Page 19 of Hayes (Alpha Daddies #7)

Khloe turned in a slow circle. Isaac and Jayce remained in wolf form, prowling around the clearing as if expecting a fight. They growled under their breaths repeatedly.

“Lion,” Rylee whispered.

“Lion?” He didn’t mean to doubt her. Never. But it had been a long time since a lion had been spotted in this territory, and why would it be stalking their house? That wasn’t normal behavior. Plus, Rylee would have never smelled a lion in her life. How could she know their scent?

“Shifter,” Rylee added.

Hayes frowned. “Another wolf is coming, or more bears?”

She turned to face him, eyes wide. “The lion.”

He gasped. “How do you know that?”

“I have no idea. I just do. Male.”

Felix was close enough to overhear. His brow was furrowed as he held up his phone. “Molly says the bears are close. Surge and Thorn.”

“They are,” Rylee confirmed.

Hayes took her chin again. “We have no reason to doubt Surge and Thorn, but do not give the bears any more information than necessary, Little one.”

“I won’t, Daddy.”

They’d gone over these instructions before, but it was worth reiterating.

The two bears rushed into the clearing seconds later. They’d obviously come quickly. They were panting as they came to a halt, squaring off with Khloe before all three of them shifted, leaving only Isaac and Jayce in wolf form.

“What’s going on?” Hayes asked. He wanted to hear from the bears first. No small talk was necessary. Business first. Surge and Thorn had come onto Alpha Protector territory with information on several occasions. They had never done so in the middle of the night.

Surge turned toward Khloe. “You saw us coming.” He wasn’t asking.

She nodded.

“Do you know why we’re here?” Thorn questioned Khloe.

She nodded again, not giving away anything. Good girl.

Surge ran a hand through his hair and sighed. The odd abilities several recent wolf mates were popping up with had to be even more unnerving for the bear shifters than the wolves. “A pride of lions is in the area.”

Hayes nodded as if he knew more than he did. He was fucking impressed with his mate, though. “How many?”

“Not sure. We’re aware of about a dozen. They circled three of our women. Nearly scared them to death,” Surge said.

“How long ago was that?” Hayes asked.

Thorn stepped closer. “About an hour. The women were up late talking in the backyard of one of their homes. They were blindsided.”

“They didn’t scent the lions?” Felix asked.

This was baffling coming from bear shifters who prided themselves on the fact that they had stronger powers than the wolves, and in fact one of their rogue members had used his masking power to prove he could sneak into the valley and kidnap without being detected.

Thorn sighed. “No.” That had to be difficult for him to admit or swallow. “No one scented them. Three men were in the house when it happened. They were unaware until the women came in to tell them.”

Hayes rubbed his girl’s back. She had her head on his shoulder now, but she was still loosely stuck in her trance, not letting her guard down.

Surge shifted his gaze to Rylee. “Your new mate has powers, too.”

Hayes nodded. “We don’t fully know what her abilities are yet,” he hedged.

“But Khloe wasn’t the only one who knew something was happening,” Thorn added, stepping closer. “Your mate knew it also.”

Hayes would give them that detail. “Yes. Her name is Rylee. I’m sorry I haven’t introduced you.

She’s unnerved.” He kept his arms tight around her.

He wasn’t afraid for her at this moment.

He just needed to keep her close. It was innate.

He decided to give the bears some information.

“She knew a lion was nearby. She smelled him.”

Thorn’s eyes widened. “Smelled him?”

“Yes.”

“ He ? A male lion?”

Hayes nodded. Everyone was on edge. They all moved closer together, including Isaac and Jayce, who finally shifted to human form.

They would withhold some information from the bears for now, namely that Molly had the ability to hear them talking from a great distance and Rylee had the ability to scent them from the same distance.

It wasn’t as if those details changed anything.

The bears couldn’t hide anything from either woman if they tried.

Even not speaking wouldn’t hinder Molly.

She could also listen in on their telepathic communications.

It seemed important to impart another detail. “They’re shifters.”

Thorn and Surge stopped breathing.

“Fuck,” Surge finally muttered.

No one questioned Rylee, which pleased Hayes.

She was the only one among them who had discerned this piece of information.

Perhaps in another lifetime, before several newly mated females had unimaginable powers, they would have grilled Rylee about her pronouncement, but not tonight.

If she said the lion was a shifter, then he certainly was.

Felix spoke up, facing the bears. “Have your elders convened with regard to their stance regarding us?” The last time Surge and Thorn had come, they had mentioned their proposal to set up a specific alliance with the wolves.

Surge nodded. “Yes. Thorn and I have been assigned as the liaisons with your people. That’s why we wasted no time coming to you at this hour.

In light of events tonight, I think it would be prudent to arrange a meeting.

We can’t know the lions’ intentions, but I’d be interested in solidifying a formal agreement with you. ”

Felix grabbed his mate’s hand and pulled her into his side. “I’m sure our elders will be amenable to that suggestion.” He glanced at Khloe and then Rylee.

Hayes figured he was wondering if either of them had any more information to share.

Rylee was still fisting Hayes’s shirt. Her jaw was tight. If she had more to say, she didn’t seem inclined to do so at the moment.

Thorn took a step back. “We’ll speak with our elders tomorrow and get back with you.”

“Thank you.” Felix reached out a hand and shook both Thorn’s and Surge’s.

Hayes stepped off the porch, still holding Rylee, and did the same.

As the bears turned, shifted, and disappeared, Hayes sighed. “We’re at a disadvantage. They know where all of us live. We only know the basic distance and direction concerning their location.”

Rylee released his shirt and patted his chest. “Don’t worry, Daddy. I could trot right up to any one of their homes without any difficulty.”

He hugged her closer and chuckled. “Good point, Little one.”