Chapter 30

Hu Yetao was startled as someone grabbed his hand and pumped it up and down exuberantly, spinning him away from Xuan Ye and He Min as they disappeared into the pack. He could practically hear Oscar's jaw cracking as he clenched his teeth and glared at the interloper. The man was probably only a few years older than Hu Yetao and Oscar and he was smiling widely.

"H-hello," Hu Yetao stuttered before carefully retracting his hand. "Erm, who are you?"

"Lin Hao," the man replied rapidly, as though not paying attention to the words coming out of his mouth. "You have the most beautiful eyes."

Caught off-guard, Hu Yetao coughed, nearly choking on his amusement, but was quickly distracted by the growling sound emanating from his mate. He took a chance and placed a hand on Oscar's arm, attempting to calm him the same way Shui Xian had her husband.

"Thank you Lin, but you should probably back off," Hu Yetao replied with a smile. "I don't think my mate appreciates your attention."

Oscar fell silent but continued to glare at Lin Hao.

Lin glanced at Oscar for the first time and blinked. "Oh, right," he said haltingly. "Nice to have met you."

Hu Yetao chuckled as Lin made a hasty getaway but he was quickly replaced by another Nundu. And then another. And another.

Oscar's patience and strength were truly tested as slowly most of the gathered crowd introduced themselves to Hu Yetao, some rather quickly and nervously, while others seemed happy to chat the night away, despite the snarling Oscar standing watch.

Hu Yetao found Oscar's jealous streak endlessly amusing, especially because the blond himself seemed taken by surprise whenever it reared its ugly head. Hu Yetao was soon able to predict which clan members would set him off; if they were young, attractive, and male, then Hu Yetao would precede the introduction by holding Oscar's hand or slipping an arm around his waist. It helped to ease Oscar's unstable emotions.

The only part Hu Yetao didn't particularly feel comfortable with was when the clan members would approach in their cat forms, practically knocking him over as they wound their huge furry bodies around him and sniffed at his hair. He would tense up and keep his eyes on Oscar's face for the duration; finding comfort in Oscar's calm demeanor. He knew that just because they were in cat form, it didn't necessarily mean that they were hostile or would attack at a moment's notice – that's just how it felt.

All the cats had the same general coloring but each one seemed to have some type of distinguishing mark or feature that separated them from another Nundu. Some had features more obvious than others though and Hu Yetao knew it would take him a long time to match the cat to the witch or wizard. Other than Oscar's brown eyes, he didn't know what other characteristics Oscar had that would separate him from the others and promised to get Oscar to transform later that night so that he could familiarise himself with his mate's other form.

"Oscar? Hu Yetao?"

Hu Yetao glanced up to see the Board Chair, Xiu Silong, standing next to them. The smile immediately slid off of Hu Yetao's face as he took in the older man's somber expression.

"I need to speak with you both in private."

Hu Yetao suddenly felt rooted to spot with dread but Oscar slipped a hand into his and silently led him out of the crowded ballroom, following directly behind Chair Silong.

The three of them walked up the corridor, which suddenly felt much too cold and quiet after the noise and heat of the ballroom, almost like an omen, Hu Yetao thought. They stepped into an empty guest room around the corner where two house-elves stood guard outside the door.

Hu Yetao frowned upon seeing Xiaocheng and Shui Xian already in the room; Shui Xian's hands wringing together as she paced in front of the fire in the small grate. Xiaocheng stood unmoving behind an armchair, hands curled tensely over the top of it.

"What is going on?" Oscar asked, turning to Silong with a deep frown and pulling Hu Yetao into his side protectively.

Xiu Silong sighed heavily before answering Oscar's question. "I'm afraid we've had a request for an inquiry."

"Against who?"

"Against you Oscar," he replied grimly.

Hu Yetao's eyes widened. "For what? And what does that mean exactly?" he demanded, knowing it wasn't good judging by the dour expressions on all their faces.

Xiu Silong raised solemn eyes to meet Hu Yetao's worried gaze. "For attacking a non-Nundu on public grounds."

Hu Yetao felt as though his heart had stopped beating. It hurt his chest as he tried to draw breath to speak, to force out the question he already suspected the answer to. "Isn't that… punishable by death?"

Xiu Silong nodded grimly and Hu Yetao felt he was going to be sick.