The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 68: Chapter 68

“Stop fighting your Tiger, baby, and listen to me. Remember how good it was when I stripped you bare and kept your heels on, shona? I remember. I remember everything, the way you tasted, the way you smelled, fuck, I love your smell, and the way you felt wrapped around me like hot, wet, silk. The way your pussy squeezed me when you came and fuck, you were so beautiful, like a goddess. I love you, Gretchen, I love you so much. Now Shift to your Tiger. Let her take over for now and after that you can have anything you want,” he pleaded and begged with her. Reg really didn’t care who was there to witness him breaking down at that point.
“The pain you feel is your body changing. You are growing, blossoming into something else,” he took a fortifying breath and looked to his Pride mates, to worthy males like Hunter, Brayden, and even Mikey.
They stood there for him offering silent support as did the females in the room who nodded at him to continue.
“Gretchen, you are turning into a Shifter, like me. Your Tiger is a part of you now. Just like your tattoo, but deep inside. She is part of your soul, and she will give you strength even as she takes it now to transform you. Let her in, Gretchen, you have to let her in. I know I should have explained better. I am so sorry, shona, I should have done so many things differently. I should have waited, tried harder to explain,” his voice cracked, and he wiped his eyes.
“Hurts, hurts bad,” she cursed and rolled to her side.
Reg barked a laugh through his tears. She was talking! That was good, right?
“I know, shona. I’m so sorry it hurts, but you can do this.”
“Did you just tell everyone what we did, Reggie?”
“Sorry baby, it couldn’t be helped.”
“Owwwww!” she roared, the pain taking hold.
“You’re so strong, so brave. Close your eyes, Gretchen, look inside yourself. Can you see her? Can you see your Tiger?”
“I see her, Reggie,” she whimpered.
“She won’t hurt you. She is part of you. Just let her in. Accept her and all the pain will go away. Come on, love. You got this. I swear you got this, baby,” he said, wishing like hell he could take some of her pain away.
Eventually, Gretchen stopped groaning and with a burst of energy that had him jumping back, he watched as she rolled over onto all fours. Her fingers scratched at her clothes, and she tore through the fabric of her top like it was nothing, but her pants and shoes were not as easy.
Reg turned his head and bared his teeth to the men in the room. Yes, they were Shifters and used to nudity, but this was his mate. She deserved some privacy.
The men averted their gazes, and he allowed his claws to descend so he could help tear through his mate’s clothes.
“Regggrrrrrrrrooooowwwwwllll!”
His name turned into a long growl as ripples of magic wracked her tiny frame. Reg moved back, giving her space. He was completely awestruck as bones began to break, muscles tore, and flesh ripped and reformed.
Her human half fell away and, a few minutes later, his beautiful mate twisted and turned into a powerful, majestic Tiger right before his eyes.
Her animal was smaller than his, but so gorgeous. Four-hundred pounds of kick-ass feline hissed and spat at the room.
Perspiration dotted her she-Cat’s fur, but he didn’t dare touch her yet. He recalled his own painful first transformation, and Reg knew it would be a moment before her skin would lose its sensitivity.
Hands flexed at his side, he took in her gorgeous form instead. Her striped coat was a thick and glossy shade of orange, just a tad darker than his own. She had a long tail with a tuft of white fur just on the end.
Gretchen grumbled and flashed her four-inch long canines while stretching her claws, tearing the blanket on the floor to shreds in the process.
Shit.
He hoped she wasn’t going to be too pissed at the damage her feline was causing.
Fuck it.
He would replace everything. It was the least he could do. Her first steps were wobbly, and she started to slide, but Reg caught her easily. He helped her to stand, laughing when she hissed and spat at him.
“Always so feisty,” he said and smiled.
His mate’s Tiger turned and sniffed the air around him. She sneezed, then shook her head and took a step closer to Reg. Already on his knees, he held out a tentative hand. The last thing he wanted was to startle her. Shifters healed quickly, that was true, but even he couldn’t grow back a limb should his mate decide to snap off a finger, or five with her enormous teeth.
Fuck. She was gorgeous even in her fur.
He waited a beat until, finally, his shona leaned into his touch. Soft fur and heat seeped through his fingers and Reg exhaled the breath he’d been holding.
Gretchen chuffed and rubbed her head against him affectionately, marking him with her scent. The beast recognized him as her mate, causing a smile to break out across his face. Gretchen continued to circle him, rubbing her furry self against him, wherever she could reach. Chest, back, arms, face, legs, continuing to leave him covered in her tiger lily scent.
He fucking loved it, and his big Cat purred in response. Reg dropped his head onto her back and inhaled deeply. The flowery scent unique to her was more profound in this form, and he savored the opportunity to breathe her in.
His mate turned her Tiger’s head and licked him, her large sandy tongue swapping at his cheek and chin. Reg laughed again. His whole focus was on her even as his friends and Pride mates celebrated behind him.
“Go, run with your mate,” Hunter told him, and for the first time he felt true fear rise inside him.
“She may not want me as a mate,” Reg replied in a voice. The thought broke his heart.
“Reg, this is not the time for such a decision. True, things should have been handled differently, but forget that now. Why don’t you and your mate do as your Neta says?” Uncle Uzzi clucked and walked to the back door to open it.
Gretchen looked at him, her Tiger eyes the same sky blue as her human form, before she turned to the door. He could tell she needed to go and explore the world in this shape. One glance back at him, and his sweet mate chuffed and nodded.
Thank the gods.
He began to disrobe, dropping his clothes where he stood as he joined her in his fur. With any luck this would be the first of many such nights, He thought before following his beautiful mate outside.
I’m gonna be the man you deserve, shona. I promise.
Reg vowed before taking off after her.
Holy furry fucking butt sniffing shit balls!
Gretchen could not believe this. Shifters were real, and thanks to getting down and dirty with a certain smexy as fuck guy who was a Tiger in the sack, and apparently, out of it, she now had fur. And a tail. And claws. And big ass teeth.
Well, her new, huge ass Tiger did. She’d first seen the beautiful she-Cat stalking around inside her head. But the thing that was difficult to understand was the Tiger was her.
Sort of. Metaphysically speaking.
Gulp.
Okay.
What the actual fuck?
She’d been on the floor, trying to cower and hide from the pain when a familiar voice had demanded she get her ass in gear and face it. Man, was he fucking annoying! Stupid male, ordering her around. Who the heck did he think he was?
He is our mate. But we can still bite his ass.
Oh fuck, she gulped. Now she was going crazy! Who knew that shit was contagious?
Don’t be scared. I am you now.
Um. Say what?
You are going through the Puspa. It is a blessing revered by our kind. I am your animal spirit. Soon you shall be able to change forms between Tiger and human. Embrace me, little one. Together we can greet our mate, and those of our Pride who are gathered around us even now.
Easy for that furry little beyotch to say. She was sitting in some ethereal plane with glowing lights and fantasy trees and shit. Gretchen was in the grips of the worst pain she had ever felt. It hurt worse than having her wisdom teeth pulled, and that time she’d had an ovarian cyst pop. Both had required serious painkillers to see her through.
All change comes with a little pain, but you are strong. Listen to our mate. See how he encourages us? He is a good male.
Good? Gretchen would have laughed if she wasn’t dying. That bastard was the one who did this to her. Fucker came into her life swinging that big dick of his, and he didn’t even tell her he turned into a freaky ass Tiger.
Grrrr.
Fine, Tigers were not freaky, and Reg was all kinds of beautiful. But she was not ready for this. Couldn’t he have softened the blow somehow? Gretchen argued with the beast in her head for what seemed like forever.
Finally, after listening to Reg’s sweet pleading, and his angrier ones, she came to a realization. The she-Cat had a point. But how could Gretchen just accept this fantasy for fact? She didn’t believe in things like Shifters. Those were just stories. Make believe stuff and nonsense like the creatures in those naughty, little books she read on her phone between cutting and dying her clients’ hair.
Oh shit.
She groaned as another round of pain hit her right in the gut. Shifters were real, and she’d taken one to bed. No wonder she’d attacked him like an animal. She was one. Or well, she was one now.
Because of him and his stupid stripey though totally hot ass—Ooowww! Ouchie!
Okay, pain aside, she wasn’t sure how she actually felt about this. Her Tiger had confirmed what everyone kept saying. Reggie was in fact her mate. A fated mate at that, which was something blessed by the universe, and the gods, of which she was getting a feeling there were multiple.
Mate. Hmm.
The word felt strange, and yet, familiar somehow as it rolled around her brain. Her heart was pounding heavily, the muscle working to keep her alive while she fought the inevitable. Gretchen growled, the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears making it near impossible to think.
She wanted Reg, but could she trust him? That was the real question. Her inner feline claimed he was a good male, but she didn’t know him well enough to make that kind of judgement. He’d lied by omission. How was that good?
He did try to explain though, and she had been less than willing to cooperate. Okay, she flat out refused to listen to anything he had to say over the past few days. But this was huge. This was her whole life on the line.
Pros and cons, okay, here we go.
Pros:
Reg was undeniably gorgeous, Gretchen could not deny her physical attraction to him. He made her body hum with pleasure just from being near him. He was also funny, charming, and a good listener. He made her feel good about herself and seemed to really care when she spoke about her work and hoped for the future. And there was that purring thing he did when he had her clit in his mouth. A girl had to count that.
Cons:
Reg totally fucking lied about being able to turn into a big ass Cat. Did anything else matter after that one? Oh yeah, and he bit her and changed her into a big ass Cat without permission.
Grrr.
Her Tiger didn’t exactly like being called that, but as far as she was concerned, Miss Kitty could stuff it or no catnip for her!
Damn.
How could she make such a huge decision without more info? Blinding pain shot through her again in great, powerful waves, until she felt as if she’d been swept away by them.
It was like being caught in a riptide. It was happening all too fast, and she had zero control. Gretchen’s body was burning, she was on fire. She felt like she was being torn in two. She tried breathing, but she could hardly stand it.
Someone was touching her, talking some more, but she didn’t want that. It was not Reg, and that was not okay. She only wanted his hands on her. No one else. She stumbled trying to get away. She was suffocating, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Then suddenly, she scented him near. Reg was there with her. His warm, strong hands enveloped hers. He was talking to her, whispering words of encouragement, begging her to stay and fight.
Of course, she would. Did he think she was dying?
Oh my gah!
Was she dying?
Fear spiked through her heart, and she felt herself gasping. Her blood was like cement, and she wasn’t getting any air.
No. Let me in, little one. I can make the pain stop, just let go and give yourself over to me.
Her Tiger pleaded with her, but she was still so afraid. Then Reg was there once more, whispering to her fiercely.
“She won’t hurt you. She is part of you. Just let her in. Accept her and all the pain will go away. Come on, love. You got this. I swear you got this, baby,” his voice was thick with emotion, and Gretchen’s heart swelled.
Mate. Mine.
Her Tiger roared ferociously, and Gretchen let go of her grip on that plane of reality. Fire burned through her veins, the sounds of bones cracking and muscles stretching then reknitting filled her oh-so-sensitive ears.
It felt like an eternity, but it was only minutes until she went from lying on her back to wobbling on four paws. She blinked slowly through her new eyes. The world seemed different, askew, but clear. Very clear.
Oh shit. I’m a Tiger. I’m a fucking Tiger! Hear me ROAR!
Gretchen turned to her mate and hissed. Did she hear him right? Did that fucker say he would leave her if she wanted?
Hell to the no. He was not going anywhere, certainly not away from her. Not now. She didn’t want him gone. Not at all. The man deserved a little ass kicking, but she would save that for later. Just then, her paws itched to run.
She hissed and chuffed at him, flicking him in the face with her tail before bounding over to the backdoor that Uncle Uzzi was currently holding wide open.
She stopped and blinked slowly at the sly old man. No, sniff, not just an old man. Uncle Uzzi was something else, something magical or so her new senses told her.
The white haired man who was a friend simply smiled and winked at Gretchen. The feline growled lightly before taking off down the street, and into the forest that waited just beyond an old church off the main stretch of road.
She didn’t have to use her new senses to know it was her mate who stalked behind her. Gretchen felt it, felt him, deep inside her heart. A growl began in her chest, but it sounded more like a purr to her.
Reggie.
Her mind reached out for him, searching past the gold and silver tendrils of magic that seemed interwoven between this plane and the next.
Pride bonds, her instincts told her. She found one thin silvery one and followed it. She wondered why it was so warm and bright, growing brighter still as she watched and traced it until, suddenly, Reg was there.
Mate. His deep gravelly voice replied, echoing in her head and filling Gretchen’s heart with joy.
She stilled, watching him step forward through the darkness to where she waited in a small grassy clearing. His Tiger was truly a magnificent specimen. Regal and proud, double the size of her own beast.
Still, he proceeded with caution. Unsure of his welcome. That was not okay with her beast. Her Tiger stretched her neck, assuming a haughty pose and watched him go still before she pounced.
She might be new to being a Tiger, but some things were pure instinct. Right now, she wanted him to chase her. After she’d leapt onto his back, she bounded off, hissing and chuffing at him. Gretchen ran away from him in circles and zigzags.
So, you want to play? Alright little she-Cat, but I’m warning you, I always win.
Her mate’s voice spoke clearly in her head, and she laughed at the wonder and magic of it all.
You wish, pal. You’re not catching this Tiger by the tail.
Gretchen growled at him before racing off into the woods, but not before she heard his reply.
Challenge accepted, shona. Come here kitty, kitty.