Cats And Dogs: A Shifter Novella by Georgette St. Clair Page B

he’d ever bribed. The death penalty was a certainty for
him.
    Belle’s aunt, uncle and cousins had
been arrested for their part in the forced marriage scheme, and
Belle, using money from the trust fund that was finally going into
her bank account, had retained a lawyer to sue them for misuse of
her inheritance. All of their assets were frozen, and they were
likely to lose their home, farm, and store…as well as face lengthy
prison sentences.
    “Axel, may I speak to you?” Axel’s
father walked out onto the front porch.
    Axel turned to face him.
    “I’d like to speak to you alone,” he
added, but as Belle started to step away, Axel’s arm tightened
around her waist.
    “Whatever you’re going to say to me,
she can hear. She is my mate,” Axel said calmly, meeting his
father’s eyes.
    “Do you realize what that will
mean?”
    “I do. I will not be
Alpha.”
    At Belle’s sharp intake of breath, he
added, “Father, you and I both know that it’s for the best. I know
the Alpha position traditionally goes to the oldest son, but not
always. And I think we both know that I’m not suited for the
position.”
    His father stared at him, clearly
unhappy.
    “Think about it, Father. I’ve got a
temper. I’m not the least bit political. I speak my mind without
thinking about the consequences; I know this. You and I have
clashed over it, and you’ve told me a million times that an Alpha
can’t act the way that I do, and you’re right. But it’s my very
nature, and I can’t change it. And even if the position of Alpha
were perfect for me, it wouldn’t matter, because I’ve found the
woman that I love, the woman I’m fated to be with, and that matters
more than anything.”
    His father swallowed hard, and nodded.
“You’re right, Axel. It takes a big man to admit what you just
did.”
    Axel turned to Belle. “Now that you’ve
heard that, you know there’s nothing holding us back.”
    He fished in his pocket and pulled out
a ring with a glowing white stone on it. “This arrived in the mail
yesterday, with a note from the witch Griselle. She said it’s a
wedding gift. It’s a charm which guarantees fertility and healthy
cubs.”
    Belle gasped.
    “Axel, are you sure? Really sure? If
we mate, we could have a mixed litter. Panthers and wolves. We
could literally be the parents of cats and dogs.”
    He took her hand and kissed the back
of it.
    “I’m counting on it. Belle Simmons,
love of my life, will you marry me?”
    Tears filled her eyes and streamed
down her face. It was happening so fast, but it felt like fate,
like the way her life was meant to be.
    “Yes, Axel, I will marry you,” she
said, and he slid the ring onto her finger.
    It fit perfectly.

    The End