanked the robe from his beta. “Mine,” he snarled, before stalking over to stand in front of his mate, his back to the majority of the pride as he held the robe wide open.
Hollie took her time releasing her teeth from his terrified sister’s throat, then she moved back, her eyes never leaving the other woman.
Leo held the robe up, and Hollie shifted, slipping her arms through the sleeves and tying the belt.
When Scarlet didn’t move, Hollie glanced back at him with a small grin. “Nice way to meet the family.”
Leo chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, mate, she’s the only family I have left.”
Hollie cocked her head to the side, her grin widening, “Looks like it will just be us then. I’m on my own, too.” Looking back at Scarlet, she shrugged, “Until your sister can get her head out of her ass, anyway.”
Leo sighed deeply, following her gaze. Scarlet had shifted back to human and lay on the ground naked, blood flowing from deep gashes Hollie had given her.
She glared at them but stayed silent. Russell came out of the house and walked over to Scarlet, his eyes on the ground as he handed her some godawful ugly dress to put on.
She smacked him away before pushing sluggishly to her feet and then drawing the material over her head.
When Scarlet was finally clothed and standing next to her mate, Leo took Hollie’s hand in his and stepped forward.
Raising his voice so everyone would hear him, he stated dispassionately, “Scarlet and Russell Lyons, you are banished from the pride for a year for your attack on me and the alpha-mate.” When Scarlet would have argued, Leo held up his hand.
“Enough, sister. This is the last straw. You are lucky my mate didn’t tear your throat out.
She had every right to protect both our pride and me, and she is obviously strong enough to do it.
I would have stood by any decision she made.
She had the grace to spare your life and give you another chance. Don’t waste it.”
“Take this time to think about the pride and what it means to you,” Hollie said, her shoulders held back, looking like royalty as she addressed Russell and Scarlet.
“In exactly one year, you will be allowed back in Moonstone as long as you’ve changed your ways.
You will accept that Leo is your alpha, that I am your alpha-mate, and you will swear your loyalty to us.
If you cannot do that, do not bother setting foot in this town ever again. ”
“That goes for the entire pride,” Leo said, once again raising his voice. “You will accept Hollie and me as your leaders, or you may leave. Now.”
There was complete silence, as Leo knew there would be.
They’d just had a hell of an introduction to their new alpha-mate and would want the protection of them both.
There would be no more upheaval in his pride.
No one would want to go against his mate.
She was a fucking badass, and he couldn’t wait to get to know everything about her.
Raising a hand, he pointed at a couple of his enforcers. “Caleb and Hope, go pack two suitcases each for my sister and her mate.”
“But…my clothes and shoes!” Scarlet protested.
“You will get what will fit in two suitcases, or you will leave with nothing,” Leo growled.
Scarlet closed her mouth and stood quietly when the enforcers went into the house to follow his orders. It didn’t take long, and they were back. They took the suitcases over and set them at Russell and Scarlet’s feet, along with Scarlet’s purse.
“You will take your car, Scarlet.”
“We need cash.”
“You have your trust fund. You will start living off that. You’ve spent enough of my money.”
“But…”
The garage door opened, and Leo nodded toward it when Caleb backed Scarlet’s vehicle out. “Go, Scarlet. The sheriff will follow you out of town.”
Scarlet’s eyes filled with tears, but he had no sympathy for her. She’d said horrible things about his mate, had tried to attack him, and had gone after an innocent child. If it was any other person, they wouldn’t be leaving Moonstone alive.
Leo nodded over to the sheriff, a man who’d not only been a part of the pride for years, but one of his father’s best friends. Leo could see the resolve and acceptance in the man’s face. He agreed with the decision Leo was making. “One year, sheriff. No less.”
“Done.”