Cael (Were Zoo Book 11) by R. Butler (best e reader for academics .txt) 📗

She sat up and stretched, her mind swirling with possibilities for different kinds of shifters.

“I’ve never met one, but who knows? Because we keep secret from humans, there are all sorts of shifters hiding in plain sight.”

“So if you were out at a store or something and you smelled a shifter, you’d just ignore it?”

“It depends, I guess. It’s honestly never happened, though. Well, aside from Dani’s father and brother, who are horse shifters, but they smell human to us. If I was out in public and I scented another shifter, I’d be curious about them, but it wouldn’t be like I’d out him or her to humans or something, that would be crazy. The shifters in our area all live in the park. Shifters by nature are territorial so they stick to their own areas.”

“It’s so strange to learn that there’s this whole world I never even knew existed. It’s too fantastical.”

He chuckled and kissed her, then got out of bed. “We should get ready for breakfast.”

His phone buzzed, and he picked it up from the side table and read the screen, then smiled as he typed. “There’s a bag of clothes for you outside the door.”

“There is? From who?”

“Trina.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.”

They checked outside the front door and found a paper sack which contained a pair of light gray leggings and a short-sleeved tunic in a buttery yellow. There were also a pair of flip flops and a bag of toiletries.

“Wow, this is so nice,” Novi said as she looked over the items. “How did she know?”

“What, that you were staying here or that you’d appreciate clothes?”

“Both, I guess.”

“I told Justus last night that you’d be staying with me in the apartment, and I’m sure she just assumed you didn’t have any clothes with you.”

“He’s not an elephant but he cared about me because I’m your mate?”

“Yep. We all look out for each other.”

Her heart clenched a little at the idea of having a big group of people from all different walks of life looking out for her because Cael was her guy. She loved that idea hard. And she thought her mom would love it too, once she got used to the idea of being around people and not staying in hiding. How long had it been since her mom had had a real friend besides her? They both deserved this.

“Thank you,” Novi said, her eyes stinging with sudden tears.

“For what?”

“Just...thank you for everything.”

Cael moved to her and gave her a tight hug. “Sweetheart, I’d do anything for you, up to and including giving you and your mom a safe place to live. You’re everything to me, and I want us to have a long and happy life together.”

“I want that too.”

He tilted her face up to his and smiled at her. “Let’s get to breakfast. The sooner we meet with my alpha, the sooner we can get on with the rest of our plans.”

Suddenly she couldn’t wait for that. Because she’d get to see him in his shift again. And then they’d....maybe come back here and see where the day took them.

Her gaze slipped to the unmade bed and her stomach flipped.

She couldn’t wait.

Chapter Ten

Cael punched in the code to unlock the employee cafeteria and held the door open for Novi. Inside, a long table was set with breakfast items. Alistair was seated at the table, as was Joss and his soulmate, Jeanie, and the bear alpha, Marcus. Cael introduced Novi, who shook hands with everyone and got a hug from Jeanie.

“Have a seat,” Alistair said, gesturing to the empty chairs across the table from him.

“Thanks,” Cael said as he pulled Novi’s chair out for her.

“Before we get to the meal,” Joss said, clearing his throat, “we wanted you to tell us, in your own words, Novi, what you know about Cael and the park.”

Novi nodded. She spoke softly at first, her voice touched with nerves, but the longer she spoke, the more confident and animated she grew. She told her whole story, ending with the connection she felt to Cael and the truth she now knew about her father and herself, as well as shifters in general.

The room fell into silence when she finished, and she looked to Cael with raised brows.

“You did great,” he whispered, and kissed her cheek.

“You did,” Alistair said. “Your story is...well, it’s frankly a miracle that your mother was able to keep the two of you hidden for so long, particularly from a predator like a bear shifter.”

“I’m thankful every day for all the sacrifices she did to keep us both safe.”

“You’ve no idea why he’s after you, though?” Joss asked.

“No,” Novi said, shaking her head. “From what I’ve learned from Cael about soulmates, I don’t think that’s what he’s feeling toward my mom. I mean, I don’t think he’s chased us for twenty years because he’s in love with her. I think it’s because I’m part whatever sort of bear he is. He has no evidence that either of us even know about shifters, and he’d know by now that we haven’t told anyone the secret about shifters. If it was because he was afraid we’d tell, I think we’ve proved all this time that we’re really good at keeping secrets.”

“Indeed,” Alistair said. “And you’re certain your mom doesn’t know?”

“I think she knows there’s something different about him, and about me, but if she believes people can turn into animals she’s never shared it with me.”

“You and your mom must be so scared,” Jeanie said.

“It’s been a tough life,” Novi admitted. “But I wouldn’t change the journey that brought me and Cael together. I hate everything about the way my father has treated us, but without the constant moving from area to area, we wouldn’t have come to New Jersey and