Page 55 of Make Me

Alpha Bryson stepped up. “The challenge has been issued and accepted with the proposed terms. Challenges are fought until one party submits… or dies.”

Growls broke out behind her, but Bethany didn’t let her focus break as she slowly began circling her mom. Confidence and strength poured down the bondlink, and Bethany soaked it all in.

She kept her steps light and even, not giving anything away in her body language as she sized the familiar lioness across from her up. Her mom’s coat was darker than Bethany’s, more rust-colored than the golden hue of Bethany’s coat. Before the bonding, Bethany’s lioness had been a little bit smaller than Sadara’s, but now the lionesses seemed evenly matched.

Between one step and the next, Sadara lunged towards Bethany, teeth going for her neck. Bethany ducked, dodging left, and struck out with her front paw, aiming for Sadara’s side. She caught her front leg with her claws, leaving a ribbon of blood spilling down Sadara’s coat.

Sadara growled and came at Bethany again in a flurry of moves Bethany recognized. She defended against each of the moves, letting Sadara catch her shoulder with her teeth instead of her neck but protecting her vital areas. When they broke apart, each lioness was sporting a few more bite marks. Blood oozed from the marks, splattering the dirt like a morbid painting.

They circled each other again, sizing up each other’s strengths and weaknesses as they attacked and defended. Bethany’s heart ached at the familiarity of it all. Growing up, the only time Sadara really spent a lot of time with her was in training. It was the only time she got her mom’s attention, especially after her dad died. It was bittersweet that she was using these moves against her now.

Recognize your opponent’s patterns, her mom used to tell her. Everyone has them. Recognize them and use them against them.

Maybe she could use her mom’s pattern recognition against her. The next few attacks, Bethany followed the same pattern, letting her mom clip her flank on the last one. Bethany let out a yowl and pretended to limp on that leg. Sadara’s eyes narrowed on the apparent weakness.

But the next time Bethany attacked, instead of dodging left, like she had been doing, she barreled straight into Sadara, forcing the other lioness off her feet and leaping onto her back. Sadara bucked her hips, trying to dislodge Bethany. In the past, that might have worked. But Mylo had been right, her cat was stronger and faster than her mom now. She ignored her mom’s teeth snapping at her ear. She pretended to get up just enough that Sadara shifted onto her side underneath her. Then Bethany’s teeth closed around Sadara’s throat.

The clearing froze around them, no one expecting the move. Sadara struggled once more underneath Bethany, and Bethany’s heart clenched. Would her mom submit? If she didn’t, could Bethany really go through and kill her? She mentally pleaded with her mom to submit. She growled and increased the pressure of her bite.

After what felt like an eternity, her mom let out a soft whine underneath her and relaxed her body, slumping to the ground. Bethany waited a second longer to make sure it was real before releasing her. She licked over the bite marks softly, but Sadara just closed her eyes and ignored her. She backed up, trying to hold in her own whine at her mother’s rejection.

“The winner of the challenge is Bethany Thorncrest,” Alpha Bryson announced.

Soft fur brushed her on either side as Mylo, Cody, and Zack joined her in the challenge ring.

Zack placed a hand on her back. “You did so well,” he murmured to her, aware of the ears around them. His eyes were sad and understanding as he felt her conflicted emotions through the bondlink.

Her mom rose to her feet and padded through the crowd back towards the pride lands. She didn’t stop to talk to anyone or shift back. Bethany watched her go with an ache in her chest. She had won the challenge and had lost her mom on the same day. But as her mates surrounded her, their love filling the bondlink, Bethany knew she wouldn’t have done anything differently.

They shifted back, and Zack placed a hand on her back as Cody turned to his father.

“Are you looking to challenge me as well, son?” Bryson asked Cody, eyeing him carefully.

“Are you going to try to keep me from my mates?” Cody asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Bryson let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head. “No. I was wrong. I can admit that.” He looked at Bethany. “As parents, you want what’s best for your kids, but sometimes you’re wrong about what’s best for them.”

Bethany dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment of his words. She stepped away from Zack and faced the pride. They were looking at her with a mixture of expressions on their faces. She saw some glares, a lot of indifference, and some hopeful faces. She didn’t feel ready to lead them. Or at least not in the way they were used to being led.

“There have been a lot of changes in the last few months,” she started. “Not only in the Realm but also in the pride. There is still a lot of uncertainty about what will happen in the future. I ask that in the next few months, you extend grace. Not just to me but to all your fellow shifters and citizens of the Realm. We are better together. But let me be crystal clear about one thing.” She stopped and waved a hand at the men at her side, calling up on her lioness until her green eyes glowed. “These men here? They are my mates. Threats against them or our bonds will be dealt with swiftly and severely. You will not get a second chance if you come after them. Am I clear?”

The pride members dipped their heads. “Yes, Alpha,” most murmured, and Bethany took note of which ones didn’t. She looked at her mates, who nodded they had caught it as well.

She wasn’t naïve enough to think that they would be widely accepted right away, but she also wouldn’t put up with any more threats against them. If she had her way, they would live happily ever after. But first, they had work to do.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

BETHANY

Despite the pride’s initial hesitance, the changes Bethany had talked about with Cody over the summer had actually gone over really well. Even Sadara had come around to most of them.

After the challenge, Bethany had returned to her house and had found Sadara packing. They’d had a long overdue heart-to-heart conversation. Bethany had opened up to Sadara about how she had felt growing up about Sadara’s lack of attention and warmth. Sadara confessed to not handling Bethany’s father’s death well and how that snowballed into her unhealthy focus on keeping the pride safe, since she wasn’t able to keep her consort safe.

They were nowhere near a healthy relationship, but they were working on it. Especially after Bethany had convinced Sadara to stay in the pride and be one of her advisors. Sadara had lightened the load of some of the administrative tasks while Bethany and her mates focused on the changes she was making.

To help her with the changes, she was putting together a new set of advisors who weren’t just Elders of the pride. The first two people she had sent an invitation to after her mother? Calen and Nita, the cougar shifter and witch who worked at the Academy. They had been exiled for mating without her grandparents’ blessing. They had been rightfully cautious about accepting her invitation, but Bethany had convinced them to at least come back for a visit.

Calen met his nieces and nephews for the first time in the pride village. The strong cougar warrior was in tears when he embraced his sister for the first time in years. It was an emotional moment that had more than a few watery eyes from the pride members gathered to watch it. Calen and Nita decided to accept Bethany’s invitation. Bethany tasked them with finding others the pride had exiled over the years. When the pride heard what they were doing, a few members came forward requesting that their family members be allowed to return.

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