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TALIA
Ameeting is called, the urgency and importance stressed. It cannot be held until tomorrow, due to it being close to sunrise, and I find myself struggling to sleep, so I get up and work through the rest of the notes, double- and triple-checking what I’ve found.
Cato silently sits with me, supporting me, and a few hours later, I shower and let him make it all better before sitting on our nest. I need to get dressed, but I just stare at my hands, wondering what this means for me.
“It changes nothing, mate,” he states, cupping my cheeks and searching my eyes. “Nothing.”
“Promise?” I ask like a child.
“Promise,” he rumbles before pressing his forehead to mine. “They need to know. We will face this problem head-on, and we will do this together.”
“Together,” I whisper and let him help me stand.
Cato thinks I look fine, but something about this meeting and attending as Cato’s mate makes it important to both him and the tribes. Aria has embraced all that comes with being a monster’s mate, and so do I. It’s time to cast off my human clothes and find something in between. So while Cato does that, I quickly smoke out my eyes and add lipstick from some makeup they found, and when he announces that he’s left some options, I hurry out and grab them before he can see me.
I want it to be a surprise.
Some of it are furs I wouldn’t be caught dead in, but I manage to find some black, skin-tight ripped jeans, boots, and a fur band top I create. It ties at the back like it would if it were a skirt and is surprisingly comfortable. For my hair, I manage to slick the normally crazy blonde waves, and with much cursing and aching arms, I achieve an elaborate updo that has me bouncing in excitement.
“Are you ready?” I call.
“Yes, Tally, let me see,” he replies, amusement lacing his voice. Grinning widely, I open the door and step out.
“Ta-da!” I spin “What do you think?”
His jaw actually drops as he gapes, sitting as still as a statue, and I start to panic, touching the outfit self-consciously.
“Does it look silly?”
“No.” His voice is almost soundless, and when he stands and prowls towards me, I gulp at the intensity in his eyes. “I should pin you to my nest and never let you out. You look like one of us, my perfect mate.” When he stops before me, he strokes the fur with a purr before his hands trace my makeup and then hesitate over my hair as his lips quirk.
“You made your hair into horns,” he whispers.
“So we match.” I giggle as I turn and check them out in the mirror once more. The blonde waves have been twisted into two, if not small, bending horns, and the rest of my hair flows down in waves. I look good, if I do say so myself, and every bit a monster’s mate.
“You look good enough to eat,” he rumbles, and I start to back away with a laugh.
“Bad monster!” I scold as I start to run.
“Don’t you know not to run from a predator, Tally?” he teases as he prowls after me. “We always catch our prey.”
* * *
By the time we get to the meeting spot, I’m having to bat Cato away, his hands continually wandering, but he soon sobers when we head into the lab. I thought this was the best place to meet, since it’s where this all started and hopefully where it will end. My happiness dissolves in the face of my nerves as I wait for them to arrive.
What I’m going to tell them will change everything, and I almost feel bad for being the bearer of the news. I hoped I was wrong, but I know I’m not. What they did… I shake my head in disgust, still trying to wrap my mind around it all.
There’s no more time to second-guess or worry, though, because Aria appears at the top of the stairs, grinning at me. Mated life suits her. She wears a short fur skirt and top, and her fiery hair is braided, showing off her marked back.
Akuji is on her heels, barely letting his mate out of his sight, even as he greets us. “Tally.” Aria wraps me in her arms, making me wince, and she pulls back instantly. “What happened?” She tries to turn me, so I go willingly. “Talia!” she yells.
Laughing, I take Cato’s hand. “We mated too.”
She squeals and goes to hug me again before slapping my arm. “And we didn’t get invited!”
“It was just us, small and intimate.” I shrug sheepishly.
“Congratulations, brother.” Akuji slaps Cato’s back with a grin. “Knew you would be next.”
