by Bianca D’Arc
Mark stood, carrying Emma easily, to face Hank and Tracy. His eyes went golden as his inner jaguar shone through.
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Alpha,” Tracy said, not lowering her head or showing any sign of submissiveness. Hank had to smile. That was his pretty mate. Fierce and protective of her baby. Tracy wouldn’t let a mere billionaire Alpha predator intimidate her.
“Likewise, Miss Villalobos. I’ve been speaking with your father. Good man. Good Alpha to his people,” Mark commented before turning his attention back to Emma, who was walking her little fingers up his shirt. Little fingers with little claws.
Mark took one of Emma’s hands in his much bigger one and tapped on the claws. “No scratching, kitten, okay?” Emma looked up into the Alpha’s eyes and nodded solemnly.
“No hurt,” she said, agreeing to the Alpha’s admonition.
“She can do partial shifts already?” Mark commented, looking at Hank with a knowing grin. “You’d better watch out. She is one strong little jaguar.”
Emma gave her new Alpha a cute growl that sounded adorable. Mark chuckled and passed the child to her mother’s arms.
“Miss Villalobos—Tracy—this is my mate, Shelly,” Mark introduced the woman who had stood and come to his side. Shelly waved to Emma, who was opening and closing one little fist in her version of hello.
“Hi,” Shelly said, smiling kindly. “Welcome to the island. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”
Tracy knew right off that Shelly wasn’t a shifter. She had the scent of magic about her, but no animal spirit that Tracy could discern. Curious. One of the most powerful Alphas in the world was mated to a human? Tracy wondered if Shelly was a mage. That might explain it. Otherwise, the pairing seemed like a bit of a mismatch.
An Alpha with the reputation, fame and fortune of Mark Pepard should, by all rights, have an equally powerful mate. There had to be more to Shelly than was readily visible. Either that—or Pepard was into total domination. In which case, Tracy would want nothing to do with him. She’d give it time for the truth to reveal itself, but she’d keep her eyes open.
“Would you like some lemonade?” Shelly went on, inviting Tracy to sit with a gesture. Tracy agreed and sat on the other side of the small table from the Alpha pair, with Emma still on her lap. Hank and Mark sat, too.
Shelly did the honors, pouring out lemonade for the adults and procuring a sippy cup with apple juice for Emma, showing she’d prepared for their arrival. The extra thought touched Tracy, who thanked their hostess with a friendly smile.
“We have quite a few cubs that like to visit,” Shelly told Tracy. “I like to be prepared for little guests, as well as their guardians.”
“That’s very thoughtful and much appreciated,” Tracy replied as Emma drank down the juice which was in a plastic cup decorated with her favorite cartoon princesses. “Have you lived here long?”
“Not too long,” Shelly answered. “I feel like we’re still in our honeymoon phase,” she said with a smile for her mate as she took his hand.
“Shelly’s definitely putting her mark on the island, though,” Mark told her with a hint of pride. “My mate is a brilliant architect, and she’s been designing community buildings and homes for the entire island.”
“That sounds both impressive and ambitious,” Tracy answered with a grin.
She couldn’t say why, exactly, but she had an instant liking for Shelly. Mark seemed all right too, though she was still a bit in awe of him, privately. It wasn’t every day she met a billionaire Alpha with the clout to buy and sell her family’s airport—which was a big operation, itself—twenty times over.
“He won’t let me change the mansion too much, though,” Shelly said as she nudged her mate with a friendly elbow. “I could do wonders with this place. It has good bones, but the look is really dated.”
Tracy tilted her head to one side as if considering. “It’s not bad if you like the early massive white box style.”
“Oh, don’t forget the columns! Early massive Greek revival white box,” Shelly put in, laughing freely. One thing was certain—this Alpha female was happy with her position here, and her mate. That much was obvious, though Tracy would still watch for any signs of discontent.
The Alpha pair set the tone for the entire Pack—or Clan, in this case. If they were happy, generally their people were, too. And, if they had a good partnership in their mating, their Clan members often followed their example. The Alpha pair were the template for the rest of the group, or so her father had said many, many times.
Which was part of why he’d been so dog-gone mad at Tracy for having a baby without a father. What kind of example had she been holding up for the rest of the Pack? Not that there was anything wrong with having a baby. Her father doted on Emma. But the precedent of not mating and having what he considered a stable family life for her daughter was what got to him.
Tracy had tried to show him that she could be both mother and father to Emma and had done really well until her daughter had gone all kitty cat on her. Tracy didn’t know how to deal with a growing cat shifter. She was out of her depth there, and she knew it. In order for Emma to have the best start possible with her life as a shifter and her spirit animal’s comfort, she needed the presence of other jaguars. That was one of the main reasons Tracy was here. Emma needed to be around jaguars, and these were her extended family. Her Clan.
If Tracy could assure that Emma would have a place among these people, this Clan, then she would have done a really good thing to ensure her daughter’s future success as a person and as a jaguar. Tracy knew that, and though her inner wolf was a bit itchy around all these cats, the Alpha bitch inside her knew they had to do this for their baby. Protecting her child was something both halves of her nature understood and would go to any lengths to accomplish.
Tracy let go such serious thoughts and turned mentally back to their silly conversation. “I like this porch, though. I can just imagine sitting out here at night, watching the harbor below.”
“Yeah, it’s really pretty,” Shelly agreed. “There’s not a lot of boat traffic, except for our own, of course, but we can see tankers, container vessels, and the odd cruise ship in the distance. There’s a major shipping route not too far away, so there’s usually something lit up out there at night.”
“Sounds magical,” Tracy admitted. “Where I’m from in Northern Texas, we’re landlocked. Closest we come to a big body of water is Big Wolf Lake.”
“Is the town named for the lake or the lake for the town?” Hank asked, his blue eyes glinting at her in merriment.
“Now, you know my father well enough by now to understand that everything in the area is named for the Pack. Big Wolf, Texas, supports Big Wolf Airport, encompasses Big Wolf Lake, the Big Wolf Golf Course, Big Wolf Hunt Club—which is not really what it sounds like because there are no humans allowed—and a number of other businesses and locations all named after the Pack. We kid Dad that he had no imagination when he named everything, but he just smiles and looks over his empire with a sort of satisfied grin.”
Mark folded his hands over his middle and leaned back in his chair as if surveying his domain. “Nothing wrong with that,” was his wry comment, which made everyone chuckle.
“Says the man who renamed an entire island,” Shelly put in. “After his Clan.”
“What was it called before?” Tracy asked out of curiosity.
“Paradise Cove,” Shelly answered.
“Sounded a little too swinging singles to me,” Mark said, a small scowl on his handsome face. “This place is for families. Jaguar families.”
“And the occasional wolf,” Hank added, putting his hand over Tracy’s.
Mark nodded. “The occasional wolf, human, mage, and whoever else the Mother of All wants us to add to our merry band of jaguars,” he agreed. “I know it’s not the same for wolves, but jaguars seldom mate each other. Throughout our history, we’ve usually chosen mates from other groups. You won’t find any problems here,
except maybe that our Clan mates will be curious about your animal. We get a lot of other kinds of cats when our people mate other shifters, but you’ll be the first wolf in my lifetime.”
“She can handle it,” Hank assured his Alpha before Tracy could say anything. She liked that Hank had confidence in her, but she was intrigued by Mark’s choice of words.
“Do you have records of other wolves being involved with jaguars?” she asked.
To her surprise, Mark nodded again. “In fact, we do. Not written records, but Abuela remembers a mated pair from her generation. The male was the wolf in that instance, and the female one of us. He gave up his Pack for her when his people wouldn’t accept his mating and came to live with Abuela’s familial Clan. His name was Rodrigo, and he died in the drug wars, protecting his family, as so many of our people have died. His grandson is one of the teachers in our school.”
“So, all the children were jaguars?” Tracy asked after a pause to respect Rodrigo’s sacrifice.
“Most,” Mark said, smiling. “But Abuela talked about a set of twins that wound up being the South American Lords.”
“Wolves! Their mother was a jaguar?” Everybody knew that both the North and South American Lords were wolves at this moment in time, which was odd because the honor rotated among the shifter Tribes, Clans and Packs, depending on which species was blessed with a set of identical male twins that survived to adulthood.
Mark nodded. “I like to think growing up jaguar made them better at what they do for all shifters in their part of the world, but of course, that was a little before my time. We’re on good terms, though. They support the idea of the remaining jaguars banding together to strengthen our species.”
Tracy was impressed, but then again, who else would Lords talk to but a billionaire shifter with power in both the human and shifter worlds. She had to remind herself this man wasn’t just any Alpha. He was the Jaguar Alpha, which meant big things in this day and age. He’d built an empire in the human world and used it to protect and rebuild his Clan. The man was reputed to be lethal in both business and in combat, regardless of his laid back presence.
Cats were like that, sometimes. They looked all soft and fuzzy on the outside. They might even look a bit lazy to an active wolf. But when the moment to strike arrived…watch out.
“We’re holding a little party later to welcome Emma and yourself to the island,” Shelly told her. “If you want to freshen up or maybe put Emma down for a nap, I had a suite prepared for your use.”
“That’s very thoughtful. Thank you.”
A few more minutes of conversation and Tracy took a sleepy Emma indoors to the promised resting place. To say the rooms were palatial would be an understatement. Shelly had escorted them and made sure they had everything they needed while Hank sorted out their luggage. He brought Emma and Tracy’s bags to the room after Shelly left.
“Don’t unpack too much,” he cautioned her with a grin. “I’m hoping to convince you both to stay with me, remember. We’ll probably have time to see my place after the party. We’re holding it early in deference to the children. Emma’s going to meet the other kids we have here. The hope is that she’ll start friendships that will last a lifetime among her own peer group.”
“That’s a really great idea,” Tracy mused. So far, she was impressed by the way the jaguars planned everything for the best effect. No wonder Mark Pepard had been able to build such an empire. If he gave this much attention to everything he did, there’d be no stopping him.
“Mark will be welcoming you both into the Clan officially,” he told her, his expression going taut.
“So soon?” she asked, surprised. She’d thought the Alpha would take more time to get to know her first before taking such a step.
“There’s no question you belong, Tracy. If only for Emma’s sake. We do not separate children from their parents. Ever. And, more than that, I’ve already told Mark that you’re my mate. Even if you never accept that, it’s something I will hold in my soul for all time.”
Tracy shook her head. Things were getting a little too serious. She knew she had to think about all of this soon, but she was on the point of overload between the long flight and the island. Meeting Pepard and his mate, Shelly. Too much was racing through her mind.
“Give me a little time, Hank,” she told him in a quiet voice.
He immediately backed off toward the open doorway. “I’ll leave you two to rest. Be ready in about two and a half hours, okay? I’ll come pick you up.”
With that, he left, and Tracy felt a little sad. She hadn’t meant to reject him, but she knew he’d been hurt when he left. Damn. She just didn’t know what to think anymore. Life was getting a little too complicated, but she’d have to figure it out. Somehow.
CHAPTER TWELVE
As soon as Emma and Tracy were settled, Hank went inside to find Mark and Nick, who was head of security for the entire Clan, as expected. Mario and a few others who were much lower in the Clan hierarchy, but had been included for some reason, were also present and already in discussion with Pax and Ari. They’d arrayed themselves around a table with the brothers and Mario on one side, everyone else on the other. Not an auspicious start.
Hank went in and deliberately sat down next to the brothers, nodding to Mario as he did so. Everyone was in human form for this meeting, and Mario had shifted, grabbing some sweats that were kept on hand for anyone wanting to prowl around the jungle then shift when they got to the mansion.
Mario had worked with the two brothers in the past. Hank was a new champion of the fraternal twin Master Chiefs, but he was definitely in favor of Pax and Ari joining the bigger Clan. They were good men who had a lot to offer. Hank wanted to make sure they were given the opportunity to share their gifts on a larger stage.
The meeting went on for a long time. Pax started out belligerent, and then, he switched off with his twin. It was almost like a game to them. They even referenced the seating arrangements—the subtleties not being lost on the twins, who gave every appearance of being big muscle jocks with not much in the brain department. Hank had learned the two cultivated that impression and were actually using it to their advantage whenever possible. There were deep thinking minds inside those supposedly empty skulls, and the rest of the Clan needed to figure that out.
Tensions were running high as the brothers stonewalled the younger Clan members, who were the only ones speaking so far. Hank sat back and watched the twins play the game. Mario kept quiet, but he seemed concerned. The folks arrayed across the table were rising to the bait Pax and Ari kept throwing out—all except for Mark and Nick, who were also sitting back and watching events unfold.
Good. At least Hank could count on those two not to be taken in by the ruse. They were the real leaders of the Jaguar Clan. Mark had the much more public role of Alpha, but Jaguars ran things a little differently than most other shifters. Nick, as head of security—a modern name for an ancient position—had as much authority in his area of responsibility, but none of the public scrutiny.
“I don’t think we can work with these people, do you, Pax?” Ari said to his twin. Things had come to a head according to the brothers’ game plan. Hank was glad. Maybe now, if they could get past this turning point, they might actually accomplish something.
“If you two have finished playing games…” Hank said, throwing a wadded up piece of paper at Ari, which he batted easily aside.
Both twins turned exasperated expressions on Hank. “Why are you spoiling the fun, man?” Pax asked, disbelief written all over his face.
“You know I like a good prank better than most of you,” Hank said. “But you’re not fooling them, guys. At least not Nick and Mark. They see right through you, so you want to stop baiting the gullible and finally get down to business? I’ve got a party to get ready for, and I want to look my best so I can convince a certain stubborn wolf that she belongs with me forever.”
Ari grinned. “Well, when you put it that way.”
Pax
shook his head. “Sorry, Hank. You know we just like yanking their chains. And you guys…” Pax pointed to the men flanking Nick and Mark on the other side of the table. “You made it too easy. You gonna need to look deeper at what’s in front of you if we are supposed to work together.”
“Is that possible?” Nick asked, speaking for the first time. “You see the problems I’ve got here. I brought these guys along, because they’re not very senior, and I wanted them to get a little experience, but they’ve failed the test.” Chagrinned cat shifters now hung their heads on either side of Nick and Mark. “But they’ll learn…if they have good teachers and examples. I think that’s a role you two could fulfill, if you’re willing.”
Hank saw Mario relax and the younger cats shut up while the leadership got down to brass tacks. Pax and Ari were a lot more reasonable when speaking with Mark and Nick, now that all the posturing had been put aside.
Hank left before all the I’s were dotted and T’s crossed, but he was confident that he’d done his part to get the negotiations onto the right footing. As he’d told the others, he had to get ready for the party, and he wanted to run over to his house and make sure it was presentable. After the party, he planned to take his mate and daughter home for the first time, and he really wanted them to stay…forever, if possible.
The party later that day was wonderful. There were a lot more baby jaguars on the island than Tracy had expected, and Emma didn’t lack for playmates around her own age. The other moms made Tracy feel at home as they discussed the ups and downs of having babies that shifted at such a young age.
The first few moments of the gathering were a little uncomfortable for Tracy. Mark and Shelly asked her to bring Emma up front to where Hank was already waiting, next to the Alpha pair. Then, Mark made a formal introduction of both Tracy and her baby to the gathered Clan members. There was a brief moment of silence while everybody looked them over—or so it seemed to Tracy—before a cheer went up and folks came forward to be introduced one at a time, or in family groups.
