Titus (Big Cats Book 2) Read online

  “I wonder when he sleeps.” Titus speculated. The tiger was a night security guard.

  Beth shrugged. Apparently she wasn’t concerned about that. “I’ve worked two and even three jobs before. You sleep when you can.”

  “Did you have a rough life?” He asked.

  “No, I had goals I wanted to meet so I did what was necessary.”

  Titus knew Beth was ambitious. It looked like she always had been. Ariel wasn’t any different because she worked all the time and had a mate and children to take care of. Since he’d finished eating, he took the time to talk to Ariel now.

  “When is Ciaro coming?” Ariel asked.

  “All I know is soon.”

  “And the others?”

  “No information yet which is driving Seb nuts.” Titus observed.

  “I can understand that. I suspect he’ll have everyone together within a year from now.”

  “Suspect or know?”

  Ariel smiled and shrugged. “We’d best go.” Beth urged. They thanked Ariel for the food and headed to the school first. Once he dropped her off, he headed to the pack house that was full of singles, mostly males because the females often stayed with their families until they mated.

  Morris met him with his usual grin. He suspected Morris and Saria were involved. Right now Saria was his number three, but there had been no battles for hierarchy yet since so much needed to be done to establish the streak. Saria had her store open and was getting business already. Beth had helped her set up a website which had stunned his sister.

  “I guess your girlfriend is smarter than I thought.” Saria conceded.

  Considering all the help she’d gotten from Beth, Saria could have been nicer. He overlooked everyone but Morris who followed him into the office to update him on anything that had happened that he needed to know. No new arrivals since yesterday and no new employees. Fifty more emails from tigers ready to move to Blue Eye.

  “Fifty?”

  “Yes, and ten are families that need houses.” Morris admitted.

  “Where will we put them?”

  “Beth has them on her waiting list, but she can’t keep up. It’s my understanding she’s adding two more crews. It will double her speed, but most houses need extensive remodeling. She had one crew working on only those that can be done quickly. That’s only ten percent of the houses she has.”

  “She’s not going to be easy to be around.” Titus observed.

  “That won’t bother anyone but you.” Morris said with a chuckle.

  Titus sent him a nasty look. He’d wanted tonight to be perfect, now she would be all stressed out over her new company. His phone rang so he answered without looking. It was Beth.

  “I got the basket. It’s perfect, but it’s not my birthday or anything special.”

  “Every day I have with you is special.”

  “Damn, that was so sweet I’m melting.”

  “Good! Tonight we’ll stay home and you can show me how sweet you think I am.” Titus suggested.

  “You can count on it, but it’s going to be a long day.”

  “Just as long as you go home with me, I can handle anything.”

  “There’s no one else I would go home with.” Beth said before they said their goodbyes. He hoped that meant she cared about him as much as he cared about her.

  When he thought about the future, she was always in it. “There’s no one I would rather have with me either.” Titus said and he meant it. His body tightened and parts hardened at the thought that he might claim his mate tonight. They said their goodbye, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before they were back together.

  “So tonight the night?” Morris asked.

  “Maybe. When are you going to make an honest female of my sister?”

  “Caught that, did you?”

  “It wasn’t hard to catch.”

  “She doesn’t give you the credit you deserve. Sometimes it’s that way with siblings. I wanted to talk to you about it first. You are the alpha. Saria may reject me, she says she’s not the settling down kind.”

  “I’m okay with it. If at first you don’t succeed, you know to keep trying.” Titus advised.

  “That what you’ll do?”

  “Yes, she’s the only one I want.”

  “The girl is pretty special.” Morris agreed.

  “She’s not jumping on the idea of mating either, but I still have hopes.”

  The day went fast, all things considered. The biggest part of his job was paperwork which no shifter seemed to like. The next largest was talking to people about things that led to paperwork. He knew he was lucky because Beth dealt with most of the housing and even a large part of the jobs. Seb was lucky too with Andi, but Beth was a bigger help with housing.

  It was a relief even if he had mixed feelings when the day was over. He worried she’d deny him, but he needed to ask so he’d finally know. Not that he’d give up if she refused him. Titus would try to claim her until the end of time. Beth must know deep down that she was his and he was hers.

  Driving by the school, he saw Morris’ mom who told him Beth was on the job site at Oak grove. Mack had come by and picked her up to deal with a big problem. She must have expected it since she’d said she would work late. When he arrived, everyone was busting their asses to get done. That was a funny thing about Fridays especially when you had to finish a job. The family was moving in Monday.

  Everyone outside was cleaning up because tomorrow the construction dumpster would be picked up. “So what was the problem?” Titus asked.

  Mack, Beth’s crew boss for this team answered. “Someone spilled paint in the bathtub. None of us knew what to do. The paint was dry and we didn’t want to damage the tub. She showed me just what to do and stayed to help us finish up. We’re almost done.”

  “Good, because I have some plans with your boss for tonight.” Titus grinned and Mack grinned back.

  Beth came out ten minutes later. “It’s all good. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  He noticed the crew was loading up to leave to. “I’m taking you home.” Sara would be delivering their food right about now. Titus hoped she’d be gone before they arrived. His phone buzzed with an incoming text. Sara was done and gone.

  They pulled into the driveway with no indication of what was waiting on them. “Where are your flowers?”

  “Dale came by to tell me he was staying at Ariel’s for the weekend. He took them home for me.”

  “That was sweet of him.”

  “He’s done so well.”

  “Come on, let’s get inside.”

  He went around to let her out of his truck like a gentleman should. Titus couldn’t do it often because Beth usually just hopped out. Tonight needed to be special. He escorted her to the house unlocking the door and holding it open for her. The scent of burning candles tickled his nose.

  “Oh, goodness! What have you done? It’s perfect.” Beth exclaimed.

  Candles burned all around the room. There was a large one on the table set with lovely dishes and wine glasses. The basket of flowers he’d gotten her sat in the center too. The food was on the plates, but there were covers over them to keep it warm. He couldn’t wait to see what Beth’s favorite foods were.

  “We should clean up first. I’ll take a shower in the bedroom and meet you back here.” She was gone before her words registered.

  Okay, he’d get clean too. He grabbed something comfortable from his dresser and went to the main bathroom to shower. When he was done, he threw on the shorts and a tank top. Barefoot worked fine for him and he made his way back to the table. Beth came out in a silky robe that made him wonder what she wore beneath it. Was she naked or wearing something else that was sexy?

  “You look hot when you’re barely dressed.” Beth admitted.

  “And you look hot no matter what you wear.”

  “So what did you order for us to eat?”

  “You might as well look for yourself and see if you like it.” Titus suggeste
d.

  She lifted the lid. “Sara cooked this.”

  “Where else would I go?”

  They began to eat the incredible Italian feast. She’d fixed the same for them both but there was more than one thing. Fettucine Alfredo was next to Pork Capperi and Veal Bolognese. There was a bowl of tossed salad with a light Italian dressing. Another plate hid a slice of raspberry cheesecake for each of them. He wasn’t sure what he paid, but it was well worth whatever the price was. It was a meal fit for royalty.

  It amazed him that Beth had managed to eat it all. He hoped she wouldn’t lean back and go to sleep now that she was stuffed.

  “Let’s do the dishes before we go to bed.” Beth suggested. It wasn’t in his plan, but he saw how dealing with a mess tomorrow wouldn’t be fun either.

  They cleaned up quickly and he turned to her. “What do you want now?” It was obvious she knew.

  “I want you so much,” Titus admitted as he claimed her mouth in a deep sweet kiss.

  Beth kissed him back giving as much as she was taking. “I want you too,” She admitted.

  As she licked his bottom lip his lips parted, but she chewed lightly the bottom one. It was making his tiger restless as the kiss grew until it took on a life of its own. She dropped her robe revealing naked skin as he stripped to nothing in seconds. Now he embraced his sweet Beth. His cock, hard as steel, pressed at her entrance insistently. Beth reached down to position his cock and arched up to take him. Gasping at the feel of her tight channel as it began to wrap around him, he drove in all the way.

  “You feel so fucking fantastic,” he whispered.

  “You do too. Titus?” She asked.

  He paused. “Yeah?”

  “I’m ready now.”

  “Ready?” He asked hope shooting through him.

  “Take me. Make me your mate. I don’t want to be away from you anymore.”

  “Are you positive? Once this is done, there’s no going back. I wouldn’t want you to ever regret this decision.”

  “Yes. I should have picked you right away. Mating scared me so I made the wrong choice. I want all of you now.”

  “Thank the Goddess! I want you too, more than you can know. I have since the moment I saw you.”

  He carried her to their room placing her on their bed without them separating. Finally, Titus started moving, it felt heavenly and he knew now he could claim his sweet mate. Faster and faster he plunged in and out until he was banging into her. Her groans and excited sounds of pleasure only pushed him on. Titus could feel her tension building as he licked the spot he would bite. His gums itched as his tiger moved near the surface ready for his chance to bite.

  “Oh my goodness, I’m going to explode!” Beth screamed.

  “Now, release for me, Baby,” Titus directed as he felt her tense as the first sign of her climax hit, he bit her, tasting her savory blood. His orgasm raged through him and her blunt teeth somehow managed to bleed him as well. Once as he had control of himself, he laved her wound to heal it.

  “I love you, Beth.”

  “I love you too,” his mate said as sleep took her.

  Titus stayed awake a while thanking the goddess for the mate he’d been given. He scented change in the air, but what, he couldn’t say. There was little he knew about changing since few mates in his world ever went through it. Since he’d bitten her, his hope was she’d be some kind of cat.

  A few days passed and Beth’s scent grew more familiar. He hated to hope, but it was hard not to. Finally a week had passed and he was ready to take her to the woods. Morris, Mack, and Monroe went with them as their guards. Until he knew what she was, he didn’t want anyone else to know. Whatever she turned into, he’d love her. Even if he was wrong and she stayed human she was already everything he could ever wish for.

  They were at the edge of the woods out of sight of the streak house. No other shifters or humans could be scented in the air. It was a perfect afternoon, with a cool breeze blowing through the leaves. Turning to his mate, Titus pulled her into his arms. “Know that I love you just as you are.” He kissed her lightly so he could easily let her go if she changed. “Imagine your inner animal and call to her.”

  “I’ll try.” Beth said and he felt her pull away from him so he let her go.

  He gasped as did the males with them. Before them stood a gorgeous white tiger. So rare and perfect, she would impress anyone that saw her. Changing quickly, he had four paws on the ground when she took off. His need to chase was activated and he nearly caught her right away as she stumbled unsure on her paws. It only took her seconds to recover and be on her way. Beth was amazingly fast.

  She was on the trail of a wild pig, a small one. Titus hadn’t even been aware there were any nearby. Beth caught it quickly, but let it go. Her need had been for the hunt, not food. Chasing other smaller prey kept her running one way then the other. Finally, he called her to him and she came. They shifted back to human and walked to the streak house hand in hand.

  His tigers would be impressed with their female alpha. On the way into the house, Saria walked by. She drew in a deep breath looking at them in shock. “I smell tigress.” No one replied to her, they all just walked by.

  With the mating and the change upon her, any female could challenge her because there was no hierarchy established yet. Beth could be vicious so he wasn’t worried. Saria seemed happy to stay on the male’s hierarchy and the women here so far didn’t care about being in charge. Few wanted to do the work involved in being female alpha and most were appreciative of the things Beth had done for them.

  More time passed without a challenge and he remembered Andi hadn’t been challenged either. Tonight was the first full moon run. His pack would see their female alpha in her tiger form. They were all gathered in human form ready for their run. The alphas would change first followed by the top leaders then the rest. Hierarchy wasn’t as important as it was to the wolves, but it still had its place.

  Everyone was watching and it was almost as if they held their breath. He nodded at Beth and they both morphed into their tiger forms. His was exceptionally large and hers was the rarest of forms. He’d never known or ever heard of a white tiger shifter. Gasps and sounds of surprise ran through the crowd. She wasn’t just white, she was gorgeous. Her form was perfect and her eyes glowed blue as they searched the crowd for their reactions. His people bowed their heads to show her they accepted her. Titus roared. The run was on and he took off toward the woods with his mate behind him.

  Epilogue

  Ciaro looked around him at the five hundred acres his people would be settling on. It was nice land, just not nearly enough. Had he known about this at the time the alliance had begun, he’d have ten times that much land. He didn’t care that Sebastian was the group leader or that Titus was his second. There was enough work in leading his group even though he doubted there were ten thousand black panther shifters left on the planet.

  It was their way to live in secluded inaccessible areas, but it was time for some of them to come out and live among other shifters. If they didn’t make some changes, his kind would die out completely. Money was no problem, Ciaro was a financial genius who had millions invested in the smartest stocks. He owned major corporations and ran them from his laptop. Now it was time to use some of his money to bring his people together.

  That would be hard without a mate, but he had no time for such foolishness. Right now it was time to get some building started and to find a temporary place to live. Not easy when the lions and tigers had bought up everything nearby. No use in crying over spilled milk. The white wolf had given him two names, Beth and Mairi, with phone numbers to reach each lady. They could tell him when work on his party house would start and what other properties were available.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Beth?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Ciaro. I just got in town and need to get my party house started.”

  “Alright. We can have a meeting to get a contract setup.
I can get the foundation started within a week. Would you like first available date?”

  “Yes and we can set the contract up tomorrow.”

  “I’ll get with the foundation company.”

  The line went dead, but that was okay because something was finally started. Ciaro was an impatient panther. Next he called Mairi who didn’t answer. He tried two more times before he finally got her. “Mairi here.”

  “This is Ciaro. I needed to talk to you about available housing.”

  “I think you need to talk to Beth. I just run the construction crew that will be assigned to it.”

  Ciaro wondered why Ariel gave him Mairi’s number. “I must have misunderstood. The foundation work will start soon. I look forward to having your crew begin.”

  “Thank you. We look forward to the job also.”

  The phone went dead again. She’d been polite, but didn’t these females ever say good bye? He’d enjoyed hearing her voice. The feeling of standing on the edge of a great change rolled all over him. Ciaro prayed to the goddess this change would be a good one.

  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  Titus was happy. His personal life was perfect with his amazing mate at his side. Tez had gotten the job as police officer for the town. Bob had tried to be a problem, but Tez had handled him perfectly.

  While they would never be friends, Bob had learned respect for the law.

  Lyon had gotten the job he’d applied for and would start in a month. The tiger, Radic, had finally been accepted for the state patrol. Beth had performed some magic with his qualifications. He would work out of Springfield which wasn’t far. His mate wanted to introduce him to Matt in case their paths crossed. Not a bad idea. He’d already met Mac and Ariel.

  She’d found Ricardo a job supervising in the local office that handled driver’s licenses and car registration. Titus was thrilled as was Seb. Someone in that office could be an enormous help. A recent arrival, Kim, was going to help teach, but Beth got her a job as a professor at a nearby college. It was also a helpful position, with so many young that would go on to higher education. Many cat shifters had degrees.