Page 10

As Luca sat back down Galen looked at Devon. “You’re a cougar. Why would you think Razel is your father? Despite, what he told you?”

“You know that coyotes feel the emotions of those around them. I think they feed off their prey’s fear.

I am like them, despite the fact that I take after my mother.

” He couldn’t keep the contempt from his voice.

He hoped his mother knew it was aimed at himself.

He didn’t blame her. Her mate should have protected her.

“I wish you had told me about that side-effect, earlier.”

“Side-effect? My mother’s rape was not a side-effect. I take after my biological FATHER.” Devon yelled.

Galen’s eyes blazed fire. Devon saw actual flames inside the pupils. He’d never seen this side of Galen.

“Don’t you fucking dare call that spineless puke your father!

I failed your mother, and I failed you, but that piece of shit is nothing to you.

He got his gang to outnumber me. He raped your mother, but she was already pregnant with you.

If you feel emotions it is likely that the coyote enzyme effected you, when he bit her.

But she ensured that my enzyme was quickly replaced by his,” he spat.

Devon couldn’t think through the haze of anger vibrating in the room. “You bit her immediately after her rape?” He couldn’t believe Galen would do it. He may not respect Galen, but he never doubted his loyalty to his mate.

His mother turned to him. The fire in her eyes matched her mates.

“Don’t judge your father. He fought seven of them.

His cougar was ripped to shreds. My cougar couldn’t stand another’s scent on her.

She attacked him. Galen didn’t want to do it.

Not at that moment, but my cat wouldn’t allow him to back down.

She would have killed him. She forced him to assert his dominance.

” Marie opened the front of Galen’s shirt, exposing the scars his sons believed had come from his battle with the coyotes.

“I did this,” she said. “I don’t know if I was mad about the constant confinement of the lair or if it was pregnancy hormones, but I decided to run on my own.

I just wanted a little break from my five children. I am to blame for this, not him.”

Before he’d even entered the house, he’d felt his fathers’ unease.

He’d always hated family gatherings: his mother’s hopefulness, his brothers love, his father’s disgust had always blended together in an emotional tsunami.

Now with the truth behind those emotions revealed, he was choking. He rose to leave.

“Devon, please stay,” his mother pleaded. “Tell us what happened in the coyote camp. I’m begging you.”

He had never been able to deny his mother anything, even when he’d believed Razel’s lies. His love for his mother was absolute.

Devon sat, feeling the difference in the room: his brothers understanding of his standoffish behavior, his father’s relief of him knowing the truth, and his mother’s shame.

He couldn’t stand the thought of her believing she was to blame.

“Mom this is not your fault,” he said. “I should have questioned sooner. I’ve had my ability for twenty years.

That’s on me. I can feel emotions, and with animals those feelings are straightforward.

To hunt. To feed. To mate. Everything is about survival.

Shifters are complicated by the trappings of human ambition.

Also, our human selves can be tricked emotionally where our animal counterpart isn’t. ”

Talen shook his head. “Yeah, I know all about that one.”

Hunter looked at Talen. “Been there done that.”

Devon addressed Hunter. “I didn’t have my abilities when you went through your ordeal at Woodstock, but your sense of betrayal can only come from one thing.”

Luca growled. “Jesus fuck Devon...”

Hunter shook his head. “He’s right. I betrayed my mate.”

Devon shook his head. “No, you didn’t. Although the man believes that. Your cat is content now that you put that woman behind you. It waits for its true mate. Just don’t make the mistake of hesitating when you find her.”

Hunter huffed. “I’m not Talen, I won’t give my mate the chance to get away.”

Talen punched Hunter in the arm. “Prick.”

Hunter laughed, but Devon wasn’t fooled by his smile.

Devon felt the mood lighten. Even his mother was amused by her boisterous boys. He didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling them Sarah Marksmen was his mate.

Galen cleared his throat, and the boys settled down. “Go on Devon.”

Devon spoke. “Razel and his pack mates captured me. I was on neutral territory, but I had a feeling I needed to be there. I couldn’t explain it at the time, but now I know Razel was purposely trying to get my attention.

I guess this ability doesn’t develop until maturity even in young coyotes, but I was over eighty years old when it started,”

“Longevity and agility are our gifts. You’re a cougar, not a coyote, so it makes sense that your natural abilities would all be fully formed first,” Galen mused.

“I’m truly sorry, I didn’t tell you sooner,” Devon said. “I...”

Marie interrupted. “I asked your father not to tell you what happened until you were older. We worried until the day you shifted. You made me so happy that day. In fact, Nicolas was conceived that night.”

Luca turned to his quieter twin. “Does this mean we will have to start celebrating his first shift again?” Liam shrugged, smiling. Hunter rolled his eyes. “No way. We’re all too old to start that again.”

Nicolas smirked. “Since I’m here because of him, maybe we should.”

Hunter groaned. “Mom and dad are like rabbits. You’d be here anyway.”

Marie openly laughed with her boys.

Devon felt nothing, but love and acceptance from his family.

Nicolas smiled. “Thankfully, we’ll be celebrating the first shift soon enough. When Talen’s cub is born.”

Brock looked at their youngest brother, Nicolas. “Shit, I totally forgot about that.”

Nicolas huffed. “Thank god for small mercies. You, dicks made me celebrate my first shift till I was twenty-five.”

Hunter laughed. “Yeah, but you actually believed there was a first shift fairy till you were fifteen.”

Nick flipped off his brother, but Devon felt his amusement, remembering the elaborate story they had all told young Nicolas.

Devon looked at his siblings as if seeing them for the first time. “I’m really a cougar,” he mused not meaning to say it out loud.

The boys all stood and talked at once. Mostly swearing.

Devon put his hand to his temple. “Stop.”

Hunter looked to his father then back to Devon. “Does it hurt?”

Devon rubbed his forehead as his brother’s emotions cooled.

“I can handle one person being over emotional, but when you all do it... It’s painful.

” He looked at his mother. “I never avoided you or my brothers because I didn’t love you.

” Then, to his father. “My misinterpretation of your disgust made it difficult for me to be around you too long.”

“You thought I was disgusted with you?” Galen asked, mortified.

“Yes,” Devon replied. He felt the emotional spike as expected.

The surprise was the way in which it drained away immediately.

Everyone in his family immediately breathed away their initial reaction to replace it with love and acceptance.

This was the difference between a coyote and a cougar.

“When Razel captured me, he told me about the rape. I didn’t believe him even though I could sense he wasn’t lying.

He asked me if any others in my family had my ability. ”

Galen rubbed his wife’s back. “He manipulated you, son.”

“I know that now. He is desperate for an heir.”

Galen looked concerned. “He wants you to take over the coyote pack?”

“I think so. They haven’t had any mates in this generation. Time is running out for them. As you said, longevity is one of our abilities. We outlive all the other shifter species. I think he wanted that ability injected into his species.”

Talen leaned forward. “It doesn’t work that way does it? We have never discussed this before, but can we cross species and produce viable young?”

Galen rubbed a finger along his lip. “We find our mates among the humans. Despite the differences in the species that has always been the shifter way. My father told me about a wolf mate that was raped by a hyena. Her mate had been killed, so she decided to travel to her homeland before rejoining her pack.” He ran a finger down Marie’s face.

“My father met her during his travels. She was only in her seventh month when she went into labor. She died in childbirth and my father took care of the baby until it was old enough to travel. He sought out the wolves. When he presented the child to the pack leaders it shifted into a wolf. They were grateful for his help and we’ve had a good relationship with them ever since. ”

“So, the wolf gene was dominant,” Devon said.

“Possibly or she got pregnant just before her mate died, and in her grief didn’t realize. Either way, the cub was born a wolf.”

Hunter tapped a finger on the table. “So, Devon, how exactly does this thing work? You can’t read our minds or anything can you?”

Devon huffed. “Wrong species. Coyotes sense the emotions of those around them. Razel feeds off the fear of his prey. He gets a rush from it.”

Galen rubbed his chin. “So, you sense what the animals around you feel? What about humans?”

“I can’t sense human emotions at all. Only animal and shifter. Animals are simple. Ruled by their instinct to hunt, feed, mate and protect their young. Shifters are more difficult due to the trappings of man. Ambition sometimes overrides instinct.”

“How far away can you sense? Can you sense Sasha?” Galen asked.

“I’m familiar with Sasha so that’s easier. Talen picked her up an hour ago and took her to play with Sadi. Lucy is playing tug a war with her right now.”

Talen held up a hand. “You said you couldn’t read minds. How did you know all that?”

“Animals associate emotions with different actions. When Sasha sees you, she gets extremely excited because she associates you with seeing her mother and the treats you and Lucy sneak her.”

Talen smiled. “Oh, those.”

“Food is a primal instinct, and it has a distinct emotion. Playing like Sasha is doing right now is pretty obvious.”

Galen’s eyes narrowed. “So, you know when an intruder is on our property before we do. You were at the house before Sarah arrived. Though no one called you.”

“Yes. The animals in the forest startle when a predator or something foreign is in our territory. Though you pick them up close to the house, I am alerted before they enter our territory.”

Hunter whistled. “That’s one hell of an alarm system.”

Galen nodded. “It makes me feel better with the Serengeti Butcher in the vicinity.”

Devon wouldn’t allow any more untruths between him and his family. “The butcher’s daughter is my mate,” he announced.