The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 68

I paced in front of everyone that was gathered, biting my lip. My whole body was tense, and my heart pounded in my chest.

Everyone was silent and thinking of what I told them, even Marcus, who was in chains. They looked at each other and then at me.

Faolon was the first to move and moved a hand through his hair. "So, we've lost," he said. 'We haven't even had the battle yet, and we lost."

"We would have still lost even if we had the battle," Lobo said. He sent a scathing look to Marcus, and I had to bite back a growl. "I do not know why you allowed him to be a part of this meeting, Martha." He looked at me.

I stopped pacing and looked at him. "It wouldn't matter anyway," I said. "I don't have time to be a tiger anyway. I haven't completed what I needed."

"Can't you say that she is a tiger?" Lobo asked and looked at Shardul. "You have the authority."

"He won't do it anyway," Marcus said. "She doesn't deserve to be a tiger anyway."

Faolon and Lobo growled at Marcus, and Lobo took a step toward him.

"How dare you say that," he said and took another step toward him. "She deserves to be a tiger just as much as you."

I sighed and stepped in front of my uncle. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled when Lobo took another threatening step forward until we stood face to face.

"Move," he said.

"No," I replied. "I am not moving so that you could hit him."

"Ma-"

"No," I said, interrupting him. I took a step forward and forced him to take a step back. "I may never have the right to be a tiger in his eyes, but that doesn't matter. I'll still be one whether he likes it or not. As for me being a tiger before the battle, that won't happen because I hadn't completed the training, nor am I close to finishing." I glanced at Shardul, and he nodded to indicate that I wasn't finished yet.

"You didn't complete the wolf training before you became a wolf."

"Well, I did have to face Li Pike without that much training. Remember? Or have you forgotten?" I sassed.

Lobo set his jaw. Pain flashed through his eyes, and I could tell that he did. He remembered and remembered how hard it had been for me the past couple of weeks after that while I dealt with the fact that I killed someone. "I haven't," he said. "I have not forgotten."

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Good," I said. "Now, can you back up?" I asked. "I am not going to allow you to hit him."

Lobo sighed but nodded. He backed up until he was near Faolon, and Marcus snorted.

"That's right, M-"

"I am going to stop you right there, Marcus," I warned, sensing the real him start to panic because of what he was about to say.

"And why is that?" Marcus asked. "Don't you want to know what I th-"

"I do, but now isn't the time nor the place for it, Marcus," I said. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

Marcus bristled but stayed silent.

Lobo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I wonder wha-"

"Lobo, I hope you are not going to say what I think you are wanting to say," I said, interrupting him. I bared my teeth at my uncle, and he closed his mouth and set his jaw. "That is not something you should make a comment on. Understood?"

The air grew thicker and filled with tension while my uncle and I looked at each other.

Everyone was silent while we looked at each other before finally, my uncle ceded and sighed. "Of course, Almair," he said. "My apologies."

"What happened?" Colt asked and looked between the two of us. He furrowed his brows and pressed his lips together. "What was he going to say?"

"Something dangerous in present company," I replied. "It's one of the reasons we are in this mess." I glanced at Shardul and Marcus before I walked back to my position by my mate.

Marcus's face was blank, and I knew that the real him was hurt. He knew what Lobo was about to say, the four of us did, and that hurt him a lot.

Shardul's face held guilt while he looked down. He knew that if he hadn't yelled at Miss Kip, then she'd still be here, and his second wouldn't have been controlled by them.

"Wh-"

Tanskue nudged his second to be silent. "Don't push," he warned. He looked at me. "What is the plan?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"A battle is happening soon," I replied. "How soon I don't know, but I know that it will be soon."

"Not to mention that there is a red moon in two days," Faolon supplied, and I made a mental note to ask him what was significant about the red moon.

"The red moon makes it easier for us to either be human or animal form when we are not in the backyard," Tansuke explained and shot Faolon an annoyed look before he looked at me. "Even those born as a Wolfin, Horsin, and Tigerin can change into a human form."

I nodded and bit my lip.

"It's also a time when the Dark Forces are at their strongest," Faolon said, "as we are at our strongest."

"Wi-"

"What will we do then?" Falon asked, interrupting Tansuke.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. I had a feeling that Tansuke was about to say something about Wisters. However, I knew better than to push it. I could ask Hermes later. "I think that our best bet is to stay near our respective lands," I said. "I will be out and about to make sure that everything is alright."

"So you want us to be sitting ducks," Marcus said. "Is that what you are telling us? They will attack. They will kill us."

I shrugged and kept my composure. "Pretty much," I said. I shot Shardul a look that said for him to trust me before I looked at Marcus. "I mean, what else can we do?"

Marcus shook his head and sighed sympathetically. "If there isn't anything else that we need to discuss, can we go? I am sure that Shardul has more important things to do than to talk to you."

I silenced Lobo and Faolon with a flick of my fingers. "I think you mean that you have more important things to do than stand here and listen," I said. I looked at Shardul. "Is there anything that you have questions about?" I asked.

Shardul shook his head, no. "I do not," he said. He looked at the other leaders, and debate filled his eyes. He knew that I "had" stronger ties with the wolves and horses than I did with the tigers.

"I'll come by later today," I promised. "I want to get a little more training in before whatever happens happens." Wordlessly, I told him that I wanted to talk to him about what we had discussed without Marcus.

I hated not including Shardul in the main discussion and keeping him in the dark, but I knew that Marcus would get suspicious if I asked Shardul to stay and not him, and if that happened, then what I had planned would fail.

Shardul nodded. "Of course, Almair," he said, and I could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice. He cleared his throat and shifted. "If you'll excuse us, we will take our leave."

I nodded and watched as Shardul and the rest of the tigers that were gathered left.

Tygra, who had been silent throughout the whole meeting, walked the closest to me and took what I had to give her before she caught up with the others.

As soon as they were gone, I sighed and grew serious before I turned to the rest of the group.

"Well?" Faolon asked, breaking the silence that had fallen on us. "What is it? What is the plan?"

"There's going to be a battle in two days on the night of the red moon," I replied, and they looked at each other before they looked at me. "We're to where the Dark Forces are at, and we're getting Bethany back."