Mate Not Wanted (23 page)

Between his schedule and hers, they were busy. The Wolven Winery Weekend he’d planned was only a few weeks away, and he looked forward to getting some time away from the town and his office. Despite all the issues they were having with the major leagues on the issue of shifters coming out of the paranormal closet, their success was growing with each game.

Pierce was thankful that he had Madison to talk to and help de-stress with. Sully was running her hard, but she thrived on the challenge. For all her hemming and hawing, being in a relationship suited her. He’d gone from mate-not-wanted to couldn’t-live-without, and he didn’t want it any other way.

Pierce left the pitch, swung by his office, and grabbed his jacket. He checked in with Matt to make sure there wasn’t anything he needed to take care of, then he sped away toward home.

Madison greeted him at the door with a hug. “Hey, you ready for tonight?”

He nodded. In fact his tiger was eager for it. Already, he could feel the pull of the full moon.

Even Madison looked a bit frazzled over what was to come. Ryan would be shifting in the mountains tonight. He wouldn’t say why, by Pierce suspected it was the same reason he wasn’t around as much these days and why he seemed to be a walking cologne factory lately. Pierce didn’t pry or ask. If Ryan had something to tell him, he would.

Rather than give his friend anymore thought, Pierce headed upstairs, took a shower, and put on some sweatpants along with a loose-fitting old sweatshirt. Madison was wearing leggings and one of his old T-shirts. Wearing any confining clothing tonight wouldn’t help matters.

Dinner was a subdued affair, with energy and tension crackling on the atmosphere. This time he wasn’t sure what to say to her to soothe her nerves. She hadn’t shifted under a full moon in a long time. During her father’s recovery, Madison had always toughed it out, subduing her lioness with strong sedatives so she could be fresh and ready in case her parents needed her for something.

It had taken some convincing, but he’d persuaded her to shift with him tonight. It would give her a chance to unleash her lioness and let it stretch its muscles. His property was expansive enough that they could stalk the grounds and hunt without fear of hurting someone or of scaring the few humans who lived in town.

Once they’d eaten a dinner filled with chicken and pasta for energy and protein, they headed outside and undressed. He held her hand as darkness fell upon them. With a deep breath, he changed, allowing his body to take the pain of transformation as muscles and bones shrunk and thickened. He gritted through the burning of the marrow in his bones and the boiling of his blood. He dropped down to all fours and let out a pained whine as his tail burst from his tailbone and his face took shape.

His senses came alive with the night. He pawed the cool ground and looked up at his mate, but she wasn’t there. Panic filled him for a second before he felt the square head of Madison’s lioness nudge him.

While he was concentrating on his own change, she’d gone for her shift without waiting. He nuzzled her face and cleaned her cheeks and lips. She returned the favor.

The only thing he missed was the ability to talk to her with words. Instead, he depended on chuffs and growls and short barks to guide her out to the property. He let her explore her surroundings and get her feline bearings for herself.

For the rest of the night they chased each other and played. She even followed him into the pond, but only stayed for a minute or two before she decided it wasn’t her cup of tea. His tiger loved water; her lioness, not so much.

He climbed up onto shore and shook off the water right next to her. She growled at him, rose up, and with a flick of her tail headed back toward the house. He chuffed in amusement and followed.

A fire had been built on the patio, and some cutlets of meat had been set out for them to eat. Pierce allowed the pain to roll over him as he shifted back into his human form. They both moved slowly as they got dressed, their bodies gradually acclimating back to their normal forms.

Pierce helped Madison sit down on the padded bench and together they ate cold chicken and drank sports drinks to get their electrolyte levels back up. Sleep tugged at his eyes and he could see Madison was ready to pass out too.

He guided her upstairs and tucked her in, not bothering to shed his clothes. Once he had her in his arms and she was asleep, he could rest too.

Both man and tiger were finally satisfied. They had their mate right where they wanted her, and she wanted them back.

~ About the Author ~

Author, part vampire, part pixie, Selena Illyria was born with a need to write and enable. Her imagination takes her into the paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy genres and all sorts of mischief. When not writing she enjoys catching up on her TBR pile, watching some of her favorite programs and listening to her favorite music as well as teasing people with posts on decadent food and plot bunnies.

Discover more about Selena Illyria here

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~ Also by Selena Illyria ~

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