Page 19 of Wrong Number, Right Lion

What I needed to do was put on my big-boy pants and talk to him, tell him how I felt, tell him who I was, and then see where the cards fell. But also… that was too risky. Throwing all of thatat a human all at once? There was a very real possibility it would terrify him, and I’d never see him again.

Did I believe my mate would be one of those guys? No. Of course not. Still… there was always a chance he might be, and I was too chickenshit to take the chance.

Look at me, big tough alpha lion who could take on anyone in their birth pride knowing full well I’d come out of it victorious, running scared because of my feelings. Whatever. I didn’t care. Arlo was everything I wanted in a mate, and if that meant I was vulnerable, so be it.

The two of us had so much fun on our date. Just being with him, spending time, knowing that we were both there because we liked each other and were hoping for more… it was everything. And I left knowing that he felt our mating bond too. He hadn’t said it with those words, but he showed it time and again.

This mating bond between us that was pulling at me? It was pulling at him as well. Please don’t let that mean he was in pain too, all because I was going home.

I shot him a text letting him know I had a great time and got into the car where I’d drive home to an empty place where I would replay the evening over and over again, trying to see if there was anything I could have done better.

I drove home, the pain lessening, or possibly it was me getting used to it, along the way. In any case, I was thankful to the goddess that it hadn't gotten worse instead. I had no idea what I’d have done if it had.

What I really needed to do was talk to my brother. If nothing else, he’d listen to me. But even if he didn’t, he’d be a distraction, and that wouldn’t be the worst thing right now.

I tapped on my phone and brought it to my ear as I walked up to my door.Please be home. Please be home.

My brother, Bryant, wasn’t one to stick around the house. He spent more time in his lion than I ever did. From the time we were very young, I kind of envied his connection with his beast. Even before he had his first shift, the two of them had figured out their roles in each other’s lives. I didn’t even meet mine until my first shift.

The two of them could just live like besties. Always had. From his first shift, my brother could simply be in nature in his fur with no power struggle, no worry that his lion might not give him his skin back.

The same wasn’t true for me. In those early years, it was rough. My lion was strong. Tough. Stubborn. An all around pain in the ass.

He was so forceful he could force a partial shift, which I learned the first time I told him we weren’t going for a run until after I finished my homework. I’d never seen anything like that before, and it freaked me out. My lanky, pimply-faced teen self sporting claws bolted straight to my father. I half expected him to say I was going to become a permanent lion.

It was known to happen. Not often. Not in any generation I knew. But in the history books of our pride—we saw it.

To my surprise, he looked at me and said, “Your beast is strong. You need to be stronger.”

It was over many years that I was finally able to gain confidence in my ability to keep him in control. It took him seeing that no matter what it was, I’d give him what he needed. And now hefelt the same about our mate, even if it manifested itself by him being a pushy jerk again.

Only at least this time, I understood why. And I couldn’t really blame him. My human side wasn’t doing much better with control.

I was about to give up on the fourth ring—which, if my brother was around, it never got to—when it clicked on.

“What?” Great. My brother was in a mood.

“Oh, nice talk to you too, Brother,” I muttered, pushing open the door and walking inside.

“Well, I figured someone’s dead if you’re calling.”

I called my brother all the time. Or maybe not all the time, but I called. Stinks… Thinking back, it had been a while. Had I been a sucky brother? Probably.

“I was going to argue, but you’re right. I don’t call enough. But I kinda need you today. So can you maybe hold off on the big-brother lecture and catch up on it next time?”

“There will be a lecture at the time and place of my choosing.” His tone had lightened.

“Deal.”

“What’s going on?”

I plopped onto the couch and put him on speaker. I wasn’t sure how to start. “So… the good news is, I found my mate.”

“That’s not good news. That’s amazing news! Congratulations! Tell me all about him.”

“Well… see, that’s where the not-so-good news comes in.” It wasn’t really bad news. More complicating factors.

“Shit. Has he mated already?” And my brother jumped right to the worst-case scenario.

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