(Yes, this book is already out, but since I'm dealing with health stuff and having problems writing, I don't have anything current on a WIP. Yet!)
“Oh yes.”
Tal bit his bottom lip. “Oh boy.”
Dolf stared out the window. For once, he dreaded seeing his dad. “Yes, oh boy.”
If a human had a mating scent, it identified them as carrying the recessive gene. While a shifter could mate with a human who didn’t have the gene, that human wouldn’t receive shifter abilities. They would only live an average human lifespan. Of course, most shifters weren’t interested in having a human mate.
There was a knock at the back door. Tal answered it, and soon Dolf heard the quiet, easy greeting between the two men. His Alpha and his mate—the two most important men in his life. Soon, there would be another. A human.
Tal led their Alpha to the den. Alpha Armonty appeared to be a middle-aged human male with short black hair touched with white highlights around the temples. His bright blue eyes were sharp and didn’t miss much. Laugh lines edged his mouth and eyes. Standing a couple of inches over six feet, his body carried ropey muscle on a lean frame. Power radiated off the Alpha, a feeling that blanketed the room, proclaiming who was the boss. Most had the urge to roll over and show their belly. That’s how Tal explained it.
Dolf, on the other hand, gritted his teeth. “Dad? Can you dial it back a little? My hair’s standing on end.”
“Sure, Dolf. Didn’t mean to overwhelm you in your own home. I’m just a little concerned with what you told me on the phone.”
Dolf hugged his dad, then motioned to a chair. “Have a seat. Do you want anything to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
Dolf nodded, sitting down on the couch next to Tal. “Well, then, let’s get to it.” Dolf explained, in graphic detail, what had happened at the hardware store, including both his and Tal’s reactions. Dolf ended by saying they’d followed the human home. They had a last name and an address.
Several minutes passed as the Alpha stared off into space. Finally, he grunted. “From your reactions, there’s no doubt what you smelled was a mate scent. I suppose you want to claim this human?”
“Of course we do. Do you really have to ask us that?” Dolf answered.
“Tal? I need to hear your thoughts on this too. It involves not only Dolf, but you.”
“Of course, Monty.” Tal had permission to address Alpha Armonty by his nickname, Monty, when it was just family. “I want the human. I can’t—won’t—walk away from him. The goddess gave him to us for a reason. We just don’t know what the reason is. Turning away from him would be… it would be…. Dolf?” Tal reached for Dolf.
“Easy, sweetheart.”
Tal stared at his Alpha. “I need him. We need him.”
Dolf held Tal’s hand, but his gaze was on his dad. “Yes, we need him. I won’t walk away from my mate either.”
Monty held Dolf’s gaze. Finally, he sighed. “What a mess.”
Dolf raised an eyebrow, irked. “Finding a mate is a… mess? Really? I thought it was a gift to be cherished.”
“Don’t start, Dolf. A fated mate is indeed a gift.” The Alpha rubbed his hands over his face. “We all know that. But this…. Do you have any idea what you’re setting up here? He’s human, Dolf.”
“Tal and I are aware.”
“Watch the tone, son,” Monty growled. “Then you’re also aware that taking a human as a mate is problematic.”
“I know humans aren’t liked by shifters. They’re the biggest threat to our society, and with good reason. I understand that. Some humans tend to act before they think.”
Monty snorted. “Tend to act before they think? Oh, I believe they know exactly what they’re doing when they commit their atrocities. Dolf, look what humans have done to each other through the centuries. Human are narrow-minded, destructive creatures who can’t be trusted. If they can harm each other to such an extent, what do you think they’d do to us?”
“Not all humans are like that. You know as well as I do you can’t tar and feather a race based on the actions of a few.”
“A few? The entire race is more like it.”
“That’s crap and you know it. Goddess help me, I swear shifters are just as speciesist as the humans. There are good humans out there… just like there are narrow-minded, destructive paranormals. Do you realize how you sound? You talk about what humans would do to us, but have you listened to yourself? We’re talking about a mate, Dad.”
“True, but the mate is a human. We have much more to lose if we’re exposed. It’s a risk, Dolf. A huge risk you’re asking this clowder to take over one human.”
“Wait, what are you saying?” Tal jumped up. “Are you saying you won’t give us permission to claim the human? But, but… please! You can’t do that.”
“I can’t?” Power rolled across the room, and Tal whimpered, dropping back down in his seat.
Dolf flowed to his feet, releasing his own power. Energy sizzled, crackling on the air currents as it crashed together. Tal whimpered again. “He wasn’t challenging you, Dad. He misspoke. Tal doesn’t have what it takes to challenge you, and you know that. But I do.”
Monty also stood. “Are you challenging me? When you know you’re the next Alpha? I fully intend to hand over the reins when the time is right for me to step down, so why challenge me?”
“I’m not. What I said was Tal doesn’t have what it takes to challenge you, but I do. I didn’t say I was. I don’t think either of us wants to see how that would go down, so stop with the power display. You’re going to force Tal into a shift, and if you do, I won’t be happy.”
