Chasing Tail (Paranormal Shapeshifter Werelion Romance) (Quick & Furry Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

fluffy, average mate material. She moaned again. “I assaulted the North American Alpha.”
    “No,” her friend began, “you tried to claim your mate.”
    “Did you sorta miss the part where he was under the spell of a witch?” Her words were muffled but she had no doubt Jennifer heard her. “I was pretty sure that part was covered.”
    “And I said the spell didn’t work that way.”
    Now, admittedly, Penelope’s brain was quite muddled by the mass consumption of wine—it took a lot to get a lion drunk—but the lioness’ words tickled her brain. She fought to push herself up but did nothing more than flop around like a fish on sand. Giving up, she finally just settled in place and decided to have this conversation from her sprawled position.
    “And how, my very best friend in the whole wide world, do you know how the spell works?” A very telling, very, very damning silence was Jennifer’s answer. “What, my very best friend in the whole wide world, did you do?”
    More silence, but Penelope decided to wait Jennifer out. She didn’t care if it took five seconds or five hours, her best friend had a lot to answer for. Because now, new thoughts churned through her alcohol-muddled mind. Ones that said maybe Marcus truly was her mate. That it was Alpha Palmer who was wrong. That it was really okay for Penelope to climb Marcus like a tree.
    “Well… You see… Hypothetically I may, or may not have, contracted the services of a certain witch who happens to hypothetically… Did I mention hypothetically? Hypothetically be a relative of yours. Which is why the possible spell worked so well for you and had Marcus chasing your scent across the country.”
    Penelope groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. “And what, exactly and non-hypothetically, did you ask her to do?”
    “I may or may not have—”
    “Dammit,” Penelope snarled. “This is my life, Jennifer.” She forced her head up and glared at the other lioness. “What the fuck did you do?” In response to her aggressive tone, Jennifer’s eyes filled with tears, a single drop of moisture making its way down her cheek. That had her burying her face once again. “You’re such a crier when you’re drunk. It takes the fun out of yelling at you.” She sighed. “Tell me already.”
    “I just wanted you to be happy. You’ve been miserable for so long. You’ve dealt with so much. Your parents… This pride…” Jennifer’s cool small hands grasped Penelope’s and squeezed gently. “You deserve to be happy, Penny.”
    Penelope remained silent, knowing if she tried to make a sound, the pain of her past and the agony of her present would overwhelm her. Yes, most of her life had been shit. She was a mutt and then there was the fact that her parents never supported her. Oh, they put a roof over her head and made sure they gave her the necessities, but emotionally…
    They were disgraced by her. They could have dealt with her curvy body. Her best friend—the old alpha’s daughter—was a little rounded, after all. But combined with her behavior… It was too much for them. She didn’t act like a “real” lion. She didn’t crave the hunt or embrace the natural dominance that lived inside her. She had too much non-shifter DNA in her blood that overrode her cat.
    Her failure as a lioness upset her father, which meant her mother was frustrated with her for disappointing her mate even though it was her mother’s genetics that made Penelope the way she was. Their continued tension and strife put them in a vulnerable position within the pride until Penelope was shunted aside to maintain family harmony. Well, harmony for them. Because their private rejection wasn’t quite so private and it influenced how others treated her. Even after her parents passed, she was treated with disrespect.
    Did she deserve to be happy when she caused so much pain to others? She didn’t even think she deserved to ask that question.
    “I’m fine. I’ve been fine for a long