Page 24 of Kitty Cat

“They murder the submissives?” Ola sounded lightheaded, faint.

“Not all of them. Those pretty enough are kept, and used as slaves, if anyone wants to claim them. They see it as the survival of the fittest.”

How fucking barbaric. It didn’t make a bit of sense, no animal in the world acted that way.

This pack of degenerated fanatics had to be stopped, but how? They had considerably more members than them, and that was without considering the fact that they might have some allies who’d join them in an open conflict.

“If we talk at the Fest, we might find other prides who want to join us against them,” Tracy suggested.

Rygan shook his head. It might have been an option, if the next summer gathering wasn’t months away. They didn't have the luxury of time, not while those monsters were on their trail, hunting their youngest, most vulnerable child.

“We can't wait,” he replied.

“How about contacting the Alphas we know online?” Dante proposed.

Rye nodded his agreement; that was a viable option. There was a fair chance that his father might even agree to help them, given the circumstances…but he didn't have the best relationship with his family, so he couldn't count on it.

And frankly, even if every single feline in his acquaintance agreed to lend them a hand, they would still be outnumbered.

“We need to show this to Ace,” he decided, weirded out by the fact that he felt compelled to share the details with her.

“I can go talk to her,” the Beta offered, but Rye was quick to reject that option.

“I don't think so. I’ll go after the auction.” His answer was cold, possessiveness dripping from each word, making him uncivil towards his Beta. “Speaking of, we need to head out now.”

The housethey had their eyes on was getting auctioned off in Lakesides that day.

Rye felt the gaze of everyone on him, his Beta and his Enforcer as they walked into the town hall. They were all human which explained why he sensed so much fear and suspicion.

He could guess what the whispers said. They wouldn’t let them win if they could help it; they didn’t want them in town. He paid the humans no mind, taking a seat at the back. He’d buy the house - that’s all there was to it. Feeling unwelcome wasn’t a foreign concept anyway. It wasn’t like there was a better alternative elsewhere - according to recent censuses, there were about two hundred humans for every supernatural creature out there. That meant there was no place where his pride would reallybe unanimously accepted.

Some people kept it civil, nodding towards them - he returned the greeting. Those who openly glared, he ignored.

All of a sudden, the atmosphere completely changed; it almost felt like everyone in the room sighed in relief. As for Rye, he felt the corner of his mouth curve up. He hadn’t expected Ace to come.

A middle-aged man, slightly rounded around the edges, and with greying hair, greeted her with enthusiasm.

“Aisling, dear. Are you here to bid on the house? It’s a beauty. I had it done up by the best of the best.”

The owner, then.

There was an eagerness to his words; he was clearly hoping that the group of newcomers he didn’t trust would find some competition.

Ace smiled sweetly, dazzling the poor unsuspecting human, and playing him like a damn violin.

“I’m not,” she confessed, “I’m just here to see if my friends get it. Come, let me introduce you.”

She entwined her arm with the old man’s and made him follow her to the back of the room, where the pride members had chosen to sit.

“Guys, this is Andrew Turner. He knows everything there is to know about Lakesides’ history, if you have any questions.”

The man lifted his chin proudly.

“Andrew is the mayor of this town, and the owner of the house you would like to buy.” She looked up at him, her big amber eyes shining as she batted her long lashes. Fuck, the woman was lethal. “This is a few members of the Wyvren pride. They’re a new pride of feline shifters - like me - and they’ve encountered some trouble. You see, they adopt orphans, and it turns out some people want to harm one of their children.”

Rye wasn’t exactly happy that she’d divulged their affairs so openly, but the mayor frowned.

“Children?” he repeated, turning to the pride.

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