Read Online Southern Shifters: Purred Promises (Kindle Worlds Novella) by R. E. Butler - Free Book Online

truemates, but it was just about as damn close as you can get. I never heard from her. About ten years later, I went back to the pride to see her. I snuck up to the house at night and what I saw there surprised the hell out of me.” His gaze lifted and he met Jair’s straight on. “I saw you, and I knew you were my son. I waited until she put you and your brother to sleep, and then I broke into the house and confronted her. She said that you were all tiger and just barely wolf, and that she wouldn’t allow me to take you with me or to be p art of your life. She’d built a life for you and your brother , and she wasn’t willing to give up the pride to take a chance with me. Especially since your brother was turning out to be a powerful tiger. I made her swear to contact me if you showed signs of being a wolf, and she said she would. I moved to the neutral zone and sent word to her that I was living in a place where we could be a family, free of judgment.”
    “She never contacted you, though,” Jair said.
    He shook his head. “Not until last year, when she let me know that you were on your way here. She apologized for keeping me in the dark, but she had been terrified of losing you. I would have taken good care of her, and you. Maybe you wouldn’t have hated me so much if you’d known that I wanted you both in my life.”
    Genesis stroked her palms up Jair’s arms in a soothing motion, purring gently as she rested against him. Her touch and presence were enough to soothe his frayed nerves.
    “I believed I was the product of a one-night stand with a tiger from another pride. My mom thought I was enough of a tiger to shift into one, so she opted not to tell me the truth. When I shifted into a wolf with fucked-up fur, it was clear that I was barely a tiger at all. It took me a long time to trust my mom after that, but what had been made clear to me from the start was that you weren’t around because you chose not to be. She didn’t tell me that she’d taken th at choice from you.”
    “I would have chosen you both if she’d allowed me to . We could have been a pack by ourselves, carved out a comfortable life somewhere, maybe even here in the neutral zone.”
    “She’ll never leave the pride.”
    “I know. I’d hoped the years would soften her resolve, but she’s very pro-pride.” Veron gestured to Genesis. “You’ve got a pureblood princess on your hands, and she doesn’t seem to mind that you’re a hybrid, so it would probably be a good idea to stop referring to the wolf part of yourself as a fuck -up.”
    Genesis glanced at Jair. “I don’t mind.”
    The wolf in him agreed. He nodded. “I’m not ready to be friends with you.”
    Veron stood. “I understand. It’s a lot to absorb. I wish you could talk to your mom for confirmation, but I hope that what I’m saying makes sense to you. I would have walked over hot coals to take care of you when you were a pup. I’ve been alone for a long time, and I was probably a little too eager when you came to town. Of course it did n’t help that your mom had vilified me.” He moved to them slowly, as if he was afraid that Jair would spook. “I’m here when you’re ready, Jair, for whatever you want. I just want the opportunity for you to get to know me, and for me to get to know you. We’re related by blood , and that’s worth something.”
    He smiled at Genesis and patted Jair on the shoulder as he walked by. When he headed for the front door, Genesis said, “Aren’t you staying for dinner?”
    “Maybe some other time. This was your night to get to know your aunt’s friends. I just wanted to be heard.”
    “I heard you,” Jair said.
    Veron nodded and left, closing the door quietly on his way out. Jair turned Genesis in his arms and kissed her. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he said against her lips.
    “Anytime. Now , I’m starving, and we have a date with a bed later.”
    He glanced at the door, wondering if he could get her out of the house