A flood of power filled the room in a tidal wave of coursing smoldering heat, the alphas becoming overwhelmed and hyper aware of their surroundings. Aston appeared between the vampire queen and his mate, his eyes glowing brightly like smoldering coals, his presence becoming very oppressive within the confines of the office. He was greeted by Bianca with cold eyes and bared fangs, a deep hiss reverberating throughout their surroundings menacing as she started to back away. Nicolai had become all but quiet from behind Aston, the feeling of his power washing over his mate unaffecting him. In the background, a deep guttural growl escaped the throat of the wolf alpha adding to the possible threat, Aston knowing that both of his comrades had not expected this. 

Aston’s eyes never left the icy stare of the vampire queen before him, his unwillingness to back down as his tiger roared from deep inside him, the beast awaking from its soothing slumber. A loud thud hit his ears in the midst of his actions, out of the corner of his eyes seeing Adam falling to his hands and knees in submission, the beta visibly fighting the suppression of the power. The beta coughed as if he were choking on the power that poured from Aston like a waterfall, the energy from the tiger pressing Adam metaphysically further into the floor. 

“What is the meaning of this!” Bianca hissed, trying to fight the onslaught of heat that enveloped her, “Where did you acquire this type of power?!”

Aston did not answer, just continued to stand defensively. 

“Seems like you have a lot of explaining to do mi gatito” Ransom snarled angrily, “You and this lion of yours!”

Aston felt Nicolai slowly calm from behind him, silently knowing that his power had calmed him from attacking Bianca and starting a war that neither had wanted. A strong gripped his shoulder, the feeling of his mates presence like a ghost at his back yet the lion was within an arm's reach. 

“ANSWER ME, ASTON” Bianca screeched, her eyes switching between the two felines trying to find an answer. 

“The answer to your question is that this power that you feel is all mine” Aston answered. 

“I can fucking tell, but where did you get it?”

“Nowhere.”

“What does that even mean, Aston?” Bianca snarled, baring her fangs once more, “Power like this doesn’t just appear out of thin air.”

“Would you believe me if I said it did?” Aston replied, his face remaining blank as his stance became neutral. 

“You expect us to believe that this power has been with you all along, mi gatito?” Ransom interrupted, making sure to get a word in. 

Aston continued to watch Bianca, his eyes unwavering, his stare visibly making the vampire angrier at the act of defiance that hid behind the tiger’s hazel eyes. 

“Explain. Now.” Bianca demanded. 

Aston sighed looking at his dear friend, her body tense from his stare and the evident irritation evident from the wolf alpha behind him. 

“It started the day that I met Nicolai, me and Rhea were coming back to the compound and my tiger suddenly became restless during the drive. At first the power came slowly before filling the entirety of Rhea’s car like a sauna, it made her choke and almost submit like Adam is now. The power even spooked my guard detail of the compound, they had surrounded the vehicle faster than I had ever seen before”, Aston explained, feeling a slight squeeze of reassurance from his mate, “It even scared River. The moment that he instructed us to open the window of Rhea’s car is when it was able to calm down, but it released itself again after I met Nicolai. I had gotten angry at Ephraim and brought everyone to their knees, Nicolai was the one to teach me how to control and reign it in.”

“Why is he unaffected by it?” Ransom inquired.

“Exactly! How is he not struggling like we are?” Bianca bit out, glaring at Nicolai from over Aston’s shoulder. 

“He held back. I guess he didn’t feel the need to go all out.” The tiger replied, looking at Bianca with a small grin. 

  The vampire’s brows raised into her dark brown locks, a look of shock spreading across her face as she made the realization; Nicolai was just as powerful as the tiger alpha had become, if not more. Aston finally looked away from his friend, his eyes locking with the red daggers of the wolf apha that had been behind him, seeing the disbelief that danced beyond his irises. Rage was another emotion that slowly started to seep into Ransom’s gaze, the wolf starting to lowly growl in frustration at the fact that the lion before him was not what he had expected. 

“What is that supposed to mean, mi gatito?” The wolf alpha closed his eyes, opening them to show the evident anger and hurt within them. 

“It means that destiny doesn’t seem to make mistakes, I guess you could say that the universe made him to be by my side for the rest of my life. Him alone” Aston replied, his glowing hazel eyes sealing the wolf’s hurt with a stern gaze. 

The power still circulated within the office, evidently starting to make the wolf alpha and vampire queen start to quake from where they stood. Their faces starting to give away in the effort to stay on their feet, both of them not wanting to tarnish their pride by submitting to the two felines. 

“So, you’re telling me that he was going easy on me when he had his little outburst? That there is more to that display that he had just put on? For what?” Bianca sneered, not moving in order to stay at level with the others, her eyes looking to the twitching body of Adam with pity, “What other secrets are you hiding from us, kitty cat?”

“He was the only thing that I had kept from you, both of you, and I didn’t expect everything to turn out like it just did. Nicolai is my mate, and I expect the both of you to accept that about him” Aston explained as he placed his hand above his mates, giving it a slight squeeze, “I just hope that you both can realize that this was not meant to hurt you or start a war, it was something that I hoped could benefit both your group since you are my dear friends.”

“But we didn’t want to just be your friends,” both leaders stated in unison, their voices almost a whisper as their faces crumbled in defeat. 

Nicolai growled into Aston’s ear, his displeasure with what his friends had just stated bothering him once more, his power slowly creeping out to join Astons’. Aston looked at his mate with hard eyes, the lion meeting his stone gaze with a slight surprise, his body tense at the look that he had received. Mentally it shocked the tiger that he had reacted so quickly to Nicolai’s emotions in that moment, they were not fully bonded so it was something that was enigma to them and the rest of the room. Before they could question it, two bodies rushed into the office at the blink of an eye, startling the occupants with their sudden appearance.

“What the fuck is going on!?” Rhea roared, her eyes glowing a bright blue, claws ready, and fangs bared ready to strike. 

Four pairs of eyes gazed upon the two tigers that had burst through the doors of the office, their eyes glowing and hands fully transformed into claws to defend themselves. Aston made eye contact with both the heads of his security, his face still set in stone, a face that he had never before made at them. River looked at him with confusion and apprehension, the dark skinned man starting to feel the power that seemed to circulate within the room, the energy starting to leak out of the double doors and into the hallway.

“Asto-” Rhea muttered before her eyes widened, her body started to finally react to the pressure of the energy within the office, her legs starting to shake from the strain and instant resistance to the feel of it.

River’s eyes bulged slightly as he fell to one knee, his body starting to crumble at the feel of Aston’s power engulfing him and his beast. Both of the tigers started to choke at the feel of their alpha’s overwhelming power, Aston looking at them with slight empathy that they had to bear with his display of dominance towards the other leaders. The tiger’s eyes switched yet again to the crumpled form of Adam, the sympathy becoming slightly greater towards the younger man, the strained face of the beta  drenched in cold sweat starting to take its toll on Aston. The tiger looked away making eye contact once more with Bianca, her body now slightly lower from the strain of his energy, the muscles of her body starting to show tension from the resistance.

To be continued in the next part....