“Do it for me,” Hayley whispered, begging him with every fiber of her soul to listen to her.
Griff swallowed, hard. Gently, he freed himself from her grip. Never breaking eye contact with Reiner, he lowered himself to his knees, tilting his head up to expose his throat.
Reiner’s eyes gleamed. “Down further, beta. Down on your belly.”
“Reiner-” Hayley started, but Griff shook his head at her, very slightly.
“It’ll be all right,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry.”
Then he prostrated himself fully in front of Reiner, lying on his front with his head turned to one side. Smiling savagely, Reiner put his booted foot on the side of Griff’s neck. The firefighter didn’t so much as move a muscle.
“I accept your submission,” Reiner said triumphantly. “I am Danny’s alpha now.” When Griff didn’t respond, Reiner glared at him, pressing down on his throat with his full weight. “I’ve defeated you! Give him to me!”
Hayley didn’t see Griff do anything at all, but a sudden piercing, heart-broken shriek came from Danny’s room. Whatever had happened between the two lions, Danny had clearly sensed it.
“All right, it’s done, let him up!” Hayley shoved at Reiner, as Danny’s door banged open upstairs. “Let him go, before Danny sees!”
Reluctantly, Reiner took his foot off Griff’s neck. Hayley wanted to help Griff up, but she didn’t know whether that would just be one more humiliation. In an agony of indecision, she hovered over him as he stiffly levered himself to his feet.
“Griff, Griff!” Danny hurled himself down the stairs and straight into Griff, nearly knocking him over again. “Where are you? Why aren’t you in my head anymore? You said you’d never leave me, you promised!”
“I’m sorry, lad.” Griff hugged him once, briefly, then let him go. “Just remember what I told you about a true alpha.”
“Come here, Danny,” Reiner ordered. “I am your alpha now.”
Danny shook his head in incomprehension. “But Mr. Griff-“
“I said, come here!” Reiner’s voice snapped with that odd, commanding note that Hayley had only ever heard Griff use before.
Danny jerked away from Griff at Reiner’s order, like a dog yanked back by its collar. He stared from Griff to Reiner to Hayley in mute betrayal, as though they’d all suddenly turned into strangers.
“It’ll be fine,” Griff said, as much to Hayley as to Danny. The bitter, shamed set of his shoulders betrayed his lie. “Don’t worry. I’ll go now.”
“No, he’s going.” Hayley confronted Reiner, wishing with all her heart that she could turn into a lion. “Get out before I call the cops. And don’t you dare come here again.”
“I will be back to collect my son,” Reiner retorted. “As and when I choose. Or would you prefer to hear from my lawyer?”
Griff’s hand fell on her shoulder, squeezing in warning. “There is no need for that.” He addressed Reiner’s feet, not raising his head. “You are alpha. You have the right to see your cub.”
“And you do not.” Reiner’s tone took on that eerie undercurrent of alpha command again. “Danny, you will not see this man again. You will not be under the same roof as him. If he comes here, you must leave immediately.” His voice rose with a sort of giddy malice, like a child waving around a stolen handgun. “You will not meet him, nor speak to him, under any circumstances. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Daddy,” Danny whispered, his small face still white with shock. Immediately, he started retreating from Griff, his movements forced and jerky. A panicked whimper rose in his throat as his back hit the wall.
“It’s all right, lad.” Griff circled round Reiner, never turning his back on him. “I’m going. Hayley, I’ll call you later. Don’t worry. I promise I’ll fix this.” With a last indecipherable glance at her, he left.
“You- you-” Hayley’s hands curled into impotent fists. “Get out.”
Reiner backed away, but paused in the doorway. He smirked at her. “You can have your son. Or you can have your mate. But not both. Let’s see which one you love more.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Danny
He is the alpha, Simba kept insisting. We have to obey the alpha.
Danny stared rebelliously at his untouched dinner. He didn’t want to obey. Not like he’d wanted to obey Mr. Griff.
But Mr. Griff wasn’t his alpha anymore. Daddy was.