Page 30 of The Purrfect Rival

“Elder Willow will be here soon to check your recovery.” Marisol studied her daughter. “She’s quite interested in your... situation.”

“You mean my magical mingling with the mayor?” Kalyna shot back, arching an eyebrow. “You can say it, Mother. I’m not a Victorian maiden who’ll faint at the mention.”

“No, you’re a century-and-a-half-year-old fox shifter with a rare twin-tail gift who’s apparently forming a magical bond withthe most powerful lion in town.” Marisol’s tone remained mild, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Hardly the same thing.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Elder Willow swept into the sitting room thirty minutes later, her silver braid swinging against her back like a pendulum. Despite her apparent age, she moved with surprising agility, her ancient eyes missing nothing as they cataloged Kalyna from head to toe.

“At least you’re standing,” the elder witch observed dryly.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Kalyna insisted, lifting her chin.

“We’ll see about that.” Elder Willow settled into a wing-backed chair that seemed to reshape itself to accommodate her. “Arm, please.”

Kalyna perched on the ottoman before the witch, extending her forearm where the poisoned blade had struck. Though the wound had closed, a faint reddish line remained, the skin slightly warmer than the surrounding area.

The witch applied a shimmering green potion while chanting in an ancient language. Marisol joined from across the room, her voice harmonizing perfectly. Magic pulsed through the apartment—the walls seeming to breathe, photographs vibrating on the mantle.

A peculiar sensation spread from Kalyna’s arm throughout her body—not painful, but intense as though every cell was being individually assessed and cataloged.

“Well, well,” Elder Willow murmured, her wizened fingers tracing the now-invisible wound. “That lion’s magic is all over you, girl. Not surface-level either. It’s sunk bone-deep.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Kalyna kept her voice level, though her heart raced.

“It means, stubborn child, that your magical core has incorporated elements of his.” The witch’s ancient eyes glinted with fascination. “I’ve witnessed only two other cases of cross-species magical integration this profound. Both were mate-bonds.”

“That’s impossible,” Kalyna protested, pulling her arm back. “We barely know each other.”

“Your fox has recognized his lion,” Elder Willow declared, tapping Kalyna’s chest directly over her heart. “No sense denying what’s already begun.”

The front door slammed open. Winston appeared in the doorway, his normally calm demeanor replaced by uncharacteristic agitation.

“Lysander’s called an emergency clan meeting,” he announced without preamble. “‘Preserving fox lineage integrity’ is his stated purpose.”

“Of course, he has,” Kalyna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Heaven forbid two days pass without drama in this town.”

“Tomorrow evening,” Winston explained. “I’ve spoken with several family members. Opinions are... divided.”

“Meaning half of them want to disown me, and the other half are reserving judgment until they see the magical light show for themselves?” Kalyna’s tone dripped sarcasm, but her stomach twisted with genuine concern.

“It’s not that simple,” Winston began.

“Yes, it is.” Kalyna stood, pacing the room. “Lysander’s been looking for an excuse to push his ‘pure lineage’ agenda for decades. He tried it when the Winterhavens wanted to marry into our family line, and again when the Emberwylde proposed a youth exchange program. The only difference now is that lions rank higher on his ‘undesirable’ list than wolves or dragons.”

Her eyes flashed crimson as her emotions intensified. “I’ve spent decades being the perfect Foxworthy daughter. I’ve preserved our history, maintained our library, protected our magical artifacts. But I will not—absolutely will not—allow him to dictate who I can form connections with, magical or otherwise.”

A stunned silence followed her outburst. The room’s temperature had risen several degrees, and small crimson foxfire sparks danced along her fingertips.

“Well,” Elder Willow broke the silence, looking thoroughly delighted. “The twin-tail has teeth after all.”

“I’ve always had teeth,” Kalyna replied, flexing her fingers to disperse the magical energy. “I just choose when to bare them.”

Winston and Marisol exchanged a loaded glance, both looking more proud than shocked.

“In that case,” Marisol said calmly, “you should invite the Leonid boy to dinner tonight at our home.”

“You want me to invite Rust to dinner?” Kalyna couldn’t mask her disbelief. “Tonight? With Lysander plotting clan intervention?”

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