“But our parents,” Shelbi gasps, with tears freely flowing down her cheeks. Lux pulls her back into him and begins running a comforting hand up and down her arm.
“Unfortunately, we had no indication or way of knowing that the signs of your power would be imminent and defined upon birth. Shelbi, both of your parents were murdered because they chose to protect you instead of giving into the pride’s demands of destroying you,” I regretfully inform her.
“They died because I was born,” Shelbi sniffles. “I can’t believe they’d choose me over themselves.”
“Baby girl, that’s what pure, unadulterated love means. One day, when you have children of your own, you’ll understand why they did what they did. Your mother brought you to me, demanding that I keep you safe and coveted until you were old enough, strong enough, to make your own decisions regarding your safety. It’s a task I proudly took on.” My nose begins to run as tears form in my eyes. Shelbi missed out on so much not having her parents to hold and care for her. They were lovely people who didn’t deserve the death fate bestowed upon them. Their Alpha feared the power Shelbi had. Instead of using her to better the pride, his fear of losing leadership led him down a path of death and destruction.
“The one soul, two bodies thing. How does that all fit together for us?” Lux inquires, understandably so. An inquisitive, smart man, who’s asking all the right questions so that he understands what his destiny is all about.
“That, my dear boy, was to ensure the two of you would come together. The circle is complete now that you have. The reason we chose to breed you for the MC, is so that you will have an impenetrable force behind you. One that the prides would never hold up against, if they were to come for you. We knew and understood that you’d both grow into headstrong and defiant young people. And the magic and power that boosts your already special abilities, would mean you’d be a challenge to each one of your pride’s Alphas. You need your own people to lead, which is why I worked so hard on your hand-to-hand combat skills, finely tuned your intuitions, and ensured you’d never be an easy target. Ever.” Helga stands from her chair, stabbing her forefinger excessively on the top of the table, emphasizing every word.
“We’ll answer any questions you have, once the two of you let your leopards out to meet. They need to join, strengthening their bond.” I wave my hand in the air, dismissing them… for now.
5
Lux
“I’m not really into the bestiality thing, Lux,” Shelbi whispers as soon as we make our way outside.
“Me either, though I’m not convinced that’s what Olga meant when she said join, Shelbi.” At least I’m hoping that she didn’t. Those sisters are as looney as they come individually, but together, they need to be placed in strait jackets.
“What do you think they meant then?” She inquisitively looks over at me, her eyes flaring. The color in them begins changing colors. They go from a blue color that reminds me of a clear summer sky, to that of a neon yellow. “I have to shift; I can’t control her any longer.”
“Then we’ll shift, together,” I state as I begin removing my clothing. Not being a gentleman in the slightest, I keep my eyes firmly on her as she disrobes, preparing to shift. “You are spectacular.” As those words leave my mouth, along with my last article of clothing, I shift. Some shifters feel each bone breaking as they go from the skeleton of a human to that of their inner animal. Mine is like a burst of light; one second I’m a man, the next, my leopard appears.
“That’s the magic in us,” my leopard informs me. “The witches made sure that we’d never feel the pain of a shift.”
“That was generous of them.” I’m being a smartass, but I’m a tad angry at the two sisters. They should’ve never added extra ingredients into making us. They more or less put our parents’ heads on the chopping block. I’m not sure I can ever forgive the two of them for having a hand in ending our parents. Well, Shelbi’s parents and my father. According to Helga, my mom is alive and in hiding. She’ll never come and see me for fear of leading her pride to my doorstep. She’s alive, that’s all that matters. I state this in my head, but my leopard hears and agrees with my sentiments. Can’t really miss what you never had… right? Looking over at Shelbi, I’m blown away by her cat. She’s fucking phenomenal. Whereas I’m as black as the night’s sky, she’s as light as the snow. Her markings are perfectly spaced out and laid on her fur. Her bright eyes look over at me as she prowls in my direction. She begins rubbing herself up and down my side, marking my leopard with her scent of ownership. Reaching up my paw, I take her down to the ground where I begin grooming her ears and face. This is my own way of embedding my scent into her. She begins to purr as I clean and graze her nose with my own.
“Can you hear me, Shelbi?” I try to communicate with her, wanting to know how far our bond has already formed.
“Loud and clear, Obi Wan,” she teases. “Wow, this is fucking fantastic, isn’t it? We have a link to each other’s cats without completing the mating bond.”
“Phenomenal, I’ve never experienced a link forming so quickly. Speaking of our cats, we should fully give over to them. Mine is scratching his way to the surface.” I’ll remember and see everything he’s doing; I have control over him to a point, but mostly, I’m just along for the ride. Unless he does something that will endanger someone, I don’t mind letting
