Page 125 of The Hyena’s Guardian
And Theron had chosen him. Not because the bond demanded it, nor because blood or instinct drove him toward it. Somewhere between the tunnels, the bridge, and the throne chamber, Matt had become the future Theron wanted.
Wanting that future left him more vulnerable than centuries of solitude ever had, because now there was something the mountain could take from him.
Recognition sharpened the King’s expression. “Yes. Now you understand.”
The mountain trembled, and another chain snapped. The throne platform dropped toward the abyss while fractures raced across the central bridge leading to the heart seal.
Baptiste looked up from the western anchor. “Theron!”
Theron already understood. The final stabilizer had to be placed beneath the throne, directly beneath the King.
The hyena surged forward, but Theron caught the thick fur at his shoulder.
The transformed hyena turned on him, golden eyes burning beneath the shift.
“No,” Theron said.
A deep, furious growl rumbled through the hyena’s chest.
The bond struck Theron with enough force to steal his breath.
The meaning arrived with brutal clarity.
No.
It was not a spoken word, but an instinctive refusal so absolute it left no room for argument. Protect. Stay behind me. I will not lose you.
Theron held his gaze. “I know what he wants now.”
The King’s attention locked onto them. The bond tightened until Theron could feel Matt’s heart hammering beneath the massive body.
The hyena answered with another low rumble that vibrated through the fractured bridge.
You are not going near him.
The meaning crossed the bond with perfect clarity.
Under other circumstances, the sound might have been threatening. Instead, it sent something dangerously warm through Theron’s chest.
Matt was afraid for him, not of him.
The difference mattered more than Theron could explain.
Another tremor rolled through the chamber. The bridges would not hold much longer.
He would reach the heart seal without offering himself to it.
For the first time in centuries, Theron chose the possibility of returning.
The decision moved through the bond before he could conceal it.
The massive hyena went completely still.
Across the throne chamber, the First King’s expression twisted into pure hatred.
Chapter 17 - Matt
Matt saw the King’s face change.
