The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 39

I leaned back in my seat and pursed my lips in disgust. Annoyance and anger filled my body, and I had to make sure that my tiger didn't go after him. A barely audible growl escaped my lips, and Aunt Arie, Carver, Trevor, and Adrian bowed their heads.

My mate pulled me closer to him and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. He rubbed my arm soothingly. "Calm down," he said, and I growled at him. He rolled his eyes and scowled. "Don't do that, Kat," he warned. "I am trying to help."

"Your helping skills suck," I mumbled, and I earned a chuckle in response. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his shirt. Another growl escaped my lips, but I kept a tight rein on my tiger while I took in his scent.

"We should just kill him," Tigress growled. "Then we don't have to deal with him."

"We don't know what he placed in their heads," I warned. "If I kill him, then I could be seen just as bad as my uncle, and I do not want that."

"So, what? Are you going to let him get away with this?" Tigress growled. "What type of queen is that?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I was not going to let him get away with this," I replied. "If I wanted for him to get away with this, then I would not be trying to come up with a plan." I paused. "However, I can not do that with you growling and trying to take over." I shoved her back a little more.

"I have a plan," Tigress said. She pushed against the barrier that blocked her from taking control and growled again when I didn't give her any leeway. "We just kill him, and then we don't have to worry about him."

"We will have to worry about the consequences if we just do that," I reminded her. I gritted my teeth and set my jaw before I shoved her back again and made the barrier stronger. "Do not make me shove you all the way to the back of my mind, Tigress," I warned. "I will do that and make you simmer in the darkness."

Tigress growled and narrowed her eyes. She bared her teeth and growled again, and I could tell that she did not like me telling her that I would push her to the back of my mind where she wouldn't be able to be of service. "Then I won't come forth when you need me," she warned as if that would change my mind.

I mentally shrugged. "I'll be fine with that," I replied. I started to slowly push her back into the darkness with her pushing to take control. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I couldn't let her take control and kill Dominic when the ties between the high kingdom and the kingdoms were already strained.

Finally, Tigress stopped fighting, and I stopped pushing her into the back of my mind. "Fine," she grumbled. "He may live for now. If he c-"

"Who says that I was going to keep him alive?" I asked, interrupting her. "He wants the throne. The only way for him to get that is if he faces me and kills me. I won't back down from a fight. You should know this, Tigress."

She paused, and her anger started to slowly die down until she could think rationally again. "So, we will kill him?" she asked. Hope filled her voice, and I knew that she was dead set on killing him, no matter what I said or did.

"If he tries to take the throne and sets up the battle, then yes," I replied. I relaxed when she stopped fighting me, but I didn't take my face from where I had placed it. "However, that is if he does that. If he doesn't, then he will live and will continue to be the king. There will be consequences for him going behind my back, though."

"We could always kill him and make it look like an accident," Tigress suggested, and a small smile appeared on my lips.

"No," I said. "Not yet. We can use that as a last resort."

Tigress grumbled and sighed. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, and I could tell that she didn't like the idea of waiting to kill him and make it look like an accident. "Fine," she said coldly. "Just know that I don't like it."

I mentally nodded and smiled. "I know," I replied. "I don't either, but I don't want to start a different war before the one that we have to face first."

Tigress grumbled but nodded. She sighed and flicked her tail, and I could tell that she was annoyed that there were multiple possibilities for a different war than the one to claim the throne rightfully. "I know," she said. "Uncle first, and then we can deal with Dominic and his mouth."

I mentally nodded again, and a smirk appeared on my face. "Yes," I said. "Uncle first and then Dominic. We'll deal with him fully after the uncle is dead and not before. If we deal with him before, then Goddess only knows what could happen to the clans and their loyalty to me."

"We could lose," Tigress said, understanding why I didn't want to deal with his punishment wise before we faced my uncle. She sighed and flicked her ears back while she laid her ears to the side of her head. "We could lose everyone."

"And, the bond between the clans and species would be broken," I added. "And we could go into a far greater war than the one that we have to face against our uncle." I paused and tightened my grip around my mate. "This one would have lasting effects on not only us but them, and I do not want to think about what could happen to everyone if we lost. All I know is that there would be more death than there ever was amongst the species that we have sworn to protect."