Alpha's Howling Desire (BBW Paranormal Romance) by Meg Ripley

prides said the same thing: she was crazy for thinking there was somebody targeting lions that wasn’t already in the news, or at least known to the council. They said it was just a gang. But a handful of prides came forward, and then a few more. All in all, a couple prides in each state reported that their membership had been invaded and systematically culled until almost no one was around to breed. In addition to mutilations, they got rid of the young and tried to leave women pregnant with their own seed. Infants were smothered, toddlers kidnapped, and pregnant women had their pregnancies…forcefully terminated.” Her breath hitched in her throat, and Charlie squeezed her hand encouragingly, sending her a soothing wave of his energy that brought a rush of color to her cheeks. My brave lioness, he thought in wonder.
    “Thanks, babe,” she said, shooting him a weak smile. “Anyway, after we got that information back, we only had one other usable piece from everyone: the name “Golden Claws,” and we used that to try to find out more. We knew they were trying to hit us while we were out, but not in ways that attracted too much human attention, so we started staying inside. Then they started hitting us at home. They destroyed our truck’s motor and axle, tried to burn down Ariel’s house, and broke every window they could at least once. Anyone who tried to leave town was either taken or killed, so I could only go out short distances. Ariel stopped going out at all. But as soon as we heard back from the other prides—right around the second month—we started building our safe houses because we knew they wouldn’t let us stay safe for long. Then we started sending out undercover people—individuals from other prides—to try to catch some of the gang.” Natalie sighed heavily, and her next words were laced with a bitter sort of triumph.
    “We lost a lot of people, but we got more of theirs. I got one that tried to break into the house, sent a message back with him, minus a limb. The attacks slowed down. Then Ariel heard one talking on his phone behind her pottery shop, after he got sloppy on a tail, and it turned out they only had three left in the city: their leader and two other people, and we know what those two look like. One’s a short muscular man with blonde hair, and a Native guy, who must have tailed you on the way over. The one other thing we learned is that they’re targeting prides that are still matriarchal, the ones like us. They’re trying to stop us from, and I quote, ‘discovering something in ourselves.’ They also said they were waiting for you to return before they made their last move.” Natalie swallowed the lump in her throat and looked toward the end of the room holding the kitchen sink. A dark curtain was thrown over a part of the wall, and Charlie knew now that it covered a steel door that the hid the connecting tunnels between their house and the Reynolds’. “Ariel is telling Evan right now, then they’re heading over for the last leg of the plan.”
    “Which you know I don’t approve of,” Charlie said, barely containing the anger in his voice. “I don’t see why we need bait.”
    “Because it will make them come to us more quickly,” Natalie said for the fourth time. “But I’ll be safe. You’re all here, and there’s only three of them. I’ll leave you all at least one.” The rage in her expression matched the viciousness of Evan’s smile earlier, and Charlie shivered at the same time he felt his heart swell. My queen.
    “So we’ll go into the main house and wait for them to realize we’re out in the open,” Charlie finished. “And they’ve always made a move each time you’re in the main house?”
    “Starting two months ago, every time I open the curtains,” Natalie said. She tried to hide the fear in her eyes with a smile. “Gave me quite a workout, going up there to show myself so they wouldn’t be suspicious.”
    A knock sounded at the door, and