Page 29 of I Married A Catman

“Absolutely, I’ll be okay. I’ll start unpacking in the meantime,” I added, waving at the crates.

“Good, I’ll be back soon,” he said with a smile before heading out.

I stared at his receding back until the door closed behind him. Yeah, my man was fine.

So fine that bitch is still thirsting something fierce over him.

That female was going to be a problem. I knew vindictive when I saw it, and this one was a particularly sore loser with a massive ego. She also struck me as the type to think if she can’t have what she wants, then no one else can either. As Oluina was in a position of power within the Pride, I would need to tread carefully. As I loved a good challenge, I had no problem standing up to her. In fact, the aggressive way she came at my man and at me made me even more determined. I might not be as strong and fast as she was, but I was no pushover.

The way Gaelec stood up for me and for himself truly impressed me. For his sake, I hoped we could work things out somehow. Another part of me genuinely wished we would simply leave. This place felt toxic as hell. But, as I was no quitter, I would give it a fair try and put my best foot forward. For starters, I needed to figure out how to contribute. With luck, Gaelec and Ylis could point me in the right direction.

A smile settled on my lips as I thought of the younger female. She had a fire in her that commanded respect. The way she put Oluina back in her place still had a pleasant shiver running down my spine. As much as I didn’t want her to get in trouble over me, I wholeheartedly welcomed any support she could provide. I would also like to develop a friendship with her. It would suck to have no one but my husband here, should we end up staying with the Pride.

Just as I was finishing putting the rest of my clothes in the drawers, the sound of the front door opening announcedGaelec’s return. The flutter of excitement that prompted took me by surprise. At least, it was encouraging that I should have a positive response to him instead of already counting the days until I could bail out of this contract.

The delicious aroma that wafted to me had my stomach grumbling. I had been too nervous to eat anything during the last leg of the flight here. And now it was catching up to me. I hastened back to the kitchen where I found Gaelec laying out a variety of dishes on the table. He grinned and gestured for me to take a seat in one of the wooden chairs.

I gladly complied.

Contrary to many species with tails, the chairs here actually had a backrest. However, the lower half was completely open, allowing them to tuck the tail in so that they could sit comfortably.

That pleased me a great deal.

“As it’s close to the evening meal, I took the liberty of bringing food for us,” Gaelec explained while setting down the last few covered bowls. “Our people often share a communal meal in the Great Hall. But it is also perfectly fine to eat privately in our own homes or outdoors.”

“What’s more common?” I asked.

“It’s pretty much mixed,” he said with a shrug before going to fetch a couple of plates and utensils in the cupboards. “In the Great Hall, you will almost always find the matriarchs, the mothers and sires with their younglings, some of the elders, the huntresses, and every non-mated male.”

I frowned and gave him a curious look. “Isn’t that everyone?” I asked.

He chuckled and shook his head. “No. Most of the bonded mates—who are a few—and those who are currently courting or newly paired will want time alone together. The males like me who also aren’t actively looking for a mate will avoid eatingin the Great Hall. In those times, it is best to avoid drawing unwanted attention.”

“I see,” I said, my wheels spinning.

He didn’t have to spell out that us eating here in private was not only to give us a chance to get to know each other better, but also—and probably mainly—to avoid drawing further attention to either of us.

“As I previously mentioned to you, here, females do the hunting while males handle most of the butchering and cooking. Our females feed and educate the younglings, while the males handle discipline for misbehavior as well as handling most of the cleaning and maintenance around the village,” Gaelec explained.

“That sounds like a pretty good setup,” I said approvingly as he started removing the lids from the multiple containers on the table.

The delicious aroma had my mouth watering in anticipation as I got a first glimpse of the generous portions within. It mostly appeared to be different meats with a limited number of sides. I was aware of the Nazhrals being mainly carnivores. But I hoped their meals accounted for enough vegetables and starch for me to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Gaelec proudly nodded as he reached for my plate to start putting small samples of everything.

“Life in a Pride is really good in principle. There are many things that we do right, but also far too many that are bad,” he said pensively. “Too many things are rooted in fear.”

“How so?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“Males are constantly reminded that they are replaceable. The smallest mistake or a single bad performance after months of excellence could suffice for us to be cast out. If you’re a newcomer hoping to join, it only takes one of the Queens to deem you unfit for the rest of the females to side with her and cast you out.”

“Whoa!” I said, a frown creasing my brow. “What happens then?”

“You hope that a different Pride will welcome you,” he replied casually, while piling some of what looked like vegetables in the tiny spot remaining on my plate.

I should have told him not to put so much on it so that the flavors wouldn’t overlap and mix with each other. That would have allowed me to more clearly identify what I liked versus what I possibly didn’t. But he seemed so happy to be feeding me that I didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop.

“But what if you’re not? What if every Pride rejects you?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

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