Page 10 of Pooch Planet

Chapter Four

Antoine pressed his lips in a severe line as he followed behind Benji with the others. They all had to shorten their stride so as not to overtake the small shifter, but it would at least give Antoine an extra minute or two to regain his composure.

He was certain he was losing his mind.

Here he was on an important case, probably the most important one of his career. Then, he literally runs into a dog shifter who could be his fated mate. That was not something he had the time or emotional energy to deal with. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

Except that the overpowering need to protect Benji—one of the biggest signals of a destined mate in the Constantine Clan gargoyles—had slammed into him in a way he’d never experienced before.

He rubbed his forehead. But he had a job to do. Lives were at stake. If he could channel his overblown protective impulses toward the whole planet, instead of just Benji, then maybe he could keep his wits about him. Then his gaze lowered to Benji’s cute little behind wiggling in the ill-fitting pants. Antoine held in a groan and tried to ignore the twitch of interest in his cock. The last thing he needed was to meet the mayor while sporting a chubby.

That must be it.

The pull toward Benji was extreme lust, nothing more. When was the last time he’d gotten laid? When he’d been on Old Earth the year before? And that had been with an Alpha gargoyle like himself. They’d had a great time throwing each other around the room, taking turns fucking, but that wasn’t to his usual taste. Fast forward to an adorable little dog shifter—clearly an omega—clutched to his naked frame, and his libido had gone bonkers.

Antoine grunted to himself in relief. Now that he’d figured out what was really going on, he could focus on the real issue at hand. The one where pooches were being slaughtered right and left.

“Hey! What’s going on here!” A busty blonde shifter marched up to their group with hands curled into fists and her lips pulled back in a snarl. “Benji, you’d better have a good explanation for this! The mayor mustn’t be disturbed unless there’s an emergency.” She waved her hand dismissively in their direction. “I don’t recognize these uniforms.” She stood behind Benji even though he was at least a few inches shorter and jabbed a finger at Antoine. “Don’t make me get my Rottweiler mate over here.”

Benji turned to the enraged shifter. “Calm down, Princess. They’re part of the Federation.”

She narrowed her eyes at Antoine then glared at Benji. “That’s Captain Princess, recruit. And how do you know they can be trusted.” She made more wild gestures. “I’ve never seen any Federation forces wearing get-ups like these before.”

Antoine cleared his throat then stepped from the group. “Captain, uh…” He let out a strangled cough to keep in what would surely be gales of laughter if he wasn’t careful. “…Princess. May I introduce myself? I’m Commander Antoine Dubois. I head up the MP division of the G-Force.” He extended his hand with a tight smile. “Different uniforms. We’re here to investigate the murders.”

Princess hesitated, then accepted the gesture. “I see. Well,” she hmphed. “It took you guys long enough to get here.” She craned her neck to peer past him. “There’s no soldiers? Just a bunch of cops?”

“Princess. Don’t be so rude.” Benji appeared mortified, as if she were personally insulting guests that Benji had invited over.

She held up her finger to him. “What did I say about my title?”

Antoine ran a hand across the top of his head. “Excuse me, but we need to meet with the mayor right away. The daylight will soon be here, but that still doesn’t leave us many hours before the moons rise again and your fellow shifters are in danger.”

“Pri—Captain, he’s right.” Benji wrung his hands. “We’re at the height of our short day cycle right now.”

She harrumphed again, then jerked her head toward the gated pathway leading to what Antoine assumed was the mayor’s home. “Fine. But you all need to stand up for me if Mayor Jones has a fit about being woken up.”

Antoine withheld commentary. With his constituents getting their throats ripped out, he would assume the mutt would want to hear from the Federation the moment they arrived. This time, their group followed Princess as she was buzzed in through the ornate wrought-iron gates and up a long, stone pathway. Benji lagged behind, and Antoine couldn’t help but slow his stride to get closer to the little shifter.

Benji sidled up to him then leaned into him. “Sorry about that. She’s actually really nice once you get to know her. But it’s sort of a trait of the breed to be a bit snappy, and we’re all a bit on the edge anyway.”

“Breed?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. She’s comes from a long line of pure bred, prize Chihuahuas. She holds several titles, has been Best of Show many times.”

“But she chooses to remain here in the village?”

Benji nodded. “She’s very loyal to her family, and her mate moved away from his hometown, Watch Dog City, just to be with her.” Benji’s expression turned wistful. “They met in the Metropolis where she was competing. Love at first sight.” He sighed with a smile. “Gave up everything to be together.”

Antoine couldn’t help but be charmed by Benji. “That’s a nice story. What about you? What’s your breed?”

He almost smacked his own forehead the moment the words left his mouth. He wasn’t familiar enough with dog shifter culture to know whether his question would be considered offensive. But Benji didn’t seem fazed.

“I’m a Chiweenie. My dad was a Chihuahua and my mom was a Dachshund.” He shrugged. “That’s what it says on my birth certificate anyway.”

Benji’s melancholy voice tugged at Antoine’s heart. “What happened to your parents?”

“Who knows. No one can remember my dad, and my mom took off for Megiddo right after I was born. Well, right after she dumped me and the rest of her litter in the streets.”