Therian Prize(2)

And then there were the traditionalists who felt that the Omni Prime should have no say at all. The Charter dictated how the Therian nation was organized and that’s the way the traditionalists wanted it to stay. Of course the Prime Council and Alpha Councils were all dominated by men rich and powerful enough to force their wills on others. As a result, those who had been abused by this imbalance of power had rushed to support the Omni Prime.

After losing control of the Omni Prime to the cats, Nate, Heather’s father, had returned his focus to more traditional means of manipulation. He was determined to increase the power and influence of the wolf clans and he felt that consolidation was the wolves’ best hope. Feline-shifters outnumbered all other types. Nothing could change that fact. But wolf-shifters could accomplish more if they banded together, pooled their resources and poured their energy into common goals. And he was just the alpha to guide this multi-pack force.

It wasn’t a new idea. Nate had claimed a female from the most powerful bloodline in another pack and he’d encouraged his hunters to do the same. The other packs resisted the intrusion but the brash strategy had paid off. Most of the children born to inter-pack couples were unusually powerful.

And Nate’s strategy hadn’t ended with his generation. As the children of the inter-pack couples became mature enough to mate, he’d pressured the parents to continue the process. Nate had always believed in leading by example, so Bruce, his oldest son, had claimed a mate from a rival pack. Bruce’s mate had died before she’d given him children but that was beside the point.

Landon had refused to bow to his father’s wishes. Heather’s favorite brother had chosen to leave the pack and eventually joined the rebels, leaving her conflicted and vulnerable.

Heather’s turn came when she was nineteen. Therian females were born without a specific animal nature. It took the blood of a Therian male to trigger her “definition”. His blood became the template her body used to form her animal nature and unleash her ability to shift. This process was generally performed by a male relative or a potential mate. In Heather’s case the male had been her father’s choice, not hers. His name was Carlos and he was the newly appointed alpha of an alpine wolf pack.

She shuddered as pangs of fear and desperation echoed through her being. No one knew exactly what had gone wrong that night or what had caused Carlos’ bizarre behavior. All she knew for certain was that what was supposed to have been one of the most exciting nights of her life had ended in tragedy and shameful secrets.

“You all right?” Lexxie glanced at her, blue eyes warm and compassionate. Then she quickly turned her attention back to the steep, twisting road.

“I’m fine. This is just not how I’d choose to spend my evening.”

“Me either, but we’re stuck. So let’s make the most of it.”

Heather couldn’t manufacture any enthusiasm so she just nodded. Howls were always loud and rowdy. Clothes were disregarded when each shifter released his or her wolf and few bothered to dress again until the festivities ended. Inevitably lust would rise and passions would be indulged. She’d seen it all before, so why was the potential making her so antsy?

Lexxie suddenly grinned. “I think this is exactly what you need. How long has it been since you gave in and let your inhibitions run wild?”

“I’m not in the mood.”

“Answer the question. When’s the last time you got laid?”

Heather sighed and blew a wayward strand of her strawberry-blonde hair out of her eyes. Her hair was naturally curly and rebelliously resisted all her efforts to tame the thick mass. “It’s been a while.”

“Weeks?”

Heather smiled.

“Months?”

She chuckled and turned her face away.

“Years?” Lexxie sounded scandalized. “Oh my gawd, have you not had sex in over a year? This is an emergency.”

If one year constituted an emergency, what did almost four years make? Heather wisely kept the question to herself. “If there were anyone in our pack who interested me, I wouldn’t be so grumpy. I doubt that a sexually charged atmosphere will make me feel anything other than anxious to leave.”

“You want to go home so you can dream about one hotter-than-hell cat.” Lexxie wiggled her eyebrows and grinned. “Can’t say I blame you, baby. That boy is utterly edible.”

“You’re the one obsessed with Jake Parlain, not me.” Despite her best effort, the denial rang hollow. Jake was a tiger-shifter who lived in Aspen and Lexxie was right, he was sex personified. Heather had never given an encounter with him any serious thought. He was a cat, end of story. But that hadn’t kept her from appreciating his appeal each time their paths crossed, which seemed to be happening with surprising regularity ever since her brother joined the rebels.