CYR, ALARIC, AND THREE of his best trackers walked Beau’s perimeter.  There were at least twelve wolves on the property, and no sign of Onessa.

“He must be holding her in one of the back rooms. I can’t scent her,” Alaric said.

“No, I can smell her. But the scent of Beau’s wolves is overpowering it for you.”

“Man, if that doesn’t tell you she belongs to you, what other sign are you looking for?”

He didn’t need any other signs. She was his.

“Alaric, focus. Beau isn’t going to hurt her, we just need to get in and get her out.” Beau wasn’t stupid, this was a play for more land. That’s what it always came down to with the wolves. Territory. He doubted whether this had much to do with Eddy’s death at all, but the wolf would use it to negotiate more property.

“Right, I’ll take Ash, Remy, and Deck with me around the side. Take out the dogs there.”

“I’m going in the front door. Use anything you can to subdue them.”

“Roger that.”

Alaric and others made their way towards the back of the property, and true to his word, Cyr walked in through the front door. No one stopped him. The acrid stench of fear and cherry blossoms tickled his nose. Onessa, she was upstairs in one of the bedrooms. There wasn’t anyone else in the house besides Cyr, Beau, and Onessa. Alaric and the others would see to the rest on the property.

The smell of blood had his heart racing, and Cyr ran down the hall and burst through the closed door. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Onessa was tied to a chair, blood dripping from her mouth. Her wrists were raw from the rope, and there was blood on her shirt.

“Motherfucker!” he roared. His eyes were wild as he searched and found Beau standing next to a bookcase. The wolf grinned as he used his handkerchief to wipe blood from his hand.

“Got carried away on that last hit. Girls out like a light.” Beau grinned, showing teeth.

“I’m gonna fuck you up, Beau. I’m not gonna kill you, but I am going to hurt you. Bad.”

If he killed Beau, that would start a war. They didn’t have the numbers for a war, or he’d taken the wolf out a long time ago. The cats’ numbers were small compared to the Leabauds’.

“The girl is on my property, and as such, I claim her as mine. She’ll need to abort your babies, but you understand. What would it look like with her walking around carrying your offspring?”

Cyr shifted into his cat and pounced. He didn’t wait, and neither did Beau. It was wolf against panther. They circled each other, looking for a weak spot. Cyr hissed before springing onto Beau’s back. He sank his teeth into the wolf’s neck, trying to subdue him, but was thrown off. When his back hit the bookcase, Beau attacked, grabbing hold of his leg. Cyr felt the sting but ignored it while being dragged across the room. Pain sliced into his veins as he ripped his back leg from Beau’s mouth.

Cyr let out a roar and jumped, sending them both through the window of the second floor. Beau landed on his back, Cyr landed on his feet, but the force of the impact was enough to stun the wolf. Shifting quickly, Cyr stood over Beau and broke both of his legs. It wouldn’t stop him, but it was enough to slow him down. Werecats healed faster than shifter wolves, and the injury alone ensured that Beau would be out of commission for at least a couple of days.

Cyr took the stairs two at a time. Onessa was still out, and Cyr cursed himself again as he gently removed the ropes binding her and pulled her into his arms.

“Baby, I’m so fucking sorry. I was a fool.” She didn’t respond, but he didn’t expect her to.  Alaric came bursting through the door, covered in blood.

“She gonna be okay?” Alaric asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Need to get her home and have Delia take a look at her.” Cyr lifted her gently and followed Alaric back where the vehicles were parked on the side of the road. When he got into the truck, and Alaric placed Onessa in his arms, her shirt rose, exposing the side of her hip. There, for all to see, was the mother’s mark. It was a mark only females pregnant with cubs sported. She was going to give birth to his offspring. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d seen the mark or not, but it did bring a level of comfort that he wasn’t expecting.

They would work things out.

“REST EASY, chèr, your home.”

Home.

She wasn’t home. Home was California. She was still in crazy town. Her memory wasn’t gone. She’d gotten the taste slapped out of her mouth, not once but twice. Possibly three times. She’d passed out after the second hit. Her jaw hurt. Hell, everything hurt. There wasn’t a spot on her body that didn’t ache.

“The babies?” she croaked.

“Are fine. Just fine. I had Delia check you over,” Cyr said against her forehead. His lips were soft and warm.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because I’m hoping you’ll accept my apology.”

She would have snorted, but she knew it would hurt to make an effort. So she said nothing.

“I know I fucked up, baby.”

Baby? When had they graduated to terms of endearment?

“Colossal fuckup.”

“Yeah, big time. But I need to say a few things to you. I need you to understand where I was coming from.” Cyr pulled back the sheets on the bed and crawled in next to her, pulling her gently into his arms. She winced a little but didn’t fight. “When Una died giving birth, I didn’t just lose her, I also lost my son. It was like being ripped into a million pieces. I stayed torn. I didn’t know how to handle the loss. I blamed myself because I wasn’t there when I should have been. Una was calm, she was quiet in all things. She was also not the strongest. It took a lot of effort for her to shift, but I didn’t care. I wanted what I wanted, and she gave in, never once questioning my actions or voicing any concerns. It wasn’t until you came into my life that the pieces started to mend back together again. But then I let Tilly put it in my head that I was wrong for wanting you. For wanting us. I don’t care if you’re my destined mate or not. I want this to work, and not because you’re going to have my babies. No, I want this because I want you. I need you.”

Cyr kissed her gently on the forehead again. His mouth lingering as he whispered against her skin. “I don’t know how it happened, I can’t pinpoint the exact moment but I know it in my gut, I love you.”

Did he love her?

Her grandmother would call this moment a grand gesture. One she wasn’t supposed to squander and let go. But the words were stuck in her throat. She didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t expect you to say it back, but know that I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you to stay here with me. Live with me, wake up next to me every morning and go to bed with me every night. Maybe one day learn to love me back.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know about all of that.”

“How long do you think it will be before you do know?”

She looked up at him then, his eyes were so tired. She didn’t know if she should tell him he looked like shit, but she could see the worry in the tightness of his brow. He was seriously fucked up over this.

“I don’t know, maybe a couple more walks in the garden. More time hanging out in the tree.”

“Hanging out in the tree?”

“Yeah, my parents never let me have pets. I’ve always wanted a big cat. And my grandmother always said cats were the guardians. What better way to get to know each other?”

“Now you’re being a smartass.”

“Maybe,” Onessa said, trying to hide the smile on her face.

“Let’s take this one step at a time. I don’t want to rush into anything too serious yet.”

“Too late,” he murmured. “You’re mine, I’m yours. Can’t get any more serious than that, not to mention, you’re carrying my unborn cubs.”

“Oh, all right, I guess I love you, too?”

“You guess?” He groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “I tell her I love her, and she guesses she loves me,” he complained.

Adjusting so she was half on top of him, Onessa tugged on his chin until he gazed down at her with a serious look. “I do love you, even though you can be an asshole. But I still love you. So, there’s that, and if I weren’t going to be giving birth to these girls of yours, I’d probably still love you. You’re brilliant. You’re excellent in the kitchen...and the sack. You came to my rescue not once but twice. That is enough proof. In case you missed the tattoo on my back, that’s you, up in the tree lounging. I dreamt of you. So, yeah, Cyriaque Ravenueax. You’re mine, and I’m yours.