The Jaguar’s Arranged Mate

“Why doesn’t matter. For the past week, our nighttime patrols have overheard them, seen them, but they have not yet engaged. It’s only a matter of time.”

“We’re too small for them to worry about us,” Beric protested. Was the other pack watching them? He had to admit, he didn’t like what he was hearing at all.

“Yes, if they wanted to have us join. But…” His father stared at him, the lines around his lips tightening as he scowled. “They didn’t bother to accept anyone from the last two packs they attacked. They wiped them completely off the face of the earth. Not a single Dawn Hunter or Scarred Prowler still exists.”

Beric swallowed hard and tried to keep any sign of fright from his face. The Dawn Hunters had lived two counties over from them, sharing the great state of Arizona with them and a few other packs. They would have made a formidable force if combined with the Brutal Claws. Although there were—had been—only a hundred of them, the Dawn Hunters were smart and resourceful, and they had already held their ground against another much larger pack that had tried to overtake them just two years ago.

As for the Scarred Prowlers, they were strong as well, sneaky, and would have made perfect spies. Several of them were rumored to have once worked for the CIA. If the Brutal Claws wanted to be able to infiltrate more packs, it would have made more sense to have the Scarred Prowlers join their ranks, not kill them.

“Why?” Beric asked, the word catching in his throat. He didn’t think he scared easily, but he was frightened right now.

“Ever since Andreas took over the Brutal Claws two decades ago, he has become more and more obsessed with power and domination. They aren’t content with just New Mexico. They’ve gained footholds in both Colorado and Oklahoma and are now looking here in Arizona.”

“This Andreas, what does he want?”

“No one knows for sure. Some think he means to be the only alpha. Others think they want to eventually take over all fifty states. Who knows? The man is obviously crazy, but he’s also brilliant. He knows what he’s doing. He will not hesitate long to strike, now that we are on their radar.”

“We’ll be ready,” Beric promised him. Already his fright was transforming into anger, and he wanted to do everything he could to ensure his people’s safety.

“Easy to say. Not easy to do.” His father jerked his chin toward the map.

Beric approached and stared at the detailed lines and drawings.

“Here and here…” The father pointed to two sections of their metal fence that surrounded their compound. “These are our weakest locations. They need to be fortified.”

“Right away.” It had been… wait? Five years? Six? More since they had last felt threatened. If not longer. The sight of their fence, which was eight feet tall and rather thick, was almost enough alone to deter their enemies. Still, they tried to penetrate it in two locations, but they had held them back. The repairs had been minimal, but those areas did remain the weakest spots of the fence.

“We’ll also need to double our guards and see to it that we have enough body armor and guns and bullets. Blades, too.” His father rubbed his chin, and half of the map started to curl. He flattened it again. “They were spotted near the south entrance and to the east.” The alpha stared at Beric, his eyes darker than their normal light golden hue. “I’ll be honest, Beric. I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all.”

His father trusted him enough to show him his worry. If the situation wasn’t so dire, Beric might appreciate that more. “Do you think they mean to eradicate us, too?” he asked, a bad taste brewing in the back of his throat.

“Eradicate, assimilate… Is there a difference between the two?” His father could not sound more bitter.

“Not really.” Beric stared at the positions on the map where the Brutal Claws had been discovered. Suddenly, he wished that the sewage issue was the only one they had to contend with.

*

Miera Artemis gazed out at the nighttime forest surrounding their village. Tonight, everything seemed calm and peaceful. It had last night, too, as well as the previous night. The night before that, though, one of their were-jaguar brothers, Thom Ross, had been captured during guard duty. The next morning, they had found his body, his torso ripped to shreds. There was no doubting who had done such a thing. The Brutal Claws were closing in.

Not on her watch, though.

As the hours ticked by, she strained to hear anything behind the faint music the nocturnal insects sang. Nothing. Everything behind her in the village was peaceful, and beyond seemed peaceful enough, too.

Still, she didn’t let down her guard, not even when the sky changed from black to gray to pale pink and yellows as the sun began to rise. Once she could see its entire yellow face, she headed back into the heart of their town, Riverwalk. Another night with peace. How many more would they have?

Along the way to her house, she passed by Silas, her replacement. He halted beside her and rubbed his bald head. “Your father was asking for you.”

She dipped her head, unsurprised to hear this. “Thank you.”

“All calm?”

“Quiet for now.” For whatever that was worth. They had several guards all around the perimeter, and during the day, they mounted scouting parties, but even so, Miera didn’t feel safe, and she doubted any of the other Blood Roses were-jaguars did.

Silas nodded, but she saw the way his fingers fluttered by his side. Hers did the same when she was wishing for her claws. But a battle against the Brutal Claws, a war with them if they should survive a battle long enough for there to be a second one… well, the odds of them winning, of ever knowing peace again, was almost non-existent.