Page 5 of I Married A Catman

An instant wave of relief swept through me that she should have used that term, instead of greeting me with something along the lines of ‘Congratulations on completing your sentence’ which would have established more clearly that she no longer deemed me a member of the Pride.

“Thank you, Rozel,” I replied graciously. “It is good to finally be home again.”

She openly examined me from top to bottom. For half a beat, I almost expected her to ask that I spin around so that she could get a proper view from every angle. Thankfully, she spared me that ignominy.

“You look extremely well and healthy,” she mused aloud, the surprise audible in her voice. “In all my years, of the few who survived, I can’t recall seeing one return in such great shape. They were always at least heavily scarred if not maimed.”

Is that what you were hoping?

Obviously, I kept the snarky thought to myself and instead maintained a neutral expression on my face as I nodded.

“Life on Molvi can be deadly if one isn’t cautious or smart. I stayed out of trouble and watched my back,” I replied in a factual manner.

She nodded approvingly while continuing to give me an assessing look. “Well done, my friend. The Pride can always use a new injection of strong blood. We need good providers and fearless protectors. Our young Queens will be quite pleased to see how you have returned to us.”

I barely repressed the violent urge to cringe upon hearing those words. There was a time when this would have filled mewith joy. After all, being deemed a desirable partner constituted a male’s best chance of being welcomed into a Pride. But twelve years in prison made me revisit several of my priorities. More importantly, I didn’t want to start butting heads with their current males.

However, the way the Matriarch narrowed her eyes at me hinted that I failed to hide my thoughts.

“Do my words displease you, Gaelec?” she asked, a sliver of a challenge in her voice.

“They don’t displease me, Matriarch,” I replied cautiously. “But I’m not here to compete with anyone for the females’ attention. After the hardships of the past few years, I would welcome a bit of respite.”

“Have you forgotten that you need our favors to retain your place in our midst?” she asked, her tone and gaze slightly hardening.

“Of course,” I said in a reasonable and appeasing tone. “I fully intend to prove myself useful to the Pride. As you said yourself, I can help protect everyone after surviving multiple encounters with some of the foulest creatures in the galaxy, which lurked in the forests surrounding the Quadrant we were incarcerated in. During my sentence, I acquired many skills that will greatly benefit the village, with various upgrades that will increase productivity and reduce costs and waste.”

She pursed her lips, looking unconvinced. “True though that it may be, our Queens might still take offense to your disdain.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “It is not disdain, Matriarch. I simply do not wish to step on someone else’s territory. Like I said, I just want to settle back home, find my place again, and make myself useful.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Is it Oluina? Your feelings for her have not waned?”

This time, I couldn’t help a huff. “Not at all. Whatever existed between us ended over a decade ago once I got arrested.”

The look she gave me screamed loudly that she did not believe a word I said, which only annoyed me.

“Don’t be bitter. As you well know, very few males return from Molvi. And those who do are usually but a shadow of themselves. We all do what we must to survive. She had no reason to believe she would ever see again the prime male that you used to be. But you look spectacular. There’s no question Oluina will want you back.”

“I do not resent any of the choices or decisions she made,” I countered in a reasonable tone. “But you must understand that I’m no longer the nineteen-year-old cub that I was at the time. I do not seek romance, only peace and rewarding work. I thought you’d be pleased that I don’t plan on stirring any trouble.”

The Matriarch opened her mouth to respond. But before she could even utter a word, I felt Oluina’s presence behind me moments before she stepped inside the room. I glanced over my shoulder to see her strutting in, her gait sensual and fluid. She had undeniably matured over the past decade. Her curves were fuller and insanely enticing, likely as a result of motherhood. Her bushy, fluffy tail very slowly swayed behind her. Her luxurious reddish-brown fur—pristine white around her chest and belly—looked insanely soft.

“Well, well! We were just speaking of you, Oluina!” Rozel said with a satisfied tone.

Although protective of all her daughters, the Head Matriarch always had an overly soft spot for Oluina.

As I watched her approach, I had to admit that she had grown even more beautiful than in my memory. And yet, the lascivious way in which her piercing green eyes examined me made me nauseous. To think, there had been a time where Iwould have perceived it as incredibly sexy and flattering to my childish ego.

No words could express the relief I felt to no longer be enthralled by her charms. On the whole journey here, I dreaded that a single glance at her would bring back old feelings crashing down on me. Contempt would have worried me as it might have indicated that I truly harbored some bitterness over her moving on so quickly. But she only stirred indifference, and the natural queasiness one might feel at persistent unrequited attentions.

“Gaelec!” Oluina said in an overly purring tone. “You have matured nicely, my dear.”

“Thank you, Oluina,” I said politely as she closed the distance between us. “You look great as well.”

She raised a furry eyebrow, surprise with a hint of outrage fleeting over her features.

“Justgreat?” she echoed, clearly expecting me to gush over her.

---