Page 21 of Cats and Dogs

"Don't want to rain on your parade," said Vivicia, "but she totally likes dogs. She loves Cutie."

"Don't call that thing Cutie. It's not a cutie. Plus, it's a male. He'd resent being called Cutie. And don't name him at all, because he's not staying here."

"Shush, shush," Ace patted her mate's back. "Don't stress, you're going to go prematurely gray. I think the dog's a cutie. And he can stay if he doesn't spook the cats."

Rye glared and pouted a little harder.

"He'll totally spook your cats, Aisling," Rye told Ace, sounding a little too hopeful.

Christine was all for kicking the dog out of the house, but when Ace's old lynx entered from an open window, stared at the bulldog, and yawned, bored, before strolling to the kitchen, she couldn't help it: she laughed out loud with the rest of the pack.

"This is a conspiracy. Why am I even here? Everything always goes your way!"

"Here," she replied, holding up a plate of cupcakes with a sweet smile. "Have one of these. You'll feel better."

Rye sighed and took a cupcake. A minute later, he was purring and hugging his mate, who massaged his shoulders.

Christine couldn't stop looking at them sometimes. They were so stinking cute. Even if she found a partner who could put up with her crazy pride and the fact that she pretty much had nine children, there was no way she'd ever know that kind of completion. It wasn't just love; it ran deeper yet, as the matching tattoos that peeked out of their clothing, glowing unnaturally on their skin, attested. They were fated mates, just like Ava and Coveney.

Fated pairings were rare and they had two in the pride; maybe even three. No one was discussing it, but they'd nonetheless noticed the strange shadows forming on Daunte's back, matching Clarissa's. They didn't want to talk about it out loud if it turned out they were wrong, but there was a possibility they might also be fated; maybe there was a reason why Rye and Ace's son had bit Clari and turned her into one of them – because she was meant to be one of them.

Three fated pairs under one roof. The odds that anyone else among them found their fated mates were slim to none after that.

"They all almost make you want to throw up, right?" Rain whispered, tilting her chin towards the lovey-dovey couples.

"Yep, totally. I still can't believe there's so many mated pairs in the pride."

"I can," said Rain.

Christine lifted a brow.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but only Rye and Ace are of the same species. That's actually arguable, given the fact that she's some unique type of hybrid. I wonder if pairs are rare because people insist on sticking to their own races, when fate tends to mix it all up. Clari was a regular and Daunte, a panther."

"And Ava is an eagle, while Coveney is a white tiger. I see what you mean. But why would fate purposefully mix us up?"

"My guess? To avoid inbreeding. There aren't that many lines of shifters."

That made an awful lot of sense.

"So," said Ian, shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation, "you're saying that the problem with other shifters is that they don't hang out with other types of sups and with regulars."

"Yeah. The difference is, you guys have come into contact with other races, because Ace was a loner and has awesome friends like Vi, Faith, and me."

"Maybe, but it's a big world," Ari said from the other side of the room. "Meeting the one person meant for you still isn't that easy."

"Hello?" Luke piped in. Apparently, the conversation was now open to the entire pride. "Fated. If you accept the fact that fate has something to do with it, you have to assume that fate would, at some point in your life, put you face-to-face with that person. The trick is recognizing it."

There was a long silence as everyone took in those words.

"Thing is, we probably have a bigger chance than anyone else in this pride. We know what it looks like," said Jas, gesturing towards the mated couples.

Another good point.

Christine went to bed with that thought very much in mind. That was probably the reason why, the next day, when she got downstairs late, in her PJs and a toothbrush in her mouth, and came into contact with the wolf, her eyes bulged and her heart stopped. The cheetah inside her stood to attention, thinking one word quite clearly.

Mate.

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