The Jaguar’s Arranged Mate

The grumblings grew louder, and Miera swallowed hard. She couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed. Her baby needed her, or so she liked to think, although there was no guarantee her baby would live for much longer.

There was no guarantee any of them would live for much longer.

Her father made his way to the front and glowered at the Teal Warriors. “They are the reason why the Brutal Claws keep coming inside. Their fence should prevent them from entering, yet they still come and come. One or more of them is helping them.”

A Teal Warrior, an older one, glowered right back. “We would never dare endanger ourselves. I agree there is a traitor, but we all know the traitor is a Blood Rose.” And he spat toward her father’s feet.

There was pushing and shoving and blows exchanged, and Beric had to physically break up several fights. Miera refused to show her horrified fear. Her baby was crying again, and honestly, she wanted to cry too. If they didn’t learn who the traitor was—because she had to agree with them that there was one—there was no way the two sides would ever trust each other, and without trust, they would never fight together.

She cradled the baby to her chest. How could her father of all people voice such displeasure with the other pack? He had agreed that her marriage was their best option. Did he hate her because of her out of wedlock pregnancy so much that he would risk their own pack being destroyed? She glared at him, ready to call him out, but he stalked away. Like a petulant child.

Beric had broken up enough of the fights that the were-jaguars were slowly leaving. A Teal Warrior walked right in front of her. “Wh*re.” He spat at her.

She hadn’t even thought about their reaction to the baby. Most would assume the child was Beric’s, but the smarter ones would realize the timeline didn’t quite match up. She should have anticipated their judgment, their hatred. She had given into battle lust, and now her baby was hardly alive.

There’s no point in looking back.

The crowd had slipped away, and Beric returned to her side. “Stay here while I quickly check the fence.”

She hated that he was leaving her side, but he shifted to his were-jaguar form and was off already. In no time at all, he returned. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arm around her and guided her back to Helen’s house. Once she sat on her bed, she tried to nurse for the first time. The baby immediately gagged. If he wouldn’t eat, he definitely wouldn’t thrive.

She attempted to nurse again, and the baby tried again, but she had no idea what she was doing, so she couldn’t be sure if he was getting anything or not.

“There’s only one thing we can do,” Beric said suddenly. He had been standing by the window, but now he came to sit down on the edge of the bed.

“What’s that?” She was feeling tired again, but not because her body was weak. She was tired of fighting, tired of being worried, tired of feeling as if they were doomed.

“There has to be someone helping the Brutal Claws. Maybe they promised that were-jaguar protection, promised to allow them to join them, I don’t know, but someone is helping them. The fence is secure. I ran all along the perimeter, and there is no damage to it, none at all. They had to have climbed over it again, and the only way that could have happened is if someone aided them because of all the additional patrols we have set up.”

“We have to find whoever the traitor is.”

Beric nodded. “Exactly. I know we want them to try to work things out together, but it might be best if I try and seek out the Teal Warriors and see if any of them are the traitor.”

“And I’ll do the same with the Blood Roses.” She wanted to brush his hair from his forehead, to lie down with him again, to feel protected and safe for once. But she was heir to a pack that was facing annihilation, and she had to be strong, or at least as strong as she could be. “I’ll also deal with my father.”

Beric frowned. “Father-in-law from hell,” he muttered.

Surprised, she burst out laughing. The baby shifted and stirred in her arms, his eyes closed. She hadn’t seen his eyes open yet. Would she ever see his eye color?

“I shouldn’t have said that.” Beric sounded apologetic, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“No. Believe me, I’ve not been thinking kindly toward him lately.” She sighed. “I know he’s angry with me—”

“He has no right to be.”

Miera gaped at him. “He’s my father, and I disappointed him.”

“You’re human.” His lips quirked into a smile as he patted her leg. “Well, half human, half jaguar, but you’re strong and capable. So you might have made a mistake? Who cares? We all make mistakes.”

“Might have made a mistake?” she repeated softly.

Beric nodded to the baby in her arms. “You don’t regret having him, do you?”

Tears burned her eyes as she shook her head.

“Then it wasn’t a mistake. It was meant to be.” His smile grew, and he stood. “And if he’s meant to have a future, we need to be able to figure out a way to root out the traitor before they bring all of the Brutal Claws on us.”

Miera watched him leave. Locating the traitor wouldn’t be easy, but she sure hoped they found him or her soon. She’d kill the traitor herself, regardless of if he or she turned out to be a Teal Warrior or a Blood Rose. No one would prevent the packs from uniting and standing up against the Brutal Claws. No one would prevent their attempt to secure happiness and a future. No one.

*

Beric had made a note of the Teal Warriors who had taken part in the battle, and those who had not. He made a round at the hospital to see who was wounded, and newly so, and was assured the doctors and nurses had everything they needed to tend to them. Several were-jaguars, however, he still hadn’t seen, including his best friend Mark. And he wanted to locate Sam.

As he headed for the mess hall, a reasonable place to start his search for the traitor, he spied Jess leaving it. She had her right arm in a cast, but otherwise, the were-jaguar looked strong and healthy.