“Get your ass down here,” Torem shouted from below.
Sidney yowled.
“Don’t you dare get lippy with me.”
Sidney’s tail swished back and forth. There was no way he was coming down. Torem was too angry with him, and he had heard the growls from the other wolves. Mate or no mate, they would tear him apart. His adoptive mother had warned him not to expose himself, and stupid him did it anyway.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a jaguar?” Torem shouted up.
Because I knew this would be the reaction, duh.
“Come down, angelo,” Dino shouted as he joined Torem. “No one here will harm you,” his mate said with conviction.
As much as Sidney wanted to believe him, he knew Dino couldn’t take on an entire pack of wolves to defend him. It warmed his heart to know that if he did survive this, he still had one mate that would stand by him.
“Sid, come on down. I promise I’m not that angry,” Torem shouted up.
“I’ll go get a harness and climb this fucking tree to get you,” Dino warned.
Hell fucking no. Sidney watched as the rest of the pack joined his mates below. They were all in human form, but a mob was a mob, no matter what form they took.
“We accepted a vampire. Do you think we wouldn’t accept you?” Zeus spoke. He didn’t need to yell, his deep voice carried up to Sidney. None of them needed to shout, his hearing in shifter form was perfect. Maybe they did it out of habit?
Sidney watched Torem try to climb the tree. Was he crazy? He could fall and hurt himself. Sidney yowled at his mate.
“Then come down. I’m not going to allow you to stay up there.” Torem grunted and pulled at the bark as his feet sought for leverage. The man was going to fall!
Sidney hesitated, afraid this was a trick.
“Are you out of your mind, Sidney? Get your ass down here,” Chey said from below. “I’ll give you a Red Bull.”
Sidney yowled.
“Yes, I promise, I’ll buy you one right now if you come down. These men aren’t like our pack. Mom warned you not to show your true self to them. Not to your mates, dumbass. Now get down.”
He was going to eat Chey. The guy always made him feel shameful when he was doing something irrational. Sidney mentally sighed and then began his descent.
If these wolves attacked, he was going to smack Chey.
“Wow, a jaguar.” Bryck chuckled.
“He looks cool.” Trevor grinned at him. “Now we can go get that barmaid.”
“What?” Knox and Sammy asked.
“Inside joke.” Trevor laughed.
“Shit, baby.” Torem knelt in front of him, cupping his furry face. “You should have told me.”
A purr rumbled through Sidney when Dino began to stroke his spine. Man that felt good. His cat had been dying to get out. Being in the closet, so to speak, had been suffocating to his jaguar.
Sidney didn’t want to shift back yet. He felt free for the first time in eons. He rubbed his body against Torem’s legs, begging his forgiveness.
“We’re okay. Just promise you won’t hide any more secrets from your mates.”
Sidney licked his mate’s hand and then started walking toward the house. “Do we need a leash?” Dino teased. Sidney batted a large paw at him.
“Let’s get him and Chey home. I don’t want the other wolves discovering the jaguar or the Omega among us.” Zeus led the pack back to the house.
“Shit, I’ll need a ride in the morning to get my truck,” Torem said to Dino.
“You got it.”
Sidney padded into the house with the rest of the men. Minsheng and Yasuko stood in the foyer gaping at Sidney. “We have pet now?” Minsheng asked.
“It’s Sidney,” Dino informed him.
“Cats, dogs, vampires, mates, what crazy world I come to live in?” Minsheng rolled his eyes and grabbed Yasuko’s hand, pulling him away.
Yasuko pulled his hand from Minsheng’s. “I like it.” He knelt down and ran his small hands over Sidney’s head. “Is beautiful.”
Sidney ate up the attention. He nuzzled his head into Yasuko’s hand. The small man giggled and scratched behind Sidney’s ears. Oh man, that feels sooo good.
“I think he likes you.” Dino chuckled.
Sidney rolled to his side and exposed his belly. Yasuko scratched him there, too. He liked this guy. Sidney got to his feet and roared, running up the steps and down the hall. He head butted the bedroom door he heard the voices behind. Something was compelling him to react this way, and he couldn’t figure out what. All he knew was that he needed to get inside.
“Back up.” Torem pulled Sidney back and swung the door open.
Sidney bounded in and crouched, giving off a warning growl.