Chapter 14
The next day, they ran into Pax and Ari Rojas in one of the community buildings that had just been completed.
A sort of town hall, the design was both stunning and functional.
Emma spotted the visiting brothers first, running over to them and demanding to be lifted in the air.
Ari caught her as she launched herself at him and swung her up high, making her squeal in delight.
Tracy, who had charged after her runaway daughter, apologized. Only then, did she realize the brothers were accompanied by Mark and Shelly. Emma was probably interrupting an official tour or something, and Tracy felt even worse.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to Shelly and Mark. “She seems to have no fear since she started shifting.”
Mark gave her a solemn look. “That’s the way I want all our children to be raised. You’re a good parent that she feels so free to reach out to others.”
“Don’t worry,” Shelly assured her as well. “We were just about wrapping up the tour, anyway. To be honest, I think we were boring them a bit, so a little play break is probably a good idea.”
Tracy followed Shelly’s gesture to find that both Pax and Ari were playing with Emma, tossing her from one to the other. It was only a short distance, and Emma seemed to instinctively know just how to twist her little body to land in the right position in each of the massive, outstretched arms.
“They won’t drop her,” Hank said, coming up beside her after shaking hands with Mark. “Look. She loves this game. And cats always land on their feet. See how she’s twirling around, even in human form?”
“She’s got good instincts. Good technique,” Mark observed quietly to just their little group as they watched the game.
“And, to be honest, I’m glad to see these guys are good with kids.
If they come into the Clan, they’re going to have to interact with everyone.
Frankly, they’re the biggest cats I’ve ever seen. ”
“Believe it or not, there are a couple of juveniles in Arizona that might end up a bit taller than these two. Apparently, a recent human ancestor was about seven feet tall, and his genes have bred true in subsequent generations. They say he came to their Clan from Samoa,” Hank imparted.
“It boggles the mind,” Mark said softly, grinning. “I’d like to meet more of these part-Samoan jaguars.”
“If these two like you, they’ll probably give the all clear to their leadership, and you might just get an invitation.
Unlike most jaguar Clans, the Arizona cats are very involved with their extended families.
They lost a lot of the males our age and older, so these two have become a sort of de facto team of betas, who vet everything for the Clan.
Like Nick does for you,” Hank explained.
“Sounds like you do something similar—vetting potential allies for your Clan,” Tracy observed when Mark said nothing.
“Sometimes,” Hank admitted. “When that’s what’s needed. Other times, I do whatever needs doing.”
“Hank’s one of the best troubleshooters we have,” Mark put in. “I depend on him, as does the rest of the Clan.”
High praise, indeed, Tracy well knew. Hank tried to play it down, but she could tell he was pleased with his Alpha’s praise. Aside from the roles they played in the Clan, it was clear these two men had a deep friendship and respect that ran both ways.
“This is really different from Pack life,” Tracy observed, speaking her thoughts aloud.
“My dad is Alpha, and he doesn’t really have casual friendships.
Not like you guys. It’s more of a totalitarian regime.
At least, that’s the term I used to jokingly use when I was a teen.
It drove my dad crazy.” Tracy chuckled at her own antics.
“From what I’ve observed, the Pack structure requires firm but fair leadership to be really successful.
Like your father’s Pack,” Mark said, giving a nod to Tracy’s dad’s ability to lead.
“We’re a little different. We have an Alpha, to be the public face of the Clan, but we also have important people who play other roles.
The Beta position is key—out of the limelight, the Beta is our protector, doing the research the Alpha needs to make important decisions and acting as counselor and co-leader in certain respects.
Nick fills that role in our Clan, as the Rojas brothers do in their own.
Our ancestors set up this system, hundreds of years ago, and it works for our people, but it’s really not the same as a Pack.
I don’t rule absolutely,” Mark told her.
“I have a large support system, of which Hank is a crucial part.”
Tracy grew even more impressed every time she learned more about the way the jaguars lived. It was the same in some ways, yet quite different to what she’d grown up with.
A jaguar kitten came streaking around the corner at full gallop. The baby wasn’t too much bigger than Emma when she shifted. A few seconds later, a dark-haired man sprinted around the corner, chasing the youngster down. Both skidded to a halt in front of the Alpha pair.
Mark bent down to pick up the baby and cuddled him close. “Hey Mario,” he said, addressing the older male who had been following the youngster. “This one giving you a run for your money?”
Mario laughed. “You bet. I saw him escaping from the nursery as I was walking past. Figured I’d help out by tracking him down and returning him to where he belongs.”
Mark held the baby up to meet its intelligent gaze. “Miguel, I know you like to explore, but you’re supposed to be with the others, right now.”
A little kittenish yowl was his only answer, but Tracy thought the child looked maybe a little chagrinned at getting caught.
Mark tossed the child to Mario, much like Pax and Ari had been tossing Emma in human form a few moments ago, and the cat-child twisted in the air like an old pro, to be caught easily by the other man.
“So, tossing children around is a thing among jaguars?” Tracy mused. Shelly laughed.
“You sort of get used to their antics after a while,” the Alpha female assured Tracy. “Then again, I didn’t grow up knowing about shifters and magic. This is all still kind of new to me, but I had a pet cat once.”
The Alpha’s muscular arm came around his mate’s shoulders, hugging her to his side. “Are you comparing me with a house cat again?”
Shelly reached up and kissed her mate on the jaw. “If the shoe fits.”
Mark growled and kissed his woman more thoroughly while Tracy smiled and looked away.
It was clear to see how much in love the couple was.
That boded well for their leadership of the entire Clan.
When there was that much love at the top of the pecking order, it tended to filter down to every aspect of Pack life. Or Clan life, in this case.
Tracy’s parents had been like that. While her mother had been alive, her father had been a very different man.
He’d hardened a bit, since his mate’s passing, but he’d always been a strong man.
Most wouldn’t have survived the loss of a mate, but the Pack had been in dire straits at the time, and they’d needed him so badly.
As had Tracy. She’d been just a pup, and she thought maybe her father had stuck it out for her and for his people.
Otherwise, he probably would have chosen to join her mother in the afterlife.
“Hey.” Hank’s voice was soft near her ear. “You okay?”
Smart cat to pick up on her change in mood.
She looked to see where Emma was and found her staring curiously at the jaguar child in Mario’s arms. The furry baby was staring back at Emma, that same feline curiosity all over his fuzzy little face.
Seeing her child roused Tracy out of her sad thoughts.
“I’m fine. Thanks.” She put one hand on Hank’s forearm, meaning so much in that simple word.
“Do you think we can see the nursery Mario mentioned? Emma looks really eager to play with the other jaguar children. If that’s okay…
” Tracy looked first at Hank, then to the Alpha pair, who had stopped kissing and were paying attention to the conversation once more.
“Fine with me,” Mark said graciously. “I think it would be good for your daughter to interact more with the kids around her age. The school is nearby, and we have a fully qualified teaching staff who see to the education of the other kids, up through high school age. The nursery is there, too, staffed by various members of the Clan who are good with children. I’m sure they’d welcome Emma to playtime. ”
Mark’s prediction was true, and Emma had a ball playing with the other kids while Hank took Tracy around to a few of the other community buildings—both those that had been finished and those under construction.
He introduced her to a number of people, including little Miguel’s parents, Julio and Leena.
Julio was the lead carpenter on the Clan home project and his mate, Leena, was a civil engineer who was acting as Project Manager.
She wore a neon pink safety helmet that could be seen from a distance, and she welcomed Tracy with a big smile.
Hank felt good watching the way the women interacted, talking about their kids and Leena telling Tracy about the amenities on the island and especially the school.
Julio’s sister, Helena, was a teacher at the school, so the family probably knew more about it than most others. Hank was glad they were able to speak with Tracy and give her another parent’s perspective on life for their child on the island.
When they picked up Emma at the nursery just before lunch, she was happy as a proverbial clam.
Judy, a healer in the Clan who sometimes acted as the housekeeper up at the mansion, told them that they’d been working on having Emma learn to undress, at least partially, before shifting so she didn’t ruin her clothing.
That was a lesson Tracy had been trying to teach her baby but hadn’t really known how to implement because wolf pups didn’t generally shift until puberty.
“She shifted?” Hank asked.