Fast and the Furriest (16 page)

But not all.

Which was fine. It was
fine
. She couldn’t be accepted by everyone right away.

Her tigress told her it was anything but fine. The cat was furious, enraged, at not being shown the respect it deserved. They were the tiger alpha fem. Them. Every tiger should bow to their dominance and show their acceptance. To resist was to challenge—

“We didn’t witness her tug your tail, alpha!” The shout came from a tiger hidden in the crowd, silencing the welcome with that handful of words.

Zoe glanced at Ares from the corner of her eye and didn’t miss his smile. Then the scent of his excitement and anticipation came to her on the wind.

“No, you didn’t, but you will now.” He released her and stepped away, putting space between them as he moved to the edge of the altar. He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled, whipping the top over his head and tossing it over the edge of the stone. “Get ready, baby.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Ready…”

“Braden! The rules!”

Braden, Ares’s second, stepped forward. “Shift and battle or concede. No blood. No permanent damage.” Braden focused on her. “One chance. If your tigers don’t bond now, they never will.”

Zoe gasped, heartbeat stuttering as she flung her attention to Ares. “You never said—”

“Do you doubt your cat?” He quirked a brow.

She searched inside herself, opening herself to the tigress, and her answer was immediate. “No.”

“Do you doubt you’re mine?”

“No.”

“Then there was no reason to tell you.”

She rolled her eyes. “How the hell could you know what I felt?”

He strolled toward her, quickly crossing the feet separating them. “Because I know you. I know your cat. I know you’re mine.” He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips and then stepped back. “Braden?”

“The fight remains on the altar. Fall and fail.”

She gasped. “You mean, if I fall off, that’s it?”

“Yes,” the second answered immediately.

She glared at Ares. “I’m so kicking your ass when this is done.”

Ares simply waggled his eyebrows and reached for his jeans, quickly slipping them down his legs and off his body. The moment he was nude, the change washed over him, replacing his human skin with a tiger’s fur. At least he hadn’t been naked for very long. That meant she wouldn’t have to claw everyone’s eyes out for looking at her naked mate.

Or half-mate.

Zoe, fury filling her, allowed the transition to slide over her in a sensuous wave. The tiger was pissed at being tricked and drawn to the gathering without knowing everything, and she was gonna show him just how pissed.

Now.

The second the shift was complete, she leapt—kicking free of her tattered clothing and ignoring the crowd’s shocked gasp. Well, they’d get over it. She had a mate’s ass to kick and then claim.

Ares knew she’d be pissed, but damn. The change had hardly finished before she leapt at him, massive paws launching her into the air with one heave. And Ares’s tiger… was overjoyed. It didn’t care for having his mate attempting to kick its ass, but it loved seeing her lithe lines and muscular form attempting to subdue him.

The dominance that flowed from her, the waves of power that slipped from her pores, filled the air. Her strength was unmistakable, and an easy match for his own. His pride—
all
of his pride—lowered themselves at her attack, their heads tilted and vulnerable necks bared. It was a display he’d never seen before. The immediate welcome was unheard of, most prides taking time to accept a new alpha pair.

But with Zoe…

Their inner beasts recognized hers as their fem.

Now it was his cat’s turn to test her, to learn his mate’s strengths and weigh them against his own.

Speaking of strength…

Zoe crashed into him, her new weight slamming into his unprepared form. His claws dug into the aged stone, creating new, deeper furrows in the rock. His nails found purchase and stopped their slide toward the edge. Then he focused on dislodging his snarling mate, the feline pushing and batting at him with her paws. At least her claws were sheathed.

Then she whacked him across the muzzle and his cat went from pride to anger. He wanted her as his mate, but she hit him as if he was a cub who needed correction. Ares pushed up in a sudden rush, shoving harder with his left side than right and effectively rolling her from atop him. Zoe slid across the stone before flipping to her feet once more. Her head was lowered, fangs bared, and her gaze intent on him.

He did the same, rising to four feet and glaring at the female who dared bat at him. He let a growl rumble forward, sliding free of his maw, and his power as an alpha joined the sound. It was one that held a single command.

Submit
.

Zoe merely exposed more fang.

Sub. Mit.

Zoe hissed.

And then his cat took over. Harming her was not what it desired, but neither was submission.

He bunched his legs, his muscles tense, and prepared to launch himself at the furious tiger. But a flick of her tail caught his attention.

That was the purpose of this fight. Catch. Catch and keep.

He brought his own tail close to his body, coiling it near. He wanted to catch first, not be caught. Weak males were captured by their females first. He would snare her and then give her his own tail.

Unfortunately, in the time it took him to remember his purpose, Zoe pounced. She leapt at him once more, fangs bared but claws sheathed. She landed atop him and then rolled, nearing the edge and his cat objected to the closeness. Falling off would mean the end. They wouldn’t mate.

Unacceptable.

Once more he tossed her off, expecting her to roll away and slowly regain her feet.

His expectations were dashed when the tigress flipped over, hopped to her paws and came at him once more. The female was determined, intent on capturing him immediately.

She would prove herself first. Prove herself to be strong enough to stand at an alpha’s side.

He tossed away his human thoughts of caring and protecting and snapped at her. He was not one to be subdued so easily.

Ares batted at her, reaching out with a single paw and striking her muzzle. It earned him a hiss and a snap of her teeth.

Then they circled, massive forms crowded on the stone altar, the space cramped for a battle between two full-grown tigers. But that was the point. Subdue or be subdued. There was no chance of losing an opponent in rough terrain or disguising scent during a race through the forest.

Cat versus cat.

He tensed once more and Zoe did the same, meeting him in the center in a clash of fur and fang. She bit him but didn’t break skin. He did the same, but didn’t draw blood.

Roar. Hiss. Nip. Bite. Push.

His tiger sought an opening, attention focused on his target—that striped, flicking tail.

Her attention was on his own, her tongue snaking out to clean her whiskers as she stared.

Snarl. Strike. Snap. Pounce.

They rolled, tumbling over the stone until they reached the edge once more. This time, he was atop her, his larger body pinning her down. Amber eyes met amber eyes, a challenge clear in their depths.

She challenged him.

She would lose. Did the cat want her to lose? It wanted her to submit to him. Right?

The cat didn’t know. It just didn’t like being defied. He hissed in her face once more, demanding she relent.

Submit.

Zoe growled, brought her back legs up and shoved. It was his turn to tumble across the rock, catching himself before he dipped over the edge.

She didn’t give him a chance to regain his feet, attacking before he caught his balance, and then the fierce tigress was on him once more. They clashed, growls and roars peppering the constant shove and tumble of their bodies. The battle raged, each cat fighting for supremacy, fighting to prove their worth, and take what they desired most.

Ares desired Zoe above all. He ached to have her by his side, forever his mate and his other half.

Which was why he pushed on, continued fighting, and continued proving himself to her and the pride. He was a strong male, a worthy mate, and the longer the war raged, the more she proved she was a worthy female.

Exhaustion pushed at him, and a glance at the night sky revealed the position of the moon. Had they fought so long? Hours, easily.

He noted his pride still stood near, their tigers surrounding the stone, silently showing their support of their alpha pair.

And they were a pair.

Just as soon as he got his fangs on her tail.

Ares redoubled his efforts, a new surge of strength infusing him, and he popped to his feet once more. They returned to their slow circling, the gradual shift of muscle, bone and fur as they both sought an opening. Around and around they went, steps silent as their paws padded over the sacred rock. The new claw marks would be something they would show their cubs one day, proof of their mother’s strength and father’s determination to have her.

Zoe flicked her tail, the tip twitching, and he found happiness shining in her gaze. She was tired, mouth hanging open as she panted but enjoyed every moment of this fight.

He did as well, but it was time to end it. He wanted his mate in his arms. Now.

Eyes focused on her face, gazes locked, he didn’t tense in preparation of his leap. No, he didn’t give her a chance to guess his next movement. When she slowly lowered her eyes, a feline’s kiss in cat form, he pounced. Paws outstretched, he jumped on her back, taking her down to the stone as he brought his weight atop her. He pawed at her twitching tail, pushing down on the rapidly flicking appendage and then he nipped her, fangs nicking the very tip as proof of his claim.

Unfortunately—or fortunately—he felt a similar sting at the end of his and he glanced over his shoulder to see that his tail was slightly bloodied as well.

Dammit, they’d caught each other.

On the heels of that thought came a wave of magic, the final piece of their mating falling into place. The pride erupted into joyous roars and chuffs, vocalizing their pleasure at their alpha’s mating, but Ares was consumed by his mate. The ties that held him to the pack extended to include her, the gold threads that joined them now stretching and bringing his mate’s soul alongside his.

They were the single embodiment of strength that connected to every tiger, every adult and every cub. They were his, and now they were hers. Their reach extended across the continent. The closest tigers were bright lights in the web, while those in the far reaches glowed less but not weaker, just distant.

Ares rose from his position above Zoe and nuzzled her, nipping her and encouraging her to stand. She easily rose to four feet, and when he began his change back to his human form, she was quick to follow until they stood naked before the pride.

Her face flushed red, and her hands twitched as if she wanted to cover herself, but he tugged her close. Nudity wasn’t a big deal to his kind—their kind.

“Pride!” He couldn’t suppress the joy in his voice. He had a gorgeous mate, a healthy pride, and a bright future. Even with the obstacles that lingered, he knew they’d find happiness in the times to come. “I give you your alpha fem!”

Roars echoed through the air, the pride’s joy at having a complete alpha pair overwhelming his connection—their connection—to every tiger. Their bodies vibrated, tremors slipping through each tiger, and he noticed that several already had the first hints of their cat coating their skin.

They’d held on longer than he’d anticipated and he knew it was because of Zoe that they remained on two feet. Her presence, their connection to her, made the entire pride stronger. But now it was time to release them, to let them revel in the cats they were and enjoy the night. “Let us run!”

The change of so many tigers in one space saturated the air with power, and Ares breathed it in. He was born to lead them, to care for these tigers as if they were his own cubs, and he’d never felt more comfortable in the position than this moment. With a healthy pride and a mate at his side, he was home.

It didn’t take long for the tigers to feed off of each other’s strength, the hundred men and women quickly adopting fur and fangs and then dashing into the forest. They crashed through the brush, nipping at each other, snarling and huffing, but not in anger.

In joy.

The moment the last tiger disappeared, Zoe turned to him, a mixture of anger and pleasure in her gaze. She started with the anger.

“I can’t believe you!” She poked him. “You bit my ass!”

Ares grinned. He reached for her, snatching her before she could dance away. “Want me to do it again?”

He’d like to.

Zoe glared, eyes narrowed, and she took a step away from him, then another. Then a third, and before long, she stood at the edge of the altar. The tiger wanted to chase her—vibrated with the need to grasp her—before she could get farther from them.

She gave him a teasing, half-evil grin. “You’d have to catch me first.”

With that, she leapt from the stone, body shifting in mid-air so she was a tiger once her paws connected with the earth. And then she was gone, sprinting to the tree line without glancing back.

Ares was on her, rushing fast and furious after his mate. The night welcomed them, cradled them in the shadows before the dawn, and he accepted the evening’s embrace. They would race through the trees, pounce and chase the rest of the pride, and let tomorrow’s worries wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow their enemies would learn never to tug a tiger’s tail unless they were prepared for its teeth.

The End

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The
Tiger Tails
series:

Fast and the Furriest -
http://bookbit.ly/fastfurare

You’re Kitten Me -
http://bookbit.ly/kittenare