Page 28 of Pleasure and Mane
"You went above and beyond to help me and my pride, and that means more to me than I can put into words,"he'd told her.
The raw emotion in his voice when he'd said those words had sent shivers through her body. She'd received praise before—from patients, colleagues, even medical journals that had featured her innovative birthing techniques. But nothing had ever felt as profound as Caius's acknowledgment, as if he truly saw her not just as a competent professional, but as someone worthy of standing beside him in protecting what he loved most.
God, what is happening to me?she wondered, pressing her fingers to her temples. Three days ago, she'd been content with her predictable life in Denver, married to her practice, and convinced she didn't have time for complications. Now, she was fantasizing about a future with a man she barely knew, in a town she'd never heard of, surrounded by people who weren't even entirely human.
And the most terrifying part? She'd never felt more alive, more valued, and more genuinely happy than she had in the past forty-eight hours.
A soft knock interrupted Quinn's spiraling thoughts, followed by Lavinia's melodic voice. "Quinn? Your door's open, and I brought tea."
Quinn looked up from her scattered notes to see Lavinia balancing a delicate china tea set on a silver tray. Even three months pregnant, Lavinia moved with fluid grace and her natural radiance seemed to glow brighter.
"Please, come in." Quinn gestured to the seating area near the fireplace. "I could use the company."
Lavinia settled into the plush armchair across from Quinn's desk chair, pouring steaming chamomile tea into two cups withpracticed ease. "You looked lost in thought when I passed by. Everything alright?"
Quinn accepted the offered cup, inhaling the soothing steam. The warmth spread through her fingers but did nothing to calm the restless energy coursing through her. "Can I ask you something that might sound completely ridiculous?"
"Of course." Lavinia's blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"This whole mate thing I keep hearing whispers about..." Quinn set down her teacup, meeting Lavinia's gaze directly. "What does that actually mean? Because your brother deflected when I brought it up, and I'm getting the distinct impression there's something significant I'm missing."
Lavinia's face lit up with excitement, then quickly sobered. "Oh, Quinn. You should really hear this from Caius, not me. It's not my place to?—"
"Please." Quinn leaned forward, her professional composure cracking. "I feel like I'm walking around blind, and everyone else can see something I can't. What am I missing here?"
Lavinia studied Quinn's face for a long moment, then sighed. "Being a mate isn't like being a girlfriend or even a wife in the human world. For lion shifters, it means the other half of your soul. Fate decides who belongs together—it's a biological imperative that can't be denied or dismissed."
Quinn's breath caught in her throat. Her hands trembled as the implications crashed over her in waves.
"When a lion finds his fated mate, it's forever," Lavinia continued softly. "That person becomes his partner, his equal, his everything for eternity. It's the most profound connection imaginable—deeper than love, more binding than marriage. It's like... finding the missing piece of yourself you never knew was gone."
The other half of your soul.Quinn's mind reeled, connecting dots that suddenly blazed with startling clarity. The inexplicablepull she felt toward Caius, the way her body hummed with awareness whenever he was near, and the strange sense of coming home she'd experienced since arriving in Leon—it all made terrifying, wonderful sense.
"The fated mate," Quinn whispered, her voice barely audible. "That's me."
Lavinia nodded, her expression gentle but knowing. "Caius is probably terrified to tell you. Human and lion shifter pairings are incredibly rare, and he's probably convinced the pride won't accept it because he's the Alpha. Plus, he's never been in a relationship before—imagine discovering your fated mate exists and having no idea how to court her."
No wonder he ran away after kissing me,Quinn thought, remembering his abrupt departure from the gardens.He's probably as overwhelmed as I am.
The revelation should have sent her running straight back to Denver, back to her safe, predictable life. Instead, it explained the bone-deep certainty she'd felt since arriving here, the rightness of being in Caius's world despite knowing him for mere days.
Lavinia leaned back in her chair, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "So, you like my brother, huh?"
Heat flooded Quinn's face as she struggled to maintain her professional facade. "He's a great guy. And a great Alpha. I can see why the pride respects him so much."
"Quinn." Lavinia's tone carried the patient amusement of someone who'd mastered the art of reading people. "You're practically glowing when you talk about him, and he spent all morning pacing the house like a caged animal until he could find an excuse to take you into town. I think we can drop the pretense that this is purely professional."
Quinn buried her face in her hands, her carefully constructed walls crumbling. "This is insane. Three days ago, I had my entirelife mapped out—work, patients, routine. Now I'm sitting here discussing soulmates with a pregnant model I'm supposed to be professionally helping while falling for her Alpha lion brother."
"First of all," Lavinia said, "you're not just helping me—you potentially saved every pregnant woman in our pride by figuring out Vincent's role in our pregnancy losses. Second, it's perfectly okay to have feelings for my brother. In fact, I think it's wonderful."
Quinn looked up through her fingers. "Really?"
"Caius is the most devoted, protective man I know. He's given everything to this pride and sacrificed his own happiness for fifteen years to take care of everyone else. He deserves someone who sees past the Alpha facade to the man underneath—someone intelligent and caring enough to challenge his assumptions."
"What assumptions?"
Lavinia's eyes sparkled. "That the pride won't accept a human mate. That love is a luxury he can't afford. That he has to carry every burden alone." She paused, her expression becoming earnest. "The pride isn't as rigid as he believes, Quinn. Maybe what he needs is someone brave enough to show him that rigid thinking doesn't serve anyone—especially when it comes to matters of the heart."
