by Celia Kyle
Penelope clutched her mate’s shoulders, clinging to him not because she was desperate for his body, but for protection. She whimpered, uneasy at the intrusion, and her emotions wavered between desperate for her mate and fear that someone was denying their mating.
He released her, and in a sudden whirl, had her pinned behind him as he faced off against their intruder. His previous sounds had nothing on the ground-shaking roar that vibrated the entire building. The floor rolled and trembled with the sound, and she steadied herself by placing her hands on his back. He shuddered with her touch and gently leaned toward her. He seemed to take comfort in the connection, but his threatening sounds did not cease.
“Alpha, I mean no disrespect.” The intruder’s tone was familiar and Penelope swallowed the groan that leapt to her lips. Her den’s alpha. Of course, Justin would find them together. She’d called his house, hadn’t she? She should have held off on the panic attack a little longer.
She waited for the man to continue. There was a “but” in there somewhere. And… It wasn’t long in coming. “But I don’t wish for you to make a mistake that would ruin the rest of your life.”
Well, she knew Alpha Palmer disliked her, but she didn’t realize he felt she would ruin someone’s life by claiming her mate. So nice to be loved by her own pride.
The male blocking her view renewed his threatening growls, and she stroked his back, urging him to calm. Two alphas going at each other’s throat in the middle of the library was so not a good thing. Blood didn’t exactly wash out of books easily and her budget wasn’t big enough to replace the ones these two would ruin.
“Mine.” Penny wondered if her mate knew any other word.
“I understand how you’re feeling, but it isn’t real.” Alpha Palmer’s voice was low and soothing. At least she assumed that was the tone he was going for. It was kinda hard for a male who lived his life giving orders and growling at the world to actually sound soothing. “This isn’t real. She isn’t your mate. She’d ruin—”
“Another word and I will rip out your throat.” Apparently her mate could string words together. Very threatening words, at that.
“You’re under a spell, Alpha. A witch was detained just outside of town. She admitted to casting a spell on you.” Justin pleaded with her mate. “We don’t know what she’s done, but look at your actions.” Alpha Palmer gestured toward Penelope. “Do you imagine a woman like her as your mate? Truly, Alpha, think before you do something you’ll regret.”
She swallowed hard, battling the sob that formed in her chest and threatened to burst from her mouth. Regret? Rest of his life? He was her mate. How could anyone ever regret claiming their mate? But she felt her mate’s resolve wavering. It was in the way his shoulders relaxed slightly, the disappearance of the fur that coated his arms, and the receding of his claws until his hands were human once again. He was listening to Alpha Palmer. He was listening to the man before them rather than following his beast’s instincts.
Could it be true? Was there a spell cast on her mate? Was he even really her mate at all?
Why was she even asking the question? Of course he was her mate. If a spell was cast on him, it wouldn’t affect her. And she was very, very affected by him.
“Alpha Palmer…” She peeked around her mate’s body. “I don’t think—”
“You’re right, don’t think,” he snapped.
Penny flinched beneath the man’s anger and hid behind her mate once again. A mate who did not seem intent on destroying Justin for acting aggressively toward her. So, he believed Alpha Palmer. It shouldn’t hurt, not when they didn’t even know each other’s names, and yet… It did. It more than hurt, it crushed her heart. Maybe it was a spell that brought him to her library doors, but it wasn’t a spell that had her lioness craving the man before her. It wasn’t a spell that had her more than willing to mate the male in the middle of the building for one and all to see. Didn’t her mate recognize that? Or her alpha?
No, he didn’t. Because he next stepped forward, putting space between them, and spoke to Alpha Palmer. “A witch?”
She leaned her head against the wall at her back and closed her eyes, refusing to look at her could-have-been mate any longer. Instead, she simply listened to their conversation.
“Yes, our local caster has her magically tied to a plot of land at the edge of town. If you like, we can get you some clothes and address the situation.”
“I… see.” After her mate’s two words, quiet returned.
Yes, silence enveloped them, but the tension remained high and cloying. It seemed oppressive and weighed against her body until she could no longer stand beneath its power.
She scented the room, cataloging each flavor from the men. There was pure, true conviction in her alpha’s aromas and her mate’s emotions were slowly easing toward acceptance and belief. A lion couldn’t lie and Justin was so sure he was right…
The two men seem to be in a standoff of sorts, but enough was enough. Penny had endured a near mating, had her childhood dreams almost in her grasp, only to have them ripped from her by one of her own pride. Nothing new to her. Now, she was simply tired. She wanted to gather what was left of her clothes and make an elegant-ish retreat.
“Excuse me,” she used the tone that often worked on the younger patrons of the library. “I believe it is time you both departed. I would like to straighten the library, and then I’ll be going home.”
She left no room for argument, and instead of waiting for their agreement, she merely stepped from behind her mate and went to her desk. She ignored the male’s growl, knowing he had no right to take issue with her exposing herself to Justin, and instead withdrew the extra set of clothing she kept in the bottom drawer. It was there in case there was an emergency shifting situation but also because the children who came in occasionally got a little too rowdy with their markers.
She spared neither male a glance as she tugged on the comfortable pants and equally soft top. She didn’t have a set of bra and panties on hand, but she didn’t plan on rocking the clothing for very long. They could leave, she could clean, and then her day would end with a nice long, hot bath and a good cry.
At this point, she figured she’d earned a good sob session. Because in a span of fifteen minutes, she’d found and lost her mate.
The moment she was covered, she turned to face the men. She first focused on her mate, giving him a grim and yet rueful smile. “It was nice meeting you.” He opened his mouth to reply, but she refused to listen to whatever he had to say. Instead, she stared at her alpha. “Alpha Palmer, thank you for saving him from what you believe would have been a mistake.”
“It would—”
“As I said, thank you.” She didn’t leave any room for him to speak further. And when he glared at her, she refused to be intimidated. He was a strong lion—there was no doubt about that—but everyone knew she was quite a bit stronger. As she was growing up, it had been yet another line in the list of reasons half the town disliked her. She didn’t look like the typical lioness, she didn’t cower like a typical lioness, but she also didn’t fight for dominance and status like a typical lioness. Add in the fact that her family tree was “colorful” and included vamps, witches, and humans…
“Penelope—”
“I’ll see you at the next gathering.” She spun on her heel, and moved toward the stacks, unwilling to hear another word from him. She’d lose herself in the books and pray she could lose her emotional pain just as easily. When her mate’s deep voice reached out and stroked her, she knew she’d never forget those few moments when she held happiness in her arms. Nor would she forget who’d destroyed her dreams.
With luck, and more control than she ever thought she possessed, she managed to keep her tears at bay. It wasn’t until she was alone with her own thoughts, and her own heartache, that the first trailed down her cheek to stain the book in her lap.
* * *
It was amazing what a person could have delivered nowadays. Because
Penelope was now the proud owner of buttercream iced cupcakes, more ice cream than she could consume in one sitting, and several bottles of wine to top it off. Now, staring at it all on her kitchen counter, she couldn’t decide what to jump into first. She knew she could drown her sorrows in each option, but when it came down to it, what would gorging herself accomplish?
Nothing. But maybe she could convince herself for a moment that she hadn’t had happiness within reach. And then torn away just as quickly.
Well, if she wanted to blunt her feelings, she’d begin with the wine. She grabbed the bottle opener from its home and went to work on the first bottle she snagged. She loved them all, so she didn’t really care where she started or ended.
She was working on the first cork when the rapid pounding of a fist on her front door interrupted. It wasn’t heavy and strong like a male’s, and she banished the small hint of joy that’d blossomed in her chest. It was a witch’s spell, remember? It wasn’t like he was going to come find her. It wasn’t like he felt the same as her. It wasn’t like—
Another round of banging on the metal panel, and it was joined by a familiar voice. “Dammit, Penny, open this door!” Another speedy series of thumps. “I mean it!”
With a sigh, she placed the bottle and opener on the counter and padded toward the front door. She loved having a best friend… When said best friend wasn’t trying to interrupt her pity party. She undid the locks, turned the knob, and tugged the panel open. “Jennifer.”
Sympathy filled the other woman’s gaze and Penelope tore her attention from her friend, unwilling to suffer under the expression. She didn’t want anyone to feel badly for her. She wanted to be left alone. It was bad enough that half the pride laughed at her on a regular basis while the other half sneered, but now with recent events… There would be no hiding from their torment. She knew it was only a matter of time before Alpha Palmer “encouraged” her to find a new pride. With today’s events, she imagined the order would come any time now.
“Oh God, Penelope.” Penelope’s own heartache was mirrored on her best friend’s features and the dam broke.
“Jennifer…” The first cry escaped, and then it was downhill from there.
Hugs were shared, tears were wiped, noses were very unsexily blown, and more than enough wine was consumed. By the time they finished their second bottle, Penelope managed to release the whole sordid, seriously not long enough, tale. From the first grumble, to the first purr, and on to the first taste of his skin, she revealed all. There were no secrets from the woman who’d stood by her side year after year despite the teasing and poor treatment by the rest of their pride.
“So, that’s it.” Penelope drained the last few drops from her glass.
“That’s it?” Jennifer slammed her delicate glass on the coffee table and winced, waiting for it to shatter. Amazingly, it did not. “Justin,” her best friend sneered, “strides in, interrupts, claims some witch is behind it all, and that’s it?”
Justin… For a moment, Penelope forgot that Justin was Jennifer’s brother which was why the woman could even talk about the man with such a disrespectful tone. But just for a moment.
“Yup.” She reached for another bottle. Knowing they were likely to drain them all, they had yanked the cork on each one before they began. “Pretty much.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
“But… But…” Jennifer sputtered. “He’s wrong.”
“I doubt it.” Fuck it. She was probably on the way out anyway. She could be disrespectful too. Penelope deepened her voice to imitate Alpha Palmer. “My decisions are final and unbreakable. You do not deny me, you do not disobey me. My word is law.”
“But it’s not.” Jennifer shook her head. “The spell didn’t pick Marcus. It doesn’t work that way.”
Marcus… Marcus was a nice name… It was sexy and sinful and it tasted delicious. “Marcus…” Penelope turned her head until she could stare at her friend. “Is that his name? Marcus…”
“You didn’t even know his name? You don’t know who he is?”
“Should I? We kind of skipped that part. He was a lion, then he was human, then he had his tongue in my throat. We jumped over everything else.” She sighed happily. “Did I mention how sexy he was? And the whole mating thing?”
The mating thing. Or rather, the not mating thing. The not mating thing and the embarrassment that came from the entire process being stopped by Alpha Palmer.
“…a mistake that would ruin the rest of your life.”
“Yes, you mentioned that,” her friend drawled. “I’ll fill you in on your mate then.”
Penelope shook her head and fought the dizziness that came with the action. “No, he’s not my mate. We just discussed this, didn’t we?”
“Humor me.” Jennifer reached for her previously discarded glass and refilled it before sitting back once again. “His name is Marcus Tolson.”
“That name sounds familiar.”
The woman grinned at her and tried to hide the smile behind the glass but failed miserably. “Yes, I imagine it would. Especially considering he’s the North American Alpha.”
Oh. Right. Nice. Super nice.
Penelope groaned and flopped sideways, burying her face in a pillow. “Now I know he’s not my mate. I’m so not North American Alpha Mate material.” She was fluffy, average mate material. She moaned again. “I assaulted the North American Alpha.”
“No,” her friend began, “you tried to claim your mate.”
“Did you sorta miss the part where he was under the spell of a witch?” Her words were muffled but she had no doubt Jennifer heard her. “I was pretty sure that part was covered.”
“And I said the spell didn’t work that way.”
Now, admittedly, Penelope’s brain was quite muddled by the mass consumption of wine—it took a lot to get a lion drunk—but the lioness’ words tickled her brain. She fought to push herself up but did nothing more than flop around like a fish on sand. Giving up, she finally just settled in place and decided to have this conversation from her sprawled position.
“And how, my very best friend in the whole wide world, do you know how the spell works?” A very telling, very, very damning silence was Jennifer’s answer. “What, my very best friend in the whole wide world, did you do?”
More silence, but Penelope decided to wait Jennifer out. She didn’t care if it took five seconds or five hours, her best friend had a lot to answer for. Because now, new thoughts churned through her alcohol-muddled mind. Ones that said maybe Marcus truly was her mate. That it was Alpha Palmer who was wrong. That it was really okay for Penelope to climb Marcus like a tree.
“Well… You see… Hypothetically I may, or may not have, contracted the services of a certain witch who happens to hypothetically… Did I mention hypothetically? Hypothetically be a relative of yours. Which is why the possible spell worked so well for you and had Marcus chasing your scent across the country.”
Penelope groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. “And what, exactly and non-hypothetically, did you ask her to do?”
“I may or may not have—”
“Dammit,” Penelope snarled. “This is my life, Jennifer.” She forced her head up and glared at the other lioness. “What the fuck did you do?” In response to her aggressive tone, Jennifer’s eyes filled with tears, a single drop of moisture making its way down her cheek. That had her burying her face once again. “You’re such a crier when you’re drunk. It takes the fun out of yelling at you.” She sighed. “Tell me already.”
“I just wanted you to be happy. You’ve been miserable for so long. You’ve dealt with so much. Your parents… This pride…” Jennifer’s cool small hands grasped Penelope’s and squeezed gently. “You deserve to be happy, Penny.”
Penelope remained silent, knowing if she tried to make a sound, the pain of her past and the agony of her present would overwhelm her. Yes, most of her life had been shit. She was a mutt and then there was the fact that her p
arents never supported her. Oh, they put a roof over her head and made sure they gave her the necessities, but emotionally…
They were disgraced by her. They could have dealt with her curvy body. Her best friend—the old alpha’s daughter—was a little rounded, after all. But combined with her behavior… It was too much for them. She didn’t act like a “real” lion. She didn’t crave the hunt or embrace the natural dominance that lived inside her. She had too much non-shifter DNA in her blood that overrode her cat.
Her failure as a lioness upset her father, which meant her mother was frustrated with her for disappointing her mate even though it was her mother’s genetics that made Penelope the way she was. Their continued tension and strife put them in a vulnerable position within the pride until Penelope was shunted aside to maintain family harmony. Well, harmony for them. Because their private rejection wasn’t quite so private and it influenced how others treated her. Even after her parents passed, she was treated with disrespect.
Did she deserve to be happy when she caused so much pain to others? She didn’t even think she deserved to ask that question.
“I’m fine. I’ve been fine for a long time. I have a good life, I have a job I love, and—”
“And you’re alone.”
“But I’m happy.”
Jennifer shook her head. “No, you’re really not. You can’t lie to me.”
“Jen… just say it.”
“I found the most powerful woman on your witch side of the family tree, and when I told her everything about you, she agreed with me. She came to town and worked her magic mojo.” A sudden excitement filled the air and her best friend squirmed in her seat. “And for free.”
“Well, I’m glad it didn’t cost you anything since it didn’t work because of the whole ‘getting caught’ thing.”
“Weren’t you listening? It did work. It was only meant to bring your mate here. Not Larry, not Joe Bob from two counties over, not Pierre from across the pond.” Jennifer shrugged. “Just your mate.”