Instead all four Morrisseys had defied him—twice. The first time by refusing to respond to his verbal summons, yesterday. Now, in Fergus’s own lair, Kim had lectured him, Liam had made the Challenge, and Connor had broken the rule of a cub not confronting an alpha before he was of age.

Cubs could get away with a lot on account of their youth—Goddess knew Liam had been a pain in the ass during puberty—but flouting Fergus in front of the whole clan could not go unpunished. Connor was too young to fight for dominance, so he’d have to be swatted, as a lion might bat aside a cub who’d gotten too rambunctious.

“Come here,” Fergus repeated.

The magic in the command propelled Connor toward him. Sean started after him, but Liam shook his head. “No, Sean, let me.”

Sean opened his mouth to argue, then nodded, his eyes bleak. He turned away, unhappy, but knowing why he had to stand down.

“Let you what?” Kim asked Liam.

Her eyes were wide in her white face. She was afraid and angry, and so damn beautiful she made his heart ache.

Liam cupped her face in his hands. “Kim, my love, stay here with Sean and Dylan. Don’t even think about coming after me, and please, stay quiet.”

Kim’s lips parted as though she wanted to protest. Then she closed her mouth and nodded. Good girl. Liam turned from her and swiftly followed Connor.

Liam was the same height as Fergus. He and the big man looked at each other eye to eye, Liam without flinching.

“If you do this,” Fergus said in vicious fury, “then when I answer your mate Challenge, I’ll wipe the floor with you.”

Gods, what an arrogant bastard. “Just get on with it.”

Connor’s eyes held tears, but his head was up, though he couldn’t meet Fergus’s gaze or even Liam’s. “No, Liam. Leave it.”

“It’s my right, nephew,” Liam said quietly.

Two of the thugs, the one with the shaved head and the black-haired one, divested Connor of his shirt. Connor couldn’t meet their eyes either.

Liam stripped off his own shirt and dropped it on the floor. The thugs ignored him. They turned Connor around and bent him forward at the waist, exposing his young, unblemished back.

Fergus raised his cat-o’-nine-tails. With a grunt, he brought it down. Before it could strike Connor, Liam leaned over his nephew and took the blow directly across his own back.

“What the hell?” Kim shrieked. “What is he doing?”

Horror filled her as Fergus, eyes fixed, mouth curled in vicious enjoyment, struck again. The sound of the leather swished through the silence, followed by the slap against Liam’s skin.

Dylan moved toward them, grim-faced, tugging off his shirt to reveal a back as broad and muscular as Liam’s. When he reached Connor and Liam, he leaned over Connor as well, father and son enclosing the boy in a protective Shifter embrace. Fergus continued to ply the whip as though he didn’t notice, lips pulling back from teeth that had become fangs.

Kim started forward, but Sean stepped in front of her, blocking her way. “Stay here. Let it finish.”

Sean’s eyes held anguish, but she saw he wasn’t about to try to stop Fergus. She also sensed that if Sean hadn’t felt the need to keep Kim bottled up here, he’d have joined the human shield around Connor.

“This is insane,” she said, heart in her throat. Barbaric, uncivilized.

But they’re Shifters, a voice whispered in her head. Isn’t that why they’re forced to wear the Collars, to keep their barbarism under control?

The Collar wasn’t doing jack to keep Fergus from beating Liam and Dylan to bloody pulp. The leather straps opened Liam’s flesh, and blood dribbled to the floor. Liam was taking the brunt of it, only some of the blows hitting Dylan, as though Fergus’s aim was to debilitate Liam only. Nothing reached Connor, enclosed in a Shifter wall.

The other Shifters watched without comment, no murmuring, no growling, neither egging Fergus on nor trying to stop him. The beating went on and on, as though Fergus was taking out years of welled-up aggression on the Morrisseys.

“Why don’t you do something?” Kim asked Sean, tears in her eyes.

“It’s the Shifter way.” Sean’s mouth was set in a grim line.

“It’s a f**ked-up way.”

Kim waited until Sean again turned to watch, then darted around him and ran through the pack. Short height could be an advantage—the tall Shifters weren’t used to dealing with one small, athletic female slithering through their grasps.

She reached Fergus. “Stop this!”

Fergus gave Liam two more vicious blows, then trained his awful gaze on Kim. He was far more frightening than Dylan, his eyes red with rage, a tinge of madness in them. She was looking at a man who would do absolutely anything, no matter how ruthless, to get what he wanted. No holds barred.

Liam jerked his head up. “Sean, take her out of here.”

Sean was already behind Kim. Kim spun away and put herself right under Fergus’s nose. Fergus snarled. His face had half changed, his lips peeling back from his red, angry mouth. She thought of the Lupine who’d tried to kill her, and realized that Fergus wasn’t too far removed from that un-Collared Shifter’s vicious rage.

“I’m not Shifter,” Kim said. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Big fat lie. The man was terrifying, and Kim had no doubt he could kill her fast. But Kim couldn’t stand by and watch him beat on Liam, whose back was now coated with blood.