Catnapped Part 2

Sorry this is a little short but it was a good breaking point! 🙂

***

Nevio walked down the line of wolves. They eyed him with distrust, but no one spoke. The hatred in a few of their eyes would’ve unnerved him if he weren’t so eager to find his wolf.

“Is this everyone?”

Alpha Caldera nodded. “This is every wolf in my pack.”

A few smirks alerted Nevio that something was up. “All the wolves?”

“As you requested. I believe you said you would leave us alone if I followed your request.” Caldera’s stood tall, his head tilted up. This alpha wouldn’t willingly bow to anyone.

Caldera’s calm aura infuriated Val. They were hiding something. Nevio could tell when someone lied and the Alpha was telling the truth. However, there were many types of truths and Nevio knew they were holding something back.

“Is this the entire pack?”

The Alpha scowled. “I told you this is all the wolves.”

There was that tick again. That little jolt in Val’s senses that said he was missing a clue.

“What about anyone else?”

Caldera’s mouth tightened before he spoke. “You requested the wolves. I’m sorry if none of them are who you expected. I believe we’ve held up our end of the bargain.”

Nevio growled. There wasn’t anything he could do. The alpha was right. He’d followed Nevio’s request. “Fine but eventually I’ll figure out what you’re hiding.”

“Maybe.” The Alpha smirked.

Spinning on his heel, Nevio stomped out of the pack house. Bennie grabbed his arm on their way back to the limo. “How do you know he wasn’t there?”

“I just do.” Nevio couldn’t explain it but he knew deep in his bones that his bonded wasn’t there.

Dispirited, he climbed into the limo. Bennie barely slid inside the vehicle before Nevio signaled the driver to move on. This entire evening had been a waste of time.

“What do you think they’re hiding?” Bennie asked, reflecting Val’s thoughts.

“I don’t know.”

They turned the corner and something large slammed onto top of the car. A loud roar pierced the air. The limo screeched to a halt. Nevio opened the door and slid outside ready to face whatever happened. A lion lay in the dirt.

“Oh shit, did we hurt it?” Bennie asked.

“What the fuck is a lion doing here?” Derek the driver asked.

“Maybe it’s a shifter,” Bennie said.

The lion stood up and gave a shaky meow.

“Is it hurt?”

The lion shrank into a golden-haired young man with golden eyes. To Val’s surprise the man wore clothes. He’d never seen a shifter who could change and keep his clothing.

“Ouch.” The lion shifter stumbled as he got to his feet.

Nevio rushed over and wrapped an arm around the shifter’s waist. A heavenly scent reached his nose. “You’re the one.”

Suddenly the Alpha’s insistence that all the wolves were there made sense. Val’s mate was a lion shifter.

“What are you doing on pack ground?” Nevio asked. One on one a lion could easily take a wolf but a pack of wolves could kill a single lion. Fear for the cat shifter had him walking faster, rushing the foolish shifter to his limo.

“Hey, hold on. What’s wrong? I mean besides the fact you hit me with your car.”

“The wolves might be coming any minute.”

The lion shifter dug in his heels. “So. They raised me. I don’t think it will be a problem if they find me here at home.”

“Who raised you?”

“My papa, Alpha Caldera.”

Bennie groaned. “This just gets worse and worse.”

“Your papa, was trying to hide you from me,” Nevio grumbled.

The lion shifter ducked his head. “He said I shouldn’t have donated blood. But everyone else does. I read the treaty and everyone who uses the land is supposed to donate.” A mutinous expression crossed the gorgeous man’s face.

“What’s your name?”

“Jacques.”

Nevio could hear an underlying accent in Jacques voice. “Are you French?”

“Mama was French. I haven’t lived there since I was a boy.”

That explained why the accent was so faint. Nevio escorted Jacques to the car. Nevio dug in his heels. “Where are you trying to take me?” Suspicion glowed in Jacques stunning eyes.

“I’m going to take you home with me. Your father won’t mind if we go for a little ride.”

The lion shifter laughed. “I don’t think so. I’m not going to let you abduct me and use me against my father.”

Before Nevio could defend himself, Jacque transformed into a lion and ran away.

“Well, fuck.” Nevio cursed.

“You gotta give him points. He’s pretty smart,” Bennie said. “I wouldn’t let a strange guy drag me into a limo either.”

“Yeah, I’d rather he were a little dimmer and in my bed,” Nevio argued