They walked a few steps to the front door and rang the bell. A tall woman soon appeared, blonde and looking as regal as anyone Simi had ever seen—dressed in a gorgeous silk gown with her hair upswept. Isa and Simi recognized her immediately as the police woman who’d been present at Brand’s apartment that unforgettable day.
The woman smiled, mouth going wide, face lighting up with joy. “Brand, it’s so good to see you.” Her voice was husky, oozing with arousal. “So good of you to come. I wasn’t sure you’d be here.” She stepped forward and reached out as if to touch him. “You know…with that stray staying with you.”
Simi, not Isa, propelled forward, defense mechanism in overdrive, not letting any woman, let alone this pretentious bitch, touch what was hers. Simi snarled, stepping between them.
As if the female wolf had just noticed her, the woman jumped back and squealed.
“I’m that stray, you bitch. Back the hell off. Brand is with me.” Simi snarled again, louder this time, as Isa helped with the intimidation, lending a hand by extending and displaying her canines, shifting her fingers into claws.
The female wolf dropped her gaze and Simi placed a razor-sharp claw beneath her chin, raising the woman’s face and pricking her with it, warning, “Am I understood?”
The woman whimpered and closed her eyes, and Simi hoped the female wolf was smart enough to see just how close to death she was. Okay, death might be a bit extreme, but Isa didn’t appreciate the woman being a wolf-poacher. Wolfie was hers!
Brand massaged the tense muscles of her neck, his lips a hairsbreadth from her ear. “Easy, Isa. It’s okay, I think she’s learned her lesson. I don’t think she’ll be trying that again.” He ran his hand along her arm, and her anger was quickly replaced by affection, a hint of arousal rising between her thighs as she tried to calm herself. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Brand pulled her shifted hand from the woman’s chin and back to her side.
Heartbeat easing, she leaned against Brand, absorbing his calm.
“Right, Margot?”
The woman jerked her head in a short nod. “Right. So right. S-Sorry.”
Good. Hearing Margot stutter made her feel good. Not very nice of her, but Isa was well pleased and Simi had to agree. So this is what it feels like to stand up for myself. Huh. I like it.
Brand pulled her through the doorway, past the now shaking Margot, and once inside, Simi forced him to change direction, slipping into the first available room.
“Brand, I’m sorry…”
He placed a finger against her lips. “Don’t you dare apologize. We’re newly mated, little cat, and if any man were to approach you like that tonight, I’ll probably do the same. Besides, it was kinda hot.” He smiled and tugged her close, showing her just how hot he’d found the possessive display to be. “All better now?”
“Perfect.”
“Good, because we’re late.” He guided her toward the door and out into the hallway, following the flow of traffic to the back of the house. “We’re meeting in the Gathering room, and hopefully, there should be enough space to fit all of us.”
She nodded, finding nothing meaningful to say, still replaying what’d happened, in her head. The crush of people made Isa nervous, made her want to nip at the wolves and birds that got too close to her. To stop touching her.
Finally there, Brand led her along the wall, staying as far away from the others as possible. He steered her up onto the dais and placed her in a seat to his right, the largest of the chairs resting to his left. That meant… She leaned over and whispered, “You’re Beta?”
Only, it apparently came out a little louder than she’d anticipated. A snicker emerged from the crowd, followed by a loud, “Guess we know she’s not with you for your position, eh, Brand?”
Everyone laughed, the sound rolling through the room in waves. Smiling wide, Dean jumped onto the dais and stood before his chair, raising his arms and calling for silence. “I call this Gather—”
“We want our bitch back!” The roar emanated from the back of the room and the crowd shifted, bodies moving as the one who spoke, as well as his followers, shoved people aside as they approached. Snarls, growls, squawks followed the interlopers, until they all stood in front of the dais.
Pride. Oh, good lord, they were here to take her back. Did they know what really happened to Bear?
No, no, no, no! I’m never going back to that hellhole! Isa roared from within, standing up on hind legs and batting at the air, refusing to go, willing to do whatever she had to—to stay. They’d die before going back to Pride. Die fighting.
She must’ve whimpered because Brand was right next to her, protecting her. His touch, his scent, easing her rising trepidation. “It’s okay. We’ll take care of this. Shh…stay calm, little cat.”
Simi jerked her head in a nod and evened out her breathing. Calm. She would try, for Brand. She narrowed her eyes and studied the members from Pride, their scents still familiar after all this time apart. Her father stood at the front, with his barrel chest, beer belly, rumpled hair and clothes, the stink of alcohol clinging to him. She could smell the stench even from this distance. He was a disgrace, not only to Pride, but to her as well. What an utter disappointment.
Others were fanned out around him in the form of a semicircle, holding the crowd back. Her mother was there, looking broken, beaten, uncomfortable in her skin. Simi wanted to feel sorry for her, but Isa refused.
“Wolf! I said I want my bitch back!” Her father practically foamed at the mouth, spittle forming in the corners.
Dean tilted his head as if in acknowledgement. “So you said. However, we have nothing of yours. This is a gathering of Pack and Flock. Cougars are not welcome here at the Gathering. You are not welcome.”
Alpha’s pronouncement was met with murmured approvals from the two groups gathered there, but scowls from Pride, her father roaring in defiance. “The whelp is right there,” he declared, pointing at Simi.
Unfamiliar courage surfacing, Simi and Isa rose to their feet, meeting the challenge…with her mate by her side to give her the strength to do so. “I am not with Pride anymore. I am certainly not some property you can reclaim. I am with Pack now.” She took a step forward with each statement she boldly made, moving closer to the source of her agony, the root of so many years of pain and abuse she endured, spitting on the ground as she came to a stop. Not very feminine, but something akin to anger came over her.
Her father snarled and closed the distance between them, shedding clothes as he approached. Isa allowed for a partial shift, sensing no need for anything more to deal with her poor excuse of a father. Her fangs dropped, arms changing into razor-sharp harbingers of death.
He came at her, but did so at his detriment. He had no idea what she was capable of. She was far removed from the helpless little girl she once was. She killed Bear…and she could kill her father just as well. Before the magic could fully overtake him, before the shift could protect him from a sudden attack, Simi caught him off-guard, wrapping her claw around his neck with lightning quickness. Tips first pricking skin, it pierced through the man’s flesh with ease. Isa’s power surged through her body, filled it with new resolve, making her stronger than the piece of shit that attacked her—his own daughter…and for what? For standing up for herself?
He gurgled, grasping at her outstretched arm. “Simone,” he gasped through his pinched windpipe.
“No, I’m Simi, counterpart to Isa, member of Pack. I am nothing to you, remember? And now, you are nothing to me.” She spat in his face. Rude perhaps, but it felt good to stand up to him.
Growls and snarls from Pride echoed all around, its male members in obvious disagreement with her treatment of their leader.
“Silence,” she roared, the commanding sound coming from deep within. She squeezed tighter, ensuring she had her father’s attention. “Isa killed Bear. Snapped his neck in two. We’d been running for weeks. Had only finished our first meal in days. We were weak, helpless, tired. Even
so, we killed Bear. What do you think we’ll do to you, now that we’re strong?” Simi tilted her head to the side. “Do you challenge me, father? For I will kill you. Isa will end your pitiful existence. After you’re dead, I will take your precious Pride and merge it with Pack.”
Simi released him, tossing him aside as if he weighed nothing, Isa’s hatred fueling her own. He crawled to his knees, hands working to stem the flow of blood dripping from his neck.
“Will you leave peacefully, or do you challenge?” She stood there, waiting. Almost hoping for the chance to destroy the man who had very nearly destroyed her.
“Leave—” he coughed, blood splattering the smooth, granite floor. “I’ll leave.”
She nodded and glanced at Dean, hoping he understood her plea.
“Go ahead. Get out,” Dean called out. Alpha did understand.
A few of the female members of Pride moved forward, joining their males.
Dean began, “Cougars. Women. You have a choice. Return to Pride, or join us. We treat our women with respect and equality they deserve.”
Simi and Isa held their arms wide, beckoning the women to see what they’d gain, the support and love that would flow through the women’s veins as surely as it flowed through their own.
Before anyone could respond, Gavin, Hawk, stepped forward. “Or Flock.” A blush stained his cheeks as his gaze wandered to one of the younger cougar females.
Then, an older cougar on the other side of the semicircle came forward. “What about cubs?” An imperative ingrained in the desires of every cougar, born and bred. Cubs. To procreate, live and flourish.
Brand encircled her in his arms, palms resting on her lower belly. “Cubs will not be a problem between wolf and cougar.”
Simi gasped and turned her head to look at him. “I’m pregnant?”
He smiled and kissed her nose. “Yes, we are.”
“I thought I sensed something…but I wasn’t sure…”
“We’ll discuss biology later, little cat.”
Simi merged her hands with his. Cubs of her own. Bear had never gotten her pregnant, so she’d long ago pushed any thought of having one out of her mind. But now that she was, and with a man as loving as Brand, Simi was overcome with emotion. Tears began to brew when Isa purred and rolled, baring her belly, showing Simi an image of being pregnant with cubs. She fought to no avail as her eyes opened the floodgates.
Some of the women edged away from her father, easing closer to Alpha and Beta, showing the decision they’d made. The young one, the one she thought Gavin had been staring at, sidled close to Pack’s alpha wolf. Simi remembered this one. Eama. Tears continued to flow as she tried desperately to recall what her little sister used to look like. Such a tiny little thing when Simi had lived with Pride. All grown up now.
Directing the question at Simi, her sister asked, “They won’t force me to be with someone? Have sex with anyone? Everyone?”
Simi placed a hand over the left side of her chest. “On my heart of hearts. Never. Your choice, when you’re good and ready. Brand is my choice. And I am his. No one will ever tell you to do something you don’t want to. Not here, not with Pack.” She thumped her chest. “The love Isa and I feel…being free, being with the one we love, is something you will never experience with Pride.”
“Who’s Isa?”
“Cougar,” Simi clarified.
“You named her?”
Simi smiled, glimpsing the wonder that she and Isa had felt not so long ago. “We can. You can. If you desire. We should listen more to our hearts. To the cougar inside all of us. We have much to talk about, little sister.”
Pride obviously divided, Dean stood before the Gathering. “Someone please escort our uninvited guests from here.” Alpha turned his attention to her father. “Never set foot on Pack lands again.”
Gavin stepped forward. “Or Flock.”
Her father sputtered. “B-But…but Flock controls most of the territory in this area. We’d have to move.”
Hawk tilted his head as if in acknowledgement. “So be it.”
Alpha turned his attention to Gavin. “I assume your father…”
Gavin nodded, eyes trained on Eama. “He will be. When he gets back, I’ll explain everything in detail to him. About what happened at the shelter…and what took place here today.”
“All right, then. I want them out. Now.” Dean focused on the defecting group of cougars around Simi. “Welcome to my home. Whichever family you choose, Pack or Flock, you’ll be well taken care of. We promise you safety and respect.”
The women shifted, feet scuffling, murmuring to one another, their uncertainly clearly evident. Simi caught snippets of their conversation, picking up on what worried them. She slid out of Brand’s arms and closed the gap between her and Dean, tugging his head down until she could whisper in his ear and convey their hesitancy.
He nodded and pulled the attention of the Gathering back to himself. Clearing his throat, Alpha raised his voice. “Excuse me, please. I’d like both Pack and Flock to remember that Pride’s ways are different from our own. No matter what, though they’re new to us, we must treat these women as equals.”
Gavin nodded as if in agreement, a wide, welcoming smile lighting up his face. “And I second it. And I know my father will as well.”
Directing his attention to the newly recruited, Dean added, “And here and now we vow, in respect to your bodies ladies, your word is law, your desires are first and they will never be disobeyed. The father of your cubs, the men in your homes, will be there solely at your choice.”
Simi breathed deep, her body tingling with the happiness she felt for her fellow cougars. Free women. So much hope shined in their eyes, their days of being passed around like chattel coming to an end. A tear slipped down Eama’s cheek, the soft features and belief in the promise her little sister had just heard reminding Simi so much of herself before she’d met Malcolm.
Simi kissed Dean’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Brand growled low, but the entire room heard and burst into laughter. Even Simi joined in, reveling in the simple joy of being cherished and wanted like a free willed woman, a person of matter and worth…and not like a fucking possession.
She hurried back to Brand’s arms and he swooped her up into a scorching kiss. One that Simi felt from her head to her toes, leaving her nearly breathless.
“Mine,” Brand said, passion in his eyes.
She stroked his cheek. “Always.”
He nodded and released her, the women tugging her into their circle, chattering like a small group of birds. Before long, one woman yawned and then another, each showing the wear that her father’s rule of Pride had wrought.
She waved her hand and got Dean’s attention. It was then that she noticed the Gathering had dispersed. She extricated herself from the women and approached her big brother.
“Dean, I’m sorry we ruined your—”
“Not at all, little sister. You showed your worthiness for Pack through your protection of what was important. And these women showed the same in choosing to leave Pride. Not an easy thing to do. Believe me, everyone, be it Pack or Flock, was proud to be here tonight. Can’t you hear the howls to the moon?”
She cocked her head, concentrating on the sounds coming from outside. There it was…the yips, howls and caws of happy animals…and all Simi could do was smile. They were her people now. Her family.
She nodded, agreeing with him.
“Good. Now, what can I do for you?”
“They’re tired, Dean. They won’t say anything, they’ve been taught never to speak their mind.”
“Of course, I can only imagine. Let’s get them settled for the evening, and tomorrow, we’ll start easing them into their new lives.”
Simi looked at them, different, yet similar versions of herself only days ago. It would take time, and love, to bring back their smiles. She was sure Pack and Flock would help them find the peace they so deserved. “Okay. They have choices to make…”<
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“And they’ll be given all the time they need. We’ll host a few get-togethers here, and also at Gavin’s father’s house. And hopefully, we’ll be able to make the transition easier on them.”
She nibbled her lip. “Could they…could they switch?” Dean frowned at her. “I mean, if they choose Pack, but their mate is Flock…”
Dean pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You were Pride, dear one. And now you’re with us. Doesn’t that answer your question?”
A growl sounded in her ear and she leaned back into her mate’s embrace. “Yes, Dean, thank you.” She turned in Brand’s arms. “You growl entirely too much.”
He chuckled. “Says the woman who nearly tore Margot’s head off for almost touching me.”
Simi sniffed, acting as if her feelings were hurt, pleading her case. “She was trying to take what was ours. It was all Isa’s fault.” Isa perked up, only to settle back down when Simi added, “No. Wolfie’s fault…and yours…for being so damn attractive.”
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