Page 7 of I Married A Catman

As much as I loved it, that took me aback. It wasn’t uncommon for the Head Huntress to sit in on these types of meetings. Lips pinched, it was Oluina’s turn to respond with a sharp nod to be thus dismissed. Tail stiff, she walked out of the Great Hall.

Although relieved to see her gone, tension crawled up my back as I faced the Matriarch. The unreadable expression had returned on her face as she quietly studied me. She didn’t need to tell me that she was less than impressed by how the reunion with her daughter went down.

“We reserved a house for you. The dark wood cabin by the forest, if you remember it,” Rozel finally said once the silence stretched to an almost uncomfortable length.

“Yes, I remember it,” I replied in a neutral tone.

“Unfortunately, we cannot give you your old house back. You can understand that, as we had little reason to believe you would return, we couldn’t let such prime real estate go to waste. Not only has Moriak been raising his offspring there, he made several upgrades and expansions over the course of the years. It would be unfair to evict them now.”

As much as this entire situation infuriated me, I had known all along what the outcome would be. It just pissed me off that he should have been the one to appropriate it.

“Of course, I perfectly understand and expected as much,” I said calmly. “But I’m grateful you provided new accommodations for me.”

“Naturally,” Rozel replied, seeming relieved I didn’t make a fuss. “Take the next few days to relax, reacquaint yourself with everyone, and reflect on how you will integrate yourself and contribute to the Pride.”

“Thank you, Matriarchs,” I replied, looking at each of the three females in turn.

The gentle glimmer in Priya’s eyes gave me hope. She always approved of the fraternal way in which I had mentored her daughter. The genuinely affectionate reunion she witnessed between Ylis and me further played in my favor. Although she didn’t have the final say in anything, I didn’t doubt she would put her finger on the scale to protect me if it came to that.

As soon as I stepped outside, I deeply inhaled the fresh air as if I’d been suffocating in there. I didn’t know how I felt about this entire situation. The part of me that rejoiced at being back home also struggled to readjust to what had previously been normal. Such a long time away, constantly fighting for your survival, made you look at the world with new eyes.

A wistful smile settled on my lips as I spotted a group of huntresses showing off the trophies they claimed from their kills. I remembered all too well that youthful excitementfollowing a particularly successful hunt. While a few names escaped me, I recognized most of them. However, seeing them all grown up reinforced how long I’d been absent.

Shaking the thought away so that I wouldn’t start feeling depressed about all those wasted years, I followed the main path towards the southwest corner of the village which bordered the forest. Although it was common for males to live in the dwellings located at the more exposed edges of our settlement, this particular house possessed even less protection than the others.

Technically, it wasn’t a problem to the extent that wars between Prides were mostly a thing of the past. Roaming males looking to force their way in always challenged the alpha first, and then the other males should any of them choose to contest his dominance. Wild creatures were the bigger threat, not that too many dared to venture this close to people. But it sent a clear message that I would need to work my way up to a better status among them.

Truth be told, they had given me this humble dwelling expecting to see a broken male. A part of me suspected they would swiftly offer better accommodations now that they saw my current fitness level, and especially once I proved how valuable my contributions could be.

The sudden feeling of being observed snapped me out of my musings. I jerked my head to the left only to see a familiar silhouette a few hundred meters away. The white fur with black spots and the unusual patch of black fur on the chest immediately revealed the identity of my stalker. Even from this distance, I saw Moriak flinch. He likely hated being caught spying on me.

Groaning inwardly, I slowed down and then stopped when he began walking towards me. I shifted the bag containing my meager possessions to my other hand to keep my claws from extruding or my hands from fisting. This day had beenunpleasant enough without having to deal with him as well. Then again, getting this chore out of the way now also had its perks.

“Look who’s back!” Moriak said with forced enthusiasm.

The same way I was discreetly examining him, he was also assessing me but blatantly so. Despite his best efforts, my appearance had him instantly seething. I had never been small, but I nicely filled up over the past decade, as was to be expected with any cub growing to full maturity. The harsh life on Molvi also forced me to keep fit and build muscle mass. Today, I was slightly taller and noticeably bulkier than our current Alpha.

And he fucking hated it.

He kept himself in good shape as well. However, at thirty-nine, he would be deemed past his prime by Nazhral standards. The far more comfortable life he enjoyed also meant he wasn’t as lean and well-defined as me. I suspected my speed and strength would easily trump his. There was no question in my mind he was thinking the same.

He narrowed his green eyes at me. “You look surprisingly well for someone who spent over a decade on the presumably worst penitentiary in the galaxy,” Moriak said, trying to sound playful. “Ex-cons are usually scarred and roughed up, but you’re all kinds of pretty. Were you imprisoned or on vacation?”

I tilted my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him. “You sound disappointed. Were you hoping to see me come back maimed and disfigured?” I asked in an overly innocent fashion.

“Of course not,” he replied, sounding defensive. “I’m surprised, that’s all. It is extremely rare for people to return this unscathed. But hey, we can always use a strong fighter. And you visibly became that during your absence. There are lots of roaming Sikkals in these parts of late. With the impending mating season, the males are trying to claim broader territories.”

“Gladly. I will be happy to assist with this,” I said in all sincerity.

“Good. You were an excellent hunter,” he said in a slightly patronizing tone before taking on a falsely concerned expression. “But I wonder if you might have grown a little rusty after all this time.”

I snorted, not fooled in the least by his insinuation. “Hardly. I have fought far worse than Sikkals on Molvi. They will require little effort in comparison.”

Moriak’s face closed off as he tried to hide his displeasure at my comment. “I see.”

“I doubt it,” I replied mockingly as I resumed walking. “On Molvi, we’re not locked up in prison cells or any other such things. We’re contained by forests and rivers filled with the type of foul creatures you could not even begin to imagine. Very few survive encounters with them. But I became quite adept at hunting them. They make for fine dining.”

“It is good to hear,” Moriak replied, tagging along, although he looked as if he just bit into something nasty. “We shall promptly put your new skills to good use. But may I ask where you’re headed?”

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