Page 24 of Cats and Dogs

Chapter 11

The Wyverns

Hunter’s wolf was going crazy in there. He wanted out - needed out. The animal had been happy as part of the Vergas Pack once, a long time ago, when Gwen had run alongside him, but it had been years since he’d felt anything like it.

Since he’d left for school, now about twelve years ago, Hunter had, for all intents and purposes, become a lone wolf. An animal that trusted no one and found no comfort in the company of those around him. Instead, he’d observed them from a distance, taking them for what they were: potential enemies.

The animal still had protective instincts towards some Vergas, mostly kids like Anna or Mike, but it had felt no kinship.

Being in the middle of a community like the Wyvern satisfied a deep-rooted, long-ignored need, a longing he hadn’t realized he still had. Something that made him feel young and carefree.

The Wyverns were all familiar with each other and affectionate. They touched each other casually, brushing shoulders, tapping arms. Hunter wondered if they even realized they did it, or if it was just an instinctual reaction to satisfy their animals’ needs.

The mated pairs mostly kept their hands on each other, but they still touched the children at the first occasion, wordlessly conveying their love and protection.

It wasn’t just that; they also joked around, teasing each other, laughing at the slightest provocation. If Hunter had ever seen a happier group of people, he couldn’t recall it.

The Beta, a large, bulky, tanned guy, spat out his coffee, and glared at his Alpha female.

“That’s fucking unfair. You don’t mess with people’s coffee, Ace.”

“You forget, I still owe you,” the woman replied, winking.

“For heaven’s sake, it’s been a year! And my messing with your privacy has brought you a mate and a cub, in case you forgot.”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t change the fact that you went back on your promise, little brother. That gives me leave to fuck with you until the end of time.”

Daunte glared. “You know, some day, I might just fight back. How would you like salt in your coffee, hm?”

Ace looked at the woman grinning on Daunte’s lap. “I think you’d better watch your mate, Clari. He might just be suicidal.”

Hunter soaked in the atmosphere, loving every second of it. Lola had grown up with love and fun all around her.

Well, when she hadn’t been moving from state to state to avoid his pack, in any case. But the stress of the two-year-long chase hadn’t tainted the Wyvern, from what he could see.

It was a little piece of heaven right here in California. It didn’t help that the shifters around him were cats. The wolf wanted to play. Badly. Telling him that they may not appreciate being chased wasn’t going to work. Hunter didn’t want to mess up his unexpected invitation to stay for a while, so it meant the beast had to stay away.

To keep him in check, he was going to have to shift, and soon.

Lola played on the floor with the other kids. Other than the toddler who wasn’t walking yet, she was by far the youngest. Clive looked like he might be five years old; Will, Daniel, Jasper, Hsu, and Victoria, somewhere around ten, and Niamh was a sassy teenager who looked like she was borrowing makeup from Jas, their enforcer. The other Wyvern females wore little to no makeup, but Jas, with her short pixie-cut hair, wore dark red lipstick and rocked her black eyeliner. Niamh was clearly emulating her.

Although they were all so different in age, the kids all played together. Their quarrels ended with hissing, slapping, growling, and punches, because, well, they were shifters. But as soon as one of them tapped out, they went back to hugging and laughing. Mike had joined right in as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Hunter watched them for hours, well after the bulk of the pack had returned to their affairs, leaving the kids to Ian and Daunte. The Beta and the enforcer took them out in the gardens and started a training regime not so different from what they did back home. Little Lola joined in, adorable as she sparred with Clive.

Lola was fast; so fast she was a fair match for the six-year-old, although she was just a little thing.

They were having a blast, laughing hard. Regular humans never got it when they heard that shifters trained their kids from the moment they could walk. It wasn't just a necessity because there were real dangers in their world; it was something shifters genuinely needed.

They had a lethal animal inside them, growing along with their human shell. An animal that needed exercise. Without it, they could grow violent, aggressive. And if their human counterpart ended up weaker than the animal when it finally came out of their skin, they were in a lot of fucking shit.

Going feral was the worst thing that could happen to their kind. Those unable to take over from the beast often had to be locked up, and eventually put down, because they were a danger to all.

So, training was good, and the kids loved it.

"Do they also have homework?" Hunter asked Ian.

"Yep, but honestly I have zero patience, and Daunte sucks at math, so, until Christine is back, they're training all day."

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