"You hound dogs!" the king roared, storming toward the bed. The younger man beside him froze in the doorway, eyes wide. Alexis was on top of me, shielding my naked body with his own. "How dare you defile my royal bed!"
"Guards!" the king bellowed.
Two men in sharp black jackets and tight leather pants appeared instantly, earpieces and wires visible.
"Seize them all," the king ordered.
"Leave my wife," the younger man growled, his gaze locking onto me. The king's heir.
In a heartbeat, Alexis shifted into a massive leopard, eyes burning with feral rage. The king transformed too — a sleek, deadly cheetah with long, terrifying canines. They circled each other, growls vibrating through the room like thunder.
Oh God, please save me from this madness. I'd never seen real big cats before transmigrating, and now two apex predators were ready to tear each other apart.
Beep. Beep.
A tearing pain ripped through my body. Paws hit the soft sheets.
[Stress-induced transformation complete.]
My lynx form emerged again. Sharp vision locked onto the circling beasts. My other mates stood at the foot of the bed, stunned. Some instinct I didn't understand drove me forward.
I leaped onto the cheetah king, using surprise to my advantage.
He shrugged me off easily. Pain exploded as his fangs sank into my neck. Blood poured from the wound in hot torrents. My vision blurred.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ramses shift — ridges rising along his back as he charged with a deafening roar. The two massive beasts collided.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
[Injury-induced transformation complete.]
The king's son moved quickly. He knelt, pressing hard on my bleeding neck to stem the flow. Alexis immediately lunged toward him with a menacing growl.
"Where do you think you're going with my mate?" Alexis snarled, shifting back to human form and blocking the doorway. Aquasteine appeared beside him, calm but radiating power.
"She is no longer yours," the heir declared coldly. "She is my beast wife from this day forward."
What the fuck? I thought, even as blood soaked his clothes. I barely knew my current mates beyond the fact that they were apparently very skilled with their mouths. Now this arrogant stranger wanted to claim me?
"We cannot take her by force easily," Aquasteine said coolly, "but we will if we must. Be reasonable."
The heir smirked. "I could have my guards throw you in the dungeons. The only reason I haven't is because my wife wouldn't like it." He looked down at me with possessive eyes. "And I respect my wife's wishes."
"She goes nowhere without our consent," Alexis shot back.
The heir's expression hardened. "Guards, seize them."
The two men advanced. Zach stepped forward and dropped the taller one with a single brutal punch. The shorter guard tried to kick him, but Zach grabbed his leg and hurled him across the room like a ragdoll.
While the heir was distracted, a loud crash echoed behind us. I twisted weakly in his arms. The king and Ramses lay on the floor, both covered in blood, chests heaving, snouts dripping red. They were groaning but alive.
My vision was fading fast. I fought to stay conscious. I can't faint again. That's how I ended up in this nightmare… or maybe it's how I get out?