“That’s really sweet, thank you.It’s definitely a lot to deal with in a short amount of time.”
“Right?”Rhomi said.“You’re just going along with your day, and then you lock eyes with your soulmate and the whole world goes upside down.”
“That’s a great way to explain it,” Sera said.“Make yourselves comfortable.Would anyone like coffee?I have sweet cream I whipped up earlier.”
“Heck yes,” Rhomi said.
“Count me in,” Sidney said, with Jenni agreeing.
“None for me, I’m off caffeine until the cub is born,” Celeste said, touching her extended belly.“But if you have something in the fridge that’s non-caffeinated, I’ll take it.”
Sera brought out the coffees with sweet cream and a bottle of strawberry kiwi flavored water.
“So,” Sera said.“Did Caesar ask you guys to come over?”
Celeste nodded as she took a drink.“He said he had something to attend to and asked if we’d come introduce ourselves.It’s tradition to have a pride meal when a soulmate is found, and with so many of us it can be a lot to take in.”
Sidney nodded.“So now you can get to know us, and then when we have the big party for your mating, it won’t seem like such a huge deal.”
“Speaking of that,” Sera said, “is there a joining ceremony?What about a mating ceremony?”
“We do the ceremonies as a combination,” Celeste said.“The whole pride will get together after the park is closed in the paddock and we’ll have a big party to celebrate you and Caesar being mates as well as you joining the pride.”
“It would look a bit different from our ceremonies because you’re the alpha female, but the mating ceremony and traditions will be the same,” Jenni said.
“Tell me about them,” Sera said, sitting down and picking up a blueberry muffin.“I want to know everything.”
Caesar’s lion was bristling as he hurried topside to meet the security team.He hadn’t wanted to tell Sera what was going on because he didn’t want to freak her out, but Otto had come to the park.He’d smashed through the unmanned security gate at the employee lot.He hadn’t gotten close to the wrought-iron gate that led into the park, but it was still disconcerting he’d gotten that far.
He reached the topside cafeteria with a snarl in his throat.
How fucking dare Otto come to the park!
Jupiter was waiting for him in the cafeteria, face grim.
“Hey, Dad.”
Caesar planted his hands on his hips.“Amadeus didn’t have a lot of information when he called me.How many males are with Otto?”
“Three.When they smashed through the security gate, it tripped the alarm.Amadeus was on patrol and went to investigate and he nearly got run over by Otto’s vehicle.Thankfully, Javan and Xavier were nearby and helped Amadeus keep them where they were.”
“How many of our people are there?”
“We called all available security members there.”
Caesar nodded and walked toward the door, then he stopped.“Don’t have everyone at the employee lot—scatter them around the perimeter of the park, inside and outside of the walls.”
Jupiter’s brows drew down, then he hummed.“You think he might be luring us to one location and trying to get in?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.He didn’t become alpha of his jaguar prowl—and manage to successfully take over Dario’s prowl after his death—because he’s a nice guy.He’s dangerous and smart, which is a bad combination.”
“On it,” Jupiter said.
They left the cafeteria and strode swiftly to the employee parking lot to confront Otto, Jupiter using his walkie to communicate with the security team and alphas to ensure there were no areas left unmonitored.
By the time they reached the lot, Caesar was certain the park was secure and none of Otto’s males could infiltrate their defenses.And even if they did, Sera and the other park shifters who weren’t part of the security team were safely underground where no one could get to them.They walked through the gate that led to the lot and joined the others at the guard station.
Joss and Atticus were the alphas who’d joined the security team to stand with Caesar, while Marcus and Alistair were with the other security team members watching the park itself.
