Page 67 of Purrfectly Trapped

“It means that skinny bitch Pamela got to our Gretchen. After that meeting you had with her and her pal out back, she was bound to make more trouble. Or don’t you think I know what goes on in my own Pride?” Elissa growled with her hands on her protruding belly, looking for all the world like a fierce little mama Tiger.

Anger tore through him, and he’d never wanted to stalk and challenge a female so damn badly. Pamela and her friend were part of a group of she-Cats who’d messed around with Blake. They used to act all high and mighty because they were fucking the ex-Beta. Coming down a few pegs must have hurt their pride, so she’d gone after his mate.

Big. Fucking. Mistake.

“I said, what are you going to do about Gretchen, Reg?” Elissa interrupted his train of thought.

“Mine,” he growled before he could stop himself. “Sorry, Liss,” Reg looked at his Nari, and shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s okay. I understand, but I’ve known Gretchen for a long time. I know she appears strong and confident, but she has the same misgivings and hang ups as the rest of the female population.”

“Hang ups? About what?”

“A million things,” she said. “Her hairstyle. Her weight. How she looks in a dress. You name it, all women get those same misgivings. We all feel like that sometimes---”

“Fuck tha- I mean, no. Unacceptable. She is my mate, Nari. She is perfect.”

“I’m glad you think so, but have you told her that? Have you even told her what it means to be mates? I mean, you’re still living here, Reg. It’s been more than enough time to get acclimated to the situation, hasn’t it? I would have gone mad without Hunter by my side for that long,” Elissa told him bluntly.

“Fuck. I’ve messed up again, haven’t I? All I wanted was to give her time to get used to the idea, and I wound up hurting her. I am such a fucking moron.”

His heart pounded in his chest. Why couldn’t he get this right? Well, he was a fuck up, but he could change. He would change. For her, he would do anything.

“Just a little hiccup, Reg, but you’ll fix it. Now, go get her.”

"Yes, Nari,” he replied, and that was an order he didn’t mind taking, for sure.

Reg was ready to go find his mate. He would hunt hisshonadown until he had her trapped in his arms where she belonged.

Mine!

ChapterTwenty-One

Gretchen walked through the old church’s lot until she reached the copse of fir trees that seemed to stand guard over the abandoned property.

She needed time away from Reg, and everyone else too. Time to just think.

Between that harpy yapping in her ear, Marion giving her the third degree, and her Tiger growling and hissing at her, she couldn’t stand it another minute.

She’d locked up the salon after she tidied up and decided to go for a walk to clear her mind. First though, she’d had to have it out with Reg over the phone. That had not been fun.

What was she going to do about him? She ducked behind a large shrub and began to remove her clothes. Her Tiger was pacing beneath her skin and wanted out. Gretchen understood the need.

Her she-Cat was strong and powerful, and a hell of a lot more certain of herself than Gretchen was. The animal hissed and spat at her human side for letting Pamela get to her.

She was Reg’s fated mate and no matter what that woman said, she knew in her heart it meant more than just some sexy fun times between the sheets.

Shit.

She’d fucked up. She went and let that beyotch poison her mind. Gretchen hated it when she was wrong, but she was a big girl. She could admit it. And she was so very wrong. She owed Reg an apology.

“I’ll do it, but first let’s run off some of these feelings she-Cat. what do you say?” Gretchen asked her inner kitty in a soft whisper.

A breeze rustled the leaves in the tree above her, and within moments, she felt that familiar hum of magic wrap around her soft curves and brush against her skin. It was like stepping into a tub of warm water.

Slipping into her fur was getting easier, as she’d been assured by her Shifter friends. The more frequently she did it, the more the pain diminished. After less than three minutes, she was shifted, taking a moment to adjust to her new shape.

She relished being in her new form. With her Tiger’s eyes, she scoped out the landscape and sniffed the air. She was no expert, but she could tell she was alone, except for a family of rabbits hiding in a burrow beyond the pines. Her beast salivated for a moment, but Gretchen refused to indulge in a raw diet just yet.

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