Page 74 of Savage Mates
“He’s right,” Titus added. “You want to know who she is? All of you, gather her scent. Fill your nostrils with her fragrance. Does the fragrance seem off to you?” Not a single lion moved or complied. “Do it!”
Thor dropped Conall to the ground, growling at him before walking off in disgust.
The lions remained uncomfortable but did as they were told. Alexander looked in my direction. “What is that?” I wasn’t going to be winning any points with them unless I proved myself.
Zeus took a deep breath. His eyes always found mine, his breathing remaining labored. Yet when he answered, his voice held certainty.
“The scent is ripe with pheromones because she’s our mate.”
The bombshell announcement was met with shock. They’d heard the words before. Now the information was being shoved down their throats.
Their surprise wore off quickly.
There was a deep vibration as the members of the pride grew restless. Every pair of eyes was illuminated as their lions shifted closer to the surface. They acted as if they were going to charge until Zeus turned to face them.
Every one of them moved closer, their expressions full of fury as Conall’s nostrils flared. However, he finally lowered his gaze as he followed the command. A few growled, one turned away in disgust, but the others continued glaring at me as if I was the antichrist.
“Fuck,” Conall gritted out. His eyes flashed the same hatred, yet also uncertainty. At least he understood even more than the others that things within the pride had changed. “That is not possible.”
“Yes, it is.” Titus lifted his head. “None of us, including Dr. Radcliff understand how, but there is no denying what’s happening. The signs are all in place.”
Alexander hissed after breathing in, narrowing his eyes as he slowly turned his head toward Thor. “She’s in heat. A goddamn human.”
“Maybe,” Thor answered. “All we know is that the mating bond is real. But Titus is right. We don’t have all the answers. The only hope of obtaining them is with placing our trust in the human.”
His indifference was a protective measure. I glanced away, realizing what he’d just said. In heat. I was ovulating, capable of becoming pregnant. Less than twenty-four hours before I would have said breeding between two different species was scientifically impossible. Now I was as clueless as they were, but my instinct told me the reason for capturing the lions and perhaps other species was to push the limits of procreation, developing potentially an even stronger lifeform than what had initially occurred in the laboratory of Blackwell Industries. It was all conjecture at this point, but plausible.
The thought was both terrifying and exciting, yet the danger involved in the reality was sky high.
“How do they know I’m your mate?” I asked, more curious than ever. The looks on the faces of the lions were incredulous.
“There is no mistaking the scent of the mating bond, little mate,” Thor answered.
“You must have gone into heat after spending time with us,” Titus added.
He meant after we’d fucked like wild animals. I rubbed my arms, still trying to come to terms with the possibility. “An increase in estrogen. That’s why my scent is stronger.”
Zeus sighed. “Yes.”
“What the hell is happening, Zeus?” one of the other lions barked. “Now we’re going to start breeding with humans?”
“We are uncertain, Gabriel, but the scent and the deep longing the three of us feel is unmistakable. You’ve felt it before. Conall experienced it with Skye.” Zeus swung his head toward Conall, as uncertain as I remained about how any of this was scientifically plausible. If only I had access to Blackwell’s research.
Was it terrible of me for longing to see what the monstrous man yet brilliant scientist had managed to accomplish? Maybe. But doing so would help with determining the future of the shifters and their offspring. I feared their altered DNA would succumb to diseases in a way that couldn’t be cured.
Or just the opposite. It was entirely possible they were free of danger from disease whether passed down by their human DNA or that of their natural animal forms.
When my three mates moved closer, my stomach was filled with butterflies.
The ground beneath my feet rumbled, the white-hot electricity keeping the hair on my arms standing on end.
My pulse had skyrocketed, my heart thudding. If the other lions decided not to accept my presence, the fight would be bloody. The last thing they needed to endure was turning on their own.
“Please listen to me,” I insisted. “I will find out what is going on. That is my promise to all of you.” I wasn’t a lion. I had no understanding of their politics, but it was clear to see the string of command and the power it offered. Anxiety swept through me in a vicious cycle.
“Be careful making promises you can’t keep, human. What has happened to us cannot be undone.” As a man, Alexander was gorgeous with golden hair sweeping several inches past his broad shoulders. His eyes held such anger, yet they remained beautiful, the deep whiskey color shimmering in the sunlight. I could only imagine him as a lion.
“Is it so impossible to believe after everything you’ve seen and experienced that I could want to help you or that I might be connected to you in some surreal way?” I asked, doing everything I could not to show them any fear. No matter how connected I felt to lions in general or how much I adored the beasts, I also couldn’t underestimate them. They were dangerous, even more so because of the alteration in their DNA.
