by Zoe Chant
Alethia, however, had padded forward, and was now pacing a careful circle around Lillian, both eyes on the mountain lions.
Cal, who had been debating shifting himself, just to be extra-sure no one sprang at Lillian, stayed human. But he came forward to stand behind Lillian’s shoulder. Grey followed, and so it was the two of them standing stock-still, facing the mountain lions, flanked by the slow movements of his most capable leopard and his mate. And behind them, their pack.
It felt...right.
“What the hell are you mixed up in?” Lew gasped, his eyes fixed on Alethia’s prowling form. She was eying him with the same mistrust as she’d given all the lions, for which Cal could only approve.
Lillian lifted her chin. “I’ve found a place, Lew. This is for me, and from now on, I’ll thank you to stay away from me.”
“But—but—” Lew’s eyes darted back and forth to the mountain lions on either side of him. But then they inexorably traveled back to the arrayed snow leopards.
Cal would have almost found it funny if he hadn’t hated the man so deeply.
“Stay away, Lew,” Lillian repeated. Her tone brooked no argument. She hesitated for a second, and then her lips firmed and she added, “Or you won’t like the consequences.”
Lew’s chest heaved with his rapid breaths. He nodded vigorously. “Got it. I got it.”
“Good.” Lillian’s eyes shifted to Gordon. “I am not connected with him in any way. Any trouble he gets himself into is none of my business. Is that clear?”
Gordon nodded, and Cal was amazed to note the respect that the gesture contained. “That’s clear, ma’am.”
Lillian nodded once, and then turned to Cal. “Let’s go.”
Cal felt the smile starting in the muscles of his face, even if it hadn’t made it to his lips yet. “All right,” he said. “Let’s.”
And the pack turned and left as one.
***
“And then she said, ‘Is that clear?’ and I thought, hell yeah, that’s my sister!” Teri waved a French fry triumphantly.
“All right,” Lillian spoke up. “We were all there. I think we can do without a third recap of everything that happened.”
Teri grinned, unrepentant. “Are you kidding? I’m going to be telling that story until you’re ninety-three and I’m eighty-five. Your grandkids are going to be hearing all about it, believe me.”
Lillian shook her head, smiling, and leaned into Cal’s encircling arm. Grandkids.
It was amazing to think that she might actually have grandkids for Teri to tell exaggerated stories to.
But Cal squeezed her shoulder, and she believed it.
They were all out at Oliver’s, the local diner, seated in an enormous circular booth in the back. Lillian almost never went out to eat, and never to diners, but Nina, who worked here—though not tonight—had recommended her favorites.
The food, as it turned out, was delicious. But that had nothing on being out as part of a big group like this.
Lillian’s friends had all somehow melted away from her over the years, first drifting off after college, and then driven away by the discomfort of witnessing the messy, awful divorce. Her life had become such a small, circumscribed thing, with her co-workers at the library, her parents, and no one else.
And now, here she was, in this circle of laughing, happy people. Tucked up against her mate’s side.
“Mmm,” Cal said into her ear. “This is fun.”
She twisted to smile at him. “That’s just what I was thinking.”
“They do this sort of thing a lot,” he murmured, with a jerk of his chin that indicated the rest of the group. “I never come along.”
“Because you’re the boss?” Lillian guessed.
He nodded, his stubble rasping along her cheek. She shivered a little. “Never felt quite right. And I didn’t want it to be—just me, sitting here alone, and then the rest of them all young and excitable. But now...”
Lillian smiled. “We can be boring old people together?”
“Hey,” Cal said, his eyes lit with laughter. “We just told off a whole group of mountain lion shifters together. You got to give your jerk ex the what-for. I’m reliably informed that this story’s gonna be told to your grandchildren. Don’t think we’re that boring.”
Lillian laughed, the sound going through her like a shiver. “Fine. Terribly interesting old people.”
“Better.” Cal snugged her up tighter, and Lillian turned again to face the rest of the group.
Across the table, Alethia caught the movement, and leaned forward. “So,” she said. “Lillian, you have to tell us about yourself! You’re a woman of mystery so far. Teri’s revealed nothing.”
Lillian found all eyes on her. She would’ve thought it would be uncomfortable, but somehow, with Cal next to her, she didn’t feel self-conscious at all. “Not much to say,” she said. “I’m a librarian.”
“Which any of you would know already if you ever went into the library,” Teri broke in.
That got a couple of napkins thrown at her, but no one disagreed. “We are not intellectuals,” Zach agreed sadly.
“You’ll have to help us fix that,” Alethia said, smiling. “I could use some books on small business.”
“Oh, are you starting a business?” Lillian leaned forward, interested.
“She is!” Leah spoke up, and then suddenly there was a whole discussion starting about Alethia’s business, and how Nina’s mother might be somehow involved, and how Alethia felt about clothing and fashion, and then Lillian thought to bring up interior design...
The men mostly sat back and smiled, or chatted softly with one another, and Lillian realized that even in addition to Cal’s steady presence, the possibility of a partner, she also had something else. Something just as valuable—a whole group of women, including her sister, to be friends with.
She reached out and took Cal’s hand, squeezing hard, and he squeezed back. I love you, Lillian thought fiercely, and then he squeezed again, and she was sure he’d felt it.
She was so happy. She’d never thought this could be possible. But it was.
Epilogue
“Are you ready?” Cal gripped her hands hard.
Lillian nodded. “Yes! I’ve said yes a thousand times. I’m excited.”
She was. There was a little bit of fear, but it was more a thrill that came with facing the unknown than anything really scary. Mostly, she couldn’t wait to learn what the rest of her life was going to be like.
Living with Cal had already been so much of an adventure. She’d been able to make her own decisions, stretch out into her own space, but it was all with the most wonderful partner she could ever have imagined.
She’d even been able to set some real boundaries with her mother. So far, her mom hadn’t been able to stick to any of them (don’t dictate personal choices to me was particularly difficult for her), but when she didn’t, Lillian could simply say, “I asked you not to do that. I’ll see you next time,” and simply...walk away.
It was amazing. It felt like stretching her body after being curled up in a cramped little hole for years.
And now she was about to stretch even further.
“Okay.” Cal released her hands, took a step back, and shifted. Lillian was struck once again by the rippling beauty of his fur, the gorgeous patterns of grey-and-black spots, and his thick, luxurious tail. Cal had told her that snow leopards used their extra-thick tails to help keep themselves warm in the winter. Lillian imagined curling up in the snow with that heavy furred tail wrapped around her, snug and warm, and sighed.
Cal padded up to look at her. His eyes, as always, were almost completely unchanged. Lillian held out her arm.
He opened his jaws, revealing large, sharp teeth. Lillian was aware distantly that at some earlier point, she would’ve been afraid of this. Now, however, she felt as safe as she ever had in her life.
Cal closed his jaws gently, so gently, around her arm, and pressed. At first, Lillian ba
rely felt anything, and then the pressure increased, just enough to leave a pinprick of pain. “Oh!” she said, and Cal released her immediately.
Tiny drops of blood were welling up on her arm, but Lillian could hardly focus on them. Instead, she was caught up in the rush of power, coming through her body.
It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Not just strength, but confidence and ferocity and a strange sense of utter well-being. Like she hadn’t been quite herself, all her life, and now finally she’d clicked into place. Finally, she was who she’d really been meant to be.
Lillian shivered hard. Cal had shifted back and was watching her, concerned. “Are you all right?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes.” Talking felt strange. It was hard to remember that she even had human lips and teeth. She wanted, suddenly, to shed them, to take on her new form. “How do I—”
She didn’t finish the sentence. As she’d thought that she wanted to shift, she’d somehow instinctively turned inward...and found a snow leopard inside her.
The leopard was a fierce and intelligent force, both animal and still somehow part of her. She let it rise up, filling her chest, expanding into her entire body—
And she was falling to all fours. All four paws. Lillian flexed her claws. She had claws. She had teeth, too, the same scary teeth that Cal had just closed around her arm.
She realized, all of a sudden, what this meant: if something like the mountain lions’ threats ever happened again, she could defend herself. She was as dangerous as any shifter, now, not some helpless victim.
Satisfaction welled inside her at the thought. It was followed by a sense of boundless energy—she not only had claws and teeth, she had powerful snow leopard muscles, and she couldn’t wait to test them out.
She looked over at Cal. He’d shifted back again, and she was presented with a new way to experience her mate: scent. He smelled like home, like safety and happiness. She knew immediately that no matter what, she’d forever recognize that scent. She leaned in to touch her nose to his.
Then she flicked her ears playfully and bounded off.
Cal was caught by surprise for a split-second, and then she could hear him chasing after her. They raced through the mountain forest, leaping over rocks and fallen logs. Lillian came up to an enormous tree and thought, why not? She leapt, grasping at the bark with her claws, and easily scaled up to a thick branch, where she settled herself and looked down at her mate, who had come to a halt at the base of the tree and was sitting on his haunches, looking up at her.
Waiting for her to continue the game, Lillian realized.
It was funny. She’d known that the change was right. She known that being a snow leopard would make her even more part of Cal’s family, and part of Teri’s. She’d known that it would give her fantastical new experiences, that it would change her life forever.
She hadn’t realized that it would be so fun.
She leapt down from the tree, and the chase began again.
They spent over an hour out in the woods, with Lillian exploring her new abilities. She could leap farther than she would’ve thought possible. She could walk delicately across narrow branches without once worrying that she might overbalance and fall. She could pounce on Cal and roll around on the ground with him, nipping playfully and trying to see who could come out on top.
Finally, Cal led the way back to the cabin. Once there, he shifted to human, and Lillian followed suit.
“Well?” he asked, with a quirk of his lips that suggested he knew exactly what the answer was. “What do you think?”
“It was amazing!” Lillian could feel the smile almost splitting her face. Her cheek muscles were stiff, unused to such a broad, unashamed expression. “I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve never been athletic, outdoorsy like Teri is. To run around so fearlessly...and all the things I could do! I want to do that every day.”
Cal’s half-smile had faded into something else. He was looking at her with an expression that was hard to decipher, but Lillian thought it might be wonder.
“You’re the amazing one,” he said. “Come on, come inside.”
They went in, and almost before the door was closed, Cal had caught her up in his arms and was kissing her deeply. Lillian responded immediately. All of the playful energy they’d had outside was transmuting into something else.
Cal broke away, but it was only to lead her upstairs to his bed. Clothes fell to the floor on their way there, and they tumbled down onto the enormous soft mattress together, kissing and kissing.
Some of the leopard’s boldness was still inhabiting her—Lillian gave in to a sudden impulse and rolled them over so that she was on top. Cal went willingly, grinning up at her.
“This is a change,” he said. “I like it.”
Lillian smiled back down at him. She’d been so self-conscious at first, her inhibitions and insecurities ruling her until Cal drove them out of her mind with pleasure. Now, she knew she belonged here, with him, and she knew he loved her and thought she was beautiful. So it was her turn to take the lead.
She remembered how Cal had kissed her all over, the first time. She leaned down and brushed their lips together, and then set out to imitate him.
She noticed some things as she went, things that had escaped her up until now. For example, Cal’s muscles were firm and hard, but his skin was smooth and even soft in places. He was just the tiniest bit ticklish—or he was very good at controlling his reaction. She got a little shiver over his ribcage, and determined to explore that more at a later date.
When she came down to his hips, kissing over that thin skin by his pubic hair, he groaned deep in his chest. Lillian glanced up, teasingly. “Something you want?”
He lifted his head. “What I want,” he said sincerely, “is whatever you want to give.”
That overwhelmed her with feeling, and she gave up teasing before she’d even really started. She wanted to give him the same pleasure he’d given her, before.
She’d been deliberately ignoring his erection, but now she turned to it, leaning in to take the head in her mouth. Cal made a strangled noise, and Lillian smiled inwardly. She could taste the sudden salt of pre-come on her tongue.
She sucked softly, not wanting to bring him to the edge just yet, but rather to leave him as helpless with pleasure as she’d been under his mouth. From the way his breath was heaving and his hands were clenching in the sheets, she was doing well so far.
It didn’t take long, though, for her to lose sight of her goals and just focus on the experience. It was such an intimate thing, so deeply physical. The smell and taste of sex was everywhere. She wrapped a hand around his slick cock, feeling it pulse with blood as she moved her hand and her mouth together.
She was almost ready to change her mind, and make him come in her mouth, when Cal said, “Lillian, come up here—”
She backed away immediately and crawled up the bed, and was immediately pulled into a kiss. When it ended, she kissed his jaw and said, “What is it?”
“I want to be inside you when I finish.” Cal’s voice was low enough to crack the bedframe, it felt like. Breathless, Lillian nodded.
She pulled back to straddle his hips—his hands came up to close on hers, steadying her as she slowly lowered herself onto his cock. God, he was big. The stretch was a surprise every time, but as always, the surprise melted quickly away into the sharpest pleasure she’d ever felt. The way he seemed to fill her completely, more thoroughly than anyone ever had—
Cal groaned, his hands flexing on her hips. “You feel amazing.”
“That’s my line,” Lillian managed, but then words abandoned her. She bit her lip as she slid further and further down, until finally, finally she was seated on his hips. His cock was so far inside her that it was pressing up against her cervix just a bit again, and the bolts of pleasure from that were too powerful to ignore.
“Okay,” she said on a gasp. “Okay, I think it’s your turn to be in charge again.”
&nbs
p; Cal sat up and rolled them over in one swift, fluid motion, as though he’d only been waiting for her word.
Lillian arched her back as he drove into her, shuddering in pleasure. But Cal was just as overwhelmed; when she focused, she could see that his eyes were shut tight, his mouth open. She got a hand behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
They came together, their arms clenched around each other as pleasure wracked them both. Lillian felt like they’d become one ecstatic being, sensation flowing back and forth without any barriers anymore. She closed her eyes and fell into it.
When she came back to herself, Cal was falling down to lie next to her, his breath heavy and deep.
“I may not survive a whole lifetime of this,” he said speculatively.
Lillian giggled. “But what a way to go.”
Cal propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, you know,” he said seriously.
It was a bit nonsensical, but it didn’t matter. Lillian knew exactly what he meant. “Me, too.”
Cal leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow. Lillian’s heart overflowed with love.
The End
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for reading The Snow Leopard’s Pack! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’re starting the series here and you’d like to read more about Grey and Alethia, the first book is The Snow Leopard’s Mate (or here on my website for Apple users). If you’d like to read about Jeff, Leah, and baby Emily, the second book is The Snow Leopard’s Baby (or here). If you’d like to read about Zach and Teri, the third book is The Snow Leopard’s Home (or here). Finally, if you’d like to read about Joel and Nina, check out The Snow Leopard’s Heart.
Please review The Snow Leopard’s Pack, even if it’s only a line or two. I love to hear what my readers think.
If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
