The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 27

Relief filled my body when he said that, even though Carver had already said it. To hear it from him meant the world to me and caused some of the anxieties of being the next High Queen to rest.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty? After all that they have done, done to us?" the same male asked, and the king growled in warning.

"It isn't our fault that this had happened," I said, and the male glared at me. I blinked unimpressed. "The "king" is a traitor and has been marked as such. He will be punished, and that punishment, by law, is death."

"And, when will that happen? Why should we risk our necks to help you?" the pack member asked.

"You don't," I replied, interrupting King Paul from talking. "I am not even going to ask." I didn't look at Carver or Trevor, knowing that they were shocked.

We knew that we would need the help because we had no idea what Romanov had done or how many people he had convinced to help him. We knew that he could have manipulated other species and could have had more of a force than we did.

However, I wasn't willing to risk it and wasn't willing to put others in danger because of my uncle's mess.

"I will lend my sword," King Paul said, and I looked at him with an opened mouth. He raised his hand, stopping me from talking. "We still have an alliance with you and your clans."

"It's too dangerous," I replied. "I can't risk you or your heir."

"And you can risk yourself?" He raised an eyebrow. "And your clans?"

"I will take the chance," I replied. "The packs need you; the clans need me."

"Even though you don't know what damage he has caused us, to get them to hate your clans after your father had worked hard to prepare the bond. I want revenge."

'Let him,' Carver said, making sure to keep the link open to me. He looked rather grave and conflicted, understanding my reasoning and his. He also didn't want to force the other species into a war to get killed, possibly.

"Then I hope you let your people choose to fight or not," I said, and he nodded.

"If you are our Luna, then it is our duty to serve you," a male, Christian, I think, said. "If that means that we have to join forces with the Cats, then we will."

"You will; I will not. I don't care if she is our Luna or not. She is a Cat and should be killed," the same man that had been the hardest on me said. He glared and pursed his lips in disgust.

There were a couple of growls, and Brody would have attacked him if I hadn't grabbed his arm and shake my head.

"Who did you lose?" I asked, looking at him. "To the Cat species, I think?"

"My mate, sister, and daughter," he replied. "That King killed them in front of me."

"Which one?" I asked. "There are Kings and the "High" King."

"He was a Tiger, your kind," he replied, and I pursed my lips in disgust. "He raped them in front of me, made some bitch hold me down. She didn't do anything to stop him, just stayed there holding me stone cold."

"Did she have two different colored different colored eyes?" I asked, and he nodded. "That would probably be Amity. She's good, but... she is being controlled by the man I have to call my "uncle" who was the one who had raped them."

"Then you are no b-"

"Do not even finish that sentence," I growled, baring my teeth at him. Anger and hurt flashed through my body, and it took all of my power not to either burst into tears or harm him. "He has caused me great pain, as well. He is not my uncle."

"Oh, and what had he done to the little pretty Princess, huh?" he asked. "Can you answer that, Your Majesty?"

"He almost killed me," I replied, ignoring the sarcasm. "He would have succeeded if it wasn't for the King and Princess of the Lions. He has... murdered my dad, probably in front of my mother. He has done some other stuff, but... for the sake of not starting a war when I am still not ready, I won't say it."

"He had done this on her birthday and caused my father and me to move her and her to be placed in a "safe" house that she had ultimately left," Trevor added. His jaw was set, and I knew that he still wanted to go. He wanted to be the one to kill him, but he knew that it wasn't his place; it was mine.

"I will kill him and make him suffer," I said, seeing the anger in his eyes. "I have already marked him as a traitor, earning back my title."

"What will happen once you leave?" a female asked. "Are you leaving your mate for them?"

"My mate and I have already decided to still be Luna and Alpha of this pack with the Alpha's permission," I replied. "However, we will also be the High Queen and King as well as being the Queen and King of the Tiger Clan. I have no siblings, so that lands on my shoulders."

"And, I don't want to be Luna so..." Katie said, shrugging her shoulders. She grimaced. "I don't think that I will be a good one."

"I think you would make a fabulous Luna," I said, looking down at her. I gave her a soft smile and winked. "You did show no fear against a growling tiger who was on a quest for blood."

Katie lifted her arms, and I picked her up. She buried her face in my neck and clutched me tightly as if she was scared that I would leave her if she lets me go.

I kissed the side of her head and looked at everyone. "I know that you are afraid of this change, and I want you to know that I am as well. But, I promise to be the best Luna that I can be." I looked around, letting my gaze stop on the man whose whole family had been killed off by a man who had given me so much grief. "All I am asking right now is for a chance to prove myself to you, to all of you."

"And, if we don't accept you as our Luna?"

"Then Kat and I will leave," Brody said. "And Katie will take my place." He placed his hand on his sister's back. "Like Kat, I think that she would make a fine Luna and an even better Alpha, even better than me."