Page 67 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

“I’ll leave this out so you can take a better look.This map shows details of our homeland and the surrounding settlements of shifters.They have technology—” He paused again, visions of the lab, the flying machine, and Tracy’s home flashing through his mind.He shook his head.“Trust me when I say we don’t stand a chance.”

“That’s not true,” Tracy interjected, touching his arm.She looked around at the group.“You do have a chance.You have a chance to do more than survive.You could thrive.My aunt is the President of The United Species of North America.She, along with a group of scientists like myself, have developed a plan to help you.A temporary complex is being built as we speak here in the Olympic National Park.A permanent location is also being constructed, one that will allow you to have everything you’ll need to grow and prosper.”

“Cages!You want to put us in cages!”Tom growled, surging to his feet and taking a threatening step toward her.

“Shut up and sit down, Tom, or I’ll have Jayden make you,” Connell snapped.

Tom opened his mouth before he clamped it shut and glared at Connell with a mutinous expression.Tom’s hands clenched and unclenched with emotion.Mitchell stiffened and moved into a protective stance.

“While I agree with Tom, I’d be happy to put him back in his seat.I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” Jayden commented.

Tom turned his hostile glare on Jayden before he mumbled a curse under his breath and sat back down.Paulette gripped his arm and whispered in his ear.Tom shrugged and looked away.

“It’s not a cage.You’ll be able to come and go as you please… within reason at first.You have to understand that the discovery of humans is a shock to us.We thought you were extinct,” Tracy continued.

“Because of shifters!”a chorus of voices called out.

Tracy shook her head.“Because of poor decisions made by our ancestors.We are better than that.”

“Tracy, are you saying that we would be welcomed—safe—in the shifter world?”Anna asked.

Mitchell felt Tracy’s hesitation.She wouldn’t lie to his people… and neither would he.He lowered the map in his hand and folded it.

“No, not by everyone,” she answered.

Mitchell inwardly groaned when the voices of dissention rose once more.It took nearly ten minutes before everyone calmed down again.He knew he was losing the argument.If he didn’t say something to change their minds soon, he might as well forget it.

“I think we should accept their offer,” Margo proclaimed.

Shock held Mitchell speechless for a moment.Margo blushed but didn’t look away when all eyes turned to look at her in silent disbelief.She gave Mitchell and Tracy a tentative smile and then stood, nervously wiping her hands down the front of her pants.

“Go ahead, Margo.We’re listening,” Mitchell encouraged.

Margo looked around the villagers before focusing on the group of elders sitting across the fire from her.She opened and closed her mouth as she struggled to begin.She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, then opened her eyes and said, “I’m pregnant.I don’t want to raise my child like this.”She waved her hands outward toward the cave.“I don’t want to watch him or her die in my arms because I can’t provide food, clothing, shelter… medicine.I can’t— I can’t.”Tears glittered in her eyes.“If there is a chance for us to live a better life, I want it.I don’t care if it's in a shifter cage.If it means giving my child a better chance at life, I’ll gladly step into it.I have to believe that times have changed.Humans are no longer a threat to the shifters.Look at us!We can barely take care of ourselves.Chaz, don’t you want a better life for Hallie?LaTrisha, you lost both of your parents over the last two years.Are you ready to lose your brother as well?”

LaTrisha wrapped her arm around Timmy’s thin shoulders.Mitchell knew the younger woman could feel the thin frailty of the boy’s shoulders through his clothing.LaTrisha looked up and shook her head.

“No.I don’t want to lose him,” LaTrisha said.

Margo looked at Tracy.“All I want to know is will my child be safe if we go?”

Tracy nodded.“I swear we will do everything in our power to protect you and your child.I won’t lie, there are some shifters who don’t feel the same.We will have security in place to protect you, but we’ll need your help to keep you safe.You'll need to stay where we can best defend you, but once the novelty wears off, I believe interest in humans will fade and you'll simply be part of our society, free to come and go in far less danger than you are in now.It may take a few months or years, but in the meantime, our government will be there to do everything they can to make this transition as smooth as possible.”

Margo gave her another shy smile and placed her hand over her stomach.“That is good enough for me.”

“We will vote,” Rand said.

“Wait a minute.What if we don’t agree?”Jayden asked, rising.“Notall of usmay want to live withthem, away from our home!”

Mitchell gritted his teeth and turned to face Jayden.“You know the rules, Jayden.Majority vote.At least see what they have to offer before you turn it down,” he said.“Blind ignorance serves no one.”

“Cages usually have doors that only open when the captor wants it to.Do you really think if we don’t like it they are just going to let us go?”Jayden scoffed.

“You’ll be able to leave whenever you want, Jayden, but if you do, we won’t be able to guarantee your safety.We’ll do our best, but… well, unfortunately there are some shifters who want to capture a human and it isn’t for the good of the human.Ella was taken from our home.We were naïve enough to believe she would be safe there.We learned the hard way that she wasn’t.We’ve made a lot of changes since that happened, but the people who took her are still out there,” Tracy admitted.

“They are searching for us even as we speak,” he added.“Two other shifters were with us.They doubled back to find out who it is and try to stop them.Even with all the precautions Tracy and I took, it is possible they will still find us.We need to make a group decision.You’ve seen the map.We are surrounded.It is only a matter of time before these shifters or others with similar intentions catch one or all of us.At least if we agree to this, we have a real chance of survival.”

“I vote yes,” Margo said.

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