Mate didn’t say anything, but his mouth thinned—his displeasure obvious. Tali whirled, giving him her back and flashing me a look as she marched past. Griffin rubbed his face and didn’t say a word, but the way the fur over his eyes furrowed . . .
Them fighting was wrong; panic speared through my stomach. I didn’t want Mate to be sad.
“I don’t want this.” I shook my head, sidestepping to intercept his kin from leaving. Tali turned her glare on me.
I tugged off his shirt I wore.
“Why are you getting naked?” She muttered, shaking her head. “Griffin, she’s fucking crazy?—”
I shifted, dropping onto my four paws.
“Wh-wh-what . . .”
She screamed, throwing her hands up, as she took off at a sprint. In a smooth glide, Griffin jumped over the couch to block her path.
“Now, Tali,” he murmured, hands raised in front of him. Her eyes continued flicking to the door, and her muscles tensed. “Don’t,” Griffin breathed. “I’ll explain.”
Her wide eyes hadn’t moved from me; the tang of her fear was on the back of my tongue. I approached slowly and rubbed my head against her hand. She gasped, turning it into a fist.
“She’s not going to hurt you,” Griffin insisted, his tone harsh. “Please let me explain what happened.”
The silence that ensued was filled by my purr.
It took her a few moments, but eventually, she turned her head to look at me. Her face was pale, and her lips thin, but I continued to stare at her.
This had to work to make her understand that I didn’t know what I did was wrong. But I could learn. I just didn’t want her to turn her back on Griffin. Her mouth opened and closed. She looked over at him, then back at me.
“Fine,” she breathed, eyes wide as she opened her shaking hand and slid it over my head. I purred and lowered, pushing against her side. “Tell me.”
***
I rubbed my palms on the bottom of the dress, pacing from one end of the living room to the other. After watching so much media, I understood meeting a human’s progenitor—parent—was important, and if she didn’t like me . . . I gritted my teeth.
I would kill her. No. No, I wouldn’t kill her. I stopped the uncharitable thought in its place.
Griffin approached where I stood by the door.
“You’ll be fine,” Tali assured me again.
It hadn’t taken her but a day to pass through her fear. I fascinated her, and half the questions she asked, I had no answers to. Beasts were simple creatures.
The doorbell rang. Griffin stepped in front of me and clasped my face, angling it up.
“Everything will be okay,” he murmured and leaned down to kiss my forehead. Tali stayed at my side as he retreated, but she hadn’t stopped staring at me, so I turned to meet her gaze.
“You’re an odd one, but I like you for him.” She frowned and peeked over toward where Mate disappeared. “He’s always been erratic and unsettled, but . . . he’s different now.”
It sounded like a good thing, but I wasn’t too sure.
The low hum of a feminine voice echoed closer along with the thrum echoing off the wood floor. With each encroaching step, my throat became tighter and tighter.
Shifters never kept a long-term relationship with progen—parents. This was a human thing, and it felt terribly important.
Tali was still talking, reassurances spilling from her lips.
A small woman with a shock of white hair haloing her head entered the living room. Her eyes met mine, their shape forming into crescents. I cleared my throat. My hands felt clammy, so I wiped them on my skirt. She looked up at Griffin who crossed his arms, hovering to the side. He kept looking at me, and I didn’t miss the smile on his mother’s face. Her care was splashed there for me to see.
I expected a swell of anger. She was another woman he cared for, but my possessiveness simmered. She strode in my direction, coming at me with quick steps. My breath stuck in my throat, panic encroaching.What do I—Her arms wrapped around me, pressing me to her plush bosom.
