44: Year’s worth of parental authority.
**Khan pov**
The camp felt calmer than usual as we walked, but my body refused to let go of the tension just yet.
Even after the meeting with the patrol lions, my claws itched to be sinked into the warm flesh of those villagers, despite Enzo’s repeated warnings about unnecessary actions.
Enzo’s voice beside me was calm and steady, but I barely heard it - my mind was elsewhere.
“Focus on the camp,” Enzo muttered, glancing at me sideways. “You’re not going to catch ghosts that aren’t even here by pacing like that.”
I grunted and ignored his words - ghosts didn’t concern me, missing my cub did.
After a few more steps, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer, I needed to check on her. “I need to-” I started, only for Enzo to block me with a firm hand on my chest.
“Nope,” he said, emphasizing the ‘p’. “Aife is safe. You need to calm down before you go running and looking for her. The last thing she needs is more stress.”
I bared my teeth at him but reluctantly let him guide me toward Zion’s tent, since Enzo kept emphasizing how darn important it was to check on his healing progress.
Every step closer to that tent felt like a new knife to my heart. How could Enzo forget that while we protected our own to our best abilities, risks were still there? What if something happened to her while I was busy in that stupid meeting?
I ground my teeth and tried to hide the anxiety that was slowly taking over. The moment we reached the tent, I was already halfway in before Enzo had a chance to speak. My eyes scanned the interior and I froze mid-step.
There she was, calmly sitting on a blanket with her very round friend sitting next to her. I looked around and saw one of the guards sitting aside, along with Zion and that motherfucker Bane.
I tried to look away, but I couldn’t, and the moment I saw his fingers wrapped around my cub’s ankle, I let out a low growl, which sent Enzo into action immediately and he quickly grabbed my wrist to pull me back a little as he hissed, “behave!”
Okay, maybe Enzo was right because Bane wasn’t moving and showing any aggression, but I felt the need to pounce, snarl, and assert dominance in every fiber of me.
Enzo tightened his hold on me. “Breathe.”
I exhaled sharply and grumbled. “I am breathing. I’m also considering every possible way to lecture this bastard into the next century.”
Bane didn’t flinch, he just looked at Zion and the lion beside him, completely absorbed in whatever the discussion was, unaware of the storm I had to restrain.
Instead of listening to Enzo, I plopped down next to Bane. His eyes flicked in my direction, and I swear I saw a fraction of understanding, or terror, before he focused back on whatever business he had with Zion.
“Let me remind you of something, Bane,” I growled, my tone calm but every word packed with year’s worth of parental authority that I had gained ever since I claimed Aife as our cub. “See this cub - the one you’re touching? One wrong move and I swear to the Goddess you’ll wish you’d stayed inside your own bloody skull. I don’t care if you’re holding her ankle like it’s fragile china or petting her with that hand of yours. You hurt her, you hurt me. You hear me?”
Bane’s breath hitched, something flickered in his eyes, but he didn’t respond, which I wasn’t too surprised about.
I leaned a little closer and whispered, “you are not to forget. I don’t care what the monster inside you thinks, doesn’t think, or plans to do while you’re asleep. You are my responsibility now. You will protect her, care for her, respect her, and love her. I suspect that’s already happening in your cowardly, ridiculous little human heart, but I demand more anyway.”
Zion’s chuckle broke the tense silence, but I didn’t bother looking his way as I raised my voice a little and kept talking. “I won’t tolerate negligence, inattentiveness, or any excuse for hurting my cub. You step out of line, and I will personally see to it that you regret existing. Permanently.”
Bane’s shoulders tensed as I leaned back and chuckled with delight. “Now, I will give you one, single, glorious chance to prove yourself. One. If you manage to hold it together for the next, let’s say, hour, maybe two, without her screaming, crying, or running for cover, I might consider you marginally acceptable.”
Zion let out a laugh, but the brute beside him just shifted uncomfortably. I ignored them because this lecture was serious business neither of them understood. I had a heart full of father’s love and I had to show it off somehow, right?
“Step one, never let her go hungry, ever. Step two, don’t touch her hair without her consent, regardless of how cute or tempting it may look. Step three, don’t, under any circumstances, let that fucking monster get the best of you while she’s near. Step four, always remember that my claw can reach places you’d never expect and leave marks that will make your life very fucking uncomfortable. Balls, I’m talking about your balls, Bane.”
Bane swallowed loudly and his grip on Aife’s ankle tightened, but the bastard didn’t protest. I wasn’t expecting him to respond in words anyway - action spoke louder.
“Step five,” I added, lowering my voice just slightly, “you will protect her like your own blood, because the second you fail, I will be there. And trust me, failure is not an option you want to consider.
Bane’s breathing hitched, just slightly, but it was enough for me to notice how much he was struggling. I could see the effort it took him to keep himself together, to suppress the monster, to be a human in the presence of an Alpha lion who was furious with him and possibly planning his execution.
Zion broke the silence after a long moment, as always sounding more amused than anything. “You’re really going all out on him.”
I ignored him, because this lecture wasn’t about humor - it was about responsibility. “And let me tell you something else, Bane. I don’t care how heroic, clever, or charming you think you are. You will remember this lecture the next time you even think about losing control. If that monster gets a chance, I won’t stop myself from correcting it permanently.”
Bane’s eyes darted to Aife, but he still stayed silent. I wasn’t sure if it was out of respect or anything, but I still took his silence as a small victory because it meant he was thinking.
When my cub glanced at me and flashed me that shy smile of hers, I leaned closer to Bane and whispered in his ear, “I’ve tolerated a lot from the world, seen terrible things and monsters. But nothing, and I mean nothing, will be worse than what comes if you dare to harm this cub.”
Silence settled over everyone. Bane was tense but still quiet, Zion smirked like an idiot, the guard looked downright uncomfortable and Enzo was glaring daggers at me. It was fine, I could deal with his rage and consequences, because the looks our cub and her friend gave me were worth every moment of suffering I might have to experience soon after.
Slowly, I stood up and stretched my arms above my head, grumbling, “now, I’ll give you one last piece of advice. She’s fragile, but not weak. She can withstand more than you can imagine. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re the strongest force in her life because you’re not. She and the pack have layers, defenses, and instincts you can’t even begin to understand. Respect that, or else..”
Bane swallowed hard and gave a slight nod, finally letting the tension ease from his shoulders. I kept watching him even as Enzo stood next to me and poked my side painfully.
“Now, Zion, go ahead and get him to explain this ’monster inside’ nonsense before I lose my patience completely.” I grumbled as I tried to hide the hiss that escaped me because of Enzo’s sneak attack.
Zion grinned. “He’s been practicing, but we’re trying to explain to the brute over here what Bane is fighting and why he can’t always be perfect.”
I nodded and turned to Bane again. “If that thing snaps while Aife’s around again, you let me know immediately. I really don’t give a shit how much pride you have when it comes to my cub.”
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