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  Ugh. Grrr. Shit. Fuck everyone, including her.

  She pointed at the slick-talking cowboy intruder. “Hey… No, Neal. Bad kitty.

  That was not a very good rabbit’s foot joke. And… No cat of mine is allowed to chase my BFF’s fluffy tail…unless they’ve got mating and little kitties on their mind.” Carly glared at her. “You take all the fun out of being your friend, you know that?” She snatched the Chunky Monkey from Maya’s hands. “Cock blockers don’t deserve to eat my ice cream. None for you!”

  Maya tilted her head and pondered. “You mad? I mean, because of the boycott, wouldn’t I be a pussy blocker?”

  Carly fired back, “That makes absolutely no sense, Maya. Besides, I told you I was thinking about ending it, didn’t I?”

  * * *

  Ever since he’d bonded with Maya, Alex found himself constantly fighting the urge to beat his lions to a pulp, for their inability to keep track of his mate—with painfully surprising frequency.

  When he was young, his father had cautioned him about how possessive he’d become toward his future mate, and that he’d find it difficult to let her out of his sight.

  And he couldn’t forget… He’d hate any man who even dared to look at his female.

  At the time, young Alex had chuckled, and had professed to his dad that he wouldn’t be anything like that. That no woman would wrap the great Alex O’Connell around their finger. Looking back now, it was hard for him to admit how naïve he’d been.

  God, he’d been wrong. Insanely wrong.

  And it didn’t help that he cared for Maya as much as he did. She meant the world to him…and then some.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, taking deep, relaxing breaths to keep both his lion and human side calm. “Tell me again, Brute, how the five of you managed to lose one female.”

  “Well, the thing is…” the biggest of the quintet drawled, and it miffed Alex that the lion wasn’t shaking with fear. But, his inner cat reminded him that he’d personally selected men who wouldn’t cower in the face of danger, men who’d without question put his mate’s life before theirs. So yeah, he supposed the lion shouldn’t be afraid of him, just respectful. Damn the beast. “Look, Prime, I’ve got sisters, and I know what happens at one of those girly parts appointments. I didn’t think you’d want five unmated men staring at your near-naked mate.”

  The lion had a point. Damn the beast for the second time.

  “She escaped through the back, Prime. We tried to reach her, but she turned off—”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Brute.” With a sigh, Alex turned away from the group.

  He’d handpicked Maya’s quintet of guards, wanting to keep her safe from pretty much everything, but he also hadn’t exactly counted on his lioness going against his orders, either. She was supposed to take the men with her, wherever she went—that was the deal.

  She’d objected to losing her little box of death that was her car, but he’d stood firm, and she finally agreed to let him replace it with a big, safe SUV. She’d demanded one in pink with spinning rims and he’d happily obliged, so long as she didn’t put up a fuss about the quintet driving her around. Even to her gynecologist’s office.

  He checked his watch and winced. Their guests were due to arrive any second now and, since Maya was to be the focus of the Gathering, her absence was certainly not a good thing. Not at all. Alex only hoped his wayward mate would show up before…

  Brute interrupted his train of thought. “Besides, Alpha, Neal’s with her now. I made the executive decision to split us up, once we caught up with the prima at Carly’s.

  I sent him inside by himself, given how he can smooth-talk just about anyone when he puts his mind to it. Besides, I figured she had a good reason to ditch us the way she did.

  Anyway, he should be on his way back with her any minute now. I’m sorry, Alex. I just thought that—”

  “Never mind, Brute. We’ll discuss this later.”

  Alex sighed deep, overcome with a sense of relief. Her cell was going straight to voicemail, and he was well past alarmed, rapidly on his way to being beside himself.

  And though he was expecting important guests, he had been seconds away from taking matters into his own hands…even if it had meant getting on Maya’s shit list for being overly protective. If only she knew just how far and long he’d searched for his true mate…

  Jenner raced around the corner and stumbled toward Alex, limbs flailing like an eager cub. Okay, the boy was just over twenty, and was man enough to have hit on his mate once upon a time, but he was still just a cub in Alex’s eyes. He had a bit of growing up and filling out to do, before Alex could even think about seeing the kid as anything else.

  “Prime,” the lion gasped, “the tiger delegate is here, and members of the Council have just pulled into the driveway.”

  Shit, fuck, damn, and growl.

  I swear to god, I’m going to get my mate microchipped like they do for pets if she keeps on doing this. A fucking GPS implant. Right, as if she’d ever let that happen.

  Alex rolled his head from side to side, winced when his joints cracked, then squared his shoulders. “Okay, thanks.” He took a deep breath. “Jenner, tell Grayson I want him to greet the arriving guests.” The man took off like hellhounds were nipping at his heels. Good. Now, Alex turned his attention back to what was really important to him. “Brute, hunt up Madison and—”

  “Aw, Alex…” The big man whined and sounded more like one of Alex’s spoiled nephews than the big, bad lion he was. “You know I’m better at anything than dealing with females. Maya’s different…she doesn’t put up with shit, and she’s not afraid of me. All the other women act as if I’m gonna eat ‘em alive or something.” He narrowed his eyes, and then allowed his commanding power to imbue each of the words he spoke. None of his pride would dare deny his wishes, especially when he invoked his abilities. “Find her, Brute. Tell her I want her to help you in getting Maya back here a.s.a.p. I know what you said, but Neal hasn’t returned with her, and I want my mate here. Now. Try reaching him on the phone, Brute. I want to know if they’ve left yet.”

  Maya had grown close to Madison after her change. If Neal had somehow failed to convince his mate to come home, he was sure that Maddy wouldn’t.

  “Fine,” Brute grumbled, but obeyed his wishes and exited, leaving him with the other men.

  “You three,” he said, pointing to Deuce, Wyatt, and Harding, “make yourselves useful. Check in with Luca to see if he needs any help with security. If not, you’re on kitchen duty.” The lions didn’t utter a word. Nope, it seemed they knew better than to tangle with him at that very moment. As one, they turned and retreated, but he stopped them with a warning. “Oh… And be careful if you end up assisting Ashley with the food. Luca just mated with her as you know…and even if she’s a harmless flirt…” He left the rest unsaid. All lions knew how volatile newly mated males could be, and Luca, for all of his devotion to the pack, was a really big fucker. One who could snap any of the three lions in two.

  “Yes, Prime,” they chorused as one, and with that, Alex let their ineptness drift from his troubled mind.

  He had bigger issues at hand to deal with. Like, if Maya didn’t show up soon, who was going to protect him from the persistent come-ons of the tiger pride’s leading female?

  Shit, fuck, damn, and growl.

  * * *

  Huh. There was a shit-ton of cars in the driveway. What was the occasion? An itty-bitty, like a barely-there memory, tickled Maya’s brain, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was as it flitted out of her mind. Oh, well. Before she had a chance to ask Neal about it, Carly threw Maya’s already overwhelmed mind right off the thinking tracks.

  “M, I can’t believe you dragged me here. This is a private time for you and Alex.

  Besides, I don’t belong here. Rabbits and lions don’t exactly play well together.

  Remember how I was treated b
y the lion pride the last time I showed up at the house?” Carly whined. “And Neal keeps threatening that he’s going to fucking eat me!” Yeah, sure, Carly. She bet. Rather, Neal was looking at her friend like he was starved, and Carly was an all-you-can-eat buffet. Sexual buffet, Maya thought, quietly chuckling to herself. I bet he wants to eat you, silly rabbit. Sighing, she addressed the unwelcomed man in the driver’s seat. “Neal. You’re not eating Carly in any way, shape, or form, got it?” She thought she heard a whine coming from the stubborn man. Big baby. “Carly, I do remember. But I’ve implemented a new rule, okay? No lion of mine will lay a finger on you. You’ll be fine. Trust me.” But yeah, Maya remembered. Grayson had gotten all growly because he didn’t want a rabbit in the house, and her quintet had looked rather hungrily at her friend.

  Then there were a few of the bitchier females that had given her BFF a hard time and started a cat-rabbit-fight, drawing blood before Carly fled for her life, and Maya instinctively went all bad ass, crouching lion on the aggressors. And she made it known to all that whoever fucks with Carly does so at their own peril… Because, she’d have no problem going all psycho prima on their stupid asses. Hmm…it seemed that she could be overprotective as well, at least, when it came to someone close to her.

  It had been fun. Not for her friend, but for Maya, putting those bitches in their places. This whole lioness thing had turned her into a blood-craving psychopath at times.

  Maya reassured her friend. “It’s fine, Carly. They’ve all been warned.” Worried expression marring her otherwise pretty face, her friend just shook her head. “Fine. If you can live with your very best friend—since the first grade, mind you—getting eaten alive for dinner, well, I suppose.” Maya rolled her eyes. “Drama queen.”

  “Bitch, ” Carly fired back.

  “Puh-leeze. Queen Bitch, remember? I’m preg—” Maya remembered Neal was in the car, so she immediately stopped and corrected herself. “Um… I mean… I’m so hungry for Prego. Yeah, that’s it. I’m really, really digging me some pasta sauce.” There, she didn’t accidentally tell one of her guards she was pregnant, not before she told Alex.

  Go Team Preggers!

  And telling Carly didn’t count. Because, according to Maya, there was a rule in the “Best Friend Handbook” that covered that. So, Maya was fairly certain she was in the clear. Alex would be the first male she told. Right. That was all that mattered.

  Neal parked the SUV in front of the house and shut it off. The minute the engine quieted, Maya was on the move, tromping up the walkway steps, and to what would certainly be the lecture of all lectures. “Come on, chickie,” Maya called out to her friend.

  “Let me get my ass chewed out by the prime, and then we can hit up Amazon for some—”

  Maya was interrupted by the bright red front door (because everyone just had to have a red door at some point in their lives) flying open, where a frantic Madison greeted her. “Oh, thank god, Maya.”

  In a split second, Maya was hugged tightly by one of her newest and very best lioness friends. She felt the smaller woman shaking, and the scent of fresh blood wafted to her nose.

  After she’d accepted her fate as a prima and as Alex’s mate, Maya had instantly fallen in love with Maddy, in a strictly platonic, totally non-lesbian kind of way. The timid woman was the little sister she’d never had. Caring, thoughtful, pretty much the sweetest girl she’d ever met.

  Growling, Maya wondered why her adoptive family member was sporting a cut on her arm. She separated herself from the tiny woman and looked her over from head-to-toe, trying to see if her friend had any other injuries.

  “What happened?”

  Madison stared ahead and clenched her jaw, with her back ramrod straight.

  “Nothing. Really. I’m just glad you’re home now. Alex was worried sick about you.” Maya knew Maddy was lying. Maya had been working with her on not being such a pushover. Being the kindest, the most compassionate, but also the physically weakest member of the pride didn’t mean anyone could treat her like shit. And Maya wouldn’t stand for it. Right or wrong, she protected Maddy as if she were her kid sister.

  “Please…forget about it.”

  Maya was ready to shred a bit of fur to prove her point if need be. When it came to her lions, especially Madison, she was overly protective. Sound like someone else you know, Maya? Like Alex, perhaps? Shut up, you! Maya blamed the reason for talking to herself on the stress of her recently learned pregnancy.

  “Who did this to you, Maddy?” Her friend stilled, quieted.

  Pregnant Maya was gearing up to kick some furry ass. For real. Could it get any more dramarific up in here? Dramatastic? Dramaboombastic? She found it difficult to figure out which term she preferred to explain her eventful day.

  Maya glanced at Carly. Her friend nodded, assuring her with unspoken words that she had Maya’s back. She just hoped that her friend could be as fierce as the times she’d seen the rabbit nibble the fuck out of heads of lettuce and dandelions. The low growl she heard from Neal told her that he was game as well. Besides, it was his job to protect her. Still, she was moved by his thoughtfulness.

  Maya gently pushed past Madison and cautiously strode into her home, steeling herself to the idea that she was gonna have to whoop some shifter ass. All Maddy had to do was give her a name—or names—and point the cowardly bullies out to her. She knew Maddy well enough to know that whatever happened could not have been instigated by her easygoing friend.

  It didn’t take long before the unfamiliar scents assaulted her. The musky, sweet aroma of random shifters surrounded her, and she heard voices coming from the living area. Without hesitation, she trudged in that direction, kicking off her shoes as she pressed on. No need to get her great, big, lion-y paws stuck in her pretties. And hey, look! No dents in the walls this time around. The same couldn’t be said for what had happened at Carly’s place. Oops. Sorry, chickie.

  Shifting would be her last resort, she reminded herself. Diplomacy first. Right.

  And Santa was real.

  Hormones raging, Maya said a big “Fuck you” to political correctness.

  She turned the corner and stopped to take in the scene before her. To the left, a handful of men she didn’t recognize stood in a line and glared across the room at Alex.

  But since her mate tended to piss people off on a regular basis, this didn’t really surprise her. Grrr… Regardless of who they were, she already didn’t like them. Because she, and only she, got to glare at the alpha, damn it. Her lions made up the other side of the room, including the members of the infamous quintet, minus Neal, with matching stoic looks displayed on their faces. They’ve been chewed out by Alex for her actions, no doubt. She’d apologize to them later.

  But none of that concerned her right now…

  Nope, her only and immediate problem came from the gigantic, cheap-looking-whore-biatch rubbing against her mate. Though, she had to give Alex some credit, because he did look pretty damn uncomfortable around the woman, and he was inching her hands off of his body. Good boy. But, as fast one hand was brushed aside, another took its place just as quickly. If she didn’t know any better, Maya would’ve thought the flirtatious bitch had more than two arms to go around.

  She glanced behind her at Madison and remembered she had something else to do before she scratched out the eyes of the woman touching her man. Shifters could scent if someone was already mated, so there was absolutely no reason for the slut to be getting that cozy with her man. Unless that slut had a death wish.

  Grrr… Focus, Maya. She had to help Madison first. Then, she’d have a nice little chat with the whore getting all personal with her mate. And lastly, she wanted to see if she could be of any service to the cranky-looking men who had shifted their glares from Alex to her…and maybe help them with their attitude adjustment.

  “Madison?” She was sure the little lioness could not misinterpret her question.

  And her friend did not. “The one dr
ooling all over Alex.” Maya swore she heard the little lioness gulp. Maddy added, “It’s just a scratch, M. Really.” Hmm. It seemed her adoptive sister was trying to forgive and forget. Too bad for the woman, Maya wasn’t going to let her off that easily. Because her moodiness, justifiably so in her mind, had suddenly kicked up a notch…or five.

  Heh. What do you know? Now, Maya could take care of two birds with one swipe of her claws. Even better. Yay!

  “Right. And why didn’t anyone help you?”

  “Alex gave strict orders before everyone got here. That we needed to keep the peace. And bloodshed, however slight, would not be tolerated. And you know how much I hate confrontation, M. Besides, we all know what a clean freak you are.” Maya would’ve laughed at Maddy’s attempt at a joke, but she had bigger tigers to fry…or something like that.

  “Right. He did, huh?”

  Suddenly, the memory that had tried to poke at her head when they’d arrived earlier, returned. Yup, now she remembered. To her left was the shifter Council, here to congratulate the prime on finding his mate. And she figured they were probably glaring because the guest of the occasion—her—was nowhere to be found. And as for the bitch rubbing on Alex, well, Maya presumed the woman had to be the tigress slut who led the tiger pride. If rumors were true, she came here to try to convince Alex that the two prides should get together for the next Gaian Moon. Apparently, their females were having some difficulty conceiving, and were hoping to share in the potency of her lion pride.

  Um…over my dead body, Ms. Tramp.

  Regardless of the woman’s high position with the tigers, Maya was going to assert her dominance, and teach her slutty highness how to be a proper guest.

  Maya was pregnant, hormonal, cranky, and downright furious that: 1) The bitch would dare touch her man.

  2) The bitch would have the gall to lay a finger on her precious friend.