Page 27 of Her Lion Lover

Lily still couldn't fathom what Alicia was telling her. "So...you're telling me I was secretly born a shifter, I just didn't know it until I bit Leo?" She shook her head. "No, that doesn't make any sense. I mean, I've seen movies and shows where werewolves turn people into werewolves by biting them, but that's the werewolves doing the biting, not the people..."

Alicia chuckled. "You might have inherited the shifter gene from someone generations back. You can ask the lore keepers when you report your successful mating with Leo. I have no doubt you'll be in their records, seeing as you gained entry to Mirror Academy. As for our bite turning people...yes, a shifter's bite can transfer the curse to another, but if they don't have the right genes, more often than not, it drives them mad. They cannot handle their dual nature, and if they do manage to shift into their animal form, they do not retain enough of themselves to change back. They are little more than a mindless beast, driven by instinct they do not understand, while plagued with the memory of the person they once were. A quick end is a mercy for the bitten, which is why the bite of a shifter is a death sentence to anyone who is not your fated mate."

"And this fated mate thing...Leo said it was something like the human concept of soul mates, two people put together on this Earth who are lucky enough to find one another. But I've never heard about soul mates transforming one another into animals..." Lily could barely believe the words coming out of her own mouth, but she'd seen her own paws, as well as Alicia's and Leo's. Shapeshifters were as real as the coffee cup cradled in her hands.

"Fated mates have taken on an almost mythical allure for shifters, especially among those who lack the ability to shift on their own. Because it is the ultimate fairytale for someone who cannot shift, that if they meet and are claimed by their fated mate, the stories say they will miraculously be able to shift. As you demonstrated, so evidently there is truth to the tales after all."

"So, that's it, is it? Now I'm a lion for the rest of my life, and Leo and I will be together for eternity." Definitely not the future she'd envisioned for herself.

Alicia frowned. "You have a choice, you know. Leo is my son, so of course I'm biased in believing that he'd make a wonderful mate for any woman who truly loved him, but fate sometimes gets things wrong. Or people can change, and what was once perfect can turn to ashes. In those cases, it's better to reject your fated mate than live in a relationship that makes you unhappy. But know that you will never be as happy in a relationship as you will be with your fated mate."

Lily struggled to find the words. "Yes, but...all my life, I knew I'd grow up to be an engineer, like my parents. I'd finish school, graduate, and join their company. It's all I've been working towards since they died. I should be doing the necessary paperwork to get my licence, and to register the company again. Instead, all I can think about is that I have claws and a tail and a husband."

Alicia patted Lily's hand. "It will take your mind some time to adjust, but once you do, you'll realise that being a shifter doesn't change much at all. You're still an engineer, and you can hold down a normal job and live a normal life, just like you'd planned. Just...with a little bit more. Overnight and weekend hunting trips, where the venison is so fresh it's still warm..." Alicia sighed. "Go and do your paperwork. We'll manage without a housekeeper until Mrs Parker returns on Monday. If you have any trouble with the bureaucracy, get Leo to help you. He has contacts everywhere, so if he can't help, he'll know someone who can."

THIRTY-FOUR

Leo went through all the filing cabinets in the library, and then the estate office, but the contract was nowhere to be found. He didn't dare give up, though. He'd found his fated mate, and no way would he give her up. He'd give her everything he owned, just to make her happy. Starting with the shredded prenup, as a sign of his commitment. Sure, he'd already married her, but that was when he'd thought it was just a marriage of convenience to an ordinary human. Marriage between mates was forever. Her transformation into the fiercest, most beautiful lioness he'd ever seen confirmed it. He'd never look at another woman again.

But first he had to find that damned contract.

Finally, he'd given in and asked Mother for help.

Another search through the filing cabinets turned up nothing.

"I can't think where else I could have put it," Mother said, shaking her head. "Unless it's in the payroll files..."

Another frantic search of Mother's office finally found a folder with Lily's name on it. Not in a filing cabinet or desk drawer like they'd expected, but in her in-tray beneath a pile of unopened correspondence she'd planned to deal with next week.

Leo wanted to put the contract through the shredder right away, but he thought Lily should witness the destruction, too. Maybe she'd want to light it on fire, to make the destruction complete. Either way, he should ask her.

He found her in her bedroom, sprawled across her bed, frowning at an older model laptop.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"Nothing," she said, her eyes never leaving the screen. "I'm now officially a licensed engineer, and the principal in my parents' old company. The business has been reactivated, and everything's ready to take on new clients as of an hour ago, though I'd prefer to wait until Monday morning to start work. It seems almost too easy. The only thing I can't do is get hold of the office manager, Faye, to let her know. She isn't answering her emails, which isn't like her."

"Perhaps she's off sick today, or she's taken a day off to enjoy a long weekend," Leo suggested. "I'm sure she'll get back to you by Monday."

"No, Faye wouldn't ignore me like this. Emails from clients or suppliers, sure, she'd let those wait until Monday, but she's my godmother. She said to call any time, even if it's the middle of the night. Something's wrong, I know it."

"So call her," Leo prompted.

Lily dug her phone out of her jacket pocket, only to frown at that, too. "The battery's flat. I thought I charged it yesterday." She plugged it into the charger, then stood staring at it for a long moment.

"Use mine," Leo offered, holding out his phone.

"The number's on that phone, I'll have to wait until it's charged enough to turn on," she said.

Silence swelled between them, which Leo just couldn't stand.

"So, what kind of engineer are you? Pride Holdings works with a number of engineering firms, but we're always on the lookout for new ones to build lasting partnerships with. Perhaps we might be able to contract you for one of our upcoming projects," Leo said.

Lily snorted. "That depends on how much work there is left to do on your Hea Sanctuary project. Has Eirwin Energy delivered the battery tech they promised yet? I want to finish existing projects before I take on any new ones."

Leo's breath caught in his throat. "Wait, you work for Verre Electrical Engineering?"

"IamVerre Electrical Engineering. I own it, and I'm now their principal engineer. Their only engineer, for the moment. And Hea Sanctuary is the only project on the books right now, which is why I was willing to do anything, including marry you, to make sure it goes ahead."

---