Peanut brain men.

All eyes were on her - the wild puma, sitting on top of the desk. The animal didn't move a muscle, silently watching the Alphas in front of her. One wrong move and the puma would attack - inflicting as much damage as she could until someone stopped her.

Clara didn't care; all those years she spent hiding from the word seemed pointless.

If she had to go down, she would go down with the greatest battle in history. Even Seth agreed; the human part didn't feel like there was any place for them around the castle, the King, and the three Alphas. If they ever had any future together, first she had to think without any of them around.

“Get the best friend in here,” Luciano growled at the Alphas, slowly stepping back.

Even though the wolf inside him wanted nothing but to break free, defeat the cat and claim her - he kept him down. They would have a chance to meet in person, but this wasn't the right time.

Although Seth's and the puma's bodies seemed to be strong enough to shift, both of them were still weak. A fight and an attempt to claim them could result in serious consequences, which none of them needed right now.

The three Alphas ran out of the office, leaving the King alone with the puma, blindly trusting the man. He was to watch over her and make sure she wouldn't do anything the woman might regret later on. For example - slit someone's throat.

Clara's eyes didn't leave Luciano. She had seen the man so many times through Seth's eyes, and now, she had a chance to see every little detail about him. The puma enjoyed herself more than she ever imagined - wolf or not, the man was handsome, way better looking than many puma men.

Without noticing it herself, Clara started wondering if the beast inside him was half as impressive as the human. Would his legs be muscular, if his claws would be bigger than hers, would his teeth pierce skin within seconds or need a little more time to struggle, and most importantly - how soft and beautiful the fur might be.

As the questions circled her mind, the puma didn't notice how the King sat down and took his time to observe her.

“You're a beautiful creature, little puma. Magnificent,” Luciano spoke up, his eyes glued on the large cat, waiting for any hint of emotion.

Clara didn't bother to acknowledge the compliment; Seth would have to deal with his romantic crap, not her. She was an Alpha puma - powerful and to be respected. Clara wasn't there for her looks, no Alpha was, but for some reason, men didn't take female leaders as seriously as other men leaders.

The idea itself was ridiculous, pushing the puma over the edge. She was there to prove herself, not to stay put and look pretty for others.

Clara hissed at Luciano right as the door flew open.

The puma didn't mean to challenge him - it was a warning to stay away. Seth wouldn't allow her inner wild cat to hurt anyone, at least for now. She was too weak; the shift itself was a true miracle, let alone ending up on top of that table - alive.

“Told you, she's feral,” one of the Alphas whispered, pushing Anton inside the office, slowly following the man.

The male puma didn't try to fight back as the Alpha pushed him around as if he weighed nothing. Anton was the calm type, well, for the most part, especially whenever it came to Seth.

They had known each other since early childhood, and if there was one thing he knew for sure - his best friend was nowhere near being a feral cat.

Now, all eyes were on Anton, the puma shifter that stood by the door and grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and eyed the other men, mentally making fun out of them. Those fools, if only they would know if only they would listen more when their teachers spoke about other species in school.

“Clara, darling, it's so good to see you again. How are you feeling? I hope those peanut brain men didn't think of hurting you, did they?” Anton stepped closer, placed a hand on Clara's head, and jumped on the desk, sitting next to her.

The puma pushed her head against the male, urging him to hug her. It had been a while since the last time they met. As his arms wrapped around the dangerous-looking animal, all Alphas, including the King himself, growled at the male.

Their action resulted in another hiss from the puma, demanding for men to back off.

It was her time with someone she hadn't seen in a while - the last time he hugged her was when Anton was just a boy, shocked by the sudden appearance of the puma in front of him. Back then, Clara was just a cub, but because of the Alpha gene in her blood - she could shift from a very young age.

“Is she calm because she knows you? This doesn't make any sense - ferals don't remember even their family, let alone friends,” Ryder spoke from the back of the office.

The man faced Anton, eagerly waiting for an answer. His cheeks were bright red, eyes a little distant. Ryder didn't bother to hide how embarrassed he felt. The Alpha knew that he overreacted, and soon enough, he would try to apologize if he ever managed to catch Seth alone.

“She's not feral, you dumbass,” Anton rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Her eyes are red because she is an Alpha puma,” the male added, trying to prove a point before the Alphas and King would come up with more awful theories about Seth.

Letting out a deep breath, he tried to stay as serious as he could - laughing at the men wouldn't be the brightest idea. Once again, his lips parted, Anton was ready to tell them more, explain the details they could demand to hear. But, before he could utter another word, Dominic stomped closer.

“That's bullcrap. Red eyes mean feral, not Alpha. We're not dumb, cat boy - puma and panther shifter Alphas have bright blue eyes. Now, stop trying to mislead us and tell the damn truth!”

“Well, if you wouldn't interrupt me like that, I would have explained more. Rude. Anyway, her eyes are red because one - she's an Alpha; two - a female at that. We don't have many female Alpha blood shifters, the same as you guys. Men cats have bright blue eyes, but a female leader is quite a bit more special. They are like two personas in one - they can be an excellent and powerful Alpha and a loving Luna at the same time. Our leader women often chose to stay alone since they already possess the Alpha couple's qualities independently. Also, only the red-eyed ones can produce an Alpha heir, so that's like a little bonus, you know. I think I heard a legend about pumas as Seth and Clara mating with humans and other shifters. They can breed with someone outside their species - I haven't heard that any other woman could do that. Have you? I'm not entirely sure, but her mother once spoke about her great-grandmother, who, as you guessed, was a red-eyed puma Alpha. She mated with a lion.” Anton grinned wider than ever before.

If only he had known that the men would ask such stupid questions - he would bring a camera. Their facial expressions were priceless.

“Wait.. So you are saying?” Luciano cleared his throat, standing up from his seat.

His eyes sparkled in excitement and hope - the King had found out more than he hoped. Up to this day, he was sure that he would choose Seth as his Queen, despite the hatred he could face later on.

For him, it didn't matter if they ever had children together, but the news both shocked him and gave him more hope. Now, the King wouldn't give up on the woman, especially if she could give him children. Just thinking about that was overwhelming - an Alpha cat and wolf hybrid.

“Oh, don't be shy; speak louder, Mister King. The whole question, please, I ain't no mind-reading witch,” Anton clapped his hands, making the whole situation look more dramatic than it was. He knew what Luciano was implying; he just wanted to hear the King say it aloud.

“She can have children with wolves?” Without any hesitation or second-guessing, the question broke out of Luciano's lips.

He ignored the other Alphas who stared at him, probably thinking about the same thing. It was in their blood - the instinct to have children as soon as possible to train them and turn into mighty warriors.

Luciano couldn't be the only one who wanted children with Seth - the woman had more than just a few outstanding qualities even if they ignored the Alpha blood she had. Technically, if she decided to breed with a human - even then, her child would be stronger than many pure-breed puma cubs.

“Easy there, champ. She can, but only if she wants to.” Anton had to point that out - not only for himself but also for Seth; to show off how annoyed by the men he was.

His best friend wasn't a toy or a breeding machine in their claws - consent mattered, especially in a relationship.

Besides, she had mentioned many times that she didn't want children. Her upbringing wasn't the best part of her life, especially after losing her mother, and Seth didn't wish anything like that to others, especially on children.

Whenever the topic about children was brought up, even between friends - Seth would get up from her seat and leave the room or premises. If she had a chance to see cubs, she would rather avoid them than fall in love with one and find herself changing her mind.

Life was too dangerous, not only for Seth, but all of them - she wouldn't take such a risk, nor would she hide away from the world for the rest of her life.

“So you're saying that I might have an heir if Seth and Clara agreed?” Luciano's ears nearly perked up, eager to find out the answer.

Facing a possible backlash of hate from other men was a risk worth taking.

“The Lion, the witch, oh, and the audacity of this bitch. Boy, sit your ass down; we won't talk about this while Seth can't inflict some damage on your face. Now, excuse us, it's about time we get back home.” Anton jumped down from the desk and urged Clara to follow him.

Perhaps the men forgot about many things, but she wouldn't shift back until all of them were gone. Seeing one's body in bed was a completely different thing than watching it after a shift.

Both Seth and Clara refused to be near the four men in such a situation - they shouldn't see her so weak, so broken, screaming in pain.

“Wait, you can go, but Seth has to stay.” Dominic jumped in front of Anton, earning a deep hiss from the puma.

The cat jumped from the desk and slowly walked up to her best friend, shielding his human form from the visibly angered Alpha. If anyone was to get hurt in that room - it was the man that stood between them and the door, not the pumas.

“As if. Didn't you listen to what she said? She is leaving, and if any of you would do as much as try to stop her - she would rather kill herself. Trust me; she is not a snowflake - she will do it. It's either you, grow a pair and let her make her own decisions, or.. Or you can keep on being a little salty controlling bitch and watch how you destroy her with your own damn hands. Now, back off - all of you.” Anton couldn't take it anymore - as much as he tried to be respectful and professional, the Alphas made it too complicated.

Their controlling ways disgusted the puma shifter.

Clara walked closer to the door, holding her head high, growling at the men in a low tone. She wouldn't attack first, but if any of them would take the risk and try to stop her - she would never take responsibility for the outcome. No matter what they did - playing with a cat was a dangerous game.

Yes, her human side might be a little softer, but her wild side wouldn't be the same. Humans had proven the point centuries ago - it was easy to tame a dog while a cat would go where it wants to, do whatever it wants to, and simply ignore the world around them.

Even the ones who were supposed to be home cats weren't obedient. It was not a part of her nature, and the woman would rather die in the flames of hell than let anyone tell her that she was supposed to obey someone.

The Alphas intensively watched her, but none dared to stay in her way. Deep down, Clara knew that the reason was Seth's threat, not her intimidating approach to everything, but their lack of resistance still empowered the puma.

Anton followed right in her footsteps, rushing to get ahead of the enormous cat to open the doors.

Both walked downstairs and left the building, slowly approaching Anton's car. Clara got to take the whole backseat while her best friend rushed to start the vehicle. The Alphas still could change their mind - the sooner they left, the better.

“Take a nap, Clara; you will need some more strength to shift back. I have a bag of your clothes in the trunk, already took care of that, so don't worry about anything. I will take you back to the apartment - it's all yours, girl. Oh, and I will introduce you to my boyfriend later, but it has to be our little secret.” Even though Anton urged her to get some rest, he wouldn't shut up for the rest of their car drive.

Eventually, the puma fell asleep, feeling too tired to keep her eyes open.

As the distance between her and the Alphas increased, she couldn't get over the feeling of missing something. It wasn't a thing or anything valuable - it was a feeling, an emotion, a part of her.