Read Online Pride Before the Fall by JoAnna Grace - Free Book Online
Authors: JoAnna Grace
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shame he carried in his heart. All he wanted was to right the wrongs he'd done against her. Perhaps if the cat weren't so damaged, Conall might have been her mate.
Vivian took his head between her hands. "It's not your fault." She looked deep into sad blue eyes. "It's not because of you. If you had resisted, he would have done much worse to us both. He's manipulative and evil and he knew how much it hurt you to take me. But after what he and his men did, you were relief."
"I'm right though. Your cat chose someone so different because of all that."
"Maybe. But not because of you ." Knowing it would take more than words to reassure him, she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. Instantly her cat became agitated: this was not her mate. Vivian mentally calmed her and gave Conall a long, slow, affectionate kiss.
When she released him, he arched a brow and smirked. "If your big, bad mate gets pissed off about that, I'm blaming it all on you."
Vivian laughed and smacked another kiss on his cheek. "He can get over it. You and I have a history not even mating can undo."
Conall smiled and pushed back her mass of hair from her shoulder. "You bet. Now go to that cabin before those hormones of yours get us both into a bad situation."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kasey sat at the conference table the next day surrounded by his advisory council. At the moment, they were all gawking at him as if he had three heads. Except for Nina. The petite black bear's jaw was on the floor.
"What do you mean you found your mate ?" Her guard had dropped just long enough for the council to smell her jealousy. It fumigated the room. Nina had been after him for years. "Who? What is she?" Kasey could all but hear the wheels turning in her head.
"Nina, please let him speak." Sampson. He couldn't stand Nina's infatuation with his brother-in-law. How many times had Kasey made it clear that his wolf was not interested in the bear?
"Her name is Vivian Blake and she's a cat. A tigress, to be specific." The room exploded with questions.
"How did cats get into the territory?"
"How did he meet her?"
"Was he sure?"
"Why didn't the council know about her?"
Lifting a hand, Kasey quieted the four other people besides Sampson, who had been privy to the cat's arrival and Kasey's mating. He relayed the whole story to his council, leaving out the intimate details. Again, when he finished, his council stared at him like he was mad.
Finally, Ian, a polar bear who had been friends with Kasey's father long before his Clan merged with the wolves, broke the silence. "Well, I think congratulations are in order." His effort to be happy for Kasey was not unnoticed. Ian was uncomfortable, as were they all, but he knew once a shifter's animal claimed a mate, there was no negating the claim. "When can we meet her, my boy?"
"Uh, that's the complicated part."
"What's complicated about it?" Nina shot out, her voice full of contempt towards a woman she'd never met. Clayton, a grizzly, tried to quiet her down.
"I'm sure all of you are aware of the feline Pride located in Nevada." Kasey looked to each of them for confirmation.
"A powerful Pride," Clayton confirmed. "That's the alpha that was nearly murdered by..." he paused, his expression morphing into deep concern. "You don't mean to tell us that Vivian is part of the rebel group that fled, do you?"
"I wouldn't call them rebels. Refugees perhaps. Vivian did what she had to do to get herself and her family out alive. It's too bad she didn't finish off that sonofabitch when she had the chance."
"Vivian is an alpha killer!" Nina came out of her chair. "Kasey, you must be out of your mind! How do you know she's not planning to do the same to you? She could be tricking you, seducing you into a trap!"
Laughter rang out in the room and Kasey looked over to his right.
Leave it to Sampson to put that insulted rage on Nina's face. "You think this is funny? This is your brother and your alpha that's in danger!"
Sampson wiped his
Vivian took his head between her hands. "It's not your fault." She looked deep into sad blue eyes. "It's not because of you. If you had resisted, he would have done much worse to us both. He's manipulative and evil and he knew how much it hurt you to take me. But after what he and his men did, you were relief."
"I'm right though. Your cat chose someone so different because of all that."
"Maybe. But not because of you ." Knowing it would take more than words to reassure him, she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. Instantly her cat became agitated: this was not her mate. Vivian mentally calmed her and gave Conall a long, slow, affectionate kiss.
When she released him, he arched a brow and smirked. "If your big, bad mate gets pissed off about that, I'm blaming it all on you."
Vivian laughed and smacked another kiss on his cheek. "He can get over it. You and I have a history not even mating can undo."
Conall smiled and pushed back her mass of hair from her shoulder. "You bet. Now go to that cabin before those hormones of yours get us both into a bad situation."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kasey sat at the conference table the next day surrounded by his advisory council. At the moment, they were all gawking at him as if he had three heads. Except for Nina. The petite black bear's jaw was on the floor.
"What do you mean you found your mate ?" Her guard had dropped just long enough for the council to smell her jealousy. It fumigated the room. Nina had been after him for years. "Who? What is she?" Kasey could all but hear the wheels turning in her head.
"Nina, please let him speak." Sampson. He couldn't stand Nina's infatuation with his brother-in-law. How many times had Kasey made it clear that his wolf was not interested in the bear?
"Her name is Vivian Blake and she's a cat. A tigress, to be specific." The room exploded with questions.
"How did cats get into the territory?"
"How did he meet her?"
"Was he sure?"
"Why didn't the council know about her?"
Lifting a hand, Kasey quieted the four other people besides Sampson, who had been privy to the cat's arrival and Kasey's mating. He relayed the whole story to his council, leaving out the intimate details. Again, when he finished, his council stared at him like he was mad.
Finally, Ian, a polar bear who had been friends with Kasey's father long before his Clan merged with the wolves, broke the silence. "Well, I think congratulations are in order." His effort to be happy for Kasey was not unnoticed. Ian was uncomfortable, as were they all, but he knew once a shifter's animal claimed a mate, there was no negating the claim. "When can we meet her, my boy?"
"Uh, that's the complicated part."
"What's complicated about it?" Nina shot out, her voice full of contempt towards a woman she'd never met. Clayton, a grizzly, tried to quiet her down.
"I'm sure all of you are aware of the feline Pride located in Nevada." Kasey looked to each of them for confirmation.
"A powerful Pride," Clayton confirmed. "That's the alpha that was nearly murdered by..." he paused, his expression morphing into deep concern. "You don't mean to tell us that Vivian is part of the rebel group that fled, do you?"
"I wouldn't call them rebels. Refugees perhaps. Vivian did what she had to do to get herself and her family out alive. It's too bad she didn't finish off that sonofabitch when she had the chance."
"Vivian is an alpha killer!" Nina came out of her chair. "Kasey, you must be out of your mind! How do you know she's not planning to do the same to you? She could be tricking you, seducing you into a trap!"
Laughter rang out in the room and Kasey looked over to his right.
Leave it to Sampson to put that insulted rage on Nina's face. "You think this is funny? This is your brother and your alpha that's in danger!"
Sampson wiped his
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