The Jaguar's Arranged Mate: A Paranormal Shifter Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

other, they talked more about the Brutal Claws and how they needed to get married and soon so they and their people could be safer. While no one had been killed recently, more and more Brutal Claws were spotted near both packs.
    Unfortunately, however, there was a problem fixing one of the portions of the fence, which meant a delay in the wedding was necessary. Beric wished to delay the ceremony until after they finished their work on the fence, and Miera agreed. The last thing he wanted was for his men to be unfocused by the other pack and possibly reinforce the wall incorrectly. Attention to detail could help save them all.
    When his father wanted to send out were-jaguars for a scouting mission, Beric volunteered and refused to back down. His father eventually relented, but only after Beric agreed that he would not go alone.
    Considering that every were-jaguar who could be spared was working to reinforce the fence or to build it up higher, Beric opted to call Matthias. Maybe he should’ve called Miera instead, but she might prove to be too much of a distraction, something he couldn’t afford during a scouting mission. He needed to focus. At least he might be able to learn more about Miera through her brother.
    Matthias was already often acting as a go-between for the two packs, and as luck would have it, he was already on his way toward the Teal Warriors. Within an hour, the two of them were out in the wilderness, searching for any signs of were-jaguars.
    “So… how is Miera?” Beric asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
    Matthias stared at him as if to say we’re really going to do this?
    “I guess that’s kinda awkward for you.”
    “No.” He sighed. “She does it to me, too. I don’t understand why she doesn’t come over more to see you, but she said you two talk on the phone.”
    “We do. But it’s mostly about…” Beric swept his arm out to encompass the forest they were scouting.
    “The Brutal Claws.” Matthias’s lips twisted into a grimace. “Not exactly a fun conversation then.”
    “Not really.” Plus, half the time he spent talking to her, he was daydreaming about their kiss.
    “Well, what do you want to know?”
    His mind went blank, but then he grinned. “Tell me something she’d hate for me to know.”
    Matthias laughed. “You want me to risk my neck for you?”
    “She doesn’t have to find out,” Beric promised.
    “Like you would be able to keep it from her.” Matthias shook his head. “No can do, man.”
    “It must be really juicy then. Come on. Spill. I’ll go to my grave before I’ll tell her who told me.”
    “Easy for you to say. Who else would have told you?” Matthias grumbled.
    “You’re my future brother-in-law. Give me this.”
    “Fine. My sister used to love eating chocolate chip cookies.”
    Beric stepped over a large tree root. “She mentioned to me how much she loves chocolate.”
    “Yeah, well, to get her back for a prank she did to me, I made her some cookies, but instead of chocolate chips, I used mouse turds.”
    “You gave your sister crap cookies?” Beric couldn’t believe it.
    Matthias burst out laughing. “I totally did. She ate two before she noticed they tasted strange. I never confessed, and she definitely got me back twenty times over, but still…”
    Beric laughed too. “Man, that’s disgusting!”
    “I know. Once she realized, she ran after me, trying to shove a cookie into my mouth, but I was faster than her and she never caught me. I can’t imagine what they tasted like! I hid a chocolate-scented candle in the kitchen so she wouldn’t be able to smell the cookies themselves.”
    “Geez, you really thought of everything.”
    “I had to. Miera’s smart. She was never easy to trick. Playing pranks on each other was something we always did growing up. That one was my prized one.” Matthias beamed.
    “So she plays jokes and is smart. What else?”
    “If she trusts you, she’ll do anything for you, but if you break that trust,