The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 77

Derrick cleared his throat and bowed his head when the three of us looked at him but did not pull away from each other. He bit back a small smile and lifted his head while he looked at me. "I believe that we should get going again, Your Majesties," he said. "We still need to go toward the Warlock King and Prince, or else they will try something that you will not agree with." He gave me a pointed look and offered me a tight smile.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. "Of course," I said and pulled away from the twins that I considered my family before I looked at them. "Do you want to come back to the pack with us after we are done with everything and we are able to go back there?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"You can ride with us," Brody said and walked over to me. He pulled me closer to him and placed a small kiss on my forehead, and I bit back a small smile while I closed my eyes ever so slightly, tucking my head closer to his shoulder. "Or are we going to have to do something differently since we will have other "guests" with us?" He looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question.

"We will talk about that later," I said, hesitating with a shake of my head, "but come on, and let's go ahead and collect them." I turned my attention back to Derrick and gestured for him to lead the way toward the king and prince. "Let's go, Derrick," I said.

Derrick bowed and slowly nodded, biting back a small smile. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said. He bowed before he started to walk that way and picked up his pace, and we followed him, following him at the same place that he was going because I knew that he was getting nervous about them getting antsy and worried about us, more importantly, me.

My mate pulled me closer to him, and I could feel his anxiety while we got closer to him, and I was sure that he was nervous about the prince doing something that would cause me to leave.

I bit back a small smile, amused, while I tucked my head closer to him. 'I am not going to leave,' I said, my voice barely above a whisper while I linked him, and he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. 'I do not want you to be worried about me.'

My mate bit back a small snort and rolled his eyes, earning a small glance from the twins before they looked toward the way that we were going. 'I will always worry about you, Katherine,' he said and grabbed me tighter before he placed a small kiss to the side of my head. 'I do not know why you thought I wouldn't.'

I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line. 'I don't know,' I said before I cleared my throat and licked my lips. 'A part of me is still shocked about it because I still can't believe that I have a mate.'

Brody bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded. He didn't say a word and pressed another kiss to the side of my head, and I closed my eyes and breathed a small sigh of relief.

But I am happy that I found someone like you...

I bit back a small smile and tucked my head closer to my chest. I didn't say a word while we continued to walk toward the entrance, and my heart skipped a beat before it slowly started to pound hard and fast in my chest.

My mouth went dry and felt like it was full of cotton, and I couldn't help but feel nervous, worried even, because I had no idea how the Warlock King would react when he saw that I was alive and well.

I knew that he was going to have questions, questions that I didn't feel comfortable to answer, especially since Poa was now under my care as a member of the Jaguar community and not just the Jaguar community but the cat clan in which I was in charge of.

My mate pulled me closer to him and pressed a kiss to my forehead as if he knew what I was thinking. 'Breathe, Kat,' he said gently while he grabbed me tighter before he cleared his throat. 'You have to breathe because if not, then you will pass out.'

I took a deep, shuddering breath before I released it with a small whoosh. I didn't say a word while I took another deep breath and released it with another small whoosh, and my mouth continued to grow dry while my throat closed.

Oh, Gods...

Ro and Ray looked at me and frowned, and a look of concern flashed through their eyes. They didn't say a word while they stared at me, and I could tell that they were scared and nervous, silently wondering what was going on through my mind but didn't try to push for control.

"Do we need to stop, Your Majesty?" Derrick asked and cocked his head while he turned to look at me. Concern and worry filled his eyes, and I could tell that he didn't think it would be a good idea to stop even if I needed to.

I shook my head and licked my lips, hesitating ever so slightly. "No," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet while we continued to walk toward them. "I don't think it would be a good idea for me to stop. We have kept them waiting long enough, and I am afraid that they will try to break through the barrier or break it down so that they can enter."

"I do not believe that will be possible," Derrick said before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. He bowed and tucked his head closer to his chest, biting the inside of his lip while he tried to hide a small smile. "I believe that it would be best for you to talk to Carver about that later, though."

"Oh?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, mildly impressed and surprised. "What do you mean, Derrick? Why are you not able to tell me now?"

"Because it is not safe for us to be talking about, Your Majesty," he said and shook his head before he cleared his throat and licked his lips as if he was afraid that I would continue to push him until I ordered him to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth.

My mate gently squeezed my side, silently indicating that it would be best if I didn't push him, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye before I looked forward.

I bit back an annoyed sigh while I rubbed the bridge of my nose before I slowly nodded and pursed my lips in annoyance. "Fine," I said before I cleared my throat and licked my lips, biting back a small growl of annoyance. "But just know that I do not like it."

At all...