The Jaguar’s Arranged Mate

Chapter 3

 It was ridiculous how nervous Miera felt. It wasn’t as if this was her wedding day. No, just the day I meet the man I will one day marry, though.

Her brother wrinkled his nose when she stepped out of her room.

“What?” she asked, not appreciating his expression.

Matthias shook his head and sighed. “You’re wearing that?”

She glanced down. Black pants, a gray tank top, neither tight. She preferred somewhat loose clothing so she could move easily move. Having movement restricted meant slower reaction time, and with things being dangerous, she couldn’t risk being anything but her quickest.

“Yes, I’m wearing this.” She crossed her arms, daring him to suggest she change.

He sighed again, a deep, heavy sound. Her younger brother was wearing nicer clothes than she had seen him wear lately, a blue suit that suited his fair skin. No tie, at least, but still fancy, and he made her look even plainer.

“You’re the one who looks like he’s on a date,” she teased.

Matthias flushed. “I do not—”

“Think you’ll see Sierra along the way?”

“S-Sierra? No. No. I don’t know—”

“Oh, please. You know you love her.”

His amber eyes bulged. “Love?” he croaked. “We’ve known each other forever and—”

“Yes, but when she left to go and be a ward of another pack to see about being allies down the road, she had been a scrawny girl of ten. Now she’s returned, and she’s all woman, as I’m sure you noticed.” She nudged her elbow into his gut.

“It’s too bad the Jeweled Ones have decided to relocate.”

“Across the country. Pennsylvania.” Miera sniffed. “Who wants to go there?”

“They figure the Brutal Claws will never go that far east. Plus, the Brutal Claws haven’t looked in their direction. It would have only been a matter of time, so maybe they were smart to—”

“To run away like cowards.” Miera rolled her eyes.

Other packs had resisted the Brutal Claws before. The result had always been the same: the utter destruction of those packs. The only other option was to join the Brutal Claws on their quest for rampage. Many opted for that choice, and they became as brutal and harsh as the original members of the pack in short order.

Running wasn’t an option for them. Not after the blood that had already been shed. Plus, the Brutal Claws would hunt them down should they show signs of leaving. That would definitely provoke them into action.

“Well, we should be going.”

“We?” Miera shook her head. “No. I’m going alone.”

“But—”

“But nothing,” she said firmly. “You go and get reacquainted with the lovely Sierra.”

“I can’t—”

“You can, and you will.”

“But—”

“No buts,” she said firmly, putting her hands on his shoulders and shoving him forward. “Go. Now.”

He glanced back a few times but did as she bid.

Good. She didn’t want an audience for this. It was bad enough she hadn’t been able to propose to the were-jaguar herself, that Matthias had done it for her. The council had agreed to her marriage idea, but they hadn’t thought she should be the one to deliver it to Beric, as she had learned was the name of the heir of the Teal Warriors. “Too dangerous,” they had said. “Where would we be without you?”

As if she was irreplaceable. No one were-jaguar meant that much to the Blood Roses. They were like a massive bush. All of the roses were beautiful, so long as they were nearby and close to each other, sharing water and light and roots. A single rose would not make or break a bush.

In the end, she had relented despite worrying Beric would think less of her for not seeking him out personally. Her brother had assured her that Beric seemed like a competent enough were-jaguar, but considering they had only spent an hour together, how well could her brother really know anything about Beric?

What did he look like, her future husband? What was he like? Would he listen to her, heed her advice, or would he think he knew best? The few were-jaguars she had met from other packs had all been rather misogynistic. Not all packs viewed females as equals to males, although there were a few packs with female alphas. That they, the Blood Roses, were ruled by a council headed by an alpha was even rarer.

Beric would need to be made a member of the council. Will he want to expand it, to add more Teal Warriors? That seemed only fair. There was so much to consider, so many changes that might happen as a result of their union, but would it be enough to save them from the destructive horde that was the Brutal Claws?

There wasn’t anything else she could think of, no other plan. There were other packs in the vicinity, but they were smaller ones, not even numbering one hundred. They might be lost in the shuffle, small enough to be overlooked by the Brutal Claws, but the Blood Roses were already on their radar. I hate them.

It was a long drive to reach the Teal Warriors. Miera rolled down her window as she drove up to the fence. Two were-jaguars opened the gate before she could even introduce herself, but then, they were expecting her.

The one closest to the driver’s side approached her. “You can park right here.” He gestured to the parking lot behind him. “I will escort you to Beric.”

“And you are…” She couldn’t help pursing her lips. Yes, they had anticipated her arrival, but this was ridiculous. Were they all so lax about everything? The fence was solid steel and rather tall, but it could be breached. Maybe this was a mistake. If the Teal Warriors weren’t taking enough precautions, they wouldn’t be able to help the Blood Roses against the Brutal Claws. They needed to have a solid plan, one that took precautions into consideration. Maybe it wasn’t too late to back out.