by Terra Wolf
“Yeah, yeah, she’s going to be an excellent mate.” I gave him the answer he wanted. “She’s excited about the ceremony.”
I placed my bottle on the coffee table. I’d leave it at that. My feelings for my mate were mine. How could Josh understand? He was still on a selfish quest. Mine was only beginning. My selfishness had been replaced with a desire to make her happy. To give her everything she wanted.
“Good. I’m glad this quest worked out for you.” He raised his bottle to toast me.
I crossed my ankle over my knee and leaned into the couch. This quest. It hadn’t really registered that this was only the first part of my journey as a member of the Tribe. I didn’t want to think about that now. I wanted to focus on Francesca and the wedding. Focus on however long we had together. Our future. Our life.
“Seems like it should be simple.” Josh mused.
“What’s that?”
“Find the girl. Get the girl. Ask her to be your mate, and then on to the next.”
I swallowed hard. That was the part I didn’t want to think about.
“There’s nothing simple about it.” I stared into the bottom of my empty beer. “Hey, Josh. Francesca is still learning all the shifter history. Could you maybe not mention anything to her? As a favor? I’d like to explain it to her. She doesn’t know about the list.”
“Sure thing. I don’t want to be the one to have my eyes clawed out.”
I clenched my teeth. Neither did I.
16
Francesca
There was a freakin’ wedding dress hanging in the back of my car. I pulled into the driveway, noticing a car I hadn’t seen before. Drew mentioned his brother and friend would be driving to Mill Valley for the wedding.
I carefully laid the dress over my arms. It was enclosed inside a satin cover. Drew wouldn’t be able to see it. His first glimpse would be when I walked down the aisle. And his last would be when he unzipped it and slid it off my hips. I shivered thinking about what tomorrow meant.
It wasn’t only a wedding. It was a shifter bond. I didn’t know exactly what was involved with becoming his wife, but with this ring on my left hand, I wasn’t turning back now. I needed him. I needed to be his mate.
“Hey.” I kicked the door closed behind me, shuffling the dress in my hands.
“Hey.” Drew grinned. “This is Josh.”
His friend stood to greet me. “Hi, Josh. I just have to run and hang this up so it doesn’t wrinkle. I’ll be right back.”
I felt two pairs of eyes on my ass as I walked down the hall. I smiled. Maybe all jaguars were the same.
I made space in my closet, making sure none of my clothes cramped the dress. I wanted it to be perfect when I put it on tomorrow.
I greeted the guys in the living room. I walked to Drew and put my arms around his neck. He pulled me in for a kiss. “Hi,” I whispered.
“Hi.” His eyes flickered.
“Umm.” Josh shifted uncomfortably on his heels.
“Sorry.” I stepped back. “Thanks for coming, Josh.” I held out my hand. I felt the shifter magic circling him, but the energy around us wasn’t charged like the energy I had with Drew. I didn’t realize how relieved I felt to discover that what was between Drew and I was unique.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He grinned. “Your man and I have been going through your beer this afternoon celebrating the big day.”
“Can I join you?” I asked, walking to the kitchen.
Drew raced in front of me. “Want to go out to dinner? Celebrate before the big day?”
“Like a rehearsal dinner?” I asked.
“Yeah. I guess so. Just because this is small doesn’t mean we can’t have all the traditional things.”
“Only if you want to.” I looked into his eyes, trying to read his expression. I didn’t want to drag him to a dinner if this wasn’t part of shifter tradition.
“Of course I want to.” Drew’s arms fit perfectly around my waist. “Tomorrow you’re mine. Tonight I want to celebrate it. Dinner, champagne, anything you want.”
I smiled. I swore I was still sleeping. None of this was real. Not the sexy man holding me. Not the other jaguar watching us from my living room. Not the shifters en route to watch our nuptials.
I shook my head. “This is all happening?”
“Oh yeah. It’s happening.” He grinned. “So, yes on the dinner?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay, call Alexa. She’s your maid of honor, right?”
“She’s the one. The only one.”
“I’ll let Case know where we’ll be. I think he said Noah’s going to be with him.”
“Noah?” I asked.
“Another guy in the Tribe.”
“How many are there?” It was starting to sound like the Tribe was an army.
He squeezed my shoulders. “Tonight is a celebration, not a history lesson. Go get dressed and I’ll make reservations.”
I turned from him. “All right. But later, I want to know everything.”
“And you will.”
I closed the bedroom door behind me and started looking for something to wear.
17
Drew
I didn’t expect to be the guy planning a rehearsal dinner for my mate. Until tonight, it never occurred to me that it would matter. But Francesca made things matter. In a short amount of time I had fallen hard. Harder than I wanted to admit. Least of all to my brother.
Case assumed his duty as king, wanting to conquer panther territories. He was hungry for land, and he had no problem pleasing the council. To him, the she-panthers were only names on a list. He didn’t care as long as he got what he wanted. He was looking forward to working his way down the wife lineup. In fact, I think it excited him to obtain as much power and land as quickly as he could. He wasn’t the kind of brother who would suddenly understand that things had changed for me.
I hated the list, despised it, dreaded it in my bones. I still hadn’t figured out what I was going to do about it. I pushed the worry out of my head as I saw my brother stroll in.
Case slapped me on the back and took a seat next to me at the table. The restaurant had given us a private room after I explained it was an impromptu rehearsal dinner.
“So? Where is she? I want to meet your first wife.” He winked. He picked up a glass of wine.
I turned to see if Francesca was anywhere near us. She had excused herself to powder her nose.
“She doesn’t know about the list, man. Don’t say anything like that around her. Let’s just keep the talk about the wedding, okay?”
“What you’re telling me is your mate knows nothing about her role? Her duty?”
I nodded. The red wine was necessary tonight. I poured another glass for myself. “That’s right. Human parents who kicked her out when she turned eighteen. She hasn’t had it easy. I don’t want to make things worse for her. Don’t mention the damn list. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
Case laughed. “If that’s how you want to play it.”
“It is.” I had gone back and forth about the list. If she had been any other she-panther, she would already know this. She would know I had to do what the council had dictated from the time I was born. It wasn’t as if I had any control. I was the prince, not the king.
But nothing about Francesca was ordinary, or like any other she-panther. She was smart and determined. She was independent. She was guarded. And I knew she had a hard time trusting. If I told her this now, it would ensure there wouldn’t be a wedding tomorrow, and I wasn’t willing to take that chance. The half truth would rip us apart.
I knew I was capable of lying to her a little bit longer if it meant I could make her mine. I needed her that much. I was that selfish. I wanted her.
“Tell me. How are things in Sullen’s Grove?” I asked, detouring the subject away from my love life.
Case smiled. “Actually perfect.”
“That good? I thought there was a problem with the p
anthers there. Not true?”
His eyes hardened. “Unlike you, I have plenty of time. And I’m letting her fall for me so by the time I tell her who I am, she’ll be halfway through planning the wedding.”
I chuckled. Case hadn’t changed. He wasn’t any more honest with his mate than I was with mine. “Your mate doesn’t know she’s your mate?”
He tossed the wine glass back. “Not yet, but we’ve gone out every night this week. She’s into me, and that’s all that matters. I’ve got a year until she’s twenty-two.”
I shrugged. I didn’t want to get involved in Case’s plans. His methods would be unorthodox, and I wasn’t exactly wearing a halo.
“Good luck to you, brother.”
He tipped his glass to mine. “And to you.” His eyes darted toward the French doors. “Ah, this must be the bride.” He hopped to his feet to meet Francesca.
I stood next to her, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. “This is my brother, Case.”
“You were right, Drew. She is gorgeous.” He grinned widely before hugging her. “We’re going to be family tomorrow.”
Francesca stumbled into the hug. “I guess so.” She patted him on the back. “I’m glad you could be here for Drew. Thanks for coming.”
Case pulled her chair out for her. I grumbled, knowing he had turned his charm up. He’d do anything he could to impress a pretty girl, even my pretty girl.
“I want to hear all about my future sister-in-law.”
She blushed. “I don’t know that there’s much to tell. I’m about to graduate next week.”
“Really? What are you studying?”
“English studies with a focus on the classics,” she replied.
I didn’t know if Case could see it, but I noticed how her eyes lit up. I thought about the piles of books littering her house. They were stacked up next to the couch and her bed. They spilled off the bookcases in the hall. Books were everywhere.
“And what is a pretty she-panther planning on doing with that?” He had turned in his seat so he was facing her completely.
“I, uh…I want to teach literature.”
“You want to be a teacher?” he asked.
I could see Francesca sinking in front of me. Case was too intense. It was feeling less like a celebration and more like an interrogation.
I squeezed her on the knee. “Do you think you’re ready to order? It looks like everyone’s here.”
Noah was at the corner of the table talking with Francesca’s friend, Alexa, and Josh was working his way through a bottle of scotch.
She nodded. “I think so.”
“All right. I’ll get the waitress and have dinner brought in.”
I stared at my brother, warning him to stop giving her a hard time. She was the bride, after all. The longer they talked the more worried I was that he would let something slip about her panther duties. I couldn’t have that happen tonight.
Francesca smiled. “Do you have someone special in your life, Case?”
I laughed. Apparently I had nothing to worry about. With one question she had Case squirming in his seat. I left the room, knowing my she-panther could handle herself with my big brother without my protection.
18
Francesca
We stood on the front porch. Drew tipped toward me, and I could smell the wine on his breath. I didn’t need wine to get drunk off his lips. I fell into him, clinging to his neck, dragging his lips over mine.
We were the last ones to leave the rehearsal dinner. I felt anxious on the drive back to the house. The reality was setting in that this was the night before my wedding.
“I want to come in,” he growled. His hands lifted at the hem of my dress.
“Come in,” I begged.
I kissed him, pushing and pulling at his sport coat. I wanted him to stay, but I knew he needed to go. He had a room with his brother for the night. They were planning a last minute guy’s night. I guess it was the shifter equivalent to a bachelor party.
His hands cupped my ass and squeezed. I moaned, as his tongue flicked against mine.
“You know I can’t do that,” he warned.
My eyes flared. “It’s only a ceremony.” I dug my nails into his back, making a straight line to his firm backside. “Come in.”
He yanked on the back of my hair, forcing my head to steady so he could devour my mouth again. My knees weakened as the kiss fired through my limbs. I was breathless and slightly tipsy from the wine, but there was the unmistakable fire burning around us. I felt engulfed in the flames.
“We can’t break the laws,” he muttered. His teeth gnashed against my neck, and I purred at the contact.
“Be an outlaw with me then.”
I pulled his mouth to mine again and kissed him until the growl was fierce in his chest. I’d never been this turned on in my life. The jaguar in him could take me on this porch, the stairs, over the railing. I didn’t care. I wanted him more than obeying some stupid custom. The vibration through his body was humming into mine.
“Francesca…” He tore his lips away.
“It’s not going to be enough until tomorrow night is it?” I looked in his eyes. They were glowing with lust like mine.
“No. It’s not.” He rested his hands on the door over my shoulder and took a deep breath. “One more night. That’s all. We can handle one night.”
I didn’t know if he was trying to convince me, or himself.
“Thank you for the rehearsal dinner. I’m glad I got to meet your brother and Noah. It’s weird knowing there are others like us out there.”
“They’re good guys. I’m glad they’re here.”
I didn’t have anyone. Alexa counted as a friend substitute. “I wish I could have invited my family. Not that I want them here, but you know…someone from my line.”
He kissed my forehead tenderly. “After tomorrow, you’ll have family. You’ll have me. You’ll have the Tribe. You do belong, Francesca. With me. Always with me.”
I sighed. He was right. I was going to belong to a line of cat shifters. There was a place for me. I just didn’t expect that place to be with an unusually hot pack of alpha jaguars. One look at Case and then Noah and I realized there was something different about the Tribe. They were built like gods. Hot, sexy, chiseled, athletic gods.
I wrapped my arms around his neck again. “I don’t want you to leave tonight.”
He chuckled. “Darlin’, believe me. There’s nothing I’d rather do than carry you into that bedroom and make you mine right now. It’s all I can think about. But the guys are waiting. And it’s bad luck to see the bride on our wedding day. I think that’s a tradition for every being. Humans and shifters.”
“Tomorrow seems like a long time away when you’re standing in front of me right now.” I tugged on his neck. “Five more minutes?” I pleaded. “We can do a lot in five minutes.” I ran my fingers around his waist and drew a line under his belt.
He groaned, loosing control of his restraint. His mouth moved over mine roughly and urgently as if he was kissing me goodbye forever. Tasting every part of my mouth. Remembering the way my lips felt. Stroking the side of my face. Tangling his hands in my hair.
Eventually, he pulled away, panting from the charge between us. “I’m going to walk down these stairs and get in my truck.”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip.
“And I’m going to drive to the hotel.”
I nodded again.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you so badly, my jaguar is about to crawl out of my skin.”
I giggled. “That bad?”
He growled. “That fucking bad.” He started to back away.
“Good night, Drew.” I giggled, knowing I had made it almost impossible for him to leave. I didn’t want him to go, but I understood. This would make tomorrow night all that more special.
“I’ll see you at the altar.” He winked.
I waited until his taillights had disappeared around the bend. I sat in one of
the chairs on the porch. I didn’t want to walk inside. Somehow it would make it feel like the night had ended. I touched my lips, tender from his teeth and mouth. I didn’t know kisses could be like that.
I didn’t know attraction could be this strong. I didn’t know need and love could be so tangled I couldn’t tell one from the other. What I did know was that tomorrow I would link my life to Drew’s.
I sat and rocked, watching the moon sink lower.
19
Drew
I pulled the starch collar against my neck. Who in the hell invented tuxedos? I looked at the guy in the mirror getting ready to marry the shifter of his damn dreams. How did I get this lucky?
“Hey, little brother.” Case strolled into the room where I was getting ready. He held a drink in his hand.
“How does this look?” I turned for him to give me a full inspection.
“Like you’re about to take your first mate.” He grinned. “I’m proud of you. Very proud. Your duty to the Maddox line is being fulfilled. Can I get you a drink? Something to celebrate this occasion?” He walked over to the bar and poured something dark brown into a glass and handed it to me.
I needed a little courage for what I was about to ask him. “About that…”
“I wish Dad was here to see you. See this. What we’ve accomplished. The lands we’re inheriting. The territories we’re building. He’d be proud.” He slapped me on the back. “You are a true Maddox, Drew. Dad would want to be here.”
“Well, he’s not.” I threw back the bourbon and felt it burn inside my throat.
“Listen, Case. I need to talk to you about my list. About the whole thing.”
After leaving Francesca on the porch last night I had decided I had to bring this issue to the king. The council would be next. But what I felt for her wouldn’t be destroyed because of shifter history. I wanted to make my own history.