Page 6 of Finding Her Panthers

“Brother, now is not the time," he states, using his Alpha voice.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he tells me softly. I smile, letting him know, no harm done.

"The doc can't get here tonight. He had an emergency birth. Stephan says he'll meet us at our place in the morning. He didn't tell him any details, and he wasn't sure what we wanted to tell people." Blue slides his phone back into his pocket.

"Why do I need a doctor? I feel better now."

"How much do you know about the bond? Or the process of everything?" Jax asks hesitantly.

"Not much. I didn't have anyone trustworthy to ask. But now that I found you, the pain will go away, right?" I am confused.

They all share a telling look like they are having a conversation in their heads. "Sweetheart, there's a lot more to it than you think. We don't think it will go away, unfortunately. It will be better, but there are some steps we have to take to complete the bond. The Doc can give you something that he has developed specifically for shifters that won't wear off," James explains gently.

Before I can respond, someone knocks on the door, and we all can smell the delicious smell of meat coming from the other side.

"That will be dinner. Let's speak about this later. Baby girl, how about we move to the table," Jax suggests. He doesn't wait for a response, just grasps my hips, gently applying pressure to get me to stand.

I didn't even notice the small table tucked in the other corner of the room. Jax guides me into one of the chairs as the others find their own. I glance at Penny across from me. This is the longest she has been silent since I have known her. I can't wait to get her alone to pick her brain, hopeful she is happy for me and not freaked out.

I find myself sandwiched between James and Jax, with each of them placing a hand on my thigh as Blue answers the door. He pushes the large cart delivered by a mystery woman beside us. I welcome the wonderful smells coming from it, so thrilled to have some of my appetite back. Blue serves me first, my eyes are glued to the heaping plate, with a steak as big as my head. The baked potato is still steaming, the butter melting around the pieces of bacon bits. The soft bread steams when James opens it. I don't even know where to start. The guys don't seem to have the same problem. Except their plates have twice the amount that mine has. Even Penny is digging in, delicately cutting up her much smaller steak.

At the first delicious bite, I can feel the nutrients from the steak coursing through my whole body, bringing it back to life. Letting out a deep moan, I hear silverware hitting plates. As I open my eyes, which I didn't even realize were closed, I meet the swirling eyes of my mates.

"What?" I ask, looking at them in confusion.

"Nothing, sweetheart," James smirks.

"Everything is perfect, baby girl." Jax grins.

"Shit." Blue growls.

I look over to Penny to see her laughing hysterically. "Girl, you have so much to learn about men," she states, using her napkin to wipe her tears as I frown at her.

Jax squeezes my leg. "Just finish eating. We're happy you are enjoying it," he says kindly.

All I could hear are utensils scraping on the plates for the next few minutes. I don't remember the last time I had such good food that didn't upset my stomach.

"Do the three of you live together?" I am curious to learn more about my mates.

"We do. We live outside the city. We have a cabin right in the middle of the woods. We build it together. Sometimes during the week, especially if we are working late, we have rooms upstairs we stay in," Jax explains. "We would love for you to see it. Actually, we would love for you to stay there with us tonight. There is a guest room all set up. It would work well since the Doc will be coming out in the morning. Are you comfortable with that?" he asks, watching me.

I realize I don't want to be anywhere else but with them. I appreciate having my own room, though. I'm not quite ready to be with them physically. Maybe my body is on board with that, but my mind needs a few minutes to prepare.

"I am. I would love to see your home." I see the relief in all of their faces. I turn to Penny to see her watching me curiously. "Are you alright with going back home by yourself?" I ask her.

"Listen, as long as you are good. Then I'm good. I know this is all normal in your world. I've been trying to understand, just to wrap my brain around it is going to take time. But you know I will support you with whatever you want." She smiles at me softly.

"If it would be alright, we would like to put one of our guys in your apartment," Jax states.

"What? Why?” I ask.

"Well, as it is your place, your scent is all around inside and out. If others are looking for a panther, they could track you here to us, and it could cause problems," he explains.

"That I can understand, but what does that have to do with Penny?" I don't want her life more disrupted than it already has been.

The guys share another loaded look. I'm getting tired of being left out of whatever conversation they are having.

"I'm not sure you realize the situation fully. So many would do anything to get their hands on a female panther. And until we are fully bonded, they could try to steal you away." The frustration was evident in his voice.

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