Page 63 of Purrfectly Mated

“Are we safe? From him I mean?”

“Elissa,” he said, his voice thick with his animal.

“You are protected. Always. I would die to keep you safe.”

“I know, Hunter,” she replied, sighing his name.

“Can I ask another question?”

Her sweet voice was tired, but so full of contentment he could’ve died a happy man right then. He squeezed her against Him, kissing her forehead.

No, chuffed his beast.

The animal did not want to think about dying when he had a beautiful mate to take care of and impregnate with his cubs.

“Of course. What is it, my Nari?”

“Are you going to explain what happened to me?”

Once more, his anxiety rose. What if she was upset over the fact she was no longer human? Would she reject what had happened? Or worse, would she reject him?

He had no choice but to answer. His sweet mate deserved the truth from his lips.

“Our people call it Puspa,” Hunter began.

“Puspa, yes, I heard you say it before, but I thought never happened anymore,” she said shyly.

“No need for that now, my beautiful Nari. The Puspa is very rare, as is your white Tiger. You are a gift, my love. Unique, beautiful, and beyond comparison. The fact you were able to communicate to the animal with words that early is amazing. Some Shifters only ever get impressions and feelings from their beasts.”

“What do you mean?”

Elissa sat up and gazed at him with hauntingly beautiful brown eyes. Circled in thick, dark lashes, she blinked slowly. Hunter cleared his throat. He wanted her so badly, but he knew she needed this time to talk with him. To understand everything that had just happened to her.

“You are my Nari. A born leader. Alpha fem to all the Pride, and you are a white Bengal Tiger, sweet Elissa. That alone is very rare. Not to mention, you are also myfated mate. The Fates who decreed you mine also gifted you, us really, with the Puspa. It meansblossoming. That is when a normal,or human, is taken as a mate and the union awakens what has always been inside of you.”

“So are you saying I was always a Shifter?”

“Not necessarily, though stranger things have happened, my love. Who knows how many people have latent Shifter genes? I mean, we’ve been here since the beginning too, so it isn’t all that farfetched.”

“I see,” she said, though he felt her confusion.

“You can ask me anything, my love, I will do my best to answer,” concern clouded his voice.

He wanted, no,he needed, her to trust him and to be as happy with their mating as he was.

“I guess I just wondered why the rest of the world doesn’t know about Shifters?”

“Oh, well, people see what they want to, my love,” he murmured and pressed his lips to her hair.

His Tiger settled, knowing that it was her curiosity that had her confused and not the state of her feelings.

“Hunter?”

“Yes, baby?”

The endearments fell from his tongue easily. Something that had never happened to him before, but he couldn’t help it.

“Is it too soon to tell you I think I love you?”

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