by R. E. Butler
“They knew all this time how to get in touch with a skulk?”
Fenway nodded. “Apparently. The bastards.”
“Fenway!” Ginny admonished.
“It’s true,” Fenway said. “You’re obviously not being held against your will, right?”
Rory shook her head.
“Then they called us to come rescue Rory under false pretenses. I can see the mating mark on her neck. What if we’d come in here like that damn alpha bird told us to?”
Marcus stepped closer with a growl in his throat. “What did he say exactly?”
“He told us that Rory was in danger,” Bertram said. “Some of our people are hackers, and they located the nest. There were too many unanswered questions, and we wanted to know more. When we went to confront them, they attacked. In the melee, the alpha bird was killed, and his people fell apart, most of them taking off in the air and disappearing. We found the alpha bird’s mate and she told us everything – that your skulk hadn’t attacked the owls for their territory, they’d simply been hunting for food and crossed into the owl’s nest. Some of the owls chose to attack, a strike first and ask questions later, when the alpha bird realized there were kids being attacked. Instead of stopping the attack, he chose to go full-out and destroy everyone so there wasn’t any evidence of the owls’ error.”
“They always told me that they spared me even though my people had attacked them. I believed they saved my life.”
Bertram nodded. “They did, in a way. But they also caused you to be an orphan. I’d never heard of a group of shifters that would kill children, but the owls clearly didn’t hesitate to do just that.”
“What’s going to happen to the nest?” Rory asked.
“The alpha female thought we were going to kill her and the people who were still there, but I told her we weren’t in the business of behaving that way. As long as they promised to leave you alone, I said they were free to do what they wanted. A male stepped up to take over and assured me that they would forget you and a female named Jess ever existed. He swore on his own life that you’d be safe from them forever.”
Fenway looked at the group of males behind Rory and Tayme. “We spoke to the dozen remaining owls about your whereabouts, and none of them knew. It was only the alpha male and his higher-ranked males. The alpha female said her mate hadn’t shared where you were with anyone but three of his males because he didn’t want anyone to feel guilty and try to contact you in warning about his plans for our people to come in and cause trouble. It looks like it was a last-ditch effort on his part to break up your mating. Which makes him an asshole of the highest order.”
Tayme agreed with them one hundred percent.
Rory stepped from Tayme’s embrace and hugged Ginny, both females crying and holding each other tightly. Then she hugged Bertram and Fenway and shook the hands of the other males. “Thank you for coming to check on me. And for letting me know about the fate of the nest. I’m grateful for your intervention.”
“There aren’t a lot of skulks in the States,” Bertram said. “It’s our duty and honor to watch out for our own.”
They all sat again at the tables, and Marcus called for snacks and drinks to be brought for everyone. While they talked and ate, Tayme could tell that Rory was feeling both upset and relieved to find out what had truly happened to her people and the lies the owls had told her. She’d been brainwashed as a child, too young to know any truth but what the owls gave her. When they said goodbye to the red foxes well after midnight, they’d exchanged phone numbers and promised to stay in touch.
Fenway shook Tayme’s hand. “I’m so thankful Rory found her soulmate. I’m glad she’s safe and happy. Our mothers would be thrilled that both of us found love despite the terrible circumstances of our childhood.”
Tayme was feeling supremely lucky and thankful himself. When they saw the foxes out of the park, and the tall gates were closed and locked, he stood with her for a long time as she stared through the bars and watched her own kind leave.
He cleared his throat. “You know I’d go anywhere with you, right?”
She turned slowly and faced him. “What?”
He jutted his chin toward the caravan that was leaving, escorted by park SUVs. “If your fox wants to be with her own kind, we can go with them.”
Her head tilted slowly, and even in the darkness he could see the subtle glow of her fox’s eyes. “You’d leave the park for me?”
Grasping the iron bars on either side of her, he let out his bear enough that his scent deepened, and a rumbling growl stuttered from his throat. “In a heartbeat. You’re my soulmate, my life, my everything, Rory. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, anyplace I wouldn’t go. Say the word and we’re gone.”
He leaned in for a kiss. He could taste her tears, but her emotions weren’t sad. Instead, she was happy and content.
Resting her forehead against his, she sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you, Tayme. I love every inch of you. You’re home for me, and I don’t want to be anywhere but here with you. The people leaving are part of my family, but you’re where my heart is, and that means we stay. I want to be in touch with them, but my fox is one hundred percent content right here.”
His grip tightened on the bars and then he pushed off and took her hand. “I love you, and where you are is home for me, too.”
She kissed him again and gave his hand a squeeze as they strode through the park to the employee cafeteria where Marcus was waiting to let them in.
“What a night,” Marcus said as he locked the door behind them.
“Yeah,” Tayme said. “Thank you for standing with us.”
“Of course,” he said as he unlocked the door leading to the stairwell. “It was my honor.”
They parted ways in the private area, Tayme and Rory making their way to their home. They stripped and climbed into bed together, curling around each other.
“I hate that I lost my parents because of the owls and that I believed their lies.” She rolled to her back in his arms and looked up at him. “But without the owls sending the foxes here, I would never have known the truth of the night when I lost them. I’m feeling sad and happy at the same time.”
“I think that’s what closure does for us,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “There’s a relief that comes with finding out the truth but also sadness. At least we don’t need to worry about the owls anymore.”
“Yeah.”
Tayme nuzzled her throat with a soft growl and hugged her a little closer.
“Tayme?”
“Yes?”
“I’m so glad you’re mine.”
His bear rumbled in happiness. “The feeling is one hundred percent mutual, sweetheart.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rory stared at the ceiling of their home and thought over the last few hours. She’d woken up that morning believing that her skulk were the villains in the story of the owl nest, and that her adoptive parents had acted honorably in defense of their home. But the revelation from the skulk and reconnecting with the male she’d known as a young female had made things settle in her heart in a final sort of way. She had no doubt the foxes were telling the truth. She could feel the honesty in their words all the way to the center of her being.
Which made the people who raised her liars and murderers, and her entire childhood a sham.
Tayme lay next to her fast asleep, his arm around her waist and his head tucked close to hers. He smelled so good, like love and home and the promise of a future where she could be anything she wanted to be. She’d had that at one time with her parents and their skulk, but it had been stolen away in the most violent, terrible way.
She brushed at the few stray tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes. But the tears were ones of relief and closure. She finally knew the truth of that night, and now that the king owl and his high ranked males were dead, she could finally relax and live her life with her soulmate.
It was curious to consider what her life would be like now if her parents had lived. She might never have met Tayme or known about the shifter zoo working and living under the guise of a safari park. While she missed her parents with a soul-deep ache, she was thankful to have Tayme by her side. She’d lost so much, but she’d gained a lot in return.
Freedom.
Love.
Home.
She put the thoughts of the day’s events out of her mind, deciding she’d devoted enough time to thinking over all the shitty things the owls had done. She and Tayme were safe from the owls, and so were Jess and Auden. Their kids would grow up in a world where they were loved and accepted for who they were, not what they could shift into, and they’d never be forced to mate anyone they didn’t love.
Lots of hurts from her history were eased with the balm of hope for her future, and the children she might have with her sexy mate.
She yawned quietly and closed her eyes, resting her hands on top of Tayme’s warm arm across her waist. There was no place she’d rather be, than right where she was.
* * *
Several days later, Rory met Jess at the marketplace for lunch. Tayme escorted her, giving her a sweet kiss before he told her to enjoy lunch and that he’d see her later. Brows raised in curiosity, Rory watched Tayme as he strode swiftly away with Auden who had been waiting with Jess.
“What’s that look for?” Jess asked as she leaned over the lunch buffet and read the little cards that explained what the dishes were. Thursday was pasta day, and the long metal buffet was filled with rectangular containers of various pastas, from lasagna to a baked rigatoni loaded with sausage and beef. Her mouth watered at the tomato and cheesy goodness as she turned her attention from her soulmate to the food.
“What?” Rory asked.
“You were looking at Tayme like something’s up.” Jess lifted her plate for Hyde, one of the bears who was serving, and thanked him when he set a large wedge of lasagna on her plate.
Rory glanced at her bestie and then returned her attention to the food. “Hey Hyde, I’ll have some rigatoni, please.”
“Sure thing, Rory,” he said, filling her plate with the savory casserole.
They moved along on the buffet, stopping for bowls of salad and baskets of different kinds of fresh baked breads. When their trays were filled, they settled across from each other at a small table. Rory took a sip of fresh squeezed lemonade, and then smiled at her bestie.
“Tayme is up to something.”
“Oh? What?”
“I’m not sure, but this is the third time this week he’s suggested I have lunch with someone besides him. Yesterday I ate with Trina, Lexy, and Jenni topside, and the day before that, I ate with Adriana, Celeste, and Rhapsody.”
“Do you think he’ll ask you to marry him?” Jess asked, digging into the lasagna.
Rory’s stomach flipped a little at the thought. “I have no clue. Have you and Auden talked about getting married?”
“Yeah. You know how shifters are, though. Mating is more permanent in their minds. But I don’t want to have my parents’ last name anymore, so I mentioned it and he said we could get married whenever we wanted.” Jess made a face. “It’s not exactly the romantic proposal I’d fantasized about.”
Rory smiled. “Like the ones in romance novels?”
“Exactly! He’s just like ‘sure babe, whatever you want,’ which I have to admit I kinda like, but it wouldn’t kill him to put some thought into the proposal.”
With a laugh, Rory nodded. “I hear you. I do think it’s a male shifter thing, though. Tayme is plenty romantic, but I don’t believe he’s ever really thought about marriage.”
While they ate, they talked about working in the park. Rory spent most days helping Tayme with the ice cream stall, which she enjoyed a great deal. Jess was working on the new aviary that was being built around the barn, which doubled as her and Auden’s apartment and a small animal clinic. They’d take in injured birds to treat and rehabilitate, releasing those who were well back into the wild, but providing a safe and permanent home for those who needed continued care.
“I think it’s awesome you’re able to work with natural birds,” Rory said.
“It’s what I always dreamed I’d be able to do. Auden’s so sweet and helpful. I couldn’t do it without him by my side.”
“It’s crazy how our lives turned out, isn’t it? You were shot by asshole hunters and found Auden, and I came to visit and found Tayme.”
“Fate is a strange thing.”
When they were done eating, Rory texted Tayme that they were finished.
She hummed when she read his return text.
“What?” Jess asked.
“He says he’s in the employee cafeteria and I should come up and join him.”
Jess took out her phone and made a similar, curious sound. “Auden just texted and said he’s in the employee cafeteria and wants me to join him. That’s weird.”
“Very weird,” Rory said.
“I guess we should go find them?” Jess asked.
Rory scooted her chair out and picked up her tray. “Yep.”
They dumped their trays and walked out of the marketplace, heading down the hall to the employee cafeteria access. They were both silent as they walked. Her mind was spinning as she wondered what Tayme was up to. He’d certainly been acting curious for the last week, ever since the skulk had shown up and told her the truth about her parents.
Jess unlocked the door to the stairs, and they walked through. Before they could open the door leading to the cafeteria, it swung open and Marcus smiled at them.
“Hello,” Rory said.
“I’ve been dispatched to bring you to your mates.”
Rory and Jess both froze on the steps, a few feet away from the large male. The two friends looked at each other curiously and then both shrugged at the same time.
“Everything’s okay, right?” Rory asked as they joined him at the top of the stairs.
“Of course,” Marcus said.
He walked a few paces in front of them, stopping at the door to the cafeteria and giving them a smile. “This way, ladies.”
He opened the door and Rory was surprised to find it dark even though it was daylight. Jess took her hand and Rory gave it a squeeze and they left the hallway and walked into the cafeteria. The moment the door shut behind them they were in complete darkness as if someone had covered all the cafeteria windows with something to block the sunlight.
A button clicked somewhere in the darkness, the sound surprisingly loud in the silence, and she and Jess gasped at the same time. The cafeteria had been transformed into a glittering wonderland of twinkle lights, electric candles, and yards of white fabric draped over the walls. Chairs were arranged to form short rows on either side of an aisle which lead to Tayme and Auden who waited in tuxes with the alpha wolf standing between them.
Celeste and Adriana joined them. “Come with us,” Celeste said.
Rory’s mouth opened and she wanted to call to Tayme, but she couldn’t get any words to form. She was stunned – Tayme and Auden were throwing her and Jess a surprise wedding.
The two human females lead them to a curtained area.
“Oh my gosh!” Jess hugged Rory.
Rory blinked at the sudden tears. “We were just talking about this,” she said to her bestie. “They’re amazing.”
Her wonderful soulmate had done something over-the-top romantic, and she couldn’t wait to thank him properly later.
“When the guys asked us for help with your dresses,” Adriana said as she and Celeste unzipped garment bags hanging on wall hooks, “we had a hard time keeping it a secret from you both.”
“We hope you like what we picked out for you,” Celeste said.
Rory’s gown was a white lace tank dress with a red satin ribbon at the waist. The straps of the sandals were covered in tiny pearls and red gems. “Tayme said he wanted something with red on it because of your fox,” Celeste said.
&
nbsp; Rory stripped from her work clothes quickly and dressed in the lovely gown which reached just past her knees. Adriana held up a large mirror so she could see herself as she combed her hair and quickly pulled the sides up into a mini bun at the back of her head. Once her makeup was applied, she looked at her bestie who was twisting at the waist to make her gown swish around her knees. Jess’s dress had cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. She wore sandals like Rory’s, but hers had blue gems.
Once they were both ready, Celeste and Adriana left to join their mates in the seats and Marcus appeared with Auden’s father Eugene. Jess took Eugene’s arm and Marcus offered his arm to Rory. “If you don’t mind, it would be my honor to escort you to your soulmate,” Marcus said.
“Thank you,” she said, “that would be wonderful.”
Taking in a deep breath, she joined Jess and Eugene and walked around the curtained area toward the aisle and the sweet males who waited for them. She couldn’t stop the happy tears or the way her heart pounded in anticipation of marrying her soulmate. She had no idea how he’d pulled it off, but she was so happy she had a hard time not just running down the aisle to him and throwing her arms around his neck.
He was one special male, and she was the luckiest female on the planet.
* * *
Tayme was nervous. He ran his finger on the inside of the collar, the bowtie catching against his knuckle as he tugged on the too-tight material. It wasn’t that he thought Rory wouldn’t want to marry him, because he knew she did. It was that he and Auden had decided to surprise their mates with a wedding, not just romantic proposals. He hoped she wouldn’t mind that she didn’t get to plan the wedding or even pick out her gown.
As he waited in the darkness of the employee cafeteria, he began to doubt everything he’d done. What if she was mad that she hadn’t been part of the planning? What if she hated the dress Celeste and Adriana had helped him pick out for her?
“Damn it,” he whispered, tugging on the collar again.
