As Wulfe and I emerged from the portal room into my house in Kenya, I felt a sense of bewilderment.
My pack was already there, and everyone, like me, was curious about what kind of trip or exercise our pack leader had planned this time.
My mansion, though possessing a certain city charm, resembled a large farmhouse.
It had recently been renovated by Max and his crew, so it was ready for occupancy.
However, I had a hunch we wouldn’t be staying there for long, as even Mariella and the girls, as well as the wolves, were actively exploring the premises.
I had an extensive collection of tribal art, accumulated from my missions in Africa, where many tribes revered me as a goddess due to my shapeshifting abilities and mercilessness towards enemies.
They called me the “Jaguar Queen” and gifted me many items.
I had always intended to learn about each piece, each mask, and its meaning, but my life had been too busy; it was just another task buried in my mind, unrelated to pack matters or, for that matter, fleas.
“I guess some of these are quite damn pricey,” Mariella muttered.
Mimosa replied, “It’s not about the money, but the intent. Here, try this one; there’s intent here, a kind of worship. I suppose Mimi got these from grateful people.”
Mariella closed her eyes, touched one mask, and smiled.
“Yeah, I can feel it. It’s almost a blessing to our alpha female. Now, the only problem is how Damon will see this; he’ll be jealous, I know that much.”
Wulfe cleared his throat as we descended the stairs and entered the living room.
Several pack members turned to look at us, smiling at me.
Mimosa ran to hug me, followed by Elena, Katherine, and Shadow.
Mariella approached me and asked, “What did you do? I know what happened recently, but how did he fix you?”
I lifted my sleeve, revealing tattoos that told our story.
One depicted me sleeping next to his lion form, beneath his wings; another showed him carrying me through the forest, his eyes glowing yellow.
There was also an image of me in his arms in a cave, him making me drink while I slept.
Naturally, there was also much about our time in Moldova, including the Moldovan castle rendered in ornate script near my heart.
Mariella fell silent, while Mimosa and Shadow snickered as others gathered to admire my tattoos.
The boys, including Colin and Magnum, were particularly interested in the events of Moldova, specifically our “wild sex physiotherapy” and our inventive fucking encounters.
The mansion was constructed of light-colored wood, adorned with muted wallpaper and carpets.
Though the floors were covered in soft, low-pile tufting—suitable for Kenya’s warm climate—the effective air conditioning kept the interior pleasantly cool.
I began to describe each item to my pack members, also mentioning my initial intention to examine them myself.
However, I hadn’t had the chance yet when Dresden interjected, “I guess we might need to move these somewhere else. You see, Salvatore, this kind of protection or gratitude, almost like an oath, is a bit tricky to explain, but…”
Wulfe then touched one piece and added, “Yep, these had to be moved, and we need to do a bit more. Well, let me explain in plain terms, even if it’s a bit more complex. This kind of charm blessing affects you too, not intensely, but it might make you want to help this tribe more. And since you’re such a special snowflake, I can’t exactly say how much these could affect you. So, no touching—not anyone.”
He murmured a few words, and a force field materialized, preventing us from touching any more of the masks and other artifacts I had acquired.
I glanced at the gauzy, light off-white curtains.
They offered little shielding from the sun, but fortunately, it wasn’t too hot, at least not yet.
With no Salvatores in sight, I wondered what surprise awaited us.
Wulfe then came to sit next to me in my large chair, prompting Mariella to sigh.
“You know,” she began, “that was the longest period I’d been without Damon, but I had other versions of him. I realized how funny they could be, too. It was amazing! Number Six, for instance, could say the funniest things in a deadpan voice about our unruly patients, and Number Five would sometimes comment wittily on the nurses’ efforts. Despite the immense effort it took to get these ones fit, it was truly a period of learning something entirely new.”
Although I appreciated her confession, I remained unsure, but we would see.
I was planning to carve out some me-time, away from bossy men telling me what to do, so I could make my own decisions.
I shared, “Well, when we were in Moldova, he actually made rooms. He might go into one room, empty it with a flick of his hand, and then return with a whole new set of items. He wouldn’t ask for my help; he’d just do it, just like he used to.”
Adam smiled slightly, recalling the same thing.
Mimosa stated, “Good for you, but let’s just say we’ve received quite a lot of feedback regarding sharing our plans with Pack Leader, meaning our little mission. According to the Salvatores, if they had been there, they might have seen the trap.”
Calmly, I replied, “No, I found evidence of old seismic recorders in those pipes. They weren’t for detecting attackers, but were placed where seismic activity might occur. The original crew put them there, and I guess the Sarks found them, which then triggered an alarm. The Salvatores wouldn’t have known, as these types of devices are placed outside pipes, not inside. Furthermore, since they were old, no magic or energy would have detected them.”
Mimosa just shrugged and said, “You explain it to the Salvatores. I’m done trying to explain; they can be pigheaded sometimes.”
This made me smile, as she was absolutely correct.
As I sat there, several males were moving too, and it wasn’t long before I was pulled up and kissed.
Although some other females were a bit jealous, they too received kisses.
I didn’t notice the Salvatores coming down the stairs, but they were, as it turned out, exactly happy to see me kissing others, having missed me dearly.
Number one was still possessive, and I could feel a dark possessiveness emanating from him.
Let’s just say that after kissing Colin, I had to stop.
Number two sent a feeling of being chased and hunted into my brain, followed by number four with fear and terror.
Adding number one’s dark, possessive feeling, I could almost feel him growling.
It was obvious they had also sent something to Colin, as he smiled, pulled away, and moved on to kiss Mariella, his eyes flashing as if to test.
Number one came to me and bit my neck, my pheromone glands, as a way to enforce his possession of me.
I let a deep, rumbling purr emanate, calming my mate.
Soon, other Salvatores were flocking around me as well.
However, he kept me by his side, not immediately going for Mariella, which was incredibly surprising.
Mariella, meanwhile, was talking with Tim and Taylor, still about our time in that wretched facility, prompting them to talk so she could help them fade those experiences away.
I had no idea how long it took for number one to relax a bit, allowing me to go to my chair, and then Wulfe and the wizards came to him, explaining my tribal gifts.
He said, “Worry not. I’ll let Magic House know; they will handle it. Besides, we will not live in the house.”
He then walked to each pack member, greeting them, shaking hands or hugging males, and kissing females.
Mariella was not special; she was just one more who received a kiss, even saying, “God, I’ve missed you…”
After he had made his rounds and everyone was seated, he walked to the center of the room and announced, “Now, the next adventure will take nine months, divided into three locations. In each location, we will stay for three months, and each place has its own rules of play, so to speak. I will not reveal everything, only the next one.”
He looked at each of us and announced, “Now, our first adventure happens here, in Africa, Kenya. I know, Baby, just how much land you’ve gained here, and I’ve made some additional purchases as well. Our territory is now known, and humans will not interfere with us, but wildlife will. This will be done in two teams, Alpha teams. So, Baby, you’ll have your own team, and I’ll have mine. I’ll tell you more soon, but for now, my Alpha, come here. Let’s form our teams. I won’t tell you any more until our teams are complete.”
I already had a pretty good idea of who I wanted on my team and how I would ensure they joined.
Our pack numbered thirty people, meaning each team would have fifteen members.
I wasn’t sure if I would choose any of Salvatores for my team.
Damon then said, “I will start by choosing my female. Mariella, come here.”
Mariella smiled and walked next to Damon.
He took a breath and said to me, “Well, Mimi, I will give you your male. Wulfe. Wulfe, you may stand next to Mimi.”
Wulfe smiled and came to stand beside me, taking my hand and scanning my mind for my ideas, which only made him smirk even more.
I knew Damon, being so possessive, couldn’t possibly give Charles to me, as my male, but I was planning to take Charles anyway.
Damon continued, “Now, as we need a bit of balance, there are four females left. Mariella, choose two.”
Mariella smiled and replied, “I choose Mimosa and Shadow.”
I nodded, and Elena and Katherine came to stand by me.
I knew very well that one type of alpha power attracts similar ones.
Since Mariella still had a bit of her wrong type, meaning male type, alpha power left, she would likely choose those who possessed it too, meaning other wolves, whereas Elena and Katherine were a natural choice for me.
I kept my expression neutral.
Damon then stated, “Now, Mimi, it’s your turn. Which wizard will it be: Dresden or Constantine?”
I pondered for a moment and then said, “Dresden, I choose you.”
The tall wizard got up, smiling slightly as he walked towards me.
Constantine, meanwhile, smiled at Mariella as he passed her.
It was time for some fun.
Knowing it would be Mariella’s turn to choose, I looked at number five, smiled, and sent him a pure dose of love.
He sighed and leaned back, enjoying it, just as Mariella announced, “I choose number five.”
I kept my expression completely controlled, sensing Wulfe’s urge to laugh.
Calmly, I then said, “Well, I’ll take… Colin, please come here.”
Colin was more than ready to join me.
Mariella chose number two next, after I had also given him a dose of my love.
Damon let Mariella pick and choose first, but I didn’t mind, so I secured Charles, making Mariella a bit more sulky. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
I managed to get her to choose all the Salvatores, meaning her team had ten Salvatores, three females, Constantine, and Alaric.
I, on the other hand, had everyone else.
She wasn’t too happy as she realized once again that her greed for males had landed her in the middle of a sea of Salvatores, who were not in a gentle mood but rather an overbearing one.
Meanwhile, I had secured my guys, and all of us were relaxed and ready to see what this was all about.
Damon then announced, “Well, I can now reveal what this is all about, but I won’t tell you details of the future, only for the next three months. In short, we will live out there as felines. Now, we will take lion form, becoming a pride of lions. But, baby, what is your team’s choice? You can only use native species here.”
That was fine by me, but we wouldn’t be lions.
After a moment of pondering, I declared, “Leopards, the spotted ones.”
Damon nodded, keeping his expression neutral, while Mariella was practically trying to climb into his lap.
I, however, was feeling incredibly smug.
Damon continued, “This is not a competition, but each team can find a suitable place to be, hunt, and learn to embrace their feline forms. This will also help your evolution. Work as a team, have fun, and it’s possible for us to meet and talk too, if you have troubles. These are our first three months as felines, and I will tell you more after this time is over. Being as felines are the gist of this whole nine months, surprises are coming too.”
I announced aloud, “Fine by my team and me. We might be busy, so I’m not sure if we’ll have too much time to socialize. After all, hunting here as a feline is wickedly fun.”
For us, this would be an ideal situation.
However, for Mariella, the circumstances are quite different.
As you are currently in feline form, your instincts are becoming increasingly dominant, and the specific form you inhabit plays a significant role.
Lions, for instance, would largely behave as they do naturally; males would defend their territory and females, but hunting would primarily fall to the females.
Male lions are also heavier and less agile than females, making them less adept hunters.
Consequently, Mariella, Mimosa, and Shadow would likely handle most of the hunting, with the males eating first.
In contrast, as leopards, we all engaged in hunting.
Leopards don’t live in prides, but this difference wouldn’t significantly affect us.
Each of us would hunt individually, though we were also capable of hunting in groups.
I could sense Magnum and Murdock devising hunting strategies.
I had a few ideas of my own, and the next three months promised to be incredibly fun and provided ample opportunities for me to feel rather smug about many things.
Damon then said, “Now, let’s add a bit of a challenge. Fangs are off, no poisons, and you eat what you can catch. Medicals will be mandatory after these nine months, and then we’ll assess our progress. See how this affects your overall fitness and just how bad your deficiencies will be. I can guarantee no holidays in the Azores, but expect more life within the pack. Elena and Katherine, your fangs and conduits will be scanned as well, and you will learn to use your fangs more effectively. Now, let’s empty our fangs, shall we?”
He proceeded to hand out collectors to each vampire and also to Wulfe, which caused me to raise an eyebrow.
Wulfe, smiling, remarked, “Yeah, I got an upgrade too.”
While his velvet might have been difficult for even me to chop off in the future, it was a different matter for now.
Dresden commented, “I’m not sure I want to be a vampire.”
Damon replied, “You have no choice; your DNA is shifting, and eventually, this will be you too. However, according to our estimations, some of us may have inherited vampire genes from Mimi as well, so it might be somewhat new to you if you also gain her powers.”
He maintained a neutral expression, but he wasn’t entirely pleased, being a control freak and all.
Furthermore, Wulfe was also hesitant about me spreading my vampire genes within the pack, but it was a reality we had to face.
They might find a way to address it, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of smug satisfaction.
After emptying my fangs – which meant draining about four liters, a bit of everything – I noticed others had also finished.
Mariella was whining to Damon about something, but he interrupted, stating, “This isn’t a sex holiday; it’s feline life. There’s no private heat or anything like that. Your time for heat will come in due course, but not now. Right now, it’s time for us to be kitty cats, let our feline instincts grow, and become more in tune with our feline parts. Have fun. Sex is not forbidden in feline form, but I doubt it will cross your mind once this takes over for good.”
Mariella remained sulky but stayed close to Number One.
Number Eight whispered something in her ear, causing her to step away.
He could still scare her shitless, and this made Charles chuckle deeply in his throat.
This, in turn, caused my body to react strongly, and the flare of his nostrils told me he could smell me very clearly.
Colin, too, could smell me, as he was also very close.
This promised to be a very fun time, and I was so ready.
I had my team, my plan, and the open savannah of Africa as our playground.
What more could I ask for?