Page 2 of Purrfectly Trapped

There was only one slight issue to be concerned with. Would this little normal, who had no knowledge of Shifters, be as open as her friend was to the possibility of being mated to a man who also turned into a beast?

“Gretchen Kaepernick, I have got just the man for you,” Uzzi said to himself while sifting through the notes he’d taken on each member of the Pride.

His magic began to tingle, little lightning bolts of blue and gold sparking from his fingertips as he scanned names and recalled faces.

Suddenly, Uncle Uzzi stopped skimming. His blue eyes were blazing as he found the name he’d been looking for.

Ah, yes.

This was the one. The Tiger who was meant for the beauty salon owner. He chuckled to himself as he recalled the man’s face. True, he had issues with the pride, but he’d been young and naive. The Neta had assured Uzzi, this man was as good as they came. He would not represent him otherwise.

That said, it was quite possible Gretchen would have a mate before the end of the week.

Poor little pussy, Uzzi thought again, snorting at his joke.The Tiger had no idea what he was in for, Uncle Uzzi chuckled and sipped his tea.

Sorry, liebling, I will try to behave.

But his blue eyes were sparkling with mischief as he called to make an appointment with his driver for the following day. They had a trip to take.

Back in Maverick Point…

“Well, what did you learn?” Hunter Maverick, Neta of the Maverick Pride stood before his most trusted men and waited for them to report their findings.

“The streak couldn’t have been working alone, Neta,” Brayden, his Beta and also the only Black Bear Shifter in the Pride, spoke first.

“They knew exactly where to find the women at their most vulnerable, without any of us there to protect them,” Lance added.

He was the youngest Tiger in the Neta’s guard of elite warriors. He’d chosen only the best, and Lance, though young, was already deadly with claws and fang. He was a valuable member of Hunter’s Guard and the Maverick Pride.

“I suppose we are lucky they grossly underestimated our females then,” Reg said with a grin.

“Jessica and Kylie dished out quite the ass kicking,” Brayden grinned.

“The Nari was placed in danger because of these rogues. As was my sister, and a new member of our Pride. Ass kicking or not, I won’t risk them again. None of us will rest until we have all the answers,” Hunter’s voice was low and deep with his beast.

A good and strong leader, the Maverick Pride Neta clearly did not find anything about the recent occurrences amusing, least of all the fact that his pregnant mate had been in danger.

“Of course,” Brayden said, baring his throat in reverence to the male.

“Back to the point at hand, Neta,” Mikey, their healer, said, looking at Hunter before quickly averting his gaze.

Hunter’s hackles had been raised, and he began to growl deep and low in his chest, using that special infrasonic pitch that let others in the area know a true predator was close. Prey froze when they heard that sound, and though Mikey and the other members of the Guard were not his prey, they all bowed and bared their throats to the most dominant Shifter in the room.

As the Neta, Hunter was the strongest of them all, but that wasn’t the reason his men submitted to him. Strong was one thing, just was another. And Hunter Maverick was the most fair and just Tiger in all of Maverick Point.

His Shifters trusted him to protect, guide, and honor the code they lived by. The Maverick Pride was unique in that the men and women were offered voices in the form of discussions, much like a town meeting.

They called it acircle, and all were welcome to participate. Hunter refused to run roughshod over his Pride mates. Loyalty was hard won by Alphas who used their powers to control, Hunter refused to do that. They lived by an honor code, and no one remained who was disloyal to the Pride.

“At the last circle, I noticed many of our younger Tigers did not attend,” Mikey continued.

“What do you mean?” Hunter asked.

“I just think we need to keep an eye out. Maybe at the next run?”

“Good idea. Let’s keep searching for answers then. Our friend on the Shifter Council, Dakota Miles, has agreed with our supposition that the streak had help to carry out their plans. Help from someone other than Blake,” he said and allowed that unpleasant thought to settle amongst his Guard.

“That means there is a traitor in our midst,” he continued, and Hunter’s teal gaze landed on each and every one of his trusted men. “I want you all to be on the lookout for any signs that could lead to this person or persons. No one is above consideration. The safety of our Pride and our cherished females is of the utmost importance.”

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