Page 51 of Tiger Born

Stellan stood up gingerly and limped out of the opening door. He nodded to Mars and then made his way to Dame. He just stood there for a few seconds, and then he did something that shocked Dame into stillness.

Stellan pulled him in for a hug.

“Fuck,” Dame uttered brokenly. Stellan hadn’t hugged him since the tigers had been born.

He clapped him on the back and held him there until Dame reached up and hugged him back.

Some dam of emotion was breaking inside of Dame. He was being flooded with relief.

Stellan released him, then offered his hand to Misty. “I think we need to start over.”

She’d stood, and tension hummed through her. There was fear in her eyes as she looked at Stellan’s offered hand. “Don’t hurt me,” she whispered with such hope in her voice.

“I won’t let anything hurt you,” Stellan said. “Including me.” Truth.

Misty slid her hand in his, and gently, Stellan shook it. “I’m your mate’s brother, Stellan. It’s good to meet you.”

“I’m Misty,” she said. “I’m the mate of your brother.”

Dame blew out a steadying breath and blinked hard to relieve the burning sensation in his eyes.

He’d wanted to keep them both so badly.

So badly.

Stellan smiled and released her hand, then stepped back. He looked from Mars, to Dame, and back to Misty. “I guess welcome to our Ambush.”

Epilogue

This would be the third and final Ledger family dinner.

Such mixed emotions swirled around in Misty’s chest as she carried the cast iron skillet of cornbread outside.

It had been three days since Stellan had been released from the cage.

Three days of building her bond with Dame.

Three days of healing, and coping, and allowing herself to sink into the relief.

Three days of spending nights with Dame at his home and finding her favorite places here.

Three days of him making memories, and routines with her.

She’d taken the week off work to settle things in her personal life.

Three days with the Ledger brothers all living under the same roof.

They bickered like siblings, but they were all sitting in this honeymoon phase of surviving something awful. It was like a high after falling from a cliff thinking death was imminent but then learning you could fly instead of hitting the ground.

She loved Dame, and his brothers were growing on her too. Even Stellan. He was quiet, and watchful, and was dealing with some mental stuff she would likely never understand, but he was present.

Dame was thriving with his brothers here. With her here.

She knew if it was up to him, he would have all of his people here with him.

Life didn’t move in a straight line like that though. Their path was about to take another sharp right, and she was going to have to learn about resilience in a newly formed Ambush.

And she was going to have to learn her place in a Cat Ambush, as a human.