Shifting Magic (Shifted) (4 page)

“They
met today. She is apparently his true mate. If that is the case, the connection would be immediate.”

“Love
at first site?”

“Times
ten, yes. I’m meeting with Royal this afternoon. He wishes to meet with me and has asked them to hold off.”

“
Hold off mating?”

“Hold
of completing the bond which entails our daughter turning no doubt.”

“
This isn’t like her. She’s not an impulsive girl, not when it comes to the big things.”

“
She claims to feel the mate fever as well. As I understand it, there’s no stopping that. If they both feel it, I would imagine it is inevitable.”

“
Do you trust this man?”

“ Kendra
, I don’t know the man. I only know his father. From what I have seen, Royal is an honorable man. He asked them to wait before

I even knew what was going on
. He insists we meet on this. I take that as a good sign. I just don’t know what my meeting with Royal will

accomplish. I
suspect if we deny them the mating, they would go ahead and do it anyway. Nina, once her mind is set, is a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know this Ranger, but I do know wolves will go to the ends of the earth to protect their mates.”

“Nina
is not a wolf.”

“Apparently
, that has no bearing on this. I got the impression that had Royal not asked for a meeting, I wouldn’t have known until after the fact.”

“
Werewolf grandchildren,” Kendra said in a hush.

“I
think you might be getting ahead of yourself Kendra, but yes, that is what the future seems to hold. It’s not what I would have wished for our daughter, but what I want is not in question. Wolves are loyal and above all faithful. If she does mate this man, it will be for life.

“
What if she changes her mind in a few years? People do, you know?”

“People
do. Wolves who find a true mate don’t. If Nina is feeling the mating fever, she is most likely his true mate like he claims. If that is the case, it’s forever. Whatever our daughter is feeling, it won’t ever go away.”

“How
is that possible? She just met him.”

“
As I understand it, the wolves believe that a true mate is the universe sending you your perfect match. Long ago, when the packs were small and their numbers low, mating’s became important to survival. A true mating assures that the female would be cared for and protected and the children of the pair would have a secure, stable home. Once a male wolf meets his true mate, he doesn’t stray. The downside to this is if that wolf already is dating or married. A true mate will always win.”

“
Is this Ranger married?”

“Now
that, I do know. Two of Royal’s sons are true mated and his daughter has two mates.”

“I
thought you just said.”

“I
know what I said. Emory, his only daughter, ended up with two true mates who, instead of tearing each other apart, mated each other as well.”

Kendra didn’t even begin to understand the connection her husband was describing.
His reacting to Nina mating a Shifter was out of character. Nina had always pushed the boundaries and Malcolm pushed back. If what her husband was saying was true, then this mating, this connection, was meant to be. Malcolm was not usually so excepting of Nina’s

d
ecisions. He obviously thought there was no choice in this one. “I want to come to this meeting with you.”

“Kendra
, I don’t know what it is that Royal wants.”

“Well
then, we will find out together. I need to see my daughter. I need to see her face to tell what she’s thinking.” Malcolm knew there was no arguing with Kendra on this one.

“
Fine. Be ready to leave when she calls. I’ll be in the study.

Nina didn’t object when Ranger pulled her down into the same seat in the waiting room. The family was staring, but the expressions on their face were mostly smiles. No one had questioned Ranger’s statement. They had just continued on as if this happened every day.

Faith came out from the back scanning the faces
, stopping at Ranger, who held the officer that had brought Rory in in his lap. Damn, another Cheveyo male off the market. Ranger was the only one of the brothers that she ever had any interest in. Oh well, he wasn’t her true mate. She had touched him enough to know that.

“Dr
. Cheveyo asked me to tell you all he will be out in a minute.”

“How’s Rory?
”

“Is it a boy or girl?
”

“Whoa
, slow down. Rory is fine. The baby is fine. As to the gender, I think Maverick wants to give you that news.” Faith smiled.

“
It’s a boy,” Nina whispered to Ranger.

“How
do you know?”

“I
can feel the energy. Boys vibrate on a different frequency than girls,” she whispered.

“Nina
says it’s a boy,” he announced.

“Why
would you do that?”

“Because
if you’re right, it’s important.”

“
Important how?”

“Not
sure yet, but trust me.”

“You
know Ranger, you’re a bit confusing.”

“I
know. You’ll get used to it,” he said flashing a killer smile that had her melting back into him.

Maverick looked at Rory and his new son. The smile on his face actually made his jaw hurt. “Mind if we take this little guy to meet the family?”

“I’m surpris
ed they aren’t in here already,” she laughed. “I need to apologize to both Willow and Xavier.”

“Why
Xavier?” Maverick knew she had to apologize to her sister for growling and kicking her out.

“I told W
illow he got taken down by a girl.”

“I
missed that. You mean he has a new girl?”

“No
. I mean, when I went out on the porch to wait for him, I found him sprawled across the lawn and pinned to the ground by a female police officer. She’s the one that drove us here.”

“
You’re kidding, right?”

“
Nope. Come on I’m sure if you ask, he’ll tell you the whole story.”

“
If I were him, I’d lie about the whole incident. Seriously, a woman took him down?”

“
Yup, and she was no bigger than Willow or me.”

“Shifter?”

“Don’t think so,” Rory smiled.

Maverick
laid the sleeping baby in Rory’s arms, ignoring her protests, “I can walk Maverick.” She was annoyed that he insisted she ride in the wheel chair. Shifters healed quickly. By that afternoon, she would be back to normal. For now, he needed for her to allow him to indulge her. She had just given him the ultimate gift. He wheeled her out into the waiting room. As he had expected, his entire family was there. His mother was just coming in the door and rushed past the others to greet the newest Cheveyo.

“I’m really
too young to be a grandmother you know?” she said while bending to pull back the blanket.

“Mom
, meet Maddox.”

“Maddox
, it’s a boy?”

“
Hey, Nina was right,” Ranger said. Maverick noticed for the first time that his family was not alone.

A small woman in uniform was surrounded by his brothers. Rory smiled at the female.
“Maverick, this is Nina, the officer I was telling you about.” Rory was trying to contain her laughter.

“
Nice work Rory. He’s beautiful,” Nina said stepping forward with Ranger close behind.

“
Nina, my wife tells me you drove her here… among other things.”

“You
told him about that too? Will I ever live this down?” Xavier exclaimed.

“NO
!” the men shouted.

“
It was my pleasure. Hotshot here was in no condition to drive.”

“Hotshot?” Maverick asked raising an eyebrow
. Nina just shrugged.

Maverick watched as the family all fussed and cooed over his son. The pride that filled him was greater than he could ever imagine.

“
Maverick, I hate to do this, but I need you for about an hour. That is if it’s alright with Rory,” Royal said as he slid his finger into the hand of the squirming bundle in Rory’s arms in an affectionate gesture.

“
Why, what happened?” Maverick looked to his wife for permission. Royal may have been his Alpha and his father, but his priorities had shifted.

“
We need to meet with Malcolm Blackwell.”

“
The Mage, why? Has one of theirs been taken?”

“
In a manner of speaking, yes. Nina is Malcolm’s daughter.”

Nina smiled at the huge man
while noting how much Maverick, Ryder, and Ranger looked alike.

“Xavier
, what did you do?” Maverick barked. Yup, he was Alpha alright. Nina thought with a laugh.

“I d
idn’t do anything. It was Ranger.”

“Ranger
?” Maverick swung his head around to look at his brother. He watched as Ranger took Nina by the shoulders and hauled her back against him. “Oh shit!” he said. He realized immediately what the possessive movement meant.

“I
don’t know why everybody keeps saying that?” Nina quipped shaking her head. “Seriously Maverick, I’m not that bad.”

“I
… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean. So she’s your…?”

“
His mate, yeah,” Nina  felt Rangers pull. There was no way she wanted to be discussing this. She was a girl of action and the action, she wanted to take needed to be done without an audience.

“
Royal?” Gemma squawked and looked to her mate for conformation. Rory was unsuccessfully trying to stifle a laugh.

“Yes dear
. It would seem Nina Blackwell is Ranger’s mate. We are meeting with her father shortly.”

“
It’s sure to be a party. You should all come,” Nina joked.

6

Malcolm tried to speculate the way this meeting would go.
Surely, if Nina was his son’s mate, Royal wasn’t denying them. That would just harm his son.  A union between their children did mean more contact between the Witches and the Shifters. The two races had remained separate for so long. This would impact both communities. Malcolm could see the good in that.

“This is it,” he said as they
pulled up outside the Brooks home. The trucks that lined either side of the street told him the wolves had already arrived.

“Malcolm
, do you think it’s wise to take the guard?” Kendra waited as three huge men exited the vehicle in front of them and came to open the door. “They might feel you pose a threat.”

“It’s
protocol Kendra. I’m sure Royal has his sons with him.” Malcolm had no sons, only daughters. His guard was not made up of family but trusted men in his coven.

Royal stood on the porch. He didn’t relish this conversation. He knew however it was a conversation that needed to happen.

“
Welcome Malcolm, Kendra. Thank you for coming. Gemma and the others are inside,” he welcomed them while reaching to shake the Mage’s hand.

“
And Nina?”

“
She’s giving my sons a run for their money. She’s already tackled my youngest and taken the heart of my third. I believe she is currently arguing with Maverick about woman’s rights in the pack.”

Malcolm laughed
. That did sound like something Nina would do. He was happy to see that Royal was in good humor about it.

Rory sat quietly on the couch watching the interchange with Nina and Maverick. She had the urge to get between them, but the deal was she could come to the meeting only if she took it easy.

She had just had a baby
. It wasn’t like she was in a train wreck. She was a werewolf. They healed at an accelerated rate. She had to remind Maverick that it was hours after Garrett attacked and tried to kill her that she and Maverick completed the mating bond. If they could have

sex only hours after she almost died
, she and the baby could leave the clinic and come to the meeting. He really had no argument to that.

“
Maverick.” Royal’s voice echoed in the room. The room was full of the family. Every member of the Cheveyo Alpha family including its newest member was in Willow and Ryder’s living room. Maverick turned to his father after flashing a brief smile at Nina. She was going to make a wonderful addition to the family, even if she threatened to rile up the women even more than they already were. Both Willow and Emory trained daily. He had no doubt Rory would insist on starting as soon as tomorrow.