After dinner, Ree and Duke joined Byron, Davina, and the elders on the large back porch. The forty-two-member pride was gathered in the yard, their gazes curious. Byron moved to the top step with Davina and raised his hand for silence.
“As many of you know, our pride laws have remained original to my ancestors who settled in Kedrick over two hundred years ago. Although I appreciate the laws, I do know that a pride that doesn’t change with the times will be doomed to disappear. To this end, I have rewritten the mating rules for our pride. From this day forward, any male or female may remain within the pride regardless of their chosen mate, be they lion, human, or other supernatural creature. No longer will pride members face exile if their heart-match is not of our kind.”
He paused as the crowd surged with conversation. Ree could hear some angry tones, but most of the pride seemed happy.
He raised his hand for quiet and then gestured to Duke, who led Ree to join Byron. “My son, Duke, has mated and marked this human female, Ree. I welcome Ree to the pride. Duke and Ree will be taking over as alpha male and female in thirty days. During this time, any pride members who wish to leave may do so with our blessing, but I encourage you all to embrace the change and allow our people to move forward into a new dawn. Before you is my son, a male who chose honor over duty, knowing that he faced exile. That is exactly the sort of male who should lead the pride.”
There was a heartbeat of silence, and then one by one, the pride members lifted their heads in a roar. It wasn’t one of challenge or anger, but joy. Happy roars filled the air and Duke lifted his head and joined in, tightly squeezing Ree’s hand. He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her soundly, a purr rumbling in his chest.
“This is a good day, sweetheart,” he murmured against her lips. “I get to keep you forever, and we get to be alphas together. With you by my side, I already feel like I’m king of the world.”
She smiled, the clapping and roaring of the pride members making her eyes sting. She’d never felt so accepted in her life, and it was all thanks to one stubborn lion.
“You’re my king,” she said. “My alpha and my mate.”
“For as long as there’s breath in my body.”
Byron said, “Let’s celebrate my son’s mating with a victory hunt! Our future alpha female has never tried venison.”
“You’re going to shift?” she asked in surprise.
“We love to hunt for celebrations,” Duke said, taking a step back and tugging off his shirt. “You can stay here with my mom.”
“I thought you wanted me to go hunting with you,” she said, wrinkling her nose. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see a pride take down some deer.
“Another time, you and I can go out together for fun. For now, though, I’m going to bag the biggest deer I can find for you.”
He shoved his pants down his legs and kicked his shoes off and then his jeans, and then he shifted. The change was so fast that she almost missed it – her sexy mate going from handsome, naked guy to lion in seconds. He shook out his big, chocolate mane and stretched, his claws digging into the deck as his tail swished behind him.
“Oh wow, you’re beautiful,” she said, rubbing her knuckle lightly on his nose. She ran her hands through his thick, soft mane and over his back, his muscles twitching as she touched him. “This is the freaking coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She looked up and saw that almost everyone had shifted, the backyard now filled with lions and lionesses, with fur of every shade, from an almost-white to dark amber.
Pressing a kiss to his nose, she laughed when he licked her cheek. “Good luck, Duke. I’ll be here when you get back.”
The lions on the porch bounded off with a roar, and the pride followed as they headed into the woods that surrounded the house.
“Cool as hell,” Mercy said as she joined Ree. “I hadn’t seen Barron shift yet.”
“It is cool,” Ree said. “And neat that you and I both found our forever guys on the same night.”
“Well, you do always have to copy me.”
“Um, I’m older so you’re always copying me,” Ree pointed out.
Davina laughed. “You both chose well, and so did the males. Now, there’s a bottle of blueberry champagne that I’ve been saving for a special occasion, and I think this is exactly the right time.”
“Now, that sounds divine,” Ree said.
As they walked into the house, Ree looked over her shoulder at the woods and thought about her mate out hunting with his pride. The day had not gone at all like she’d planned, but she couldn’t be happier with the outcome. She had a sexy mate who was a beautiful lion who’d been willing to fight for her and stand by her side no matter what, and in a month, she and Duke would be alphas together. It seemed surreal, but also very right. As if she really had been waiting her whole life to meet him in a bar on a random Friday night, thanks to her pushy sister.
“Did I ever thank you for making me go to the bar yesterday?”
“Nope,” Mercy said. “But you can start by getting me something sparkly.”
“You got it,” Ree said.
As the cork popped and the purple-tinted champagne was poured, the three women lifted their glasses in toast.
“To the females behind the males,” Davina said.
“To old family and new,” Mercy said.
“To us,” Ree said, “and our lion mates.”
Coming February 3, 2020 from R. E. Butler
Mercy (Tails Book Two)
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Also from R. E. Butler
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Blitzen’s Fated Mate
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Donner’s Fated Mate
Comet’s Fated Mate
Ashland Pride Series
Seducing Samantha
Loving Lachlyn
Marking Melody
Redeeming Rue
Saving Scarlett
Chasing Cristabel
Jilly’s Wyked Fate
Embracing Ehrin
Holding Honor
Tempting Treasure
Having Hope
Hyena Heat Series
Every Night Forever
Every Dawn Forever
Every Sunset Forever
Every Blissful Moment
Every Heavenly Moment
Every Miraculous Moment
Every Angelic Moment
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
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Warrick’s Bride
Dex’s Bride
Norlanian Brides Volume One
Villi’s Bride
Dero’s Bride
Saber Chronicles Series
Saber Chronicles Volume One (Books One - Four)
Tails Series
Memory
Mercy (Coming Soon)
Uncontrollable Shift
The Alpha’s Christmas Mate
The Dragon’s Treasured Mate
The Bear’s Reluctant Mate
Vampire Beloved Series
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Ache (Coming 2020)
Were Zoo Series
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Joss (Coming 2020)
Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series
A Curve of Claw
A Flash of Fang
A Price for a Princess
A Bond of Brothers
A Bead of Blood
A Promise on White Wings
A Slash of Savagery
Awaken a Wolf
Daeton’s Journey
A Dragon for December
A Muse for Mishka
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Two
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Three
A Wish for Their Woman
Wilde Creek Series
Volume One (Books 1 and 2)
Volume Two (Books 3 and 4)
Volume Three (Books 5 and 6)
The Hunter’s Heart (Book Seven)
The Beta’s Heart (Book Eight)
The Wolf’s Mate Series
The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence
The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats
The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne
The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna
The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
Stand Alone Stories
Purred Promises
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Coming February 3, 2020: Mercy (Tails Book Two)
Lion shifter Barron has nothing on his mind on Friday night except his work at Tails, the shifter bar. But then he scents something amazing and finds the source in a gorgeous female. She’s human, and she’s his heart-match – the one female on the planet meant for him. Because she’s human, he’ll lose his place in the pride if he claims her, but nothing is as important as making her his.
Mercy expects nothing to come from the evening out with her sister except a few free drinks, some dancing, and maybe finding a guy to fool around with. She never thought she’d get swept off her feet by a huge man who purred whenever they touched. Taking him home was a no-brainer. Finding out he’ll lose his pride because of her? That’s when things get tough.
But Barron isn’t about to let anything quite as silly as the fact that she’s human get in the way of him and his lion securing her as his mate. He’ll show her she’s the most important female in his universe, and that he’ll do anything to keep her by his side and in his arms. Forever.
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