Page 4 of Lion's Little Scamp

Once inside, the guard led them across the lobby to a set of double doors with the sign “Processing Center” over them. Once inside the office, he directed them into a waiting room. Irish took a chair next to the door while the other two girls sat across the room from her. As soon as they were settled, they once again began whispering behind their hands as they stared at her.

Irish hugged her backpack to her chest, trying not to feel sorry for herself. Would she spend the next month like this? Always on the outside, alone and without anyone to talk to?

Watching others have fun while she stood outside the window in the rain was a familiar feeling, but she had hoped that coming here would change things and she could finally be one of the In-crowd.

Harrigan fought the soul-deep need to throw his mate over his shoulder and carry her away from the helicopter before she was even processed into the institute. He knew she needed to have the physical examination, psychological check, and be issued her uniforms. Even though she was his mate, she would have to complete the classes and chores and physical training just like all the other girls. At least she would be living under his roof where he could Daddy her, court her, and, once he had gained her trust, make her his mate.

With his jaw clenched tight and cock throbbing with every heartbeat, he stood by the helicopter and watched her walk away.

“You can pick her up in about an hour in the dining hall,” Lonergan reminded him, pulling him from thoughts of all the ways he would pamper and love on his tiny mate.

And she was tiny. Too thin, too pale, too frightened. What made the Council ever think she belonged here, though Harrigan would be sending David a bottle of his favorite whisky in appreciation for deciding his mate needed to be here.

Forcing himself to turn his thoughts from his mate, Harrigan looked at his now second love, the helicopter. He had duties to deal with before he could take his mate home. He had an hour, which was just enough time to fill the gas tank and put this baby to bed.

Then he would go claim his new baby girl.

Walking into the administration building fifty-three minutes later, Harrigan found Jaxon Niven standing in the lobby.

When he began across the lobby toward the processing center, Jaxon raised a hand and made a “come here” motion.

With an impatient huff, Harrigan changed directions and approached Lonergan’s assistant, the gazelle shifter who kept this place running. “What do you need, Jaxon?”

The man swallowed hard and took a nervous step back. If they were in animal form, the man would have something to worry about, but right now he was safe. “Lonergan would like you to see him upstairs before pick you up your charge.”

Harrigan nodded with a low growl of frustration. He wanted to see his mate again now, and not when Lonergan felt it was appropriate. Taking the stairs two at a time, he did not stop moving until he entered the open door leading to the director’s private office.

“What do you want?” he said with more than a little growl still in his voice.

“Watch your tone, lion. I can beat your ass in either form, and we both know it. Or I could ask Sullivan to take charge of Irish and make you watch from a distance while she goes through her training.”

With a growl Harrigan leapt across the room and had the dragon shifter pinned to the wall, a forearm across the bigger man’s throat. “Don’t even think about it,” he growled.

Instead of taking offense, Lonergan chuckled and put both hands on Harrigan’s chest, pushing him back two steps. “Just a check of your feelings, my friend. I just wanted to let you know that you’ll need to do some online shopping for your mate. When Jaxon and I went through her backpack, all we found was a spare t-shirt, some tattered underwear, a pair of socks, and a well-loved stuffed lion. There was also a set of crayons and a spiral notebook full of drawings. Looks like you’ve definitely got yourself a Little girl. I understand she’s been homeless for most of the past four years, so she may not know anything about shifters, or Little girls and Daddy Doms, so I recommend you move slow.”

Harrigan nodded. “Thanks for the information. I guess I won’t be tossing her over my shoulder and carrying her into the forest to mate after all.”

“Feed her first. I heard her stomach rumbling while I was welcoming the girls to Bratburg.”

Harrigan nodded again. “I did, too. Can I go now? I’m sure your girl is somewhere getting into some mischief.”

“She’d better not be. Chef does not appreciate shenanigans in his kitchen,” Lonergan said with a chuckle.

Harrigan joined in the laughter at the thought of the dragon shifter’s mate causing trouble in the kitchen. Marshall Ramsey, the tiger shifter who was Bratburg’s chef, ran his kitchen with an iron spatula, and was not above using that spatula to spank naughty bottoms if need be.

“See you at dinner,” Harrigan said as he hurried from Lonergan’s office.

Racing down the stairs, he did not stop until he stood just outside the double doors that led into the processing center. He forced himself to stop and take several breaths to settle himself down. His delicate mate had been so skittish earlier that he did not want to scare her to death by storming into the Processing Center like a lion on a rampage, even if that was what he was.

Once he was breathing normally, and his cock had softened enough for him to think past mating her, Harrigan pushed through the door. Stopping at the doorway to the waiting room, he expected to see his mate waiting for him to escort her to dinner.

But the room was empty. Stepping back into the hall, he listened intently. The only sound his shifter hearing picked up was the shuffling of papers down the hall. Tracking the sound, he found Kevin Ashburn, the panther shifter in charge of the health and well-being of all the residents of Bratburg. Kevin had trained as a medic in the Army before coming to Bratburg just before the institute began welcoming trainees. He was sorting paperwork and looking troubled.

“Where are they?” Harrigan demanded.

Startled, Kevin jumped from his chair into a defensive posture with a snarling growl. When he saw who was standing in the doorway, he relaxed deeper into his chair. “Where are who? The girls? Kodiak escorted them to the dining hall. Are you acting as a guardian this cycle?”

Harrigan did not bother to answer before he spun and hurried back down the hall. His gut knotted as he picked up speed until he was running full speed across the lawn between the administrative building and the dining hall. Kodiak Furr stopped him on the front porch before he could shove through the front door into the dining room.

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