Staking Their Claim

by Rebecca Airies

  “I’ll take the mocha, though I’ll heat it up because cold coffee is for pansies and women.” Griffin strolled over to her and dropped a kiss onto her lips.

  “Keep it up, cat. You’re already on my list.” Shonna huffed.

  Penny took her friends into the living room. They settled on the couch and in chairs.

  He reheated his coffee and stopped in the doorway. “If you need me, just call. I’ll be in my office, but I’ll have my door open.”

  “Go on. I’ll scream for you if anything happens. Don’t worry.” She rose and ambled over to him. Overprotective, but he was definitely sweet.

  “Good.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and strode down the hallway.

  She returned to her chair and curled her feet under her. A little thrill of satisfaction curled through her. Finally, that damn boot was off.

  A heavy weight settled on her. All four women stared at her. Was something wrong?

  “What?” She glanced down. Maybe a button on her shirt was done up wrong or she’d dropped something on it earlier.

  “That man is so gone for you.” Leslie shook her head.

  “As if your mates aren’t just as attentive to you.” Penny rolled her eyes. She passed out the drinks.

  “Not just attentive. I think that man might love you already.” Chloe smiled.

  “I don’t know about that. They’re protective and possessive, which is all I’ve seen from them so far. Well, aside from the hot sex.” Penny poured the mocha into mugs. Love. She drew in a deep breath and pressed her sweaty palms against her skirt. Love wasn’t a part of the bond between mates. It might grow, but then again, it might not. For them. After everything, she already had some intense feelings. “We haven’t been together that long.”

  “Hot sex is a given for a mating, but he wants more than sex with you. You can hide your head in the sand for a while longer if you’d like.” Shonna reached for a plate and dished out some of the fruit salsa. “But enough from you three angsting while you get the good stuff regular and in multiples at that.”

  “Hey, it’s not our fault that wolves are monogamous. If they weren’t so bitchy about sharing, you might get it in multiples when you find your mate.” Leslie folded her arms across her chest and smirked at Shonna.

  “Our males are more likely to rip the face off anyone who suggests sharing their mate so that ain’t going to happen. Not that multiples are what I’d want anyway. One guy who’s mine and who isn’t looking for just a good lay.” Shonna sighed. “I swear all I’ve met lately are jerks interested only in sex.”

  Minnie sauntered into the room. She jumped on the arm of Penny’s chair. Penny scratched behind Minnie’s ears.

  “Well, you’re doing better than I am.” Dixie leaned forward, bracing her arms on her legs as she looked over at Shonna. “I swear my bear has become so damn picky that I haven’t even been attracted to a man in the past month. Human, bear, it doesn’t matter. That dang creature wants its mate and apparently I can’t have any fun again until I find him.”

  “Them,” Shonna corrected.

  “Whatever.” Dixie waved. “The point is, I’m stuck in celibate hell thanks to my bear deciding it was time to find a mate and I don’t know why she’s acting like this. I haven’t met anyone new in freaking months. Well, before this started, but all of a sudden, she’s picky as hell and insisting on a mate. I’m too young for this damn shit.”

  “Maybe, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped it from happening.” Chloe plucked a couple of fried ravioli from a platter. “You’ve got to deal with the facts and figure out what happened.”

  “Mags said that that type of thing usually only happens when a whyr meets his or her mate.” Penny grabbed one of the ham and cheese puff pockets. But if Dixie had met him, she should know.

  Minnie rose and jumped down. She strolled over to the couch and jumped up beside Leslie. Leslie petted her a little. Minnie turned, jumped down, and leapt onto her cat tree.

  “It’s supposed to only happen then. I haven’t recognized them. Hell, I talked to one of our doctors and she did the test. I’m waiting for the results, but from my body’s reactions and the bear’s, I’m pretty sure what it will be.” Dixie ran a hand through her hair.

  Penny frowned and glanced around. Test? What the hell was Dixie talking about? “What test?”

  “The test for mating hormone in the blood. It’s usually not necessary. Most recognize their mate, even if it’s a scent and find them.” Shonna smiled. “But she doesn’t have mating fever. That’s not possible until skin to skin contact.”

  “So, how light would the scent have to be for you not to really smell it, but for your bear to pick up on it? And where could that have happened?” Penny clasped her hands together. Damn, there was more to being a shifter than Maggie ever told her.

  “It would have to be very, very light. A trace of a trace. Like someone brushed against him and came into contact with me at the end of the day. Something like that could have happened anywhere. I’m so screwed. I’ll be that crazy lady asking everyone, ‘Have you met someone new lately?’” Dixie grimaced and took a gulp of the mocha. “Damn, that’s good.”

  “Can you isolate the time when it happened a little more?” Chloe asked. “A month is a long time to try to remember and retrace your steps.”

  “Not really. The last time I can pinpoint a normal reaction to men is the weekend before the family dinner at Mom’s.” Dixie exhaled heavily. “No one at that talked about meeting new people, but then again the discussion focused on family.”

  “Yeah, it will be hard for you to figure out where you encountered that scent. It could be on the street, someone you know who met an acquaintance earlier in the day. And these men might not even be from the area.” Leslie shook her head. “You’ll have to search and hope.”

  “Yeah, I told you I’d be one of those weird people. I’ll be the whyr who’s walking down the street sniffing.” Dixie popped a cinnamon-sugar chip into her mouth.

  “You’ll be fine. I’ll keep an ear out for any new people in the city.” Shonna patted Dixie’s leg. “We all can look out for strangers.”

  “So have you heard from Maggie?” Leslie asked. “I haven’t had any contact with her in a while.”

  “No, and I’m getting worried about that. Ethan’s not worried. He says that she’s probably just busy and will get back with me in a few days.” Penny cupped her hands around her mug of mocha. “I realize she might be busy, but normally, she’d shoot me back a text promising to talk to me later.”

  “I’m sure that if she doesn’t contact you soon, Ethan will see what’s going on.” Chloe leaned forward and smiled.

  “I know he will. I don’t know if my own anxiety is coloring my thoughts about the lack of contact with her or if something is wrong.” Penny sighed.

  “Maggie can take care of herself. If she gets in trouble while she’s out of the city, she’ll find a way to either get out of it or get word to someone that she needs help. Ethan probably gave her some contacts in the surrounding area to get in touch with if there was any type of danger.” Leslie smiled.

  “They do that?” Penny paused, fruit salsa perched atop a chip. Ethan hadn’t said anything about it.

  “It’s pretty much a common thing with the whyr when someone leaves the city. The alpha will make sure that if needed they can have someone to call on for help. Sometimes it’s a nearby alpha. Other times it can be someone who’s living in the same city if it’s human run.” Shonna lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

  “I guess that might be why he’s not concerned. If she had any problems, she’d contact one of them.” Penny drew in a slow breath. Still, Mags better call soon.

  “Yeah, she would.” Leslie nodded. “Is everything at your job still going good?”

  “I love the job. The majority owner of the practice, on the other hand, is… I don’t know what he is, but he makes it hard to work there.” Penny shook her head.

  “Is he making it difficult
for you to stay?” Leslie asked.

  “Not as in he’s actually doing anything. I don’t know if he’d try. It’s just his attitude. I’ve heard some of what happened with the others who tried to buy in. Also some grumbling remarks. With them, it was more. Switching shifts on them at the last minute, getting in their face, though that was only what someone said the woman told her. I’ve also heard rumors of threats.” Penny waved her hand. “He hasn’t tried any of that.”

  “He wouldn’t dare.” Leslie shook her head. “Since they claimed you, you’re part of the cougar den. Even before that, if you want to get technical about it. It would cause problems between the cougars and the wolves. Especially since there’s a legal agreement about this.”

  “And believe me, everyone knows about what he’s been doing to the previous people who’ve tried to buy into his practice.” Shonna shook her head. “He’s just been lucky that none of the other human vets he’s lured into buying in have found mates among the whyr. You don’t rip off fellow whyr without some consequence.”

  “That relieves me a little. Maybe he won’t try to run me off like he did with them.” Penny rubbed her hands on her jeans. It was her dream to own her own practice.

  “I think you’re safe from that, but don’t trust him as far as you can throw him.” Shonna leaned forward. “He likes having people buy into the practice, but as far as we know, he doesn’t really want a partner. So don’t put anything past him.”

  “All right, I’ll be wary of anything he says and if I have doubts, I’ll ask you.” Penny smiled. Shonna’s advice was good. He had an agenda.

  “So have you and your men managed to work through the details of the wedding, Les?” Chloe turned in her seat to face the small, blonde woman.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Penny blinked. Wedding, since when? It was all news to her. She was so out of the loop because of this stalker crap.

  Leslie’s mouth pulled down and she wrinkled her nose at Chloe. “The details are stalled. I’ve been thinking bigger.”

  “You’re thinking bigger and they aren’t?” Chloe swirled a ravioli in marinara before finishing it in two bites.

  “They’re like, we can get this done quickly.” Leslie waved her hand. “I don’t want to rush it.”

  Chloe folded her arms across her chest. “You know what you want. I’ve seen you looking at wedding magazines, admiring the cakes and dresses.”

  “All right, you’ve got me. I want to eat an entire wedding cake.” Leslie rolled her eyes. “I’m a whyr, this is all fancy dressing to us.”

  “I want a real marriage ceremony outside somewhere with all three of them standing up in suits and ties as I walk down a carpeted aisle.” Penny took another sip of the cool brew.

  “It’s different for you. You’re human.” Leslie shook her head.

  “No, it’s not. Mags always told me that whyr males will do almost anything to please their mate. If you want it all, the lace, the carpet, friends, and family gathered, they’ll give you a full ceremony.” Penny put her mug down. “You might have to tell them about it. You can’t expect them to guess right every time, unless they’ve got you bugged. I can so see the chief doing that.”

  “No bugs, but, if any other male hears, they’ll tell.” Shonna glanced toward the door.

  Penny looked over her shoulder, but no one was there. “Is he listening?”

  “He was there for a little while. I’m not sure how long though.” Shonna sighed. “No worries. It happens with every new mating. They check up often.”

  “So is there anything else about the whyr that I should know?” Penny dipped her ravioli in marinara.

  “Well, I’m not sure exactly what you know. You’ve been around Maggie, so you might know a lot of the bigger things.” Leslie frowned.

  “She told me some things, but there are a lot of little things I don’t know.” Penny shook her head. “There were a few things that I waved away when she tried to talk about it. I didn’t see the need to learn about them.”

  “Do you have any specific questions that you waved away to ask us, because we’ll answer if we can.” Shonna clasped her hands together.

  “Some of the stuff specifically about cats Leslie will have to answer for you because we might not know it.” Dixie smiled.

  “Thank you, because there were a few things I’m curious about.” Penny wriggled in the chair. Big understatement there.

  “This is stuff about Ethan’s role as Alpha, isn’t it?” Leslie asked.

  “Some of it. I’m not sure they’d tell me the truth about it. They don’t want me to blame myself. I don’t know why they’d think I can stop that. I’ve changed their life. I saw it even before I knew I was their mate.” Penny shook her head.

  “Well, shoot, I’ll answer if I know it.” Leslie grinned.

  “All right, what does the mate of the alpha do? Does she have any duties like he does?” She put her plate on the coffee table. They hadn’t said anything to her about that. Was it because they thought it was something that would make her angry?

  “That’s mostly social stuff. You’re their hostess when needed and after you learn everything, you’ll help with the younger females when necessary. Sometimes you’ll also have to do the explaining about whyr to mates. Some male whyr don’t bother to explain and the women don’t have friends to help out.” Leslie grinned. “It’s nothing you can’t handle and do your work, too.”

  “Yeah, I was wondering if an alpha’s wife is supposed to be focused only on the pride and her mates. I love my job.” Penny exhaled a little. First hurdle jumped. No one would automatically expect her to quit her job.

  “Well, I don’t know about the cats, but there was a time in the past that the alpha bear’s wife did that, stayed home, had babies, dealt with the few den issues. That hasn’t been true in about fifty years for this den. And the last one, I think it was her choice to stay at home, not the males.” Dixie smiled.

  Leslie looked at the ceiling and was silent for a moment. “About the same for the cougars.”

  “What about the change? I never asked them how long it takes. They’ve just talked in future references to when it happens.” Penny drained the last of her cold mocha and went to get the extra pitcher. She sat back down.

  “It should be about four weeks after the bite. It can be more or less. If you’re stressed, it will come faster. I don’t mean normal, everyday stress. Danger or even fear for your life when there isn’t any obvious danger.” Shonna poured a mug of mocha.

  “A connection will grow between you and your cat. Generally, the transformation won’t happen until you and her are at peace, but if something drastic happens, she can come out early.” Leslie crunched on a chip

  “So, we’re talking almost any very intense emotion.” Penny took a deep breath.

  “The happier emotions won’t do it. It’s the negative ones.” Dixie shook her head. “Things like doubts about them being your mates, a perceived rejection by them, or some female laying their hands on your men. Those things, as well as others, and danger can bring your animal to the surface.”

  “There better not be some witch who thinks she has a claim on them.” Penny clenched her fist.

  “They haven’t dated anyone in a while, Penny, and Dawson has been in the service. Doesn’t mean he was a monk as far as women go, but it does mean that he probably hasn’t dated steadily.” Leslie waved the last bite of a ham puff before popping it into her mouth.

  All right, she had a point. And Penny did not want to know about any females that Dawson had been involved with. Better to move on to some other subject before ripping the hair out of any woman they touched sounded like a better idea.

  “After I change, will I bite them as they did me?” Penny glanced at all of them, but her gaze went back to Chloe and Leslie. Those two were actually mated.

  “Yes, you will, but it probably won’t be immediate. For a female, it can be more about emotional acceptance of them, because the physical bond is already
sealed. Or if you feel threatened, the bond that is, it can happen fast like a male.” Leslie snagged another ham pocket. “It’s one of those things that’s unique to the bond.”

  “Um, the guys and I have been having sex a lot without protection. I know I can’t get pregnant while I’m still human, but do I have to worry immediately afterward?” Penny wrung her hands together.

  “I got this one.” Chloe rubbed her hands together. “Usually someone changed can’t get pregnant until about four months after the transformation. If it happens, the pregnancy usually ends in miscarriage.”

  “Damn.” Penny’s stomach dropped and a queasy wave washed over her.

  “You can go to my gynecologist. She’s a whyr and can get you on something.” Leslie lifted her glass of mocha.

  “All right, this might seem like a stupid question, but does the change hurt? No one has said anything about the actual change.” Penny glanced at Chloe. She’d changed recently from human to bear.

  “The first time is overwhelming, but I didn’t feel any pain from it. Maybe a little discomfort, but with the situation at the time, I didn’t really notice. Someone had hurt Tony and my bear rushed forward.” Chloe shook her head.

  “There isn’t normally any pain involved in the change. I have heard of someone fighting it and it becoming not comfortable, but that was because she was trying to stop it.” Leslie shook her head. “Any time you try to fight the animal, it will be difficult. She has wants and desires just as you do.”

  “All right. That makes sense. Will it take over from me if I don’t do it or will it be a tug of war? And what type of things would make it do that?” Penny grasped her mocha and reached for one of the tiny cakes on the table. Her stomach churned.

  “If you’re in danger, yes, it will take over, as it did for Chloe. Most of the time it will push at you and do its type of arguing. The connection you have with it will vary. Most of the time it will send images or urges to you. And unless it’s something that it really needs, it shouldn’t take control.” Shonna shook her head.