Then came the question of whether or not to tell them how he felt. It came up every time he got back from a hit. Murder was seen as horrible even in the Shifter world unless the reason was deemed reasonable. During his time as an active assassin, Dylan realized he didn’t always need a reason. He could kill just because and that's when he finally quit. It could be dangerous for a Pack with a ruthless killer as a member and he couldn’t give Jackson a reason to let him go, so he never told a soul. He’d keep his secret for as long as he could.
As his senses suddenly sparked up, Dylan began to repeatedly tap the armrest of his couch. His chest felt heavy. Listening to his instincts, he walked into the forest. Something was wrong and judging by his wolf’s reaction, it had to do with Flora. Shifting into his wolf, his brown paws beat the ground as his wolf took control, using her fading scent to track her down.
Watching from the shadows, Dylan’s human consciousness took over in his wolf body. He searched for Flora's scent, but with different scents filling the air, he decided to search for just one — blood. Since he couldn’t smell any blood, he decided it was safe enough for Flora to run around. Dylan turned around to head back to the house, but before he could, he spotted a creature in the open clearing in a couple yards front of him. Bushes and trees slightly blocked his view of the creature but not enough that he couldn’t tell what it was. Circling in the clearing was a black panther. One of the most dangerous Shifters in the world was getting ready to attack another wolf on the other side of the clearing.
As Dylan sniffed again, he picked up another Shifter's scent, one different from Flora’s. Confused about whether the panther was Flora or not, Dylan shifted into his human form. He yelled out Flora’s name hoping that the panther was hers and wouldn’t try to kill him. The panther jerked its head in his direction. Her tongue stuck out slightly as her tail swung from side to side. From the eye contact they were making and in the response to the name-calling, there was no doubt now in Dylan's mind that the panther was Flora's. Dylan shifted back into his wolf, standing back as the other Shifter, another wolf, got closer. Sizing up Flora's panther, getting in her way was a death sentence Dylan wasn’t ready to fulfill.
Growls from the other wolf Shifter made Flora’s panther tense. Her hackles began to rise, and her tail stopped swinging. The goal of the wolf Shifter was to attack, which switched Flora’s panther mood completely, from joyful to defensive in a moment's notice. Flora’s panther could see a fight was imminent; the stranger wolf's presence and purpose were clear. Dylan’s wolf mentally scratched from inside, begging for control. His own growls filled his mind. As much as both Dylan and his wolf wanted to protect Flora, she needed to protect herself, fight for herself. Shifters' animals were proud of protecting their humans and families. Inserting himself in the fight before it even started would be overstepping Flora’s panther's boundaries. Dylan would stand back and watch in case shit hit the fan.
The panther continued to circle around the newcomer, her shoulder blades rhythmically moving up and down as she strode around waiting for the other wolf Shifter to make a move. The wolf jumped from its spot behind the trees, landing on Flora’s panther. In an instant, Flora whipped it off her back by shoving her body weight to the left. She wasted no time swiping her paw across the wolf’s face, her claws leaving a trail of blood behind.
The wolf fought back, growling, and launched its jaw into her shoulder, whipping Flora around. Dylan stood still behind the fight, getting ready to jump in to help Flora if she needed him. Flora’s panther escaped the wolf's jaws and landed a death bite of her own. The wolf went limp under the powerful bite of her panther. Letting it hit the ground with a thud, her panther walked toward Dylan’s wolf, rubbing her head around his neck with affection. He was frozen to his spot. He didn’t want to make any sudden moves and set her off. He was strong but panthers were on a different level. Flora backed away and began to run around again, not quite ready to shift back to human form. Dylan’s wolf took that as a sign to search his land for any other shifters before heading back to his spot on the porch, letting her run free.
In human form, Dylan pulled up his jeans and sat on the porch, letting the last of the sun sting his chest. Warmth filled the chill from witnessing a fight nested in his chest.
Flora’s a panther.
He’d met a panther.
Flora’s a damn cat.
Shaking his head, he couldn’t believe that the woman he was protecting was a panther. An animal that could rip him apart, as she demonstrated with the other wolf. Which he’d have to come back and take care of the body later... That also meant reestablishing his territory lines again and what a pain in the ass that was to have to do again. A man could only piss so damn much.
Why did she need protection when she was one of the strongest animals among Shifters — an animal most known for their fighting skills? Pulling his loose hair back, he made a call to Jackson, letting him know there was a loose shifter on his land. Sure, Dylan’s home away from home was miles away from Enchanted Pack land, but Jackson needed to be ready if Shifters were getting brazen and crossing land borders so carelessly.
He wasn’t quite sure what to do, let alone think. Swiping back and forth through apps on his phone, his mind focused on Flora. He wasn’t supposed to find out what her animal was. Would she fire him now? Kill him? He couldn’t tell. His mind continued to race until the sleek, midnight-colored panther strode toward the back porch. He stood slowly, meeting her at the end of the last step of the stairs. Dylan stood in amazement at the panther walking up to him. Kneeling in front of the panther, he left himself open. He wasn’t all the way sure this wildcat wouldn’t kill him, but based on the fact the panther wasn't runningathim, he would take his chances. The panther rubbed her body all over Dylan as if marking him as…family?
Confusion filled Dylan as the panther purred, licking his face. Flora might not have liked him very much, but her animal sure did. Dylan gave her a few pets, returning the affection she was giving. Pride filled his chest again. Being liked by a panther was an honor. Giving her a few more loving taps, she took off toward the forest where he assumed she would finish her time being in panther form.
9
FLORA
Slowing her run, Flora’s panther knew it was time to give back control to her human side. Stopping by her clothes she had folded on the forest floor, her panther laid comfortably while the shift began. Her human hands unfolded the clothes and put them back on. A cloud of dread covered Flora’s body. Fear that Dylan wouldn’t be waiting for her when she got back. Once people found out she was a panther, any sort of friendship or trust instantly disappeared and it crushed Flora every single time. She’d only known Dylan for a short amount of time, a couple of weeks max. Dylan didn’t seem like the judgmental, run-from-fear type but on the topic of panthers, Flora couldn’t be sure. She pushed her long braids over her shoulder as she shyly made her way back to the house. This was the one gray area in her life that made her insecure to the point where she couldn’t hide it. She avoided this conversation with nearly everyone in her life, Willow and Luxe included. But Dylan weaseled his way in and found her most well-kept secret within a couple of weeks. She watched him as she approached the house from the tree line. He sat silently, comfortable, and still shirtless, as she neared. He was there. He'd stayed.
“So, you met my panther,” Flora stated, sitting next to him on the old couch. Looking anywhere but at Dylan, Flora focused her attention on the pressure of the cushion on her back, creating a bubble of safety around herself.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he responded, trying to get Flora to make eye contact with him. She could feel his eyes searching for her own, but she kept hers focused directly in front of her.
Dylan stood suddenly, stooping down on one knee before her. His arm gently came up to the side of her face to bring her gaze to his. “Your animal doesn’t change anything for me.”
“It doesn’t?’ Most people in the Shifter world hated panthers and either wanted to kill them or sell them to the Shifter Black Market. Their history of participating in cage fights (voluntarily or not) ran too deep and terrified people. Panthers were always strong and solitary animals. It made them valuable to the Shifter community. It pained Flora to know that this fear was created by what was supposed to be fun and playful neighborhood fights. But, of course, bids got higher, and people became greedy. Fighters started getting paid less and wanted out. Except that wasn’t an option anymore. It changed from fun and playful to life and death. That was the birth of the SBM and cage fighting.
“Nope.”
“What if I was a turtle or a dragon?”
“Are dragons even real?”
“Who knows, with fairies, witches, and beyond, I wouldn’t be too surprised to stumble across a dragon Shifter.”
“But yes, Flora, even then. Nothing changes.”
Smiling, Flora took her hand and placed it on his bare shoulder, appreciating the muscle underneath his slightly tanned, naked skin. She couldn’t overlook the pause that followed the physical connection. She liked the newfound nakedness of his chest and wasn’t ready to let it disappear, so she yanked his shirt that was laying across his thigh and took off for the car, giggles escaping her lips as she climbed inside.
Dylan swaggered not far behind.
He really didn’t care about her panther, and he didn’t leave. She could hardly breathe. The excitement tore through her body as she slid into his car, smiling like a fool.
