Intent on His claim (Beauty and the Beast #3)

Chapter 48

Warren ignored the paper and rounded the desk, feeling the panther clawing at his insides. He needed a run immediately.

As he stepped past his father, Kyle offered, "There's no reason to worry. I'm sure Annabelle is perfectly safe."

It wasn't the words that stopped Warren – or the slightly smug tone in his voice. No, Warren was frozen in place by what he'd accidentally glimpsed in Kyle's mind. He angled his head. "What was that?"

"What?" Kyle asked innocently.

"That memory of Annabelle," Warren insisted, turning to glare at his father.

"Really, son? Don't we have rules for a reason?"

Warren knew he'd overstepped when he'd glanced in Kyle's mind but it had been automatic, and what he'd seen had struck him. He needed to get to the bottom of it immediately.

"What was that conversation between you two?" He demanded. When Kyle looked away Warren growled quietly, "Don't make me force it out of you."

Kyle sighed. He truly hated when Warren's alpha power buffeted him. He reluctantly opened his mind.

Warren saw it all; the threats that Kyle made to Anabelle when he'd been hurt, and the promise he dragged out of her.

And he suddenly realized why Annabelle decided to face whatever dangers lay ahead alone. "It was you!" he raged, stepping menacingly closer to his father. His tether on his other nature was slipping dangerously.

Kyle saw the alpha glow in Warren's eyes and stepped back nervously. He kept inching back while Warren stalked after him. "You did this! Annabelle is in terrible danger because of you!"

Kyle panicked and fell on one knee in front of Warren, bowing his head to his alpha. "I only acted to protect you from the same dangers, my liege."

Warren dodged back as if stung, and he paled as he realized what Kyle had just done. In an instant, he had forced Warren out of the position of a son angry with his father to that of a lord angry with his aide.

"You would force my hand," Warren whispered, desperately wishing that Kyle would find some way to take it back.

Kyle just remained with his eyes respectfully downcast, awaiting his lord's reaction.

Warren straightened and his mouth tightened. His face went blank and he bound his hands behind his back again. "Very well. I shall think on a fitting punishment, Lord Strandton. I will not tolerate such insolence."

And then he spun round and strode out of the house, his heart in even greater turmoil than it was when he walked in.

In another part of the house, Roger had finally managed to calm Ashley down. Partly because they were both shocked when the discussion between Warren and Kyle escalated into a fight.

Roger was standing next to Ashley while she sat on her bed – he'd known that her room was the best place to calm her down – and now their eyes locked as they heard Warren's last words to Kyle. It took a moment for them to be able to speak.

"Why did Warren just call Dad 'Lord Strandton'?" Ashley asked softly.

Roger shook his head and tugged at his hair. His head was spinning from all the problems he was suddenly facing. He needed to figure out how to keep Warren from rampaging while Axle searched for Belle – at least he could trust Axle and his trackers with that – while keeping Ashley from falling into depression from her visions, and maybe even keeping Kyle safe from his own son.

Oh, and there was Dane and Chief Ranger Burton to think about.

As if his work wasn't already piling up with the sudden surge in vampire sightings and everything he hadn't been doing while keeping an eye on Belle's training.