Chapter 7
Ree stifled a yawn as she sat in the passenger seat of Duke’s car. In the backseat, her sister and Barron were whispering, snuggled up like they’d been together for years.
Which was exactly how Ree felt about Duke.
In spite of the bumpy morning, courtesy of a couple of lionesses, Ree was confident of her place in Duke’s life. It didn’t matter to him that she was human, and it didn’t matter to her that he was a shifter. The only thing that really counted was that they cared for each other and wanted to be together. She wouldn’t have expected her life to change so drastically in the space of twenty-four hours, but she was glad to have found Duke.
“Sleepy, sweetheart?” Duke asked, lifting her hand and kissing the top.
“I think you know exactly why I’m tired.”
He chuckled in that manly way, assuring her without words that he would be happy for a repeat performance. He stopped the car in front of a large home, with a manicured lawn and flower beds full of colorful roses.
“My mom loves roses. My dad has bought her a rose bush for every year of their mating.”
“Lions don’t also get married, too?” Ree asked.
“Of course, sweetheart, but for my people, a mating is more permanent. You can get divorced, but matings are forever.”
She smiled. “I like that.”
“Me, too.”
Mercy and Barron exited the car and Duke turned to face Ree. “There are a lot of cars here, which tells me that my parents are still meeting with the elders to decide my fate in the pride. Whatever happens in there, just know that you’re worth it to me. I don’t take stepping down from the pride easily – it was the entire focus of my life for as long as I can remember – but you’ve changed my outlook entirely. Being alpha is like a blip on the radar for me compared to how I feel about you already.”
“I know, Duke.”
“Good. I might not be in the running for pride alpha, and I might not even be in the pride anymore, but you and I will be our own pride, with Barron and Mercy, too, if they’d like.”
“You’ll still get to be alpha.”
He smiled. “You’ll be my alpha female.”
“That means I get to boss Mercy around, right?”
“You bet.”
She leaned over and kissed him, her body immediately responding. Nothing was better than kissing Duke and running her hands over his warm skin. He was the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on, and knowing that he was hers entirely made her want to dance a jig.
Duke growled softly as they ended the kiss, his eyes burning the pretty gold that told her he was as turned on as she was. “You smell so good.”
She grinned. “You too.”
“We better get out of here before your sister and her mate get a front row seat to our loving.”
Wrinkling her nose, Ree opened the door and said, “Are you ready, Duke?”
“Yes. You?”
“With you by my side, I feel like I can do anything.”
They met at the front of his car and, hands joined, walked up the sidewalk to meet his parents. Barron and Mercy were behind them, and Ree was thankful to have some extra support.
The front door opened and a man who looked like an older version of Duke stood in the door with a friendly smile. “I’m glad you’re here. Titus called and said you were on your way, but that was a while ago.”
“Sorry, Dad. I was busy winning my mate back.”
“Understandable. I’m Byron, Duke’s father.”
Ree shook his extended hand as Duke said, “This is my mate, Memory Hendrix. You can call her Ree.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Byron said. A pretty brunette woman joined them, and smiled warmly at Ree. “This is my wife, Davina.”
“No handshaking, we’re family now,” Davina said, stepping onto the porch and hugging Ree. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Thank you,” Ree said.
“Before we go in, I have to warn you that the Lewiston alpha and his family are here.”
Duke snarled. “What?”
Ree’s heart jumped into her throat. She really didn’t want to face the lioness again.
“But don’t worry. I have an ace up my sleeve,” Byron said.
“Oh?” Duke said.
“Trust me. I’ll make sure that the threat to you and the pride is gone, period.”
“I do trust you, Dad.”
Byron nodded and they followed him into the house. Ree could hear the sound of people talking quietly, and when they entered a large kitchen, the conversation stopped dead. The two lionesses who had tried to scare Ree away were standing next to a tall, lanky man with graying, blond hair, and a woman who wore enough jewelry to open her own store. They all looked angry, as did the small group of men behind them. Seated at the table was a woman with a binder open in front of her, and four older men.
“What’s that human doing here?” the one woman screeched.
“This is my home, Madison, and I am alpha here,” Byron said, his voice taking on a low and deadly quality that made the fight-or-flight instinct in Ree rear its head. “You’ll be respectful to my family or you’ll be gone.”
“Don’t threaten my daughter,” the man next to her said, but Ree didn’t sense the same level of power from that guy as she did Byron. She couldn’t explain her feeling, but she was certain that Byron was more powerful than the Lewiston alpha. What that meant, she didn’t know, but she was glad to be next to Duke.
Byron said, “I’m simply stating a fact, Elroy. Now that my son is here, we can move forward. As has already been made clear, Duke has mated and marked his heart-match.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Elroy said. “He signed a contract. Biting and fucking a human doesn’t make her a mate, it just makes her a sucker and Duke an asshole. He promised to mate my daughter and make her alpha female, and he will do exactly that or my pride will retaliate.”
Byron roared so loudly that Ree’s ears hurt, and she tucked herself close to Duke’s side and pressed her hands over her ears. Everyone seemed shocked by Byron’s outburst, except for Duke and Davina, who weren’t fazed at all.
“There will be no retaliation. As alpha of the Kedrick pride, I am enacting the secondary clause to the mating contract. Abbie?”
The woman at the table smiled and looked down at the binder, and began to read out loud. “In the event of either party finding a heart-match before the mating contract is consummated, that party’s alpha may substitute another if the substituted male or female is of equal or greater standing.”
“What does that even mean?” Madison whined.
Byron said, “As Duke’s alpha, I’m within my rights to choose a male to take his place in your mating.”
“No, that’s not right. I never signed anything like that!” Madison said.
Abbie cleared her throat. “Your signature is right here. It’s not my fault if you didn’t read the contract in its entirety.”
“Daddy, do something!” Madison said. “I want to be alpha female. You promised me I would be!”
Elroy said, “Wait, the contract says that you have to have a male of equal or greater standing. How is that possible if Duke is your only son?”
“You can come out now,” Byron said loudly.
There was a pause for a moment that was as silent as a cemetery at midnight, and then the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the hall echoed around them. Four men came into the kitchen, the one in the lead appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with short blond hair and a lean, swimmers build.
Duke’s brows rose. “Stef?”
Stef smiled. “Nice to see you, cousin.”
Duke and Stef embraced, slapping each other on the back. “Sweetheart, this is my cousin, Stefan Fairborn. He’s from a pride in Tennessee.”
Byron said, “This is my brother, Colin, alpha of the Harris pride. His son, Stefan, is next in line to be alpha. They are my kin, and Stefan is willing to be substituted for Duke in the mating to Madison.”
Stefan strode to Madison and pulled her into his arms. She squealed in surprise. “My pride is twice as large as Duke’s, and we’re also wealthier. I need to mate a strong, beautiful female before I can take over, and you’re just what I’m looking for.”
Madison’s cheeks pinked and she smiled. “Wealthier?”
“More than you could spend in a lifetime.”
Byron said to Abbie, “The revised contract?”
“Here,” she said, standing and holding a pen out to Duke. “I’ve crossed out your name and added Stefan’s, and then you need to sign on the back page agreeing to Stefan taking your place in the mating.”
Duke looked at his dad. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Duke initialed all the changes and then signed the back page. He handed the pen to Madison and Stefan, and returned to Ree’s side. He hugged her close and said, “This worked out better than I thought.”
“No war,” she said. “I was worried.”
“Not me. I would fight to keep you by my side, have no doubt of that.”
When the paperwork was signed and officiated by Abbie, the visiting pride left. Stefan stopped on his way out and said, “Thanks for finding your heart-match. You saved me a lot of trouble.”
“I wish you well in your mating,” Duke said.
“You, too.” Stefan said.
“Wow,” Mercy said. “That lioness really didn’t care who she mated?”
Barron said, “Some don’t. They care what they can get out of a mating. Some females only want to mate with the best male, and that would be the alpha or the next-in-line.”
Mercy harrumphed. “I think you’re the best male.”
He chuckled. “That’s because you’re in my life.”
Ree looked at Duke. “What now?”
He looked at Byron. “Dad?”
“Right. Now that my son has found his mate and the threat to the pride is effectively squashed, on to the business at hand. I’ve had the elders looking at our pride laws. Each pride has their own laws, Ree. Most of them are similar, but based on pride needs there will be differences. When Duke showed up this morning and just willingly accepted his exile, I knew that there needed to be a change.”
Duke frowned. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’m the alpha and I decide what laws the pride does and does not follow. I believe that it’s high time lions stopped punishing our people for finding true love outside of our kind. I’m changing our mating laws. From now on, pride members may mate with whoever they want, be they human, lion, or another supernatural creature.”
“Dad, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll still take over as alpha. I’m ready to retire.”
“What if the pride rejects the new law and my mating?”
“A few may want to leave, but that’s on them,” Byron said. “The elders all back me up.”
One of the elders said, “My granddaughter has a human boyfriend. She’s afraid that she’ll lose everything if she chooses him, but she doesn’t want anyone else. Now she can have the best of both worlds.”
“Our laws are archaic,” another elder said. “Our people will die out if we don’t stop the exclusivity.”
Duke looked down at Ree. “What do you think, sweetheart? Do you want to be alpha female?”
“I don’t know how.”
“We’ll be there to help,” Davina said. “The only thing you need to do is stand by Duke. Everything else will come with time.”
“Then yes,” Ree said.
“The pride has been told to come here tonight for a meeting,” Byron said. “The elders and I will explain the new law. We need to set a date for you to take over.”
“I’d like to give Ree time to learn about our people,” Duke said. “She’s pretty clueless.”
“Hey!”
He chuckled. “Sorry, sweetheart. It’s true, though.”
She shook her head. “I’m a fast learner.”
“Good,” Davina said. “You’ll be great, I know it.”
“How do you know?” Ree asked.
“Because you and Duke are heart-matches. Nothing is more powerful than that.”
* * *
The afternoon passed quickly as Duke worked with his father and the elders on rewriting the pride laws. Ree and Mercy stayed with Davina in the kitchen and helped cook dinner. Ree took the opportunity to get to know her future mother-in-law, and learn about the pride. The more she learned, the happier she was to be part of it. They would have been fine on their own, but knowing that the pride was with them made it that much better.
After dinner, Ree and Duke joined Byron, Davina, and the elders on the large back porch. The forty-two-member pride was gathered in the yard, their gazes curious. Byron moved to the top step with Davina, and raised his hand for silence.
“As many of you know, our pride laws have remained original to my ancestors who settled in Kedrick over two hundred years ago. Although I appreciate the laws, I do know that a pride that doesn’t change with the times will be doomed to disappear. To this end, I have rewritten the mating rules for our pride. From this day forward, any male or female may remain within the pride regardless of their chosen mate, be they lion, human, or other supernatural creature. No longer will pride members face exile if their heart-match is not of our kind.”
He paused as the crowd surged with conversation. Ree could hear some angry tones, but most of the pride seemed happy.
He raised his hand for quiet and then gestured to Duke, who led Ree to join Byron. “My son, Duke, has mated and marked this human female, Ree. I welcome Ree to the pride. Duke and Ree will be taking over as alpha male and female in thirty days. During this time, any pride members who wish to leave may do so with our blessing, but I encourage you all to embrace the change and allow our people to move forward into a new dawn. Before you is my son, a male who chose honor over duty, knowing that he faced exile. That is exactly the sort of male who should lead the pride.”
There was a heartbeat of silence, and then one by one, the pride members lifted their heads in a roar. It wasn’t one of challenge or anger, but joy. Happy roars filled the air and Duke lifted his head and joined in, squeezing Ree’s hand tightly. He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her soundly, a purr rumbling in his chest.
“This is a good day, sweetheart,” he murmured against her lips. “I get to keep you forever, and we get to be alphas together. With you by my side, I already feel like I’m king of the world.”
She smiled, the clapping and roaring of the pride members making her eyes sting. She’d never felt so accepted in her life, and it was all thanks to one stubborn lion who refused to give up when she walked away.
“You’re my king,” she said. “My alpha and my mate.”
“For as long as there’s breath in my body.”
Byron said, “Let’s celebrate my son’s mating with a victory hunt! Our future alpha female has never tried venison.”
“You’re going to shift?” she asked in surprise.
“We love to hunt for celebrations,” Duke said, taking a step back and tugging off his shirt. “You can stay here with my mom.”
“I thought you wanted me to go hunting with you,” she said, wrinkling her nose. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see a pride take down some deer.
“Another time, you and I can go out together for fun. For now, though, I’m going to bag the biggest deer I can find for you.”
He shoved his pants down his legs and kicked his shoes off and then his jeans, and then he shifted. The change was so fast that she almost missed it, her sexy mate going from handsome, naked guy to lion in seconds. He shook out his big, chocolate mane and stretched, his claws digging into the deck as his tail swished behind him.
“Oh wow, you’re beautiful,” she said, rubbing her knuckle lightly on his nose. She ran her hands through his thick, soft mane and over his back, the muscles twitching as she touched him. “This is the freaking coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She looked up and saw that almost everyone had shifted, the backyard now filled with lions and lionesses, with fur of every shade from an almost-white to dark amber.
Pressing a kiss to his nose, she laughed when he licked her cheek. “Good luck, Duke. I’ll be here when you get back.”
The lions on the porch bounded off with a roar, and the pride followed as they headed into the woods that surrounded the house.
“Cool as hell,” Mercy said as she joined Ree. “I hadn’t seen Barron shift yet.”
“It is cool,” Ree said. “And neat that you and I both found our forever guys on the same night.”
“Well, you do always have to copy me.”
“Um, I’m older so you’re always copying me,” Ree pointed out.
Davina laughed. “You both chose well, and so did the males. Now, there’s a bottle of blueberry champagne that I’ve been saving for a special occasion, and I think this is exactly the right time.”
“Now, that sounds divine,” Ree said.
As they walked into the house, Ree looked over her shoulder at the woods, and thought about her mate out hunting with his pride. The day had not gone at all like she’d planned, but she couldn’t be happier with the outcome. She had a sexy mate who was a beautiful lion, who’d been willing to fight for her and stand by her side no matter what, and in a month, she and Duke would be alphas together. It seemed surreal, but it also seemed very right. As if she really had been waiting her whole life to meet him in a bar on a random Friday night, thanks to her pushy sister.
“Did I ever thank you for making me go to the bar yesterday?”
“Nope,” Mercy said. “But you can start by getting me something sparkly.”
“You got it,” Ree said.
As the cork popped and the purple-tinted champagne was poured, the three women lifted their glasses in toast.
“To the females behind the males,” Davina said.
“To old family and new,” Mercy said.
“To us,” Ree said. “and our lion mates.”