Chapter 5

When the littlecub said his mom was afraid of me, it didn't feel nice. He wasn't saying it to hurt me directly. He was trying to protect his mom. I recognized the way he stood in front of her, his stance protective and his little snarl threatening. It still didn't feel nice, and I wasn't quite sure what I could say to settle him. Instead, I looked at his mom. She looked terrified, her grip on the seat belt so tight her knuckles were white. She was choking back sobs and trembling, and if she was afraid of males, the crew standing outside weren't helping at all.

"What's her name?"

The little cub glared at me, but I didn't budge, and eventually he answered. "Talia. Talia Jamison."

"Talia. That's a nice name. Talia, I'm Titus, but everyone calls me Teddy. You look real uncomfortable out here. Can I bring you inside?"

Her fear compounded, and Bear revolted. He was demanding I fix whatever was wrong with her, but the more dominant he got, the more she shrank in her seat. I swallowed back a growl, shoving down the urge to shift.

"Sorry. My bear likes protectin' people. I'm a bouncer at a club. Protectin' women is my job. I just wanna bring you somewhere you feel safe. Okay?"

She didn't reply, but the little cub studied me, his eyes narrowed. "Your job is protecting women?"

I nodded. Maybe he could convince her better than I could to let me help her. "Some men ain't real nice. I make ‘em leave if they do stuff they shouldn't. There's even a drink women can order if they feel unsafe but are afraid of sayin' somethin'. If they order it, the bartender tells me and I get ‘em somewhere safe."

The little cub looked back at his mom again. He looked like he wanted to move her himself, but he was still a little thing. Not all cubs were big like me. I wasn't sure what was normal for a lion cub, but I was a lot bigger than all the other kids when I was young.

"She sits with me at school. She likes to be close. But there are too many males here. She won't get out of the car."

I nodded again. "Okay. Think it'll be okay if I move her?"

He looked uneasy at the prospect, but he stiffened when his gaze moved over my shoulder and his chin went up. From the smells, it looked like the crew was gathering, and that wasn't going to help any. I didn't know them well enough to ask them to go away, though.

"Go away," the little cub growled.

"Easy, tiger. We're just checking on her. Why don't you–"

"Why don't you leave her alone?" he snarled, cutting the wolf shifter off. "You're scaring her! Go away!"

He was trying to help, but she flinched every time he yelled and he wasn't making things better. Slowly, so she could feel me coming, I crowded closer, reaching into the car to release the seat belt. Her breaths came out fast and sharp and she curled tightly into herself, but she didn't fight me when I gently drew her into my arms. Didn't shift either, which was good. Being clawed by a she-cat wasn't on my to-do list for this vacation.

Pushing to my feet, I lifted her out of the car and tipped my head toward the trailer park. "Come on, little cub. Show me where to go."

He didn't fight me this time, stomping towards the trailer park while glaring daggers at the crew. They stepped back when we approached and I kept the woman tucked close to me until we went inside Malcolm's trailer. The little cub said something about school. I probably should've figured out sooner he meant here. There was a little school set up in one corner of the trailer; a colorful space with little tables and bookshelves, and even a large whiteboard against one wall. The other cubs were already there, snickering and whispering to each other.

"She sits right there," the little cub said gruffly, pointing at a rocking chair in the corner. I was careful around the other cubs, edging around their table. When I set Talia down, she shook like a leaf and her eyes were squeezed shut.

"What's wrong with her?" a little girl asked.

"Nothing!" Talia's son snapped. "Mind your own business!"

"Don't yell at my sister!" another snarled.

It was too loud, and it wasn't helping Talia get better. Bear let out a low growl. Nothing scary, just a warning for the cubs to settle. It made Talia flinch, but the little ones listened and quieted quickly.

"It's okay. You're safe now," I cooed, taking her hand between mine and petting the back of it. I didn"t want to scare her, but I couldn't convince Bear to walk away either. Not until we knew she was okay.

"Here. Give her this."

When I looked up at the new voice, I almost jerked back. "Your eyes are purple."

Her mouth ticked up on one side for a second. "Yours are brown."

"That wasn't– I mean–" I frowned. I wasn't expecting that response and I didn't know what to say. She held out her hand again, lifting her eyebrows expectantly. I turned over my palm, accepting the gift she offered.

"It's a rock."

Amusement flashed across her face again. "You are half correct. It's a protection charm. It'll help her feel safe."

"Oh." I didn't know those were real. It didn"t matter anyway. Even if it was fake, if it helped Talia feel better, it was better than nothing. I turned Talia's hand over in mine, resting the protection charm in her open palm. Her fingers curled around it and she finally opened her eyes a little, squinting at the object. When her eyes lifted to mine, her gaze skittered away almost immediately. I didn't take offense. She was still scared.

My brows furrowed, and I looked over my shoulder at Javi. "Where's Violet? Dogs are good for makin' people feel better, right?"

The woman with the purple eyes smiled softly and nodded to Javi when he just looked confused. "He's right. Dogs are good protectors. I believe she was outside with your papa."

Javi darted off before I could blink, but he was back a minute later with Violet and a few of the crew. Just women, which was good. One was blonde, with a long ponytail. Rhea, I think. The other I didn't know yet. She looked a lot like Talia, though.

"How is she?"

The little cub spun around and scowled at them. "She's scared because you keep making her come here! You should've just left us alone! We would've been better with the pride!"

My heart was still trying to beat out of my chest, but my lioness was quieter than before. The male who brought us inside was dominant, but he kept pushing it back, like he didn't want to upset anyone. None of the males in the pride ever did that.

I couldn't look him in the eye, but what little I got at first glance was surprising. He was… massive. Even kneeling in front of me, he was taller. And wide, with broad shoulders and big arms. He made carrying me seem effortless. He smelled like candy, and his voice was surprisingly soothing. His hand still held mine, dwarfing my smaller one, but he was exceptionally gentle and even annoyed, he didn't hurt me.

I knew I needed to step in and stop the argument. Kiara didn't like when Leo acted like the males in the pride. But I couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

"You think she'd be better on her own? Really? Or do you just want her docile so you can control her like the rest of the lions? Are you gonna turn into one of them?" Kiara sneered.

The male in front of me made an irritated noise, shaking his head. "That ain't nice. He's just a cub."

Kiara whipped her head around, glowering at him, but the male didn't back down an inch. He wasn't unkind to Kiara, his voice stayed low and soothing, but he stood up for Leo anyway.

"His mama had a panic attack. He's allowed to be scared." He corrected himself when Leo gave him a dirty look. "He's allowed to have feelin's. Don't mean he's gonna control her. Now, if you want her to get better, everyone needs to calm down."

Surprise made my head come up. Who was this male that was so patient with cubs and females? He didn't act like the lions of the pride. He seemed to genuinely care.

"Who are you?" Kiara demanded.

"I'm Teddy. I'm visitin' Malcolm. Who are you?"

Runa chuckled lightly, drawing my attention. "Ah. Fate is being funny. Of course she needs a teddy to cuddle at night."

No one seemed to know what she meant by that, but she didn't bother to explain. She held out another charm, like the one Teddy handed to me, offering it to Leo.

"This isn't for you. Brave lions don't need protection. It's for your mom. To make her feel better so she won't be so scared. Keep it on you and it'll protect you. Alright?"

Leo took the charm with a hint of a scowl, but when he noticed me watching him, he dipped his chin to acknowledge her and stuffed the charm into his pocket. Then he moved to my side and took my free hand, his guard up as he glared at everyone in the room.

Teddy smiled softly. "Brave lion. You got school. I'll stay here with her until you're done. Okay?"

For the first time in his life, Leo willingly let someone else protect me. He took another long look at the bear shifter and stepped away, pointing at the table. "I'll be right there. Try anything funny and I'll hurt you."

The bear nodded once and didn't laugh or mock him. "Okay, little cub. I'll stay where you can see me."

Teddy settled more comfortably on the floor beside me, patting his lap to urge the dog closer to us both. He smiled up at me. "She's real nice. I met her this morning. She'll help you feel better."

"Wh–Who are you?"