Chapter 104

Hu Yetao stood at the side of the room next to Shui Xian, one hand on his stomach and the other clutching his wand. He knew that no harm would come to either Oscar or Xiaocheng, as the prisoners were chained to the floor with thick iron bands looped around their necks, but he needed the comfort of his wand humming with magic against his palm to help reassure him.

The entire Nundu Board was present, a grim expression on every face. Instead of sitting along with a table, they were standing in a semi-circle in front of the two men from the Japanese Clan. There were no children at this meeting and the only other Clan members present were some of the Nundu Aurors who had been searching for the men, as well as Professor Mika, who was standing at Hu Yetao's side.

None of them seemed out of sorts about being called away from their families on Christmas Day. It was like this matter took precedence over anything else and was something they all felt very strongly about.

It warmed Hu Yetao that so many Clan members were there in support of them. He'd gotten off to a rough start with the Clan, but now he could see the Nundu people becoming like an extended family of sorts; people who all looked out for each other and who understood how hard he lived in secret was.

Xue Silong cleared his throat but the room was already silent; the tension so thick in the air that Hu Yetao could feel it pressing in on him.

Oscar was standing near the Board members with his father, eyes narrowed and sharply focussed, not taking his gaze from the two men for a second. Xiaocheng appeared a little more composed than his son but still carried the impression of being on-edge, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Hu Yetao swallowed his unease and vowed that he would not interfere with the Clan's ways or speak unless he was asked to do so.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Silong began gravely, nodding at the Aurors in particular. "This will not take long."

The two men shifted angrily, their chains dragging noisily on the marble floor.

Silong turned to them with sharp eyes. "Wangji and Yuan, this is not a trial. You are both guilty for the attempted murder of Hu Ye Tao." He paused, gaze flicking between the two of them. "If you would like to explain your actions, we will give you the chance to speak now before your sentence is carried out. I must remind you though, whatever you say will not change the judgment that has already been passed."

Silong flicked his wand sharply, removing the silencing charm on the two burly men.

"You are all foolish!" Wangji instantly spat in heavily accented Japanese. "Celebrities cannot be a part of Nundu Clan. Hu Yetao will be the death of us all."

Yuan nodded sharply in agreement next to him.

"And so you took it upon yourselves to kill him to resolve your concerns?" Silong replied contemptuously. "That is not the way of the new Clans."

"We have families to protect," Yuan argued, glaring at the Board Chair. "You should think of your own family Mr. Silong."

"We have heard the other Clans talking," Wangji interjected insistently. "And they desire this male Omega for their own. Our secret will not last long if Hu Yetao is being fought over by other Nundu."

Hu Yetao stiffened; he hoped that wasn't true, that the man was exaggerating for the sake of pleading his case. He pressed his hand a little more firmly against his pregnant belly, a surge of protectiveness welling up inside of him.

Oscar snarled and Xiaocheng laid a calming hand on his son's shoulder, all the while scowling darkly at the two Japanese men.

Silong held up a hand to silence them. "We will keep the secret just as we always have. Mr. Yetao and Mr. Wang are taking precautions and making plans to ensure the safety of our people-"

"It won't work!" Wangji snapped, pulling at his restraints. "It is only a matter of time."

"Enough of this!" Luo Kan snapped, losing patience. "They're guilty, let's get on with the sentencing."

"Luo Kan is right," Yong Dong spoke up next to him, voice calm but quietly firm. "We have the sanction of the Japanese Clan to carry out the death sentence, we don't need to sit here and listen to this vitriol. They will not convince us of anything here."

Su Miake nodded in agreement, arms crossed over her chest and a glare fixed firmly on her face as she stared at the two prisoners. She was dressed in a stunning red dress and looked like she had come straight from an elegant Christmas party.

Silong exhaled heavily, appearing just as irritated by the two men but trying to remain calm and professional. He flicked his wand to silence them once more as they opened their mouths to protest.

"Yes, I believe we've heard enough on the subject now to understand their reasons - unfounded and irrational as they may be," Silong proclaimed sombrely before turning back to the chained men. "Because you decided to pursue the assassination of Hu Yetao, you will now be executed by the wronged family, in this case, Mr. Yetao's mate and father-in-law." Silong paused to stare at them intently. "You claimed to have done this to protect your families, but because of your foolish actions, you are now leaving them without an Alpha and your children without a father. This is not the way to go about rectifying concerns which we may have with other Clans."

Silong turned towards Oscar and Xiaocheng, giving them a slight nod of consent.

Hu Yetao swallowed and took an unconscious step closer to Shui Xian. It was all happening so fast and he wasn't sure he was ready to witness what was sure to be a brutal execution.

The two accused men instantly transformed into their Nundu forms with a roar that echoed around the room and caused Hu Yetao to flinch, the magically enhanced metal bands around their necks expanding to accommodate the change.

Hu Yetao's gaze darted to his mate as Oscar transformed in response to the two men's rapid change, a snarl escaping his mouth as he bared large pointed teeth at them and froze into a lowered stance, muscles shifting, ready to attack.

Hu Yetao shivered at the intense look in his mate's eyes; it was the unblinking stare of a hunter voraciously staring down its prey. There was no trace of the cool, sarcastic, caring man Hu Yetao knew.

Xiaocheng transformed next to his son while the Board members moved back, allowing the two Wang men some room.

It was then that the whole situation struck Hu Yetao as exceedingly archaic; akin to a time when lions were brought into the arena and publicly slaughtered. It just felt so wrong, so socially unacceptable in a way that went against everything Hu Yetao had been brought up to believe.

A protest bubbled up within him in response but he quickly swallowed it down, reminding himself that the two men had tried to take not only his life but the life of his unborn child as well. Oscar needed this and Hu Yetao had accepted Oscar as his Alpha, which meant he'd accepted everything that went along with that choice.

This was still justice, just not in a manner that he was used to.

It was never more clear than in that moment just why Oscar had had such reservations about telling Hu Yetao the truth about his heritage. Yes, Oscar was the aloof, sarcastic, loving man Hu Yetao had fallen in love with but he was also the ferocious predator standing in the center of that room.

He glanced over as Shui Xian laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, her pale unwavering gaze on her husband and son.

Hu Yetao thought he saw a flash of understanding in her expression but a commotion in the center of the room had him turning back around just in time to see Oscar and Xiaocheng leap forwards.

Hu Yetao felt a flicker of fear for his mate lance through him and his hand clenched around his wand, but he needn't have worried. It looked like the bands around the prisoner's necks also prevented them from fighting back; all they could do was make noise and try to move away, but they didn't lift a paw to claw back or attempt to bite as Oscar and Xiaocheng tackled them to the floor.

Oscar had his ears pinned back to his head as he sunk his claws into the other Nundu's back and shoulder. He then swiftly rolled them over so that the prisoner was pinned beneath him on the floor, the thick chains clattering jarringly on the marble floor.

The pinned cat - Wangji - hissed up at Oscar, baring long pointed teeth, dark eyes glaring ferociously.

Oscar emitted a wild call that caused the hair on Hu Yetao's arms to stand up and a foreboding shiver to run down his spine.

Hu Yetao forced himself to keep his gaze on his mate as the two Nundu carried on a sort of intense staring contest, which lasted mere seconds but felt like an eternity.

Hu Yetao waited, breath held, for something to happen.

In the blink of an eye, Oscar suddenly shifted and his right paw had lashed out, claws extended, as he savagely ripped into Wangji's exposed underbelly.

The other cat screamed in pain and outrage, twisting in Oscar's iron grip in a futile attempt at breaking free, all the while blood oozing in a thick stream of red from his wound and pooling onto the marble floor.

Hu Yetao blinked in shock as Wangji suddenly transformed back into his human form.

Oscar growled low in his throat. The man had barely returned to his human self before Oscar had lurched forward and attached his huge jaw around the man's fragile neck, sharp teeth sinking deep into his flesh.

Hu Yetao gasped before he could stop himself and then watched in horror as Oscar began to shake the man like a ragdoll, his hands coming up to clutch uselessly at Oscar's fur, to push him away or hold on, Hu Yetao wasn't sure.

Oscar continued to shake Wangji violently, jaws firmly clamped around the struggling man's throat, blood running in rivulets from the deep punctures and staining the fur around Oscar's mouth.

Hu Yetao thought he was going to be sick. It was so much more horrific to witness when the victim was in human form; so much more unnatural and gruesome.