“Only the best,” he said.
Chapter 12
“You see that?” Bonnie asked, her attention focused at the end of the pool.
“I sure do. Looks like Titus might have found a female that will challenge him,” Jack said.
“Titus? I was talking about Alison and Feral. It is Feral, isn’t it?” Bonnie asked.
Jack glanced that way. “Yes, that’s Feral. He’s already asked me about the possibility of leaving Alliance and joining our Pride.”
“Are you serious?!” Bonnie asked.
“Yep.”
“What did you say?” Bonnie asked.
“That I personally didn’t have a problem with it, but that I’d need to speak to you about it first. This is your Pride, too.”
“But, Jack, it’s not. I’m just your mate.”
“And you’re the Reigna of this Pride. I trust your opinions as well as I trust your instincts. I consult you on anything that affects this Pride. Accepting a member of the Variant into it is one of those things.”
“Did he say why he wanted to leave the Variant?” Bonnie asked.
“He said that there had been a misunderstanding. One that he was as responsible for as those who convicted him instantly. He said he’s not felt like he belonged since then, and coming here and meeting our people, and of course, finding Alison, has him feeling more at ease than he has in a long, long time.”
“Convicted him? What did he do?”
“He said he’s got more details if we want them, but that basically, he was related by marriage to the doctor who isultimately responsible for their lives being stolen from them. He never told anyone. Joined the SOT team that had the most likelihood of catching the man, and never told them that he was still aware of who he was, and what had been done to him. When they tracked the doctor down there were photos of Feral and the man’s daughter in his office. He tried to hide them, and it looked to them like he was a mole. They’d already figured out someone was at that time, and assumed it was him. It wasn’t.”
“His team assumed he was guilty, too?” Bonnie asked.
“Yep. And trust and betrayal are both huge things to these people.”
“It sounds awful. Especially when you realize this doctor turned his own son-in-law into a Variant person,” Bonnie said.
“It does. They even locked him in their jail for a while. There are those who believed he was innocent, but not all. The fact that he’s no longer under suspicion and is part of any type of recon team speaks for itself, though. Obviously, they were wrong to accuse him and they know it.”
“I feel bad for him,” Bonnie said.
“Me, too. And there was no lie, no shame when he told me about it. He just wants a peaceful place to be without all the bullshit and military lifestyle that Alliance offers. I figured he’d ask for permission to be here for at least a little while when I saw his response to Alison.”
“What response? I miss everything!”
“You were out here taking care of the Gamieyon females. He was just taken with her, and she had no clue. He sent one of his people to watch over her when she went to the leather facility to get the soldering irons. He complimented her on thinking of the soldering iron. He remarked about how inordinary she is when she made a remark to the opposite in passing. He’s focused on her.”
“I wonder if he’s her mate?”
“He says he is. I guess we shall see if she agrees.”
“If you knew that, why did you think I was talking about Titus and Hail?”
“Because I haven’t noticed a single thing about Titus or Hail. There was nothing out of the ordinary to indicate there may be a match going on there until Titus brought her some food and sat down with her.”
“Maybe it’s not a match. Maybe it’s just sex. They both come from very primal behaviored species. It’s not unheard of.”
“True.”
