The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 69- Brody's POV

Derrick led Carver and me to the front gate where both the Prince of the Jaguars and someone else was waiting for us.

The Prince looked nervous, scared even, as if he had no idea that I would show up or not, and a look of relief appeared on his face when he saw me in front of them with Carver behind me. He bowed and cleared his throat, putting his hands behind his back and clasping them together. "Your Majesty," he said and stood taller with a small frown on his face. "My name is Stephen. It is nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," I said, feeling very confused as to why they were there and how they knew about this area. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, growing serious. "Why are you here?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Stephen glanced at the person beside him before he looked at me nervously. "I am here because I think my mate will be able to help with Her Majesty." He gestured to his mate, and I looked at them before I looked at him again, slowly blinking.

He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "Can we enter?" he asked and bowed his head, biting the inside of his lip. "Please? I am afraid that we are running out of time..."

I bit back a tired sigh and slowly nodded. "You may," I said and nodded in confirmation. I looked at Carver. "How do I..?" I furrowed my brows and cocked my head while I stared at him, pressing my lips into a thin line.

"Tell Derrick," Carver said and gestured toward him, and I looked at Derrick before I looked at Carver, again. He bit back a small smile while he looked at me. "He'll be able to let them in."

I pressed my lips into a thinner line and nodded before I looked at Derrick. "Let them in," I said, and Derrick nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line.

His eyes started to glow a different color, and he looked at the border while his hands started to glow, and I watched in amazement because I had no idea how he was able to do it but didn't say anything to stop him. He moved his hand from side to side, and the border glowed before it disappeared partially so that they could enter.

"They can enter, Your Majesty," he said and bowed while his eyes continued to glow.

I set my jaw and slowly nodded. "You may enter," I said and gestured for them to enter while I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Are you sure that your mate will be able to help my mate?" I asked before I looked at them and smiled apologetically. "I'm not trying to be rude, Your Highness, but I can't help but feel a little worried and suspicious..."

Especially since Amity wasn't able to do anything to help...

I pressed my lips into a thinner line while both Prince Stephen and his mate entered the hidden world, not saying a word but with both nodding in confirmation. "Go ahead and make sure that no one else can enter, and then you can go, and do whatever else you need to do, Derrick," I said, looking at the man, who was still glowing and waiting patiently. "Carver and I can take it from here."

Derrick nodded in agreement and did what I told him to do, making sure that no one else was able to enter the area. He bowed and cleared his throat, putting his hands behind his back. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said and bowed deeper. "Excuse me."

He bowed again before he left, not saying another word and doing something else that I wasn't aware of but didn't care while I looked at Stephen and his mate.

I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "Go ahead, and follow me," I said and gestured for them to follow me before I turned around and started to walk toward my mate and then the rest of the people in the tent.

Carver bit back a small tsk when I didn't do what he expected me to do, earning a small snort from Stephen while he and his mate followed me. "It is nice to see you again, Prince Stephen," he said, bowing his head just a tad while he followed me and then made it to my side.

"It is nice to see you as well, Carver," Stephen said while he bowed his head and cleared his throat, growing serious. "Thank you for having us, Your Majesty." He looked at me when he said that, and I couldn't help but press my lips into a thin line.

"Brody is fine," I said and shook my head, setting my jaw while I pressed my lips into a thin line. "You do not have to use that title."

Especially since my mate and I aren't actually mated...

"I'd... prefer that I used it," Stephen said before he cleared his throat, "Your Majesty." He paused and cocked his head toward the figure beside them. "Or would you prefer us to call you, Young Alpha instead?"

Carver moved closer to me and cleared his throat. "They want you to know that they follow you and not his father," he said, his voice barely above a whisper and in a way that they couldn't hear. "That is why they are wanting to call you by a title and not by your name."

I set my jaw and nodded, biting the inside of my lip. "Young Alpha would be fine, at least until my mate and I are... mated..." My cheeks turned red when I said that, and his mate bit back a small snort.

"Of course, Your M- Young Alpha," Stephen said and nodded, biting back a small chuckle while he cleared his throat. Again, he leaned his head closer to his mate and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Do you mind if we pick up our pace, Young Alpha?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question and stood.

I set my jaw and nodded while I started to pick up my pace with Carver and the rest of them following me until I was at a run, earring a few curious glances from the people that lived here, but no one said a word or tried to stop us as if something in my gaze told them not to.

Once we reached the tent, I slowed down while I flung the tent flap open, earning a ferocious growl from both Trevor and Ronan when I did so but made no move to attack us once they realized that it was me and Carver.

"Brody?" Trevor asked with a small frown on his face, and worry flashed through his eyes. "What is it? Did you find the reason th-" He stopped talking when he noticed the Jaguar Prince behind me.

He narrowed his eyes and growled, baring his teeth in a threatening manner, and his whole body grew tense. "And why are you here?" he asked and took a threatening step toward him and his mate.

"Trevor," I warned and moved in front of them, making sure that I was blocking him from view, and he instantly looked at me with his eyes filled with rage and anger, turning his eyes a darker color. "It's fine. He's safe."

Trevor narrowed his eyes further and bared his teeth. "And how do you know?" he asked darkly while he bared his teeth. "He could be a spy for his father, and you let him in without Kat's permission." He gestured to my mate and Amity.

"I am not a spy," Stephen said before I could say a word. He shook his head and cleared his throat, shifting on his feet. "I do not agree with whatever my father has done, and one of the reasons is because of my mate."

Trevor scoffed a laugh and rolled his eyes, biting back a small growl. "And why do you say that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "Why would your mate be the reason as to why you do not agree with whatever your father has done?"

The person giggled, earning a small sigh from the male beside the person. "Because I am not a cat," the person said, and I could tell that it was a female, even though I knew that she was already female because of Cornelius and the conversation we had with him.

"And what are you?" Trevor asked and bared his teeth while he took another threatening step toward them, and I made sure that I stayed in his way.

"Someone that can help your queen," the figure said before she pulled her hood off of her head, and just a poof of red hair escaped from its confines while a girl grinned at us, showing perfectly white teeth and soft blue eyes. "Hi," she said and waved. "I'm Poa. It's nice to meet you all, and I am here to help in any way that I can."

She grinned and curtsied. "Well, in any way that is within reason because, you know, foxes have stupid rules that they have to follow unless they want to..." She swiped her finger across her throat and closed her eyes while she stuck her tongue out to the side before she opened her eyes and grinned, bowing her head just a tad.

"...die."