“I am Danny’s alpha,” Griff said to Reiner, that ominous, forceful growl still edging his words. “He is a member of my pride, and I am bound to protect him. I can tell that you would indeed never hurt him, but that does not mean I trust your judgment. Until I am satisfied that he is safe in your care, you will not take him anywhere without my permission.”
Reiner held Griff’s stare. His lips pulled back from his teeth, like a lion baring its fangs. “I could challenge you for him.”
Griff’s eyes flared yellow, as bright and fierce as the heart of the sun. “Try. It.”
Reiner flinched back a little. He scowled down at the ground, breaking eye contact. “What if Danny wants me as his alpha?” he muttered.
“Then I would release him to you,” Griff said coolly. “If you can win his heart and trust, I’ll not stand in your way. But until then, I am his alpha, and you will respect my decisions for him. Is that clear?”
Reiner’s eyes blazed with frustrated resentment, but he grudgingly nodded.
I’m his mother! Hayley wanted to scream at both of them. Don’t I get a say?
But she didn’t dare interrupt. Whatever was going on was clearly a shifter thing. She couldn’t risk destabilizing the fragile peace agreement that Griff seemed to have negotiated with Reiner.
She knew that Griff could tell what she was thinking from the swift, apologetic glance he shot her. “Hayley, do you want Reiner to take you and Danny back home? Or would you rather that Chase take you and Danny, and I’ll go with Reiner?”
From the look Reiner was giving Griff, if the firefighter got into a car with him, only one of them would be coming out again. “We’ll go with Reiner,” Hayley said hastily. She hesitated, eying the glowering lion shifter.
He always hated not getting his own way. I have to be the bigger person, give him a way to save face. If he is going to be a real father to Danny, I’m going to have to learn how to compromise with him.
“We don’t have to go straight away, Reiner,” she said to him, forcing herself to speak respectfully. “If you want more time with Danny, that is.”
Any hope that he’d accept this peace offering died in the withering glare he gave her. “Thank you so much for offering me a few paltry hours with the son I haven’t seen in five years,” he said sarcastically. “It’s so generous of you.”
“I’ll just go say goodbye to Danny, then Chase and I will be on our way.” Griff took Hayley’s arm—to all appearances casually, but she could feel the tension in his strong grip. “Quick word, Hayley?”
“What is it?” she asked under her breath, as he led her away from Reiner.
He shook his head at her, very slightly. He didn’t speak again until they were at the other end of the clearing, where Chase and Danny were playing tag. Danny broke off his pursuit of Chase, bouncing happily up to Griff. The firefighter ruffled the cub’s fur, then looked at Chase.
“If you want to go say hello to Reiner,” Griff said to the pegasus, very quietly, “now would be a very good time.”
Chase’s ears flicked back and forth in apparent confusion. Then he snorted, tossing his head. He trotted toward the lion shifter.
Halfway across the clearing, he shimmered, turning human. Hayley was relieved to see that he at least kept his clothes on when he transformed.
“That should keep Reiner occupied for a few minutes,” Griff said, as Chase loudly hailed a somewhat bemused-looking Reiner. “No one can pay attention to anything else when they’re being subjected to Chase in full flow.”
“What’s going on?” Hayley was starting to feel very nervous by the level of secrecy. “What don’t you want him to overhear?”
“This.” Griff went down on one knee, so he could look Danny straight in the eyes. “Danny, this is very, very important. You must not tell your da that I can’t shift.”
Danny tilted his head quizzically. He must have said something telepathically, because Griff shook his head.
“No, he doesn’t.” Glancing up at Hayley, he added, “And we’re bloody lucky that’s true. He’d have challenged me in a heartbeat, otherwise.”
Hayley went cold as she realized the implication. “A challenge is a physical fight? He’d attack you in lion form?”
Danny’s tail lashed back and forth. He let out an indignant hiss.
“Shifter law isn’t always fair,” Griff said grimly. “Danny, if your da challenges me and wins, he’d become your alpha. And then he’d be able to order you never to see me again. He doesn’t like me.”
Danny’s eyes widened in distress. He made a plaintive mewling sound, which even Hayley could tell was the lion equivalent of why?
“Because he loves you so much. He wants to have you all to himself. He doesn’t want to share, not with me, not with your-” Griff stopped, abruptly, but Hayley knew what he’d nearly said.
Not with your mother.