Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 31591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
We had nowhere to go. We had nothing but the clothing on our backs. We hunted and foraged for food, bathed in the stream, and slept outside beneath the trees. It would have been easy to succumb to dark thoughts or defeat, but instead, we pushed each other. We became hungry to show our worth and that our old pride had made a grave mistake. We worked our asses off at as many jobs as we could physically handle, saving and pooling our money to eventually buy the land we were living on.
And then something unexpected happened; word about our situation travelled throughout the shifter communities, and allies came from all around - wolves, cougars, coyotes...the very groups that had been looked down upon as inferior by our old pride, reached out a lifeline. Dozens of supporters helped us level the land, construct the lodge, and even gave us a little seed money, all with no expectation of return.
That’s how we first met Grady. He arrived to help us, even when he was forbidden to do so by his own Alpha, who believed that all of our kind should stand behind Josiah’s ruling. There was a reason why a group of lions was called a ‘pride’ - egos ran large and tempers ran hot.
When Grady tried to return home after helping with the lodge construction, he was exiled. Hunter and I gladly absorbed him into our group, and that was the official start of the Locust Falls Pride.
Next came Cedric, who was cast out by his Alpha on the day he became of age, as bylaws prohibited him from doing so any earlier. The Alpha was disgusted by Cedric’s omega status, which meant that he could bear children, something his Alpa believed only females should be capable of. Plus, Cedric lacked the strength of the typical male shifter, so he was seen as an inconvenience; a mistake in Fate’s design. He came to us scared and alone on his eighteenth birthday, and we accepted him with open arms.
Enzo and Felix’s story was much the same, though it contained a spicy twist; their birth pride was willing to overlook their sexuality because of their brute strength and abilities, but they changed their tune when the twins were caught in a compromising position with a man between them...literally.
Promiscuity was not rare when it came to shifters. We had extremely high sex drives and appetities, especially when it involved other shifters; we could share casual experiences without feelings or expectations, because we all had the common desire to meet our fated mate. Sex was only a physical need until our fated ones brought emotions into the mix.
So it wasn’t the twins’ rendezvous itself that caused waves, but the fact that they shared it with one man. Apparently it was too much for the pride to process and was viewed as an act against Fate’s design. The men were sent packing, and they too came to us and found acceptance. We didn't care about kinks or proclivities or anything else that we’d all been judged for. We cared about each other, and making a good life for ourselves, which we hoped to one day share with the loves of our lives.
To get that good life, we used the money from the other shifters to buy a small convenience store that had just closed down. We fixed it up, reopened it, and turned a profit, which we used to buy a bar. Soon, we owned nine businesses, paid back all of our loans (with interest), and lived quite comfortably off of the profits. After working so hard, we earned our lazy streak.
I hoped that our old prides knew of our success. I often wondered if they realized their mistakes, but I tried not to dwell on it. Thinking about the past still stung, and it did me no good. What mattered was the present and looking towards the future. I was surrounded by men whom I saw as friends and family. None of us took a lead role; instead, we all looked out for each other and were connected by an unbreakable bond. We weren’t typical, but we were perfect.
“Is something wrong with the food?” Cedric asked, breaking up my thoughts. The worried expression on his face melted my heart; it meant a lot to him to feed us well. Everyone else’s plates were nearly empty, while I’d only managed to stomach a few bites.
“No, no, it’s great,” I assured him. “I’m just not feeling the best.” That earned me concerned looks from everyone at the table. Shifters were immune to human diseases, and therefore never became ill.
“Did you get into some bad berries again?” Grady asked before stretching his long arm across Hunter’s chest to feel my forehead with his palm.
Okay, so we could become ill if we did stupid shit like ate poisonous berries, as I’d done about six months ago. In my defense, they looked (and tasted) delicious, but the twelve hours of vomiting and stomach cramps weren’t worth it.