To readers,
Being a student, I have little time to write and the time I do have I have not been able to use because of my chronic migraines. I was just diagnosed and put on medicine so hopefully with school ending in five weeks and the medicine beginning to work, I can get back to writing again. As always, I look forward to reading your comments. My only request is that you be professional in your criticism and not cruel.
Thank you, and I hope you like this next installment in this series.
Sincerely,
Fantasykitten723
****
Carmen entered the library cautiously, looking quickly around for the Alpha. He was braced against the window sill, staring blankly out the window.
"Alpha?" She asked softly, hesitating to move further into the room.
He turned to look at her with barely concealed anxiety. "Yes? How is she?"
"She is doing well. The infection, if there was one, is gone. However..." She hesitated and his brow furrowed. "Well, you probably should see for yourself."
With little hesitation, he followed her into his master suite. She stopped in front of the door to the bedroom and motioned to Isaac who stood a little to the side. "Isaac, could you please explain?"
Isaac looked down and frowned. "Well sir, she is better...and she is a Were... but..."
"But what?" Felix demanded, exasperated.
"She is not a...wolf..." Isaac finished hesitantly.
Felix glared at him, fairly sure this was a joke. "What the fuck are you talking about? She was human. I bit her. Ergo, she should be a wolf!"
Isaac cringed. "Apparently, she wasn't human... "
Felix snorted in disbelief. "Let me see her. Then, maybe... I will believe you."
Isaac glanced at Carmen and nodded. "Go ahead. But be careful...she's very afraid. She won't let anyone near her."
"She shouldn't be afraid of me," Felix muttered darkly. He pushed past Carmen and entered the room cautiously, closing the door behind him before they could follow.
His eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light and wandered towards the bed. He froze in shock; his first thought being that he was somehow being tricked... but his nose confirmed what they had told him.
Valerie was on the bed and she wasn't a wolf at all. She was a fucking white tiger... the rarest type of Were Cats in existence.
"Holy shit..." he gasped. He hesitated, unsure what to do. He had never dealt with a frightened Were Cat... So he went with the safest route.
"Umm...nice kitty," he started as he began to move forward slowly. He paused when she growled low, warningly. "It's just me. Just Felix, your mate."
Valerie bared her teeth and he paled. "Valerie... trust me. Please?"
She growled low, another warning. He sighed and decided to sit down. She would come to him when she was ready to. He shifted to his wolf form and lay down on the floor, stretched out on his side with his stomach bared towards her in a show of trust.
He watched her sit up with a mild look of interest in her wild green eyes. She tilted her head to the side, as if in thought, before jumping down and advancing slowly towards him. Her gaze was not predatory, just curious.
He smiled gently and sent a telepathic message to her. "Valerie. I'm your mate. I won't hurt you."
She paused, her gaze suddenly vulnerable. "Felix..." She moved towards him slowly and then lay down a few feet away with her chin on her paws.
He shifted back to human and smiled gently. "Hey, Valerie." He moved towards her slowly and laid his hand on her back. "I love you sweetie. You're still amazing."
She lifted her head and sniffed him carefully. She looked up at him as she began to purr uneasily. She trusted him, but she was still afraid.
He smiled reassuringly and began to rub her back lightly. She soon relaxed enough to shift back to human and he was there to hold her close.
She looked up at him nervously. "Shouldn't I be a wolf?" She asked softly.
"Apparently not, honey," he sighed. "You must have Were ancestry in your blood that lay dormant."
"I wouldn't know...my parents died when I was eight and I was raised by an uncle." She sighed heavily. "All I have are pictures...."
"It will be ok, honey," He murmured gently. "The ancestry must have been recent, at the earliest from a grandparent. Most likely, we could trace it to the nearby prides with a little work."
"Really?" She asked softly. "You would do that for me? Even though we just met..."
"It's true that I barely know you, but I know you are my mate. Because of that alone, I would do anything to make you happy," he told her gently.
She looked down, blushing. "I felt a connection with you as soon as I saw you... I don't know why I said yes to being your mate so quickly." She felt him tense and rushed to explain. "Not that I regret it now. I'm just not quite sure why I agreed when I barely knew you. Maybe I was just too tired of being alone. Maybe it was instinct..."
She trailed off and nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "I can't claim to love you yet when we only just met. But you make me feel safe...and..." She struggled to find the word she wanted. "Perhaps not happy just yet... but definitely hopeful. I finally have something to live for."
Felix smiled. "Then I will work even harder to make you happy. Just name what you want and it will be yours."
Valerie laughed softly. "It would probably be best to move my belongings here... and maybe...if you have an extra room for an art studio?"
Felix chuckled warmly. "Your wish is my command." He kissed her head gently and helped her to her feet. "You should probably get some sleep, honey. The first change can wear you out."
She yawned and climbed into bed. "You're going to sleep next to me, right?"
"Of course, silly," he laughed. He slipped in beside her and turned out the light.
