Page 9 of Make Me

Bethany sank into the seat across from her mom’s desk and paused for a moment. Her mom was bent over some paperwork; the long blond hair that looked so much like Bethany’s was tied in her usual tight bun at the nape of her neck.

“My cat thinks Cody’s my mate,” she blurted.

Her mom’s head snapped up, and her golden eyes narrowed. She got up and closed the door behind Bethany before coming to sit on the desk in front of her. “Repeat that?”

“I think Cody’s my mate. I met him just now, and he gave me… Our fingers touched, and my cat insisted he was my mate.”

Her mom shook her head. “That can’t be possible. Your cat must be mistaken.”

“I don’t think she is.” He might not want her, but her cat hissed at the idea that he wasn’t hers.

“I don’t think you heard me. That can’t be possible. You’re the Alpha Heir. You can’t mate with a wolf. The pride will never accept him. And intermixed matings are forbidden.”

“Mom, I know all of that, but I’m telling you, my cat insists he’s my mate.” Bethany’s stomach sank.

She wished she was surprised by her mom’s reaction, but she’d known her mom wouldn’t give her blessing. Intermixed matings were forbidden, as they destabilized alliances during the Great War because mates could be on the wrong side. Her grandparents, in particular, were against them, as the pride had been directly affected during the Great War. The only exception to the law was if their leader gave their blessing.

Her mom shook her head again. “He’s not. You might think he is, but he’s not. There’s no bigger weakness to the pride than having the wolves’ Alpha Heir as your mate.”

“I don’t think you can strategize this one away,” Bethany said slowly, trying to figure out how to explain this to her mom so she understood. But that was the problem. Her mom didn’t deal in emotions, she dealt in cold logic. “My cat insists he’s my mate. I can’t just ignore that. We can’t just ignore that.”

“We can, and we will. You can’t afford any weaknesses if you are to lead the pride one day, and he’s a big one. Your cat will get over it when you make her understand. You’re in control, not her. You just have to be strong.”

Bethany wanted to argue. She did. But she had never won an argument with her mom in her life. And Cody hadn’t recognized her as a mate, so maybe her cat was wrong. And even if her cat wasn’t wrong, unless her mom gave her blessing, she couldn’t do much about it unless she wanted to challenge her mom for dominance. Sadara had been training Bethany since she was a child; there was no way Bethany would win in that fight. Not that she was really sure she wanted to lead the pride, anyway, but unless she wanted to be exile—which, for a shifter, was a fate that was sometimes worse than death when they were cut off from their pride—she had to fall in line.

“What do I do?” she asked, her body sagging in the chair.

She wanted Cody. For a few brief moments on the way back from their clearing, she had dreamed of what it would be like. But her mom was probably right. She had to be practical. There were too many things in the way.

“Nothing. Well, actually, you can’t change anything. You have to stay friends with the boy. Our alliance is tentative enough without you two having an immature fallout. Can you control your cat?” Hard gold eyes stared into hers, and Bethany nodded. If she had said no, her mom would make her go through another three months of training, which would be more like torture.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. You control your cat around him, and no one will be the wiser. Besides, his father tells me he’ll be mated to someone soon, and we can find some eligible matches for you in a few years before you take over the pride.”

It was customary for Alpha Heirs to take over leadership when they were twenty-two. Usually, in familial relationships, parents passed leadership along to their Heirs via a ceremony. In rare cases, it came down to a challenge. Passing over leadership while the Heirs were young allowed the retired alphas to provide guidance to the young leaders. It was a smart system that worked with the shifter groups. But nowhere in there did it say she had to take a consort to lead.

Bethany barely kept in the snarl that her cat threatened to release. She didn’t want anyone else, and she had no doubt eligible matches included every egotistical male cat in the Realm. But it wasn’t worth trying to win the argument. Maybe she could change her mom’s mind later? That was a big maybe, though.

“Fine. Is that all?”

Her mom gave her a long look before nodding. “I don’t think I have to remind you of what’s at stake here. Even if the Great War is over, you need to be thinking about the pride. We can’t risk our standing in the Realm, or we could become a target. The pride is relying on you. Do you understand?”

Bethany jerked her head in a nod, and her mom dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

Bethany kept her movements steady as she exited the office. It wasn’t until she was in the safety of her own room that she shoved her face into a pillow and screamed. When her throat was dry and scratchy, she curled up in a ball on her bed, clutching the pillow to her aching chest.

As much as she hated it, her mom was right. Even if Cody was her mate, which he couldn’t be by his lack of reaction to her, they could never be together. He was destined to lead his pack, and she was destined to lead her pride. And despite being two of the only shifter groups in the territory to have an alliance, it wasn’t a strong one. Wolves and cats just didn’t get along, and her mom and Cody’s dad were always smoothing out problems. They would never accept her and Cody being together, even if intermixed matings weren’t forbidden after the Great War.

But she didn’t think she was strong enough to sit back and watch him parade wolf girls around. Her cat was already shredding her claws against her chest, demanding they go find Cody. A glint of gold on her desk caught her eye. It was an invitation to the Academy. Her mom wanted her to go but ultimately left it up to her, one of the few decisions she got to make. Five months ago, she couldn’t have imagined going and leaving Cody behind, but now maybe it was for the best.

Pricking her finger with the tip of a claw, she pressed her print over the yes box and watched as the blood shimmered and disappeared. Four years at the Academy sounded like a great escape. Maybe by then her cat would be under control and would give up on this whole mate business.

She pulled out the necklace Cody had given her and eyed it. She should get rid of it, but her cat yowled at the thought. She eyed the thin gold chain. That would snap within a week. She turned to her small jewelry box and fished out a thin strand of leather. She threaded the pendant onto the leather and tied it behind her neck. It was long enough that it would be hidden under most shirts and away from curious eyes. Maybe her cat would accept this small piece of him, because she would never be able to have Cody as a mate.

CHAPTER FIVE

ZACK

Age 20

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