Page 57 of I Married A Catman

“And for me, it’s Ophelia,” I said in an obnoxiously polite voice.

She scoffed, irritated that I didn’t seem intimidated or destabilized by her little games.

“Whatever you have to say, your time is poorly chosen. I’m expected,” I said matter-of-factly.

“I’m well aware,” she retorted with a shrug. “But you and I will speak first.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily, making it clear I was not only uninterested but quite annoyed by her insistence.

“What do you want?” I asked, my irritation audible in my voice.

“I thought you should know that Gaelec is only using you to make me jealous, to punish me for moving on back when we all thought he had no chance of surviving his incarceration,” she said with a smugness filled with malice.

I burst out laughing, her shocked and confused expression at my reaction making me laugh even more. Did the stupid female really think I would fall for these schoolgirl bullying tactics?

“No, Oluina, he doesn’t. Gaelec moved on from you years ago. You may still be clinging to the past, but he’s not. Frankly, your behavior is quite embarrassing. You should have far more self-respect than trying to force yourself on him,” I said with a mix of pity and contempt.

“I’m doing no such thing!” she hissed.

“You most certainly are! Since my arrival—and apparently even before that—you’ve repeatedly thrown yourself at him despite him clearly expressing both in action and in words that he doesn’t want anything to do with you. That’s not going to change. He rejected you before he even knew about me!” I said, unable to comprehend how anyone could be so stubborn, borderline obsessive.

“You say that. And yet, he chose you, a pale copy of me,” Oluina said in a superior tone.

I recoiled, failing to see how in the world she came to such an outlandish conclusion.

“What the hell are you talking about? You and I are nothing alike!” I exclaimed.

“My name is Oluina, and yours is Ophelia. My fur is reddish-brown, your hair is red. I’m 5’10, and you are about the same. I have green eyes, and so do you. You are my human copy, just weaker.”

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. Even though I believed this was an incredible stretch, I had to admit that I never paid attention to those similarities.

“Now you see it!” Oluina said with an air of triumph, interpreting my reaction as shock and devastation.

I snorted and shook my head at her. “Wow, are you truly so desperate to cling to any straw? You’re right, we do have a few similarities. But that only confirms that Gaelec has a type when it comes to females. It isn’t uncommon for people to have certain preferences. He happens to like tall redheads with green eyes. Big deal. Twelve years ago, my husband was looking formewhen hesettledforyou.”

“He did not settle,” she snarled.

“Oh, but he did. You were the closest thing—and a pale imitation at that—to what he truly wanted. You see, Gaelec didn’t pick me as a copy of you. In fact, he didn’t pick me at all. Kayog paired us before either of us ever even met or knew of each other’s existences. So you were never a factor in what brought us together. And you still aren’t today. Do yourself and us a favor. Just move on.”

I almost felt sorry for her as she fisted her hands with anger. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it must be like to be so desperate to have something you never could. It boggled my mind all themore that I knew deep in my bones that she wasn’t even in love with him. She just had this sick need to win. The fact that anyone could reject her simply didn’t compute. In her mind, it meant she needed to fix us until we saw the truth that she exclusively held. Otherwise, it could only mean that somebody was conspiring against her to steal what was rightfully hers.

“If you think to make him Alpha and take my place in this pride, you are sorely mistaken!” she snarled in a menacing tone.

I burst out laughing again and shook my head at her with genuine pity. “You poor girl! Seriously, look at me,” I said, spreading my arms wide, glancing down at myself and then back at her. “I’m not as big, as strong, or as fast as a Nazhral female. I can’t hunt like you do, nor do I want to! Like I’ve said before, the only thing I care about is Gaelec. And he has stated time and time again that he has no interest in becoming the Alpha. All he wants is safety for himself, for other males, and for the entire Pride.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling both discouraged and overwhelmed that we were seriously still rehashing this nonsense. Why was it so hard to get through to them?

“You’re possibly the next Head Matriarch of this Pride. If Gaelec is right—and we both know he is—then your Pride will steadily decline and risk facing extinction. Instead of fighting him at every turn and making his life difficult, you should leverage the knowledge and experience he’s acquired during his time on Molvi. He’s ready, willing, and eager to put all of it towards the improvement of this village. If you all keep pushing him away, then it will be your loss and someone else’s gain. Don’t let others benefit from the treasure you currently have in your midst because you’re too blind to see it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am expected.”

I circled around her and pushed the heavy doors open onto the Hall.

My stomach knotted as I entered the room to find Rozel, the two other Matriarchs, Ylis, and a handful of other young huntresses sitting on the elevated dais at the end of the spacious area. It felt like standing in front of a jury without a lawyer during a trial for murder.

At least, Ylis’s sympathetic gaze made me feel a little less alone. I could only pray she would run interference if the others became a little too belligerent.

“Come in, Ophelia Moreau,” Rozel said in a solemn voice while waving me in.

Although not ominous in and of itself, the absence of warmth in her tone, and the cold glint in her eyes didn’t bode well. The way her gaze followed her daughter coming in behind me before she hastened to her seat near Ylis on the dais had me even more nervous. Had she known Oluina was going to corner me outside? Had she instructed her to do so?

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