His To Love And Protect

* sorry for the late update, enjoy

[TAMIKO]

With Gabe gone, Tamiko looked between the Alpha and Igor.

He considered leaving, but he had a feeling that Igor hadn't forced the reigning alpha into silence while they ate just because he wanted Tamiko to have a peaceful meal.

Well, that was possible but right now, Tamiko felt like he was standing between two bulls and could be the collateral damage anytime now. But even then, he wanted to see what would happen.

"Igor Konstantin," Alpha Ashton spoke again, for the tenth time in the past few minutes. He had been trying to get Igor to tell him what he wanted and in that time, Igor had maintained a straight face.

"Ah yes. I can see you're an impatient man. Anyway, there is no point in stalling this any more than it should. I came into Grealor peacefully without burning down your people for what you did last time, and it wasn't because I was feeling gracious today.

"You have Tamiko to thank for that. And before you start asking questions, I found him passed out in the woods yesterday morning and nursed him back to health. I want him, Ashton. And this is not a request or anything.

"This is just me telling you out of courtesy, that I have an interest in Tamiko, refuse, and watch me burn down the pack you so dearly love.

"I doubt you would want to face the truth that the mad lycan, Igor burned your pack down," Igor said, making sure to pronounce every word in a way that Alpha Ashton understood, because he wasn't in the mood to play the games with the Alpha.

He had come to make his interest clear and nothing was going to stop him.

Igor had so many questions about how the hell Tamiko had found himself as the only lycan in Grealor, but he was choosing not to ask that, because he had seen Tamiko's anger and desire for justice.

He would help Tamiko with his vengeance and after that, he would decide whether to take Tamiko on as a mate or to leave Tamiko to Gabe But until then Tamiko was his to protect, even if he had to protect the young lycan from the bunch of dumbhead werewolves.

"What?" A silent voice asked, after a while.

Of course, Tamiko had had a number of things running through his head all this time, and he knew there was a chance that Igor could claim him. However, he hadn't expected the man to come clean to Alpha Ashton, and threaten the Alpha at the same time.

Sure, what had been done to him over the years hadn't been fair, but Tamiko knew that there had to be a better way to work this out. Well, that would have made some sense, if Igor wasn't the man with the wildest reputation outside of Kawai anyway.

"But—" Tamiko began again and this time, he was careful not to call Igor, Kosta, which made it known to Igor that Tamiko wasn't sure what was happening here.

With Igor's proclamation, alpha Ashton would most likely start looking at Tamiko as a snitch or someone who the pack didn't need anymore. But that was the problem.

Tamiko was the only reason Grealor hadn't burned down yet. He was the one reason the lycans hadn't managed to erase the werewolf race.

If it hadn't been for the fact that the King Zaffuto felt that his son was alive, the whole werewolf race would have long been extinct. And Alpha Ashton knew that too.

Hell, the lycans of Kawai knew that like the mantra in their head, and that was also probably why the lycans never crossed the border to come at the wolves because the wolves were their king's business.

And until the king knew that his Kaito Hinata was dead or alive, no one would ever hurt the werewolves, unless it had shit to do with a bounty. Oh, the rules were tacky for everyone, but no one in their right mind would ever want to piss off Zaffuto anyway.

"No buts, Tamiko. I told you that I wasn't letting you go, and you told me that you had no power to decide what your future was. So this is me telling Ashton dear, here, that you are mine, whether he wants to or not.

"The only person that can stop me is you, but even then, you rejecting me, won't mean I won't be keeping you safe. Whatever the outcome is, you must be treated with love and respect like every member of this pack.

"You must have access to everything, moya dusha. You must live a normal life. I don't know if you got your mate, but until that mate shows up, I will step in, as your protector, first, and mate later. So this is me telling you, love, that I am your protector.

"If you want me to prove it by wringing Ashton dear's neck, then I can show it to you here and now, baby just say the word, and my sword will cut off whatever thing you consider a nuisance," Igor said grimly.

Tamiko, who was watching in silence, almost facepalmed, even though he was feeling butterflies in his stomach. He knew Igor was doing this on purpose and that made him want to jump the man.

He also knew that this was Igor's way of telling Alpha Ashton that no matter what the decision was, no one was ever allowed to mistreat Tamiko. No one was allowed to hurt his Tamiko.

This was also the perfect way of telling the Alpha that if anyone tried to hurt Tamiko, they would be on Igor Konstantin's radar by default. And that was the one radar that no one wanted to be on.

Not even the Alphas who had considered themselves more powerful in the realm.

"Please ignore what he is saying, Alpha. I am a servant of Grealor. I don't mind being the slave. You took me in and had me as one of your own.

"I appreciate that and would like to continue serving you and your people, as best as I can," Tamiko said, and his tone almost sounded like he was pleading with the Alpha.

But Igor knew that tone so well.

It was a full-on sarcastic tone, one that was a few levels away from Tamiko's anger.

It was the sarcasm that made Igor excited and maybe that was why instead of Igor waiting to hear what the Alpha had to say he just watched Tamiko, like the man was his everything, and he really was, even if they had just met yesterday.

"You're mine, Tamiko. No matter what anyone says, no matter what you say," Igor reiterated as he looked deep into Tamiko's eyes, making the silent promise of love forever, before doing the one thing that got Alpha Ashton's jaw on the floor, while Tamiko, he was in literal heaven.

Right there before the Alpha of the Grealor pack, Igor Konstantin kissed Tamiko. It wasn't a peck or anything, it was a full-blown kiss.

Alpha Ashton knew what that meant.

So he watched in sadness as reality dawned on him.

Lycans never kissed anyone other than their true mates.

It was tradition and lycan law.

And Igor was a man who abided with the Kawai laws.

Igor Konstantin had claimed Tamiko as his mate.