The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 17

Caspian cleared his throat and glanced me up and down before looking me in the eyes. He still had a crush on me, I could tell, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable now that I had a mate. "Well?" he asked, glancing between Trevor and me. He raised an eyebrow when he turned his gaze back towards me. "Can I come into the pack?"

I glanced at Trevor, and he nodded. "Ya, sure," I said, and the pack membered moved out of his way. "My mate should be here soon."

He furrowed his brows, and I could tell that he was a bit jealous. "Mate?" Caspian asked, stepping onto the packland. "What, mate?"

"Me," Brody said. He scowled, and I could tell that he was jealous. "Your Highness," he added, bowing his head in respect.

Caspian looked at me, shocked. "You're mated to a Werewolf?" he asked, his voice going a little higher than normal. He was jealous; I could tell, and I had no idea why he was. He should have found his mate by now... shouldn't he? Or did he reject her, holding onto a fantasy that both of us would be together?

I shrugged and shifted on my feet. I was nervous about what he would think and hoped he wouldn't try to make a scene. Both my mate and I had accepted each other, and I was going to need Caspian's help to rescue my clan from evil tyranny.  "Apparently so. Is that a problem?" There was a small warning tone in my voice, and he looked down and shook his head.

"No, I just thought that the High Princess would be mated to a tiger or a high ranking wolf. Not..." He gestured to Brody.

Both Brody and I growled out a warning.

"Brody is still an Alpha," I said through gritted teeth. "And, who the Goddess had placed me with is not up for you to question."

Caspian set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He didn't say a word as we both challenged each other, waiting for the other to submit.

'Hold your ground,' Tigress said, through pursed lips. 'He is in the wrong, not you.'

I didn't answer and set my jaw. I stared him down, not caring about anyone else except for him. If he wanted to try to be the strongest, then he had another thing coming. I was not one to back down in a fight, especially with a male that wanted to prove that he was far superior to me. 

Finally, Caspian growled and bowed his head first. The fight was over, and I was the victor. "Still the same stubborn ass," he said. He relaxed slightly. "I apologize, Princess."

"It's actually queen," Ro said. "She is both the queen of tiger clan and then High Queen."

That caused Caspian to look up. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "But, Romanov..."

"Has been marked as a traitor," I said, relaxing. "Can we talk in the office? I still have a price on my head. Romanov knows that I am alive."

"Because of the mark?" Caspian asked, and I nodded. "Then why did you do it?"

"To claim my birthright," I replied. I looked at the guard and smiled at him. "Thank you for keeping a lookout on the borders," I said, and he smiled and bowed his head.

"It's my pleasure, Luna," he said. He bowed towards Brody and Caspian. "Alpha, Your Highness, excuse me." And with that, he bounded away to check on the rest of the border.

I looked at Caspian after the pack warrior had bounded away. "Come on, let's go to the office. It is safer there than it is out here."

Caspian nodded his head. "I will have to be back before dark," he said. He glanced at the twins. "You two will have to go, too."

The twins groaned, upset. "Do we have to?" Ray asked, looking at us.

"Ya, can't we just stay here and help you train?" Ro asked. "It's not like Carver can be of any use."

I bit back a snicker as Carver growled a warning. "I am sure that Carver will be enough," I replied. I gestured for them to follow me and started to make my way back to the packhouse. "I do have a job for you two."

"Ooh, your first order as High Queen," Ro said, and Trevor and I became tense. He noticed it, and I could see that he wanted to ask but didn't. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

I rolled my eyes, a small smile appearing on my lips. "I want to know if any spies are working against us," I replied. "For both Werewolves and the Cat species."

"Sounds interesting. Is there anything else?" Ray asked.

I nodded. "But, I will talk to you two about it later alone."

Ro and Ray looked at each other. There was a silent conversation between them before they looked at me.

"Will there trouble?" Ray asked.

"Probably," I replied.

"Will somebody's ass need kicking?" Ro asked.

"That's... a huge possibility."

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Very."

They looked at each other again. Two similar grins appeared on their face as they looked at me. "Good, then we are in," they said in unison.