Page 24 of Kitten Kisses

As he crossed through the kitchen, Slater slowed then walked to the counter. Alex’s earbuds were lying by the coffeepot. Heart heavy, he picked them up and curled them in his fist as he closed his eyes.

I can’t lose him.

His tiger let out a low growl, and Slater could feel it rising up in him. Not again. He was ready to battle it once more if he had to, until… He turned his head, tilted it, and listened to the car pulling into his driveway.

Whoever it was, it had Slater’s tiger ready to attack.

He set the earbuds down carefully then walked to his front door. Through the glass in the door he could see Kijani getting out of his cruiser.

Slater had sent Kijani to find and check on Alex. Had something happened to his mate? Worried, Slater opened the door right as Kijani was about to knock.

With a hellish snarl, Kijani asked, “What in the fuck is wrong with you?”

But before Slater could even find out what the guy was talking about, Kijani charged at him, colliding into Slater with such force, the impact sent both Slater and the couch sliding across the room until it slammed against a wall.

“Have you lost your mind?” Slater shouted and shot to his feet, ready this time if Kijani attacked him again.

“You threatened your mate.” Kijani snarled as his canines extended into deadly weapons.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, but I won’t hesitate to defend myself if you come at me again.” Slater growled, feeling a surge of aggression rise within him. “Don’t force my hand, Kijani.”

They were close friends. Slater couldn’t believe the wolf shifter was attacking him. Today was turning into one big-ass shitshow. He tried to think back to his fight with Alex, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out when he’d threatened his mate.

He would never do something so heinous. His hummingbird meant everything to him.

“You’re telling me Alex is lying?” Kijani’s claws slid free. “Do you know what happens to those who hurt their mate?”

Slater’s canines descended, his claws sliding free as Kijani rushed him, but Slater spun out of the way, determined not to hurt his friend or let Kijani hurt him.

But Slater was also battling back his tiger as it tried to take over, ready to draw blood.

Kijani continued to attack relentlessly, their bodies colliding with enough force to cause drywall to crumble and dust to fill the air. They exchanged punches and kicks so quickly that they could barely be deflected.

“I didn’t threaten him!” Slater shoved Kijani off him, grabbed him around the waist, then heaved the wolf shifter away from him. “I would never hurt my mate!”

They slowly circled each other, their eyes locked in intense gazes. “You didn’t tell him that if he joked about men again, your growl wouldn’t be so little?” Kijani narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Don’t lie to me, Slater.”

Slater caught sight of a car pulling into his driveway from the corner of his eye, nearly colliding with Kijani’s cruiser, but he couldn’t afford to take his gaze off the deadly wolf shifter in front of him.

Slater played back in his mind what he’d said to Alex.

“Hummingbird.” He’d slowly blown out a breath. “Tease about rotating through men again and my growl won’t be so soft.”

Fuck. “I wasn’t threatening Alex. I was warning him.”

“Still sounds like a goddamn threat to me,” Kijani snarled.

“I was warning him because I can’t control my tiger! As soon as it sensed that Alex was our mate, I’ve been struggling to keep it under control.”

Kijani narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he wasn’t sure he should believe Slater.

“Twice it’s gotten so close that my mate saw it in my eyes,” Slater gritted out. “Once on my back porch and then this morning, right outside the diner.” The fight drained out of him. “I couldn’t even try to stop Alex from leaving me because I had to keep my tiger from getting free. It wanted to claim my mate right then and there, not giving a shit about who was watching.”

Slowly, Kijani stood up straight. “Until you bind your souls together, your tiger will only become more dominant.”

Slater scrubbed his hands over his face. “How do you know this? I don’t even know why it’s acting this way.”

“I witnessed it happen over a hundred years ago,” Kijani said. “He couldn’t control his wolf and almost attacked a group of humans. But after he claimed his mate, his wolf was at peace.”

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