Page 36 of Quick on the Claw

Tiffany’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. “Die of loneliness?” she repeated, her voice barely audible.

Xakia nodded gravely. “It’s rare, but it has happened. Once a shifter finds their mate, they’re bound for life. To be separated from them, to be rejected by them... it’s like losing a vital part of yourself.”

The weight of Xakia’s words settled over Tiffany like a heavy blanket. She thought of Zak, of the intensity of his gaze when he looked at her, the tenderness in his touch. Had she unknowingly held his life in her hands this entire time?

As she left Xakia’s office, Tiffany’s mind whirled with conflicting emotions. The depth of the mating bond both thrilled and terrified her. On Earth, relationships were a choice, something that grew and developed over time. But here, on Nova Aurora, it seemed that fate had already made that choice for her and Zak.

She found herself wandering into the palace gardens, seeking solace among the alien flora. The beauty that had captivated her upon arrival now seemed almost overwhelming, a reminder of how far from home she truly was.

Tiffany sank onto a bench, her fingers absently tracing the petals of a nearby flower. Could she do this? Could she commit to a life on an alien world, to a man she’d known for barely a week? And yet... the thought of leaving, of never seeing Zak again, made her chest ache with a pain she couldn’t quite explain.

“You look lost in thought.”

Zak’s deep voice startled her out of her reverie. Tiffany looked up to find him standing before her, concern etched on his handsome features. Without a word, he sat beside her, pulling her into his arms.

SIXTEEN

Tiffany melted into his embrace, burying her face in his chest. She breathed in his scent – a mix of sandalwood and something uniquely alien – and felt some of the tension leave her body.

“What’s troubling you, love?” Zak murmured, his fingers combing gently through her hair.

Tiffany took a shaky breath. “I... I’ve been learning about shifter matings,” she admitted. “About how intense the bond is, how... permanent.”

Zak stiffened slightly, then relaxed. “Ah. I see.” He pulled back slightly, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. “Tiffany, I need you to understand something. Yes, you are my mate. My one. My only. My panther and I both recognized you the moment we met. But that doesn’t mean you’re trapped or that you have no choice in this.”

Tears pricked at Tiffany’s eyes. “But Xakia said... she said that if a shifter’s mate rejects them...”

“Shh,” Zak soothed, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. “Yes, it would hurt. More than I can express. But I would never want you to stay with me out of obligation or fear. Your happiness, your free will, that’s what matters most to me.”

Tiffany’s heart swelled with emotion at his words. She reached up, cupping his face in her hands. “Zak, I love you. And that scares me because it’s happening so fast, and there’s so much at stake. But when I think about leaving, about never seeing you again...” She shook her head, unable to finish the thought.

Zak pressed his forehead to hers, his golden eyes filled with warmth and understanding. “I love you, beautiful. And I will spend every day proving that to you, if you’ll let me. We don’t have to rush into anything. We can take this one day at a time.”

As if on cue, a low rumble interrupted their moment. Tiffany looked down to see Nyx nudging his way between them, his emerald eyes fixed on her face.

Zak chuckled, reaching down to scratch the panther behind the ears. “And it seems Nyx has made his feelings on the matter quite clear as well.”

Tiffany couldn’t help but laugh, the tension of the moment breaking. She leaned down to press a kiss to Nyx’s furry head. “Well, I certainly can’t argue with that, can I?”

As the three of them sat there in the garden, Tiffany felt a sense of peace settle over her. There were still challenges ahead, still uncertainties to face. But in that moment with Zak’s arms around her and Nyx’s comforting weight against her legs, she knew she was exactly where she was meant to be.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity. Tiffany threw herself into her work, fine-tuning her lesson plans and discussing educational strategies with Xakia. But even as she focused on her tasks, her mind kept drifting back to her conversation with Zak in the garden.

As evening fell, Tiffany found herself being escorted to a secluded part of the palace she’d not seen. Zak had been mysteriously absent for the past few hours, and curiosity burned within her.

When she stepped through the ornate doors, her breath caught in her throat. The room was bathed in the soft glow of hundreds of bioluminescent flowers, their light pulsing gently like a heartbeat. In the center stood a small table set for two, laden with an array of delicious-smelling dishes.

And there, looking more handsome than ever in a deep blue tunic that brought out the gold in his eyes, stood Zak.

“What’s all this?” Tiffany asked, a smile tugging on her lips as she approached him.

Zak took her hand, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. “I thought we could use a quiet evening, just the two of us. No royal duties, no lessons to plan. Just us.”

As they sat to eat, Tiffany found herself marveling at how easy it was to be with Zak. The gentle clink of silverware against plates filled the air as Tiffany and Zak enjoyed their meal. The bioluminescent flowers cast a soft, ethereal glow over them, creating an intimate atmosphere that seemed to exist outside of time and space.

“So,” Tiffany said, taking a sip of the sweet Nova Auroran wine, “tell me about Little Zak. Were you always this regal and composed, or was there a time when you were just a regular kid who got into trouble?”

Zak’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, I had my moments. There was this one time when I was about eight...” he leaned in conspiratorially, “I decided it would be a brilliant idea to borrow my father’s ceremonial armor for a game of ‘Legendary Warrior’ with some of the palace staff’s children.”

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