EverChange

chapter 31

Being the faux illegitimate of Cosma Neoma gave me much more leeway and freedom than the Alpha's mate. People ignored me outright, or were just passive to me. There was even some level of pity thrown my way because they knew Cosma was ruthless. Her having a half shifter kid who just popped up to train at 22 was very much in the realm of what she would keep close to the vest. When a top tier vampiress just doesn't mention her offspring at all, and somehow it's kept under wraps for almost two decades? You know she either paid well or people easily disappeared.

"Soooo... is your mother in charge of your debut?" asked one of the shifters. He offered me a deer rib, still warm, dripping with blood.

The raw feed diet had me feeling a ways as of late. I declined, so he crunched through the bones easily. "My debut?"

"I mean, you're a little older than most girls--"

"Older? I'm twenty three." Someone tossed me a papaya, a big one that nearly nailed me in the face if I hadn't crossed my arms like i was blocking a punch. "Trig! Fucking use your words!"

She knit her brows, then rolled her eyes. "You don't want lunch? Little vegetarian?"

I snarled, and bit through the skin and flesh of the fruit. A mouth full of sweet flesh, I puckered my lips and spat the black little seeds like bullets. Trig let out a big cat snarl, but ended up laughing. I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and turned my attention back to Kelvin.

"I'm just doing my own thing right now." I mumbled, "My mate... we're just taking things slow right now and trying to get ranked."

He nodded. "I was just wondering," he licked his thumbpad. "Adan...he's a really good Alpha. It's kind of... scary that he wouldn't automatically give you shelter and housing."

"Our union is complicated." I tried to change the subject.

Elena the jaguar walked over with an arm full of vegetables, and a jar. "Guess who's boyfriend gave her a jar of pickled radishes!" she wiggled to nest up next to me. She shoved a bag of apples into my lap, then fought to crack open the seal of her mason jar. The pungent scent of kimchi filled my nose. "Ooooooh it smells fucking tart!"

Trig perked up, licking her lips. "You're sharing that, right?"

I held out my papaya as Alek came over in tiger form. He sniffed the fruit and chuffed at me. Felix came over, gently headbutting his brother out the way to eat the fruit out my grasp. He drooled, and all the seeds dripped out his mouth between his massive teeth.

"Only with Ryonne. She's been stressin' and spicy foods help with nerves."

She pulled a fully pickled radish (uncut, the leafy end still attached) and held it out to me. It was an off day, and usually we just ate and ran around in animal forms. Slept a bit, shared food and just took up every moment with leisure.

"I'm always stressed--" I nearly choked when Elena shoved the radish in my mouth. It was tender, and yielded to a few bites and was gone. "...They're good."

Trig was suddenly in our circle, nearly dog-piling us. "Gimme some of that!"

Kelvin groaned when one of the women's knees collided with his midsection. The air just knocked out of him when the full weight of a muscular Jaguar shifter tussled with her Leopard counterpart.