BK 2 - Chapter 2 - The Ultimatum
The group met for breakfast inside the hotel restaurant while they prepared to confront the rest of the Galloways. Trey was laying out the plan for them. He and Aiden didn't trust anyone in their family.
"Aiden and I will go in with Cat and Kitty first. We will try to talk to our parents and give them an ultimatum. If they don't listen, Thatcher, that's where you come in to help keep them off our mates. Janel, we need you to stay with Theo. We may need your help later, but I'm hoping to keep you and Theo away from them. So you sit in your car with our cub a few houses down the street. If we have to fight them, we will. Aiden and I are not letting anyone hurt our mates." Trey took Cat's hand and squeezed. He would have liked to leave her, Kitty, Janel, and Theo at the hotel. However, Cat told him that she refused to back down, and it was time that they saw she wasn't afraid of them.
"Thatcher, if you see anyone getting too close to Kitty and Cat, get them out of there. Our family is ruthless, and they think no one can touch them. Even though our mates are now werelions, they won't care. They only care about what you were when you were born." Trey nodded his agreement at what Aiden said.
"You have my word. I will keep them safe." Thatcher held Janel's hand under the table. He was glad Trey was letting her and Theo wait outside. He didn't want to give Gina or the others a chance of getting their claws on his human mate.
After eating, they left to drive to the Galloway mansion, a few minutes away. Cat and Kitty were surprisingly calm while they could feel the tension rolling off the men in waves. Theo was in the car with Janel and Thatcher. They would park down the street, and then Thatcher would come so he could watch until he was needed.
Trey and Aiden were holding their mate's hands as they walked to the front door. They didn't bother knocking. They pushed open the door and stepped inside. No one was in the entryway, but they heard voices coming from the dining room. The four walked toward the noise, and as those at the table saw them, it became silent.
The brother's parents, Gina and Thomas, were there as well as all their siblings with their mates. Sonya and Derrick glared at Cat as they blamed her for Derrick's missing leg, even though they were the ones who kidnapped her.
"Why did you bring this human here? Are you ready to let us slaughter her for taking Derrick's leg?" Sonya said through clenched teeth, and everyone could hear her lioness growling.
"His leg would be fine if you hadn't kidnapped her. I'm glad you're all here because Aiden and I have something to say." Trey held Cat tighter to him. Not only to give her comfort but also to keep him calm. He was ready to shred them all to pieces.
"Aiden, I'm assuming this young lady is your mate. Is she also a human?" Gina asked with a coldness in her voice that sent a chill down Kitty's spine.
"Yes, she's my mate, and yes, she was a human, but we have already completed the mating process." Aiden put his arm around Kitty's shoulders.
"We'll I see that two of our children have decided to lower themselves to these humans. Why did you bring them here? You know better than to let that type of scum into our house." Gina glared at the two young women who she planned on eliminating. No human was going to humiliate her family.
"We understand you had plans with a vampire to get rid of Cat. He has told us your plan, and we are here to give you a choice. You can agree to accept our mates and let us live peacefully. You can continue to refuse to acknowledge them, and we will never see you again. Your third choice is to continue coming for Cat and Kitty. If you do, Aiden and I will kill you without hesitation. So what's it going to be?" Trey looked around the table at each one of them. They didn't scare him, but he didn't want Cat to get hurt.
"How can you choose them over your own family?" Daniella asked with disgust. She had short blonde hair and hazel eyes like Trey's.
"We may not have been born werelions, but we are now. Neither of us wants to come between your family. We would like to live in peace with our mates. If you can't accept us, can you at least leave us alone to live our lives?" Cat spoke so eloquently and softly that everyone in the room stopped to listen to her. The lions around the table suddenly felt their hatred leaving them, but they didn't know why.
"How did you do that?" Thomas asked quietly, not wanting to break the silence in the room.
"How did I do what?" Cat asked with a smile. Everyone in the room gasped when they felt warm from her simple kind gesture. They couldn't remember why they wanted to kill her anymore.
"You're more than a human. What are you?" Gina asked, no longer with ice in her voice. She scrutinized the young woman, who she had to admit was stunning now that she was taking the time to study her.
"When Trey and I met, I was a human. He marked me, and now I'm a werelion." Cat didn't know why, but she didn't feel safe telling them she was part caladrius. They were hungry for power, and she could only imagine what they would try to do to her if they found out.
"You're hiding something. Trey, what is she?" Sonya asked, not liking the way the small woman was making her feel. She wanted to feel angry and hateful, but she couldn't bring those emotions out as hard as she tried.
"She already answered that question. Now, are you ready to give us your choice?" Trey was proud of the way Cat had calmed the room. She had been working at projecting her abilities after Thatcher had told her it was possible. She could now manipulate their emotions without touching anyone. Twila suddenly stood up and walked toward Cat with her eyes narrowed.
"I have felt this before. You don't look like anything more than a hairball. You may have done something to everyone else here, but you can't affect me." Twila walked around Cat and Trey eyeing her up and down. Cat could feel the disdain coming from her.
"Aiden, what's that smell?" Kitty asked out of nowhere, looking at Twila while pinching her nose.
"What are you talking about?" The lioness turned from Cat to Kitty in question.
"Oh, nothing. When you passed by, I caught a whiff of something and realized that it must be past time to change your litter box." Aiden and Trey laughed out loud at the outraged look on Twila's face.
"You...you can't speak to me that way. I will end you." Aiden and Kitty stood together, unwavering at her attempt at a threat, and rolled their eyes.
"Get away from us, Twila. You're nothing more than an evil bitch." Trey glared at his brother's mate, who he'd always despised.
"What's the matter? Are you afraid I'm going to hurt one of them? Maybe I should let my lioness out and go head-to-head. These women are nothing but little pieces of trash, and they need to leave before I show them the door." Twila walked back to her seat, and everyone looked at Cat and Kitty to see what they would do. To their astonishment, Cat smiled again.
"Twila, is it? I learned long ago that when people have nothing to offer but a mouth, it's because they're weak. You talk a lot because you think it makes you sound strong. In reality, we can all see that you're nothing more than a powerless woman with no integrity. You look down on us because we were human. However, I look at you with pity. I don't know what happened to make you the way you are, but eventually, that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble. We can go head-to-head, as you said, but I guarantee I will win, and you'll come out looking like an idiot."
Those sitting around the table were still trying to understand how Cat made them feel good. When she spoke, that quiet voice seemed to touch them all, yet the meaning of her words didn't get lost on them. Twila's face turned red with fury.
"You will eat those words when I get done with you. I'm going to tear you apart until there's nothing left." Twila was shaking with anger as she tried to keep herself from shifting.
"Twila, what did you mean when you said you knew what she was?" Thomas suddenly asked, taking her focus off Cat for a split second. She calmed down as she turned back with a smirk before sitting next to Reece.
"She's a caladrius." Everyone turned back toward Cat, and she took a step back. Their intentions were clear as they stared at her with light in their eyes. Trey stepped in front of his mate, ready to strike anyone who came near her. He would fight to the death if necessary.
Thatcher was watching from the window and saw the atmosphere turning toxic when Twila revealed what Cat was. He knew there was going to be a fight. The lions would no longer want to kill her. They would like to keep her and use her abilities for their benefit. He got ready to strike as soon as someone made a move. For the first time in centuries, he felt like he was part of a family, and Thatcher refused to let these nasty lions harm them.
