Puma Pride, page 13
“Do you trust this Pride,” Daryl asked.
“With my life,” Jolyn took hold of Brady’s hand and held it in both of hers.
“Then I think we should share,” Daryl nodded. He leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees. “Three years ago when my brother’s pack was destroyed, it was reported all were killed.”
“But they weren’t,” Brady leaned forward.
“While the sheriff took Jolyn away from their home, he contacted me. I took a team over. There were places Jolyn didn’t know about where they hid,” Daryl informed them. “Two women, human women, and nine young ones survived. Seven of the young ones were pups ranging in age from a few weeks to nearly a year. The other two were human babies. The women had given birth less than a week earlier.”
“Eleven in total survived,” Mia said.
“While the babies belonged to those women, the pups did not. They heard shots outside and fighting and they grabbed who they could and hid,” Daryl said. “A third human woman fought outside where they hid. She scooped up most of the puppies and shoved them in with the others.”
“Brave woman,” Bryan stated.
“The damage they did to her was… indescribable. But she kept those hidden safe. Like Jolyn, these survivors have been in hiding,” Daryl informed them.
“Did you know about the survivors,” Brady asked.
“Not until later,” Jolyn said. “Willie helped them like he did me.”
“He’s been particularly useful in keeping our secrets,” Daryl said. “No matter how much he grumbles about it.”
“I don’t want to know where they are,” Jolyn blurted out.
“No and nor will I be disclosing this,” Daryl assured her. “At the time, we got the security footage from the compound before the police did. The two women described what occurred. It’s not an easy story to hear but with what’s going on, it might be pertinent.”
“Why do you think that,” Bryan asked.
Daryl started to answer but Starry entered the room pushing a tray of refreshments. “Starry, thank you,” Mia dismissed her. “This looks lovely.”
“Did Minnie help with the cookies,” Jolyn asked.
“She sure did,” Starry said. “She’s got a talent there.”
Plates with cookies passed around. Everyone took bites as Starry made her way out of the room closing the door behind her.
“We dealt with a few radical groups,” Daryl said. “It wasn’t just Pete’s Pack who was attacked though his was the worst.”
“Jolyn told us part of this,” Mia nodded.
“We think they were after our catalyst,” Daryl said. “But they didn’t get her. The Packs and Prides in the area are still producing at a higher birthrate than average.”
“Do you know who your catalyst is,” Bryan asked.
Daryl took a bite of his cookie and slowly placed it on the plate. “I do but please don’t ask me to reveal who.”
“Of course not,” Mia said. “It’s hard enough to have children, if you have something making us more fertile, you protect it.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Daryl said.
“We’d be interested in seeing the security footage and the interviews,” Brady spoke up.
Daryl reached into his pocket. “Little one, promise me you won’t watch the footage.”
“I’ll have to in order to see if I recognize anyone,” Jolyn choked out as she considered the gore of the scene. “I saw it in person. How much worse could it be?”
“We’ll do what we can to keep the exposure to a minimum,” Bryan interrupted as he saw Daryl start to pull back.
“Good. It gave me nightmares,” Daryl confessed.
“Why wasn’t it released at the time,” Brady asked. “It might have helped find them.”
“In the area, there was a lot of anti-shifter issues,” Daryl explained. “Still is to some extent but it’s getting better.”
“Don’t you want them put away,” Mia asked.
“No. I want to go to their homes and tear them apart bit by bit,” Daryl growled but cleared his throat. “But the children and other family members in those homes didn’t do this.”
“We could leak it,” Bryan said thinking of Captain Okwaho.
“Let me discuss it with Willie before you do,” Daryl said.
“Is there anything else,” Mia asked.
“One thing. I want to assure you my Pack is not after your kit. Children are precious and to be protected. I have not issued an order to take your kit nor am I aware of any pack member who has committed such a crime. If I hear of anything, I will let you know.”
“Thank you,” Mia smiled.
“You should get the area Alphas together to open up communication between the groups,” Jolyn suggested. “It will help build trust and hopefully keep lines of communications open.”
“Good idea,” Daryl said. “I’ll reach out to other alphas if you’re interested in doing this.”
“Yes, because if they’re after our kits, they might be after other shifters’ children,” Mia realized.
“I’ll reach out to the alphas I know as well,” Bryan agreed.
“We should stand together,” Daryl said.
6
Brady moved in his bed and woke. She wasn’t next to him. His heart raced in a momentary panic until he heard her shifting in the chair outside. The doors stood open with the moonlight pouring down on their room.
Two days ago, they watched the interview with the women and the replaying of the murders of the pack. Jolyn wrapped her arms around herself but said nothing. The men wore masks but on the edge of the camera Brent Ladika pulled on a black mask and took up an automatic rifle.
Since then, Jolyn withdrew into herself. She curled against him at night and kept to their room. He hadn’t pushed her to talk about it.
He squatted in front of her. “What’s wrong,” he murmured.
“The video should be released,” Jolyn said. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I thought I’d mostly put it behind me but I haven’t. Seeing those images again… it wasn’t shocking because I see them in my head all the time.”
“You want to release the video to get the images out of your head,” he watched her face to see how upset she was.
Leaning forward, she cupped his face and kissed him slowly. “Those images will always be in my head. I need to learn to cope with them better than I have been. They all deserve justice. People need to know the case is still open. They need to show the public what humans did. I think the shifters might be surprised by how much support they receive.”
“Most aren’t as sympathetic as you are,” Brady picked her up and held her close to him.
“Forty two children were killed that day,” Jolyn reminded him. “You don’t think mothers and fathers won’t look at those murdered children and feel an outrage at such actions?”
“They might or they might see them as animals. Humans have not been compassionate to animals,” Brady reminded her.
“They… Peter, the other adults, the puppies, they all deserve justice,” Jolyn pressed her point. “The video shows at least one face. Maybe they can go through the list of known associates to figure out who else was there.”
“Willie, Daryl and Bryan are meeting to discuss it in a couple days,” Brady leaned his forehead against hers. “You might have to face him.”
“I didn’t witness the crime,” Jolyn reminded him. “I discovered the bodies.”
“True. Why are you out here?”
“Sometimes I need time to myself to think.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“You’ve been busy and have been showing me the compound,” Jolyn said. “While you allegedly checked security.”
“I was checking security,” he smiled at her catching on to him showing her around while keeping her near him.
“We don’t have to be joined at the hip,” Jolyn smiled.
“I like us joined,” Brady muttered as he toyed with the narrow strap of her nightgown. He bent down to nibble along her breast.
“I had a bad dream,” she confessed. “I wanted to think about it.”
“You should have woken me,” Brady murmured as he cuddled her close.
“Brady. I’m okay. You were right there and it helped to know you were but I needed to think.”
“I’m crowding you,” he grinned.
“Yes. Mostly I like it but tonight, I need the peace. I knew if I needed you, you’d wake and do whatever I needed.”
“But you needed to think.”
“It’s why I left the doors open. I could hear you breathing.”
“It reassured you.”
She kissed him, slowly. Taking her time, she joined her lips with his and enjoyed the warmth of his body, the touch of his hands and the heat which started low in her belly. “I feel safe with you.”
“Want to talk about the dream?” His hands wandered gently up and down her body.
“No. It was a stupid messed up dream. It woke me. I lay watching you sleep.”
“Need any more thinking time?”
She smiled realizing what he wanted. “No.”
“Good,” he stood with her in his arms and carried her in the door. He paused long enough for her to close the doors before he strode to the bed. “I’m sorry to say, you may not get anymore sleep tonight.”
“Not from nightmares,” she murmured as he let her feet touch the floor and slowly rubbed her silk nightgown off her body.
“You’re here early for the meeting,” Mia sat next to Jolyn.
“I want to think about what I want to say,” Jolyn sighed.
“You all right,” Mia asked.
“Yes. Actually, I am. Brady is…” Jolyn stopped as she blushed a little thinking of how often he made love to her.
“Yeah. Most females with shifters are quite satisfied,” Mia chuckled. “They have staying power.”
“Yes,” Jolyn put her hands on her cheeks. “He’s still fussing when I’m out of sight.”
“You’ve been hurt twice,” Mia said. “Want some of this?”
“Starry’s cookies? Yes,” Jolyn agreed eagerly.
Mia piled several cookies on a plate. “We’re sharing. Don’t worry I won’t claw your hand if you take one.”
“Good to know,” Jolyn took a raisin cookie.
“You want them to release the video,” Mia guessed.
“I do. I think the pack deserves justice and he or they deserve punishment,” Jolyn said. “I also know it shows a weakness for the packs, prides and other shifters.”
“Because they were at a large compound with little protection. No outside walls. No security gate. Nothing. Many of our people don’t live in compounds like this one.”
“How big is the Pride,” Jolyn asked.
“Bryan’s family goes back several generations. We have third and fourth cousins who are scattered around this country and even a few in other countries. His great great however many times grandparents came here from Europe and settled. They bought land. The more they bought the more family showed up. Eventually we ended up with this compound and then we have an apartment complex over on Bridge Avenue.”
“Nice apartments,” Jolyn noted as Mia mentioned luxury apartments not far from where her last apartment was.
“They go back further than the founding of the state,” Mia grinned. “Bryan and I lived in those apartments for our first year together.”
“Complete privacy,” Jolyn understood the pleasure in living alone.
“Absolutely.” Mia grinned. “Some of his ancestors worked their way into the government. We still have family in the government.”
“Were they part of the change over,” Jolyn asked as she nibbled on a cookie.
“You mean as in masterminds behind it,” Mia asked.
“Was there a mastermind behind it? I thought they revealed there were shifters and then the power shifted,” Jolyn asked as she thought about the change over.
“If there was a mastermind behind it, it wasn’t Bryan’s family. They’ve always been conservative when it comes to breaking tradition,” Mia grinned. “We scandalized them.”
“How?”
“The prospective alpha announces he’s ready to mate and then tours all the Prides,” Mia said. “My family was local and small in comparison to this Pride. We met, realized, and then got together.”
“Did he ask or…” Jolyn didn’t want to get too personal.
“No. He told me. Like Brady told you and I lasted two days resisting him. In those two days, he did everything he thought women wanted but I still resisted,” Mia grinned.
“What changed your mind,” Jolyn asked.
“He came to me and…” she paused and turned to make sure no one came in the library. “He confessed his cat yowled at him non-stop. He confessed he couldn’t sleep because he thought he offended me.”
“Had he,” Jolyn leaned in to listen.
“No but I don’t like to be told anything,” Mia admitted. “I didn’t plan to be with someone who ordered me around. I made him promise never to do it. If he did, I’d leave him because mates should be partners.”
“And he did what,” Jolyn asked.
“I caved,” Bryan said putting his hands on Mia’s shoulders. “I would have done anything she asked. All she asked for was a partner.”
Mia pulled him down to kiss him. “Hardest thing I did was resist my own mate,” Mia murmured.
“You were right to though,” Bryan grinned against her lips. “Why are you reminiscing in here?”
“I was telling Jolyn about your family and the Pride,” Mia smiled when Bryan snitched a cookie.
“Starry’s teaching the kids good things,” Bryan commented with a mouth full of cookie.
“Brady’s not with you,” Jolyn frowned.
“He wanted to check on a delivery,” Bryan answered vaguely.
“Is there a problem,” Mia asked.
“Don’t think so,” Bryan grinned as he strolled over to the table with snacks and drinks. “Starry’s getting good at this whole have food at meetings.”
“You’re just greedy because we skipped breakfast,” Mia smirked.
Jolyn glanced over her shoulder to see if Brady followed Bryan. She missed him. She laughed at herself. “It seems like you have to take time whenever you can.”
“I like her,” Bryan pointed to Jolyn. “Can we keep her?”
“You don’t need more excuses to not work,” Mia shifted and sighed.
“All right,” Jolyn asked.
“A bruise which hasn’t healed yet,” Mia said. “Of course, it’s a muscle I use all the time.”
“Verity gave her some liniment but she’s being stubborn,” Bryan revealed.
“I’m fine,” Mia said. “You attend to it all the time.”
“How are your bruises doing,” Bryan asked as he moved to sit by Mia with a plate full of Starry’s desserts and baked items.
“Brady helps me with the liniment,” Jolyn confessed as her cheeks turned red.
“They’re healing,” Brady gently ran his hands through her hair.
“All right. How long until the others join us,” Mia asked.
“Quarter hour or so,” Brady said as he wandered to the table and picked a few things. When he sat, he offered his plate to Jolyn. She took a small hand dipped chocolate covered strawberry.
“What do we all think about the footage?” Mia smiled at how tenderly Brady treated Jolyn.
“As long as no harm comes to Jolyn, I think it should be released,” Brady watched Jolyn eat the chocolate covered strawberry. Desire shot through him even as he knew she needed to be at this meeting.
“Doesn’t that go without saying,” Bryan agreed. “If it doesn’t hurt our mates, do we really care?”
“I think,” Jolyn took a napkin to wipe her mouth. “I think it should be released. The Pack deserves to have the truth told and investigated.”
“Sounds like you feel strongly about this,” Mia said. “You do realize what the punishment is for these crimes.”
“I know they will be put to death,” Jolyn said. “I’ve struggled with it but watching again what they did, it’s justified. How would you feel if someone walked into this compound and wiped out everyone including all the children?”
“I’d want to tear them apart in the most ferocious way,” Mia revealed.
“Exactly,” Jolyn said. “Peter and his pack deserve justice.”
“We all agree then,” Bryan polished off a cookie. “We’ll tell Daryl and Willie our opinion when they arrive.”
“We should see what they say first,” Mia suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” Bryan said. “Now to another topic. Jolyn, when are you officially moving in and do you want to join the pride?”
“Join the pride? I’ve already shifted my things to Brady’s rooms,” she informed.
“Any mate is allowed to join our pride,” Brady spoke softly.
“Do you want me to join,” she leaned towards him.
“Yes, but if you don’t, I’ll understand,” Brady brushed his lips across hers.
“I’d belong somewhere,” Jolyn whispered as tears misted her eyes. “I haven’t belonged anywhere…”
Brady set the plate down and moved closer to her. “It’s entirely up to you. No one will judge or force you to do anything.”
“It’s… well it’s silly. I’ve not been part of a group in so long,” Jolyn put her hands on his cheeks. “I’d like to join your pride.”
“There’s some paperwork and a contract,” Bryan said.
“I’ll go over it with you,” Mia said.
“Oh. I don’t have to give up Willie, do I?” Jolyn suddenly thought she might have to give up old connections.
“Definitely not,” Bryan said. “You keep all your old connections.”
“Oh, good,” Jolyn said.
“Besides, do you see the old bear giving you up,” Brady asked.
“No, even when I’ve suggested over the last three years I should maybe move away, he refused. He said I was troublesome but not too much so,” Jolyn gripped Brady’s hand.
They heard the door and muffled voices. Chet answered today as they were expecting people. He knew exactly who was expected. He was also difficult to move if he didn’t want to move.
