Don't Call Me Cougar

Excerpt

“Hi, I’m Callista Gato, eldest child of Victor Gato and daughter of the moon for the White Snows Pack.” Using her formal title in the introduction was only proper as he was clearly a fellow werecat, though not of her pack. That made him a foreign dignitary of sorts.
“And one hell of a cougar,” Marcus replied, raking his gaze over her body.

“God, I hate that term. Call me a puma, catamount or mountain lion, but gods forbid that people see me as a cougar! Besides, I think you’re probably older than I am, stranger,” she replied.

Marcus gazed down at her and smiled. “I guess I am.”

She lay in his arms for another moment, sated but with a growing tension visible in her muscles. Her eyes searched his face and Marcus closed his own, shutting her out for a moment.

Marcus knew the moment he slid into her that she would be his forever. She would be his mate, whether she liked it or not. Of course, he was pretty sure she liked it. Mate? Yeah, that felt right. Now, how to tell her that and get her to see it his way?

Callista began stirring in his arms, the tiny squirming that meant the silence was bothering her.

Finally, Marcus spoke, saying aloud what he had been thinking while buried inside her. “I am Marcus Blackthorne, currently of Green Mountain Pack, son of Alexander Blackthorne, mate of Callista Gato and challenger for dominion of the White Snows Pack.”

Callie tensed and drew back, staring into his eyes and issuing the challenge. “One good lay does not…”

“Fantastic.”

“Okay, fantastic. One fantastic lay does not make you my mate!”

Marcus recognized the challenge to his claim for what it was, reflexive. She might not have been thinking long-term, but he was. He kissed her hard to seal his claim, and Callie struggled against the kiss. Marcus smiled as he felt and smelled her body’s response. “I will ask your family for permission to claim you, Callista, but you, and this pack, will be mine.”

“Like hell I will,” Callie said, pushing Marcus off the sofa. The unexpected action left him sprawling on the floor. She brought her feet to the ground in front of her and stood up, heading for the door. “My family has controlled this pack for generations and I am not about to let some interloper take it over now. And, pack traditions be damned. I choose my own mate. It’s not as if we were a pair of virgins giving it up on our wedding night. Besides, that crap about cats being monogamous isn’t even a scientific fact, just pack legends and traditions.”

Callie grabbed her shirt from the floor by the door and pulled it over her head. “Chad will be the alpha, as was our father and grandfather before him.”

Marcus reached over and picked up his jeans before standing. With a sigh, he looked at Callie’s red face and tight lips. He pulled on his jeans and tried to reason with her.

“Chad’s your brother, right? How old is he, Callista?”

Callie couldn’t hide the tightening of her nipples when he said her name. “He’ll be old enough to take the pack soon.” The search for her panties appeared to become all-consuming, her gaze focused on the floor, as he listened to her lie. He waited until she was within reach and then grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him. “How old, Callista?”

“Fourteen… and a half.”

Marcus shook his head. He understood the pride of patriarchal succession all too well. If the boy did not inherit the pack directly from his father he would have to wait until the next time the job came open to regain it for his family, possibly never having the chance. For the family, losing the hereditary title would be devastating. The law required the alpha to have reached maturity–at least 16 years old.

For Callista, if her family was no longer alpha of the pack, her place as daughter of the moon, the spiritual leader of the pack, would be in jeopardy as well. The daughter served at the will of the alpha.

“So you want the pack to be leaderless for two years until your brother is old enough to be alpha?”

“No. That would be crazy. In the past, packs have allowed the daughter of the moon to lead the pack while an alpha recovers from wounds or comes of age. I’ll lead the pack,” she said, lifting her chin a bit as she did so.

“A daughter has never led any of the packs for more than six months.”

“Maybe not officially.” Callie stared defiantly into his eyes as she answered. “My grandmother led the pack for more than two years while my grandfather fought in World War II and then again for six months before my father took over. No one is taking our pack from us.” The low growl deep in her throat was meant as a warning, or perhaps a threat.

Marcus laughed. When she growled again, louder, he pushed her back on the sofa, straddling her lap as he pinned her down. “You are a strong and sexy woman, Callista Gato, but you are still a woman. Your pack needs me to lead it. You need me.”

He kissed her hard. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. As my mate, you will still be daughter of the moon. Our family will rule the pack for generations to come.” He lowered his hand to gently rub her stomach as he kissed her again. Then, he stroked her hair with his cheek, leaving his scent there as well.“With any luck, our son is already taking root in your womb.”