The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

They would all bear witness to the battle about to enfold. One question plagued him. Why had Hunter ever trusted this male? He could only blame his youthful ideals on the gross misjudgment, but this was not the time to ponder the question.
Blake was fighting dirty. The smaller, yet deadly Tiger Shifter, scratched at him with lethal claws, ripping a long gash open on his back leg. Hunter felt the sting of his wounds and roared in fury.
The bastard was looking to distract Hunter while he tried to lunge forward to sink his teeth into his exposed neck. Hunter anticipated it and drove him back with a hard shove from his Tiger’s immense body.
The male was too close to his mate for Hunter’s comfort. He snarled and growled, grabbing Blake with his claws, he shoved him aside and raked the wicked sharp, six-inch long claws down both sides. Blood poured from the wounds, but Hunter’s animal was not satisfied.
His beast snarled as he scented his enemy’s blood in the air. He’d given Blake two gory gouges, one on each side. Again, he swiped at Blake’s animal, sinking his front claws deeper through the other male’s thick fur. He sliced through skin and muscle, all the way down to the bone. And yet, Hunter’s beast still wanted more.
Fuck that.
He demanded more from the male. Blood and sweat dripped down their furry bodies as they crashed into one another. Blake’s hateful comments and prejudice against Elissa drove Hunter’s fury to new heights.
His Tiger was enraged by the weaker male’s actions. The attack, too, without the right of challenge, was a coward’s way. How dare the male try to endanger what belonged to Hunter?
His mate.
His Pride.
His business.
For those offenses, the asshole should already be dead. They wrestled and fought until Hunter gained the upper hands. He clamped his teeth around the smaller Tiger’s neck, ready to shake him like a rag doll, when a soft whimper brought his head up.
Elissa, his Tiger chuffed her name.
Hunter’s mate needed him. He couldn’t dally with this filth anymore, so he spat him out, using his enormous paws to swat the male into a nearby wall. Blake lay unconscious and Hunter turned towards Elissa.
His Nari was suffering. The scent of her pain and fear had him racing through his change. Hunter ignored the blood coating his skin and knelt at her side, barking orders for his men to lock the bastard up in the old barn.
The Pride had a cell they used to house rogues or enemies until judgement could be made. Hunter obeyed the laws of their kind, and he would be looking forward to a legal challenge to the death when the time was right. Until then, the piece of shit would answer to the Council of Shifters for his actions.
Hunter would abide by their ruling. But right then, he didn’t give a fuck. It didn’t matter what anyone else said or did.
Only Elissa mattered.
Mine.
Fire coursed through Elissa’s veins. Something was happening. Something strange and a little bit scary. She was in the middle of a wrestling match, but it was internal.
A strange male tried to touch her forehead. She hissed, wanting to bite and claw at him. Only the fact she vaguely recognized what he was trying to do stopped her from scratching the man’s eyes out.
Elissa did not know the man well enough to have an opinion of him, but her reasoning was simple. She simply didn’t want his hands on her. She only wanted Hunter.
He was the only male allowed to touch her. Ever. In any way, shape, or form.
Mine, hissed that strange voice she’d been hearing all day.
She barely had time to register it before more agony assaulted her senses. Elissa always had a high tolerance for pain, but this was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
It was like something was trying to claw its way out of her. Literally.
In the periphery of her vision, she saw Hunter kneeling next to her. He was naked and covered in blood. Several scratches covered his skin, but they seemed to be healing already. Something Shifters could apparently do and with ease.
Thank fuck.
Kind of cool, really. She wondered if he could help with whatever was happening to her. She clenched her teeth as another wave of cramping and nausea hit her hard.
Dammit.
She wanted to scream, but couldn’t unlock her jaw to let out a sound. Vaguely, as if from underwater, she heard him shouting to his men. He wanted them to get Blake out of there, to lock him up.
Good, Elissa thought.
But another part of her, a darker, more animalistic part, roared at the idea. A raspy voice spoke inside her mind, and she went still with shock.
Bastard. We should hunt him for daring to touch.
Um, what the fuck? Who is that talking in my head?
Elissa shook all over. Was she losing her mind? Was the last twenty-four hours some sort of hallucination and had she finally gone crazy?
No, you have not lost your mind. I am you. You are me. We are one. Let me show you.
What had first felt like an alien invasion suddenly made complete sense as a pure white Bengal Tiger took shape in Elissa’s mind’s eye.
Ohmyfuckinggod!
Pain squeezed at her gut, but instead of fighting it like she had been doing, Elissa exhaled and embraced it. Finally, she understood what was happening to her.
Yes. That is it. It is the Puspa, little one. We are blossoming into something new. Together we will be a strong Nari for our mate.
Yes. Blossoming.
Elissa agreed. She liked that imagery. She completely relaxed her muscles. Her breathing evened out, and her pulse steadied.
She heard Hunter in the periphery of her mind. He was panicking. Her mate pressed his head against her chest, trying to listen for her heartbeat. From one soft breath to the next she felt a ripple of Magic sweep over her body.
Her suddenly four times the size as normal body.
She blinked rapidly, turning on her stomach so that she could stand on all fours. She shook her head. All fours?
EEEEEEEEEK!
The entire world seemed slightly askew. The soft leather of the sofa tore under her sharp claws, and the sound of chortles and whispers around her made her snarl. She chuffed a warning, hating that she’d made such a mess. Leaping off the couch onto the floor, she turned and scented the air.
Finally, she found Hunter still kneeling beside her. A wide grin spread across his gorgeous face, and she padded over to him. Sitting on her hindquarters, Elissa bumped him gently with her head.
“Nari, my sweet Elissa, you are so gorgeous in your fur,” his chest rumbled with his beast, and this version of her found she liked that idea very much.
She bumped him in the shoulder and stood up, hoping he would catch on. Elissa turned her back on her mate, swatting her tail at him. Her animal would not have done so with anyone else. She trusted him though.
Always.
Elissa chuffed again and moved towards the large sliding door in the back of the destroyed living room. She growled at the two men, who stood like dummies just staring at her. She had to admit she enjoyed their reaction once they caught on. They bowed their heads, dropping their gazes immediately, and opened the doors.
It was only right they do so, her animal reminded her. Pride members should never look at her directly. She was their Nari. The strongest female in the Pride. They would do well to remember that. The males stepped aside, allowing her to pass through the door unobstructed.
Good, she thought, he can live.
Her human side frowned at her cat.
Tiger! Not a cat, hissed the animal in her brain.
Whatever, her human half said. No killing any of the Pride.
Hmpff, said her beast.
Her tail swayed from side to side, and furry Elissa turned around to catch her mate still staring. She opened her mouth wide, showing him the glint of her teeth.
The urge to run, to be chased by him, was overpowering everything else. She growled once, catching his stare.
Now.
After giving Hunter one long, hard look before vaulting outside, Elissa took off into the wet stretch of forest behind the Pride House. A loud roar sounded from behind her, and she knew it was him.
Hunter.
Her beast practically purred in excitement. She pushed harder, running faster, using her newfound senses to take her through what looked like a well-trodden path.
Her nose told her Hunter stalked this trail often. She chuffed again happily. She wanted to be close to him in every way and leading him on a chase that would most assuredly end with them, mating under the setting sun seemed fine to her.
It had only been twenty-four hours, and Elissa had been through and seen more changes than she’d ever thought possible. And yet, all she felt was happiness radiating through her. After all, what wasn’t there to like?
She’d found out Shifters were real. Had mated one. And now she was one.
Holy crap!
If that wasn’t a happily ever after, she didn’t know what was. The sound of wet leaves scrunching behind her told her she wasn’t alone any longer.
Looking to her left, she saw the regal beast of her mate gazing at her. His gold-rimmed teal colored gaze glowed as he stared at her. Hunter licked his long fangs, and she shivered in anticipation.
Wanting to touch him, she stepped forward, human feet replacing her paws in an instant. It was cold outside, but she didn’t seem to feel it.
“Hunter,” she said and released a heavy sigh.
“You are so beautiful.”
Elissa reached forward and brushed her hands over the thick fur of his neck and head. His Tiger rumbled approvingly. She continued with her tactile perusal of him, loving the warmth and his rumbling sounds.
Soon though, his fur receded, and she was touching hot skin. Hunter’s arms wrapped tightly around her, and Elissa smiled at the feel of him.
“Mate,” he growled against her neck, his voice thick with his beast.
“Lemme take you home, Nari, get you warm,” he said.
“Oh yeah, I’m kinda naked out here,” she said, looking down kinda shocked to discover she was completely bare.
“Clothes don’t survive the change, I’m afraid, but I could have Jess bring you more of the same if you liked them?”
His concern touched her.