by R. E. Butler
He’d bounded off to hunt with his pride and she’d stayed with Ree and Davina, drinking blueberry champagne and talking about the pride. Shifters had to be in their forms for several hours before they could change back, but the time had passed quickly and before long, Barron and Duke returned.
Mercy handed Barron his clothes. He gave her a rakish grin.
“Like what you see, sweetheart?”
She chuckled. “You know you’re gorgeous.”
“I know you are.”
“Did you have fun?”
“Yeah, but I would rather have been with you.”
“Aw. I missed you, too. But I had fun with Davina. She filled me in on a lot of lion stuff.”
“I’m glad.”
When he finished dressing, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. “I have a question.”
“Sure.”
“Our kids might be able to shift?” she asked.
He hummed. “Maybe. They’ll be hybrids, half-human and half-lion. Whether they shift or not depends on if they take more after me or you. But it doesn’t really matter in the long run.”
“What do you mean?”
“First of all, because we’ll love them whether they can shift or not. But secondly, because the pride is changing the mating laws and allowing us to stay in the pride no matter who we mate, our children will be welcomed, too.”
She hummed as understanding filled her. “If someone chose to mate outside of their own kind, then they had to leave and their kids weren’t allowed to join the pride, even if they could shift.”
“Exactly. Now that the laws have changed, you and I can stay in the pride and our kids can, too.”
They began to walk away from the alpha’s home, navigating a well-worn trail through the woods. “Other lion prides are like yours used to be, though.”
“I think eventually they’ll all come around, but even if they don’t it doesn’t matter. Our kids can choose to mate with whoever they want without worrying about losing anything.”
“You were willing to walk away from all this for me, though.”
“You’re worth it.”
She smiled, her heart soaring at the sweet words.
They reached a house with yellow siding and dark green shutters. A light was on over the front porch, illuminating a welcome mat and a potted plant. And a golden glow seeped from behind the front window curtains.
Her heart kicked up a notch. “Oh man, I just realized I’m about to meet your grandpa.”
“Don’t be nervous. He’ll love you.”
“I can’t help it.” She pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm her suddenly flying pulse.
Barron opened the door. “Hey, Grandpa. You still up?”
“Of course. My favorite show is on,” a man answered.
“I hope you’re decent. I brought someone special to meet you.”
“Hold on, let me tie my robe closed.”
There was the sound of shuffling. Barron shut the door with a low laugh. “I’m glad I gave him a chance to close up shop, so to speak.”
He took her from the small foyer down a short hall and turned right. They stepped into a family room, which had dark blue shag carpeting, a well-worn sofa, and a big flat-screen television hanging over a fireplace.
“Grandpa Donnie,” Barron said as the male rose to his feet, “this is my heart-match, Mercy Hendrix. Sweetheart, this is my grandfather, Donnie Kincade.”
“Well, well, isn’t this a wonderful surprise!” Donnie closed the distance between them and shook Mercy’s hand. “Welcome to the family, Mercy. Byron called me to explain the change to pride laws coming our way. I take it you two are part of that?”
Barron nodded. He and Mercy sat on the couch and Donnie resumed his seat in the recliner, digging the remote from between the cushions and turning off the TV. “It’s more about Duke and his heart-match Ree, who is Mercy’s sister, but we’re happy that Byron was willing to make changes to the laws, so I wasn’t facing exile.”
“Well,” Donnie said, “I would have left with you. Not to live in the same house, mind you. A male has to have his privacy.” He winked at Mercy and she chuckled. “But I would’ve left the pride if you two weren’t accepted. There’s no one here for me but you anyway.”
“Now you have Mercy, too,” Barron pointed out.
Donnie grinned. “Look at me. I’ve got a granddaughter. That’s pretty neat. Now, where are my manners? Are you hungry or thirsty?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Tell me how you two met.”
Barron explained their initial meeting. She knew that he’d contacted Donnie at one point to say he wouldn’t be home, but he hadn’t elaborated on the reason.
“Now that Byron’s changed the mating laws, Mercy and I don’t have to make any rash decisions about our living arrangements.”
“You’ll want to live on pride lands, though, right?”
“We haven’t discussed it,” Barron said. He gave Mercy’s hand a squeeze. “It doesn’t matter where we live, only that we’re together.”
“I’m sure you still have lots to figure out. The fun stuff is getting to know each other. Pride rules and shifter business aren’t quite as fun.”
“Exactly,” Barron said. “I’m going to pack a bag and stay at Mercy’s apartment. I have to work on Monday night, but I’ll let you know what we decide.”
Donnie rose to his feet and groaned when his knees popped. He gave Barron and Mercy a hug. “I’m so glad to meet you, Mercy. Thanks for putting up with my grandson.”
“Grandpa,” he chided.
Mercy giggled. “It’s my pleasure.”
She followed Barron to his bedroom and sat on the bed. He rummaged in the closet for a bag and filled it with a few changes of clothes. “Do you think he’s right?” she asked.
“About what?”
“That it’s easier if you live here.”
He hummed and pulled open a dresser drawer. “Yes and no.” He removed socks and underwear and closed the drawer, tucking them into the bag.
“More yes than no?”
He shrugged and straightened, resting his hands on his hips. “I’m mid-ranked in the pride, so I don’t have the responsibilities of the higher-ranked males who do things like patrol the territory and help the alpha and his family. I do have to be around for meetings and our monthly hunting parties, but pretty much I can do what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“Honestly?”
She nodded.
“Just you, sweetheart. Where we live matters like this much to me.” He held up his hand, his finger and thumb nearly touching.
“I’m being serious, Barron.”
“Me, too. I waited my whole life for you, Mercy. We could live in a tent and I’d still be the happiest male on the planet just because you’re in my arms. If it works for us to live in the apartment, then that’s what we should do. If it would be better if we were here in the territory, then that’s fine with me. We’re not far from your job, so travel isn’t an issue.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. Rising to her feet, she said, “There’s just one thing that’s on my mind when it comes to our living situation.”
He zipped the bag and slung it over his shoulder. “What’s that?”
“I never really saw myself living in the apartment forever. I figured I’d get married and have kids someday and my husband and I would have an actual house with a yard and maybe a swing set.” She tilted her head and looked at him. “I think we can stay in the apartment for now, but it’s not where I think we should be permanently.”
He reached for her, drawing her close with a purr. She pressed her hands against his chest to feel the vibration as she lifted her head for a kiss.
“That’s a great point. Let’s stay at the apartment, and when the time is right, we’ll move into a place in the territory. It would be nice if we could live near Donnie.”
&nb
sp; “Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s go home, sweetheart. It’s been a crazy day.”
When they returned to the family room to say goodbye, Donnie pulled Barron aside for a short chat and then gave both a hug goodbye, making them promise to come to lunch on Saturday.
They returned to the Alphas’ home to get her car. As they drove away, she asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I think so, anyway. He said that after he got the call from Byron about the mating laws changing, he was out on the back patio looking at the stars and heard some people walking by. He caught only a bit of their conversation, but they were complaining about the alpha changing the mating laws and allowing humans into the pride and that it’s ruined now.”
“Ruined?”
He shrugged. “I thought everyone was on board with the changes – certainly it sounded as if they were, but clearly some didn’t feel the same happiness that we do.”
“Does he know who it was?”
“No. He walked around to the front to see, and they were gone, and he didn’t recognize the voices but thinks it was an older couple.”
“Why does he think that?”
“Because they didn’t shift for the hunt. Sometimes the older members don’t care to shift – their joints ache and it can get harder to do as they age. Donnie only shifts a couple times a year.”
“You’d think shifters wouldn’t get aches and pains like that.”
“Well, we do heal quicker than humans but aging attacks everyone at one point or another.”
“Do you think the couple who was complaining are unique in the pride or are there others who won’t like humans being in the mix?”
“I honestly don’t know. But it’s something to keep an ear out for. If someone doesn’t like humans being in the pride, it could just be a general feeling and not something they’d act on, like ask Byron to refuse human membership in the pride. But, even if several people rose up and asked for things to go back the way they were, Byron’s made the declaration and his word is law, period.”
“That’s good. I’d hate to think people don’t want me and Ree around.”
“Well, that’s how life can be sometimes, I guess. Not everyone likes everyone else, but the important thing is that you’re safe and happy, no matter where we live.”
“Speaking of living,” she said, glancing out the window, “are there a lot of empty houses?”
“There are a few, but we could always build. I’ll have to check with Byron because I’m not sure about houses near my grandpa’s place. There’s lots of room, though.”
“How big is the pride territory?”
“Almost a thousand acres. We like a lot of room to hunt.”
“I guess so.” She watched the scenery blur by as he accelerated on the main road and headed toward the apartment. “So Duke and Ree will take over the pride in thirty days. She’s going to have a lot to learn to take over.”
“Yep.”
When Byron had announced that he was handing over the leadership of the pride to Duke and Ree, as well as changing the mating laws, the whole pride had lifted their heads and roared. It had been a happy sound, like they were congratulating the couple and excited for the new laws. She’d thought the mating laws were strange when she first heard about them. Honestly, that anyone would care whether both people in a marriage were lions or not seemed absurd. But there were marriage laws for humans, and they did need to change with the times. There were still places in the world where people couldn’t choose their own husbands, or where young girls were given away in marriage without their agreement. Like the lions, there were human families who disowned their sons and daughters for making romantic choices they didn’t agree with, so what the lions had been doing wasn’t really that different when it came right down to it.
At least Barron had been willing to go against tradition for her, even if it meant that he couldn’t be part of his pride. Though she was thankful he hadn’t actually had to walk away from his people.
Returning to the statement about her sister and Duke, she continued, “You mentioned about being mid-ranked in the pride. And Duke’s going to be the alpha, which I take it to mean the big boss. What’s the deal with rankings? How are they decided? Is everyone ranked, even the women and kids?”
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “All the males in the pride are ranked by fighting skill from the top – which is the alpha – to the lowest, what we call the omega. Only the males are ranked. While the females are taught to fight in their shifts and hunt, they’re not ranked, and it’s just always been that way. The alpha position is hereditary. Byron’s father was the alpha before him, and his father was alpha before him. If Duke and Ree have any sons, the firstborn would become the future alpha, assuming that he can shift. If he can’t, the pride laws as they stand right now state that only a male who can shift can be the alpha. Of course, I think a lot of rules are going to go the way of the dodo once Ree and Duke take over. It was time for an overhaul anyway.
“When our males first shift, sometime around sixteen, they’re taught to fight and hunt in their shifts. At twenty, they’re allowed to petition to join the ranks, and they start at the bottom – as omegas. The alpha sets up some fights and the males square off, the winner taking over the position of the one they defeated. Unless, of course, they lose, in which case they’re stuck in that position until the next set of battles, which could be a few months or longer.”
“You fight in your lion form?”
“Yep. I heard that some lion prides let males choose whether they fight in human or lion form, but I don’t know what the point would be. We’re trying to figure out who the best lion is, not the best human.”
“What if someone doesn’t want to fight?”
“Do you mean if they want to stay in their position?” He cast her a questioning look.
“Well, yeah, or someone higher ranked. Like if someone came at you and said they wanted your position, could they just fight you?”
He nodded. “There are two ways to challenge for rank: for a male to fight his way up from omega status to picking a particular male and fighting him for his place. Generally, what will happen is a new omega will want to get out of that status as soon as possible, so he’ll choose a few spaces up the ranks and request to fight for that position. The alpha can agree or decline. If he agrees, then the two will battle it out and the winner takes the rank. If it’s the same male, he keeps his position and the other male goes back to his former rank. In the case where the new lion wins, the former lion gets bumped down a rank. So say he’s fourteenth, he’ll get bumped to fifteenth.”
She breathed out in thought. “I guess it’s kind of like a job. You come in on the bottom and work your way up by applying for better jobs.”
“Yeah, except humans don’t have to physically fight.”
“Good point.”
“There are twenty-four males ranked in the pride. I’m tenth. It never mattered to me what my rank was, but there are males who care very much.”
“Why?”
“Status, I guess. I think if you’re not alpha then it doesn’t really matter. But there are females who only care about high-ranked males, which we’d consider to be the top five.”
“Like Madison who was supposed to mate Duke before he and Ree got together?” Mercy had thought the lioness’s behavior was ridiculous. She only wanted to be with Duke so she could be alpha female. It hadn’t mattered to her that Duke and Ree were a couple, and she’d been willing to bring war against the Kedrick pride in order to claim the position.
“Exactly.”
“It’s weird, though, isn’t it? I mean, the alpha female doesn’t have any power, right? The females aren’t ranked.”
“She has authority through her mate. So it would be a position of importance, but you’re right – there isn’t any real power to the alpha female position.”
She hummed in thought. “Do you think there are shifter groups that are mat
riarchal?”
“I’ve never heard of any, but I’m sure there are some.”
He parked in the designated spot in front of the apartment complex. As they walked up the stairs and into the apartment, she said, “Thanks for talking to me about the pride stuff.”
“They’re your people now,” he said, setting his bag on the floor in the bedroom closet. “It’s important to me that you know as much as possible about the pride and my kind, so I want you to ask me anything and everything.”
“Good. I just have one more question.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you take me to bed now?”
His answer was a happy growl.
Chapter Seven
Monday night, Barron left Mercy in the apartment and headed for work. He dreaded the long night without her, but it wasn’t as if he could just have her hanging out in the bar during his shift. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything but her, and therefore he wouldn’t be doing his job to the best of his abilities.
He parked his motorcycle in the employee lot behind the bar and set his helmet on the seat with a sigh. He grimaced at the way his lion was pacing and agitated.
“You good?” a deep voice asked from behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Mayhem carrying a trash bag toward the dumpster.
“Hey, Hemi. Yeah, I’m good. Just pissed I guess.”
“Who we killing?” The male opened the dumpster and tossed the bag in, letting the lid clang shut.
Barron chuckled and climbed off his bike. “No one, I’m just irritated because I had to come to work and leave Mercy at home.”
“Right, right, your heart-match. I wanted to say congrats to you, but I didn’t get a chance before everyone shifted to hunt. So congrats.”
“Thanks.” He met the male at the back door. “My cat doesn’t like leaving her.”
Hemi grasped the handle and opened the door, following Barron inside. “She could work here. I heard Duke and Titus talking earlier about putting out feelers for waitresses and bartenders.”
“Hell no.”
