by R. E. Butler
Before they’d fallen asleep, he’d reassured her that they were safe. He wasn’t ranked high enough in the pride to witness the goings-on of the trial Byron and Duke would be presiding over, but he knew based on their laws that the males would be exiled, marked by the alpha’s claws and forbidden from setting foot in the pride territory for the rest of their lives. They’d also be forbidden from any contact with pride members, including mates – whether they were human or other – and they’d never step foot in the bar again.
Considering what Donnie had shared, Barron was certain that Lenn Sr. and his wife, Raquel, would be exiled along with their son. The band members weren’t part of the pride, but as they’d come against pride members, they’d be treated as pariahs as well and marked for death if they showed their faces again. He wanted to assure Mercy that they were well and truly safe, and he trusted that they were because the alpha-made exile was one of the main laws of their people, but he wanted to move into pride territory as soon as possible. That way, when he was working late, she’d be safe with the pride. The protectors would keep an eye on her on his behalf. His lion would never rest easy when they were away from each other, but he’d take some measure of comfort in knowing she’d be watched over.
Mercy stirred next to him, rubbing her cheek on his pec as she yawned. Blinking beautiful blue eyes at him, she smiled. “Hey you.”
“Hey yourself.” He moved to kiss her, and she squeaked and tilted her head away.
“No kisses, gross morning breath.”
“Nothing about you is gross, I promise,” he said.
“Still. Keep your lips to yourself. For now, anyway.”
He chuckled. “As you wish, sweetness.”
They got up at the same time, but he gave her the bathroom first.
A purr stuttered in his chest when she opened the door as she brushed her teeth and asked him to join her.
As he walked inside, he said, “You have the best ideas, sweetheart.”
She smiled, looking like an adorable rabid dog. “Just with you.”
When they’d cleaned up, gotten dirty, and cleaned up a second time, he secured a towel around his waist and leaned against the counter, watching as she rubbed at the ends of her hair. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Sure,” she said.
“I want to move into the pride territory.”
She arched a brow. “We talked about doing that at some point. You changed your mind on the timing?”
“I just think it’s best for us.”
She walked out of the bathroom and he followed, grabbing clean clothes and getting dressed as she looked through the closet. “Because?”
“After what happened at the bar, I think my cat’s just on edge. We’re fully mated now, sweetheart. It’s going to be hard enough for me to leave you alone while I’m working at night when you’re outside of the territory.”
She turned from the closet with a shirt and jeans over her arm. “But you won’t mind leaving me alone if we’re in the territory? I don’t get what the difference is. I’ll still be by myself. You’ll still be at the bar.”
“True. But in the territory, there are protectors who patrol overnight. It’s like a neighborhood watch, but with lions. They pay special attention to the homes where mates and children live, when their males are away. So while no one can take better care of you than me, it’ll settle my lion some to know someone is keeping an eye on you.”
He sat on the bed and put on his boots, waiting for her to say something. She was quiet as she got dressed. He wondered if she would say she didn’t want to live in the pride territory right now, which he’d respect. Her happiness was the most important thing in his world, and if she wanted to stay in the apartment then he’d figure out a way to be okay with it. Him and his grumpy lion.
“Okay,” she said, turning to face him.
“Okay what?”
She smiled and moved to him, stepping between his spread legs and cupping his face. Leaning down, she brushed her lips across his, the light touch making his cat purr.
“Okay, we can move to the pride territory.”
“You’re sure?” He rested his hands on her hips and drew her a little closer.
“Of course. I know we talked about staying here for a while, but there’s really no need to. The drive to the salon isn’t bad from there, and maybe I can even set up my own place for the pride. It would be fun to have a little shop of my own.”
Immediately, he wanted to make that happen for her. The way her eyes lit up when she was excited was one of his favorite things.
“We can talk to Byron about available houses. If we don’t find anything we like, we could always build. There’s plenty of land.”
“Anything by your grandpa? I’d like to get to know him better.”
“He’d love that and so would I. We can look into it.”
“Awesome. Now I think someone promised to treat me to lunch today, and I’m starving.”
“You and me both, sweetheart.”
They left the apartment and drove to a diner near the pride’s territory that served the best coffee along with his favorite breakfast – eggs Benedict. He called Byron to ask about available homes, and he offered to show them around after they were done eating.
While Barron and Mercy ate, they talked about the future and how different their lives were now that they’d found each other.
“I can’t believe my sister is going to be the boss of everyone,” Mercy said with a chuckle.
“She and Duke will be great alphas. She has a disadvantage over a lion because she didn’t grow up being taught the laws, but she’ll catch on fast.”
“I’m glad I have you to teach me everything. I did have one question, though.”
“Shoot.”
“When we have kids, will they be teased for being half-human? Like if they can’t shift?”
He hummed as he added salt to the home fries and then stabbed a pile with his fork. “To be honest, I have no idea what the pride is going to be like at that point. Lions don’t shift until they’re teenagers, so if more humans come into the pride as mates, then the norm would cease to be full-lion and would be a mixture. Our kids might be able to shift, but there’s no way to tell until they reach the right age.”
“So maybe by the time they’re old enough to shift, if they can or not, it won’t really matter?”
“That would be my guess. And our kids will be the nieces and nephews of the alphas, so even if they don’t shift, they’ll still be important pride members as part of the alpha family.” He ate the potatoes and then took a drink of coffee. “Are you worried?”
“Not really, but it’s been on my mind.”
“Well, whatever our kids end up like, we’ll love them and that’s what matters.”
“Agreed.”
They finished eating and headed to the territory to meet Byron at his home.
He smiled at them as he stepped off the porch. “How are you two today?”
“Great,” Barron said, shaking his hand. “Thanks for taking us out.”
“No problem.”
Byron had a map on his tablet, and several of the houses were marked with a red x.
“We have three unoccupied homes right now,” he said. “That’s going to change in forty-eight hours, and there will be two more. But they won’t be clean and ready for at least a week if not longer.”
“Are they the homes of the guys who attacked Barron?” Mercy asked, giving Barron’s hand a squeeze.
“Yes.” Byron stopped walking and faced them. “We exiled Jake, Lenn Jr., and his parents. They were all against Duke and Memory becoming mates. It appears that it was Lenn Jr.’s idea to threaten you with the intention of Barron kicking you to the curb and taking Memory, too. They wanted Duke to mate with the lioness from the other pride and to keep our pride pure lions only.”
“They obviously don’t understand what a mated male feels like when he finds his heart-match,” Barron said. “I�
��d never walk away from Mercy. And I know damn well that Duke wouldn’t have sent Ree packing, either.”
“The whole lot of them were fools,” Byron said, shaking his head. “But that’s what happens when you’re stuck in the old ways. Our pride should have changed the mating laws years ago.”
“Don’t you guys have a match-maker, though?” Mercy asked.
“Yes, why?” Byron asked.
“So she’s just out of a job?”
“No. There are still lions who don’t want to wait for their heart-match, or don’t believe that everyone gets one. So Abbie will be working for those who want her services, but maybe she might not be as busy.”
Barron thought of Diesel, who’d had his mate-match fail. Then he looked at Mercy, who smiled up at him with the sunlight making gold highlights in her hair. “A heart-match is the way to go.”
“Agreed,” Byron said, clapping Barron on the back.
Two hours later, Barron and Mercy had fallen in love with a house close to Donnie’s. It had a quaint front porch with a creaky wooden swing that he promised to fix, three bedrooms, a back porch that had a great view of the woods, and a kitchen that Mercy said she’d learn how to use.
“Well, it’s all yours,” Byron said. “You’ll just have to sign some paperwork, get it cleaned, and then you can move in. Come over for dinner tomorrow night and we’ll get things going.”
“Thank you so much,” Mercy said.
Barron shook his hand and thanked him.
“Well, honestly, it’s my pleasure and I want to thank you guys, too, for finding each other and sticking with us while we sort all the laws out. It’s not easy to be different, especially with shifters.”
“No problem,” Barron said.
Barron and Mercy walked back to the alpha’s house with Byron, said hello to Davina and then hung out with Donnie until he fired up the grill and made them his famous barbecue ribs.
When they finally made it back to the apartment, he was ready to spend some quality time with his gorgeous mate.
Mercy toed off her shoes by the front door. “Did you ever think your life would go like this?”
“Honestly, no. But I’ve never been happier.”
“Oh?” she asked, stepping into his embrace and rising onto her toes. “Do tell.”
“Well,” he said, giving her waist a squeeze and drawing her close so she could feel just how turned on he was. “No matter what else happened with the pride, I would have been content because at the end of the day, I get you. You’re everything to me, and I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. You make my heart happy and you make me feel like my cat and I have finally found our home.”
“Aw, Barron,” she said, blinking rapidly as her eyes glittered. “You’re the most amazing guy I’ve ever met in my whole life and I’m so lucky to be with you.”
“We’re both lucky,” he said, lifting her into his arms and striding toward the bed. “But for the record, I’m the luckiest.”
She nuzzled his throat with a soft purr-like hum. “Whatever you say, sexy.”
Chapter Ten
“So are you excited?” Mercy asked as she sectioned Ree’s freshly washed and dried hair and pinned it up.
“Nervous and excited at the same time,” Ree said.
The month of June had passed quickly. Barron and Mercy had moved into the house in pride territory, and she’d cut back on her hours at the salon so she could get the house cleaned and unpack all the boxes. The house had sat empty for a few years, and while it was in good shape, it had needed a floor-to-ceiling cleaning.
Davina helped as much as she could, and Mercy had asked for some cooking lessons so she could make some meals. Barron did a lot of the cooking, and while he promised he enjoyed it, she wanted to be able to make a few things for him, too.
Especially considering the good news she’d just gotten that morning.
“It’ll be awesome,” Mercy said, lifting the straightener from the holder and sliding it gently down a section of hair. “You’re going to be a fab alpha.”
In a few hours, Duke and Ree would become the official alphas of the pride. After the ceremony, the pride was going to celebrate with a big party.
“And to think that I owe it all to you threatening to call in the favor and making me go with you to Tails.”
Mercy chuckled as she smoothed another section of hair. “It worked out wonderfully for both of us.”
Ree grasped Mercy’s free hand and smiled at her in the mirror. “I’m so glad we get to be together in the pride. I can’t imagine having this whole amazing thing going on in my life and you not being part of it.”
“Me, too.”
Once her sister’s hair was finished, she left her to get dressed. Mercy had gotten ready before she’d arrived at Duke and Ree’s home. Although there wasn’t a dress code for the ceremony and party, Ree had decided to dress up, so Mercy had taken the cue. The two had gone shopping together with Duke’s mom and they’d chosen dresses. Ree’s was a simple black dress she’d paired with sparkling jewelry, and Mercy had gone with a slinky navy-blue dress that she couldn’t wait to show off to her sexy mate.
The men were meeting them at the alpha’s house soon, so Mercy took the opportunity to check her makeup.
“Did I tell you that Duke wants to get married at Christmas?” Ree called from the bedroom.
“No, really? Did he say that when he proposed?”
“Yeah. He said the woods are really pretty when they’re all covered in snow, and I said the crap I was going to be outside in December for a dang ceremony.”
Mercy snorted. “What did he say to that?”
“Typical guy. He said he’d keep me warm and then he waggled his brows like a cartoon wolf.”
“Maybe one of those tents with a heater? I think they do that kind of thing for outdoor ceremonies.”
“Hard pass. I said outdoor weddings are for spring and summer, maybe fall. If he wants to make me his wife in December, then it has to be indoors.”
“I agree. Can’t have open-toed shoes if there’s snow on the ground.”
“Yes! I’ll add that to my argument if he asks me again.”
There was a knock at the front door, and Ree put her hand to her chest. “That’s Duke. It’s time. Oh my gosh, I’m going to be alpha female of the pride!”
“You’re going to be amazing.” Mercy took her hands and gave them a squeeze. “You’re so bossy. You were born for it.”
“Oh thanks,” Ree said, rolling her eyes with a laugh. “I love you, too.”
“I do love you. You’re the best sister in the world.”
“Ah, you’re going to mess up my makeup and make me cry!” The two hugged, and Mercy blinked back her own happy tears.
“Let’s go make you alpha.”
They linked arms and the two walked to the family room, Mercy scooting ahead and opening the door. Duke and Barron stood on the porch, both wearing dress pants, long-sleeved shirts, and ties. Barron looked amazing in all black, with a tie that had splashes of metallic blue.
“Wow,” Barron said as he took her hand and drew her close. “You look wonderful.”
“Thanks. You do, too.”
She tuned out Duke and Ree’s back-and-forth and concentrated on her gorgeous mate. “Can you believe it’s been a month?”
“The time has definitely gone by fast, but it’s been the best days of my life.”
“Mine, too.”
“Ready to go, you two?” Duke asked.
“Lead the way, Alpha,” Barron said.
An SUV was idling in front of the house, driven by Hemi. The bartender had a reputation for always having a bad attitude, but the few times she’d been to the bar to see Barron, she’d found him very friendly. His sister, Demi, was beautiful and so sweet, and no one messed with her because they were afraid of her brother.
“Hi, Hemi,” Mercy said as she scooted into the third row.
“Hey Merc. You guys look great.”
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sp; “Thanks,” Barron said.
When Ree and Duke were seated in the second row, Hemi drove them to the clearing in the center of the territory where parties and ceremonies were held. Mercy had helped set up the party earlier that day, enjoying working with the lions and getting to know them. She’d been worried that some of them might be angry because she’d inadvertently caused the loss of a family of lions due to their hatred of humans, but no one seemed to see her as anything but a pride member and Barron’s mate.
“Oh, it looks wonderful,” Ree said, peering out the window. “Merc, you guys did awesome.”
“It was fun,” she said. They’d spent several hours decorating tables with sunflowers and black-eyed Susans, the golden flower petals reminiscent of the color of lion’s eyes, and stringing twinkle lights in the surrounding trees. Now that the sun had set and the dark sky was filled with stars, it looked truly magical. The pride was milling around near a wooden stage that had been set up, and when Hemi pulled to a stop, a cheer rose from the group as Duke and Ree got out. Barron and Mercy exited the SUV and found Donnie in the crowd, standing with him as Byron and Davina called for quiet and began the ceremony.
“She looks like a queen up there,” Mercy whispered to Barron as she watched her sister and Duke take on the mantle of alpha male and female. She was utterly awestruck that her sister was now the co-leader of a shifter group. It was pretty damn cool. The pride cheered when Byron announced their new alpha male and female, and Mercy and Barron cheered the loudest, whistling and clapping.
After the celebratory noise settled, Duke read over the new and amended laws. The most important one was that anyone could mate anyone they wanted, no matter if that person was a lion shifter, human, or some other supernatural creature, and that couple would be welcomed into the pride with open arms.
“Now let’s eat!” Duke said. The pride whooped and cheered, and then made their way to the tables for the buffet meal. She and Barron sat with Donnie and waited for Duke and Ree to have first crack at the buffet before they filled their own plates.
