Chapter 93 Chapter 93
“I am not marrying… or mating or anything with Brock!” Shae stood there with her arms crossed glaring across the room at the three women. “I can’t even stand being in the same space he’s in.” She was shaking as she fought back the tears of rage. They had been trying to console her for an hour now. So, she was some unheard of species and had been living a lie her entire life—whatever. She was going to turn into a cat with furry tail—fine. Be handed off to Brock, absolutely not! That was inconceivable.
“Shae…” her mother stood up and came toward her. “This isn’t what I want for you. I just… I don’t know what to do.”
Shae fell into her mother’s open arms and hugged her. “Can’t you talk to father? There has to be something…”
“He’s the alpha of our clan, sweetheart, I can’t question his decisions.”
Stepping back, shaking, wanting to scream and cry, she looked at her aunt then to Nona. “This is barbaric.”
“Mmhm,” her aunt nodded, “That Brock, there’s something wrong with that one. You can see it when you look in his eyes, if he’ll even hold your look long enough to see.” She rubbed her hands on her knees, “I’d run away… fast, to get away from that one.” She pointed to her hair. “I got out of mine by being the insane one.”
Shae’s mouth dropped open.
“Heh, look at her face.” She winked. “I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to hack off my hair and be the peculiar one.”
“No, she was born that way, it just got worse as she aged.” Nona quipped.
Shae smiled. “I don’t think cutting my hair and dying it is going to work.”
Marilyn shook her head, “no that’s a one-time showstopper.” Her expression was thoughtful for a moment. “He’s arrogant, but still one of our species. Something tells me what works on males of our kind might do the trick here.”
Frowning, Shae came over and sat on the arm of the chair. “I’m not following. What works?”
“Marilyn…”
“Your turn to shush, Nona, you answered the medical things, now let me do what I do.” She smiled at Shae, “scheme. Your scent, if he smells another man on you or you’re unpure in his eyes, he may reject the union.”
Her mother gasped. “Are you telling her to sleep around?”
“Huh, no. Just pick one, one time, that’s all it takes.” She pointed to Shae’s mother, “remember a few years back Faye, that big kerfuffle when Ella canceled her mating celebration?” Her mom nodded. “Why do you think that was? Ella had been messing around with… oh, what was his name? Damn aging brain.” She waved her hand, “a few nips, not a full mating bite, and some messing around and it takes a month for that scent to wear off completely.” She cleared her throat, “or so I’ve heard.”
“That’s true.” Nona grinned, “the facts, not Ella’s ceremony, I don’t know nothing about that.”
Shaelan sat there as they nattered on about details she cared nothing about. Could this day get any worse? Not only was she going to turn into a cat, but she had to find a man to have sex with or end up married to a man…cat… whatever, that made her nauseous.
“So, what are you suggesting she do?”
Her mother’s voice had her snapping back to the discussion. “I can’t just go sleep with someone. I have to live here for the rest of my life, and the chances of running into them again…” She felt her cheeks heat just thinking of the embarrassment that would follow her forever. Then again, she may end up married, forever.
Nona nodded slowly, a smile on her face. “The green-eyed one.”
Aunt Marilyn looked around the room then back to Nona. “What are you babbling about?”
“In the yard.” Nona said abruptly. “There’s a new one. Huge when he shifts according to Earl. Took a long while to knock him out. He’s strong. Polite for a… his situation, and he’s not from the village.”
Shae’s mother looked worried, “He has green eyes?”
Who cared about his eyes? Shaelan thought.
“Emerald green, prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen on a man. They’re afraid of him, too, so he’s going to be left cooling his heels a long time.” Nona said, still nodding her head.
“Emerald green,” Marilyn snorted, “Are you sure it’s not your eyes seeing things?”
Nona glared at her. “My eyes are fine enough to see the color, it’s the rest of me that is failing.” She reached over and patted Shae’s hand. “Pick him. There’s something about him, something noble and trustworthy. He wouldn’t even swear in my presence.”
Shae’s mother sighed loud. “I can’t believe I’m going to agree to this. Your father would kill me if he knew.”
“He won’t know.” Marilyn whispered. “We can run interference and Nona can get Shae in there.”
Her face was feeling very hot now as they sat here discussing her having sex… with a criminal.
“Pick him, child.” Nona said again. “Go to him, ask for his help.”
“Well is he attractive even? Do we need to feed her herbs?” Marilyn asked.
“Nothing wrong with Shae’s eyes, she’ll be attracted, without herbs.” Nona stated.
Marilyn rolled her eyes, “How can you be certain…”
Nona turned and glared at her, then waved a hand in front of her face.
“Oh,” Marilyn smiled, “Oh my.”
Standing up, Shae paced to the other side of the room again. How had her quiet uncomplicated life taken such a complete about-face in such a short time? “Will they know it’s him?” She couldn’t believe she was considering this. Could she do this? Could she marry Brock? A chill ran over her, that answered both questions. She looked over her shoulder at their puzzled looks. “I don’t want him to be hurt because of me.”
“Set him free after. Maybe you’ll escape with him…”
Nona swatted Marilyn.
“I doubt they’ll go sniff the prisoners, sweetheart.” Her mother offered up. She turned to Nona. “How are we going to do this?”
We? Shae felt ill and sat down under the window.
“I have to go back down and check on him in the morning, Faye, I’ll send Shaelan so she can ask him.”
Shae’s head popped up. “What if he doesn’t find me attractive enough to want to… to…”
Marilyn snorted, “He’s a male. Have you looked in a mirror? Those brown bedroom eyes and pouty lips… he’ll be drooling, baby child, don’t worry about that.”
Shae’s face heated again. She got up. “I think I need time to process all of this.”
Aunt Marilyn looked at the clock. “Oh, look at the time.” Her aunt got up. “I didn’t realize how late it was getting.”
Her mother also got up. “I better get down there before your father comes looking.” She came over and hugged Shae. “I’ll tell him you’re processing everything.” She shrugged, “I know some that had to be sedated when all of this was told to them.” She smiled. “I’m so proud of you.”
Not knowing if it was appropriate to thank her mother for a compliment in this situation, she just smiled. For all Shae knew she was going to have a mental breakdown the moment she was alone. She thought back to the girls that had been in some of her classes, discussing their tragic life problems in the library while she was trying to study. They had no idea what problems were. Breaking up with your boyfriend because he couldn’t remember your anniversary was nothing in comparison to the issue she was about to have.
She lifted her chin and looked around to see that she was alone in the room. She grinned, Nona knew all too well how Shaelan worked her way through a problem. Alone. In quiet and methodically until it was solved. She couldn’t do anything about being a shifter, but she sure as hell could chose who she was marrying and control her own destiny.