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Cougar barely glances at the top. "I think he'ld like to find you naked in his bed when he gets home."

Talia narrows her eyes at Cougar again.

Cougar sits back and sighs. "Just choose the shortest skirt or shorts and the tightest shirt that'll fit you. Then just let nature take its course."

Talia looks unsure. That's not her style. Her style was influenced by being raised tamed, by years of living tamed and the incident that happened with Cougar when Talia was thirteen and Cougar was sixteen.

"What's wrong Tali," ask Cougar genuinely concerned.

Besides feeling like she's not in control of anything right now and wondering why she's so drawn to Richy, Talia focuses on something else. "Do you believe I think I'm better than everyone else in the tribe? That I think I'm too good for a tribe man?"

Cougar is confused for a moment as he wonders where that came from. Then he remembers what he said to Richy the previous day while he was still under the influence and realizes he probably said too much. But Richy must have said something to her about it. "Hell no, Tali, I know better than that. But most of the tribe doesn't know what happened. It was just a bunch of teenagers out swimming together. I was just glad to keep my skin.. I know how hard it was for me going to school, being raised domestic by my domesticated mom. And I'm half domesticated. You're only a quarter domesticated. I can't even imagine how much harder it's been for you. They set the bar so high for you."

Talia doesn't want to talk about that just like she doesn't want to talk about her fear and confusion right now. "So, who was foolish enough to marry you?"

Cougar smiles and shakes his head. "Nobody you probably ever met. Her name's Sheila. When I met her she was hot for Richy. Lucky for me, he wasn't interested in her. She's even more domesticated than my mom was. And her family hates me, especially her mother. That's why I'm here."

Talia ask curious and concerned, "What did you do?"

"We recently learned we're pregnant, our first baby. And her mother has used it as an excuse to come for an extended visit. Her mother and I had a disagreement the other night. I sat up drinking all night while I stewed in my anger. Then I got the idea to play a little prank, scare my good old mother-in-law a little. I turned into a bear and took a couple of swipes at her while I roared. I didn't actually touch her, mind you. But she called 911 and said she was being attacked by a bear and accused me of trying to kill her."

"You shouldn't drink," Talia tells Cougar. "You make bad decisions when you're drunk. Plus it makes you smell bad. Even though you had a shower, it's still in your system stinking up your scent."

Cougar sighs as Talia leaves the kitchen. Until yesterday, he hadn't seen her in years, but she's just as honest as ever. And she's absolutely right about him making bad decisions while he's drunk.

Talia returns a few minutes later toting the laundry hamper from Richy's bathroom and wearing one of his t-shirts. Richy's white t-shirt hangs about mid-thigh on Talia and Cougar cranes his neck to watch her backside sway as she takes the hamper into the laundry room.

"I smell that Cougar, son of Wildcat," Talia calls from the laundry room.

Cougar may technically be a happily married man, but he's not dead. "I'm just a man, Talia. And damn if you're not even prettier than the last time I saw you.. Ouch!"

The smack to the back of the head kills Cougar's hard-on and she asks him, "Your wife likes you breathing, no?"

"Yes of course," answers Cougar rubbing the back of his head. "I kind of like breathing myself."

Talia asks him, "And if Richy smells you get turned on like that near me?"

Cougar slumps back in his chair as he answers, "He'll rip my head off and shit down my neck or die trying."

"Get it under control," Talia orders Cougar. Then she goes back up to Richy's room to lie down in his bed, in his scent, and nap.

Cougar has lost his appetite. He picked a bad time to go on a bender. He's still sitting at the table with his head in his hands when the washing machine finishes washing the load Talia put in it. He gets up and transfers the load of clothes to the drier. Then he scraps his unfinished breakfast down the garbage disposal and lies down on a living room couch.

Cougar is still lying on the couch when the buzzer sounds on the drier and he hears a car pulling into the driveway. He knows the sound of the vehicle and smiles as he hops up from the couch to walk outside and greet his visitor.

Talia hears the vehicle too. The sound of this vehicle is unfamiliar to her and definitely not Richy's vehicle, so it's not Richy coming home. She's fresh from the shower and back in Richy's t-shirt. She steps out of Richy's room because the clothes in the drier should be ready and she hears feminine laughter.

The sound of the feminine laughter triggers something deep within Talia. Talia is suddenly in the living room holding a screaming woman by the hair inhaling her scent. She lets go of the woman. The woman stumbles and grabs Cougar, who immediately begins to try to calm and sooth the frightened woman.

"Shit, Talia," Cougar exclaims as he's smoothing the woman's hair. "I didn't know you could move that fast."

"Neither did I," responds Talia. She nods toward the woman. "Your wife I presume, approximately sixteen weeks pregnant, and it's yours. She's lucky to be oozing in your scent, no hint of Richy." Then Talia heads to the laundry room.

Cougar gently takes his wife's face in his hands. "It's alright, Sheila." He kisses her reassuringly. "You're fine. She's not going to hurt you."

"Who the hell is she," ask Sheila looking toward the kitchen. "What if I had stopped by the peace office and accidently brushed up against Richy? What would she have done if she smelled him on me?"

Cougar informs Sheila, "Her name is Talia Devonshire. And you really don't want me to answer your other two questions, suffice it to say, it wouldn't have been pretty."

As Sheila goes from frighten to pissed-off, she tells Cougar, "We should call Richy. That woman's dangerous."

"She's not usually any more dangerous than anyone else," insist Cougar. "She usually keeps to herself. She's actually a very nice person."

Sheila nearly shouts, "That wild she bitch attacked me. We should be calling the police and an attorney."

Cougar says calmly, "Baby, you're not listening to me and you're over reacting like your mother did with me yesterday."

"Over reacting," repeats Sheila outraged.

Cougar whispers, "Look, calling Richy wouldn't do ya any good right now. She's not some random guest. Richy's marked her and to do anything that interferes with what's happening between them right now would be very dangerous. Next, she's Talia Devonshire.. Devonshire, Devonshire as in Devonshire World Law."

Sheila responds angrily, "I don't give a damn if she is Richy's latest fucking fling!"

"It's not some fling." Cougar tries to explain keeping his voice down, "There's some serious shit happening here."

Sheila doesn't attempt to keep her voice down, "And I don't care who she's related to at Devonshire World Law!"

Talia's tone is calm, firm and confident as she speaks from the kitchen doorway where she's leaning casually against the wall, "I'm not just related to someone at Devonshire World Law. When my grandfather passed away five years ago, I became Devonshire World Law. Yes, I have relatives that work there, but they work for me."

Sheila gets her first good look at Talia and is a little surprised. Fear can make something seem a lot bigger than it is. And the only thing big about Talia is her presence. Talia just barely makes five feet tall. The white t-shirt has been replaced by a short chocolate brown skirt with a kangaroo pouch type pocket off to one side and a cropped tank top over ample breasts. Sheila's a tall Nordic looking woman and even pregnancy hasn't given her the full ripe breasts Talia has nor perfectly rounded hips that smooth into an ample heart shaped bottom. Sheila's hair may be blond, but it's thin and limp while Talia's waist length hair is full and wavy with a life of its own.

Sheila suddenly feels homely. The thing that bothers Sheila the most is Talia's skin. Sheila's too pale to tan. She only gets sunburn, and if she's not careful, sun poisoning. Yet Talia's standing there with a perfect all over head-to-toe tan. It almost looks as if it were sprayed on at a salon. And the most unfair thing in Sheila's mind is Talia's muscle definition. Sheila's naturally rail thin, but has worked out religiously for years trying to develop the muscle definition Talia has naturally.

Cougar decides to introduce the two women. "Sheila, this is Tali. Tali, this is my wife, Sheila."

Talia strides forward with a warm smile and puts out her hand. "Please forgive my rude behavior. I'm not quite myself right now. I'm very sorry. I really don't know what came over me."

Sheila doesn't take Talia's hand. Instead, she narrows her eyes suspiciously at Cougar and asks him, "How do you know her?"

Talia answers her, "We are of the same tribe, Animalistic. His father, Wildcat, is our oral historian and valued elder."

"I don't like you being here with this woman," Sheila tells Cougar.

Talia smiles amused, "Neither does Richy."

"Tali, I need to speak with my wife," Cougar tells her with a sigh. "I'm gonna walk her to her car."

Talia shrugs and heads back to the kitchen to clean up breakfast's left overs. Cougar walks Sheila outside.

After they're outside, Cougar tries to explain what's happening to Sheila again. "My dad could explain this so much better than me because it has to do with something that's rare and instinctive.

When you were dating Richy, did he ever bring you here?"

Sheila shakes her head. "No. I popped in for a surprise visit once, but it only upset him."

Cougar tells her, "And I bet if we asked him, he's never brought a woman he's dating here. But he brought Talia here. It's like a guy bringing home his girl to meet his parents," Cougar putting it into terms he thinks Sheila will understand. "Richy's an alpha male and this is his domain. And he's brought the female he's going to make his mate to his domain.. You see, for some free people, some instincts are stronger than others, just like some people are better at math or public speaking than others. And the second Talia and Richy smelled each other, pretty much everyone and everything got pushed aside. Neither is consciously aware of what's happening. He just knows he has to have her and vice versa.. And Talia's a fiercely independent alpha female and she's fighting her instincts hard. But now that she's in his domain, she'll see nearly all females as a threat until this is done. That's why she grabbed you. She didn't want to, she had to. She couldn't stop herself."

"Why her," asks Sheila. "Why does he want her?"

Cougar shrugs, "It simply is what it is."

"Well, if they're so oblivious to it," Sheila suggest, "why don't you just explain it to them like you did me?"

"Because that would be interfering," Cougar explains, "and any type of interference could be seen as a threat. We just need to give them a lot of space and let nature take its course. And that's pretty much the only advice I'll give either of them: let nature take its course."

"It's dangerous for you to be here right now, isn't it," ask Sheila concerned.

"It would be best if it was just the two of them out here for a couple of weeks or so," answers Cougar holding her hands. "But I'm stuck here until your mother leaves and I know it's my own fault. And I didn't realize how serious it was until Tali grabbed you or else I wouldn't have taken you inside the house. I've never seen her move like that before. Just don't show up unannounced again. Call Richy first so he can call here and give me a warning.. Now I hate to send you away after you drove all the way over here to see me, but it really was a bad idea not to accept Tali's apology. You didn't insult her exactly or at least she didn't take it as a great insult. She was only mildly irritated, but it was still disrespectful."

Talia didn't look irritated or offended in any way, but Cougar had smelled that she was a bit irritated and offended. He hugs and kisses his wife, puts her in the car and waves as she pulls away.

Cougar takes a deep breath and blows it out. He loves his wife and doesn't want any harm to come to her or himself for that matter. He doesn't go back inside. Instead, he has a seat in the rocking chair sitting by the front door. It's best if while he's here, he keeps his distance from Talia. It's been a long time since he's seen or spent any time with her, but his attraction to her hasn't waned. When they were young, he had fantasies of being mates with Talia, of her having their children. The truth is if he thought he had a snowball's chance in hell with Talia, he'd leave Sheila.

But one thing he knows for certain. Even if he had been able to make Talia his mate and they had two or three children together by now, he would just be losing her to Richy, most likely taking the children with her. According to his father, when two people were drawn together this strongly, other people could not just get injured but killed, children too. The male pursuing the female may accept any children she has from previous relationships or if they were hindering his progress somehow with the female.. Well, it was best not to think about that. And even though Richy loves children, it's probably for the best that Talia doesn't have any children. Yet Cougar still wishes he had gotten to have Talia completely at least once, that her father hadn't come along and stopped him from finding out what it was like to be with Talia. And being the first would have made it twice the honor.

Cougar is still sitting there in the rocking chair hours later, relaxing and dozing, when a group of four children come running around the house. Cougar knows these children. They belong to Richy's two cousins, Bass and Otter.

"Hey, kids," Cougar greets with a smile. "Where's everyone else?"

"We ran ahead," one shouts to Cougar.

"They're coming," another one shouts to Cougar.

Talia was sitting in a tire swing when she heard people approaching. So she climbed back up into the tree house. She was relieved to see only a group of children come running out of the forest path. And a few minutes later, the children are clambering into the tree house with Talia.

The first child, a boy that looks to be about nine, half in half out of the tree house, stops to stare at Talia and the three clambering into the tree house behind him shout at him for stopping.

"There's a lady up here," he shouts back at the other children.

"A lady," Talia hears the voices of the other children question. "Who? .. What kind of lady?"

The boy sniffs in Talia's direction as he climbs the rest of the way into the tree house. "She's a free lady, free like us," he informs the other children cheerfully as they scramble in behind him.

The older of the two girls giggles as she tells Talia, "You smell like Uncle Mist."

"Uncle Mist," questions Talia.

"Yeah," the younger girl says to Talia with a big smile that's missing its two front teeth. "He lives here. Dat's his house." She points to Richy's house.

"Oh," says Talia in realization, "you mean Richy."

"That's his domesticated name," the older girl explains taking Talia's hand to examine it.

Talia nods her understanding to the older girl. The older boy investigates the back of Talia's neck, pushing her wavy hair out of his way. He finds a simple tattoo there, letters with a symbol beneath them. He says the letters out loud, "Tee Ay El I Ay, Tall-lee-ah," and he traces the symbol below the letters with his finger. It's not her clan tattoo. It's a tattoo that has been given to the women of her line shortly after birth for many generations. So her mother, grandmother and many before them had the same tattoo in the same spot.

"Talia," she doesn't tell him he pronounced it wrong. She just says it correctly for him. "That's my name, Talia."

"I'm Beaver," the oldest boy informs Talia, "and this is my little sister, Minnow, and my cousins, Clam," the second boy, "and Shell," the second girl and the youngest of the four children.

When Richy arrives home, he parks his law enforcement vehicle in front of the garage door. He steps out of the vehicle and hears children's laughter coming from the tree house. He climbs up into the tree house to find Talia surrounded by his cousins' children reading a story book to them.

"Uncle Mist," the children shout happily as they scuttle over to Richy.

Richy gladly accepts their hugs and kisses. "I hope you're all being nice to Talia. She's very special to me."

"We've been very nice," little Shell informs Richy, "We like her."

"You like her," Richy asks tickling tummies.

"Yeah," answer all the children giggling and laughing as they seek shelter from the tickling with Talia.

Talia is relaxed and comfortable with the children. And Richy takes advantage of this by grabbing Talia, pulling her onto his lap and giving her a long deep kiss. The children scream with outrageous laughter.

"Cheater," Talia accuses Richy with a nefarious smirk, "you caught me off guard."

"Guilty as charged," responds Richy smiling guiltlessly. "So tell me kids, why do you like my Tali?"

Beaver shrugs. "Because she likes us."

"Because she's kind," adds Minnow.

"She reads good too," says Clam.

Shell pipes in, "Because she's pretty, and she didn't get made when I accidently poked my finger up her nose."

Richy laughs, "Well, I hate to interrupt, but I'm sure Talia hasn't met everyone. So I'm going to borrow her."

"Aw no, Uncle Mist," the children say unhappily, "We have to finish our story."

"That's right, Uncle Mist," Talia tells Richy. "We have to finish our story."

Richy kisses Talia again along with giving her bottom a squeeze. The children giggle behind their hands this time.

"Okay," Richy tells Talia and the children, "finish your story. I'm going to go change out of my work clothes." He lets Talia off his lap, "But I'll be back," and he hops down out of the tree house.

Talia picks the story book back up and the children crowd back around her. Shell makes herself comfortable in Talia's lap. Talia picks up the story where she left off. Off in the distance, Talia hears Richy greet Cougar.

Cougar doesn't get up from his rock by the fire pit. He just gives Richy a firm head nod.

Richy stands next to Cougar and inhales over him. "Your wife, Sheila, came by. She should have called me before she did that because judging by the scent she left on you, something terrified her and then she got pissed about it."

"Tali scared the shit out of her," shares Cougar as he stares at the roaster in the fire pit. "Sheila wanted to call you and an attorney." He sighs with a roll of his eyes.

"What did Talia do to her," ask Richy because he's curious and needs to know.

"Tali was just being what she is, an alpha female," says Cougar matter-of-factly. "She grabbed Sheila by the hair and sniffed her for your scent."

Richy's actually pleased to hear that and grins a bit goofily. "But Sheila's not hurt, right?"

Cougar shakes his head, "Naw."

"The kids are in the tree house with Tali," says Richy looking around. "So where's the rest of my family?"

"Your aunt went looking for something in one of the gardens," answers Cougar. "Your cousins are in the house somewhere. They said something about getting a shower. I'm keeping an eye on the kids," he says jerking his thumb back behind himself toward the tree house where the kids are being occupied by Talia.

"You work too hard, Cougar," says Richy glancing at the tree house. "Do they know she's here?"

"They've figured out you've got a woman here," answers Cougar. "But they don't know who. I'm not spoiling your surprise."

"Do you think they've ever met her before," Richy ask Cougar.

Cougar shrugs. "I don't know. They've at least seen her before at a tribe meeting or two."

Richy glances at the tree house again. "I'm going to change. Be back in a few."

When Richy steps back outside through the sliding glass doors of the dining area, he's greeted by his aunt, his mother's older sister.

"Aunt Seal," Richy smiling and accepting a hug.

Talia hears the exchange, heard Richy call the woman aunt, and heard the woman's voice, a much older female relative of Richy's and no threat to her when it comes to Richy. But the children have relaxed her and reminded her of how good it can be to be with tribe and family and be around people. Plus, she wants to be near Richy, wants him to kiss her again and wants to let nature take its course like Cougar told her that morning. She's tired of ignoring her own needs and desires.

Talia drops down from the tree house. The children continue to play. As she's walking to join the adults, she sees Cougar sitting on one of the rocks around the fire pit, smells the meal cooking in the roaster in the pit. She sees the aunt going through a basket of freshly picked fruits and vegetables. A man steps out of the house through the sliding glass doors. Richy greets him warmly and calls him Bass. Bass's scent tells Talia he's a male relative of Richy's and the son of the aunt.

Then a woman comes walking around from the side of the garage where the steps up to the outside door to the room over the garage are. Talia's footsteps have been too soft to be heard. And she's downwind of everyone except the children, so none of the adults smell her coming. But Talia's scent has changed, changed to the scent of a predator and the wind carries it to the children. The children react to the predator scent the way all wild offspring do. They drop low to the floor of the tree house, freeze and hope they haven't been spotted or scented out.

Talia stops several yards away from everyone to assess the woman that has just come into view. The woman's scent tells Talia she's the sister of the man, Bass, and the daughter of the aunt, Seal. She has most of the classic Hawaiian features that most of the Water Tribe has. She's several inches taller than Talia and more than a few years younger than Talia. The two younger children in the tree house are this woman's. The woman is a first cousin to Richy like the man, Bass. But Talia knows that mating with your cousin, even a first cousin, isn't a taboo for wild folks like it is for tame folks. Talia also recognizes her as the low ranking female Fjord abused in front of her in an attempt to impress her that backfired.

"Mist," the woman calls out to Richy with a wave. Then she hops into a run toward Richy as he smiles at her.

Talia has now deemed the woman a threat and charges. Cougar catches sight of Talia out of the corner of one eye and jumps up from his rock screaming as he runs to intercept Richy's female cousin, "Shit! Otter! No! .. Richy!"

Cougar manages to intercept Otter before she can throw her arms around Richy for a hug. Richy rotates with a speed Cougar didn't know he possessed and grabs Talia as she's charging off her feet by her waist. Except that doesn't stop Talia from taking a vicious swipe at Otter. Otter throws her arm up in self-defense and manages to protect her face from Talia's swipe as Cougar jerks her back away from Richy. Talia's feet are nearly a foot above the ground and one arm is crushed against Richy as he holds her by her waist.

Richy grabs the wrist of the arm Talia used to take the swipe with to keep her from doing it again and tells Talia, "Now that wasn't nice."

Talia's response is an angry huff.

Richy carries Talia to the sliding glass doors, slides a door open and sets Talia inside. Talia jerks away from Richy. Then with the same hand she swiped at Otter with, flips the dining table and stomps into the kitchen.

Richy takes a deep breath as he hooks his thumbs into the top of his jeans and tells his family, "That's Talia."

"We know who she is," responds Aunt Seal as she's checking her daughter, Otter's wounded forearm. "Why is she here?"

"And what did I ever do to her," asks Otter wide-eyed.

"I brought her here," answers Richy. "I'm not sure what you did. And I need to go to Talia." Then he steps into the house sliding the door closed behind him.

Cougar tells Otter, "She saw you as a threat."

"Me," Otter questions in shocked disbelief. "I'm no threat to anyone, and especially not her."

"I don't understand," says Bass. "Talia and Roar are the calm cool and collected types."

"Has Mist ever brought a woman home before," asks Cougar.

"No, never," answers Seal. Then she says, "Oh my," as a light goes off inside her head. "I thought that was just a myth."

"What," ask Bass wanting to know what's going on.

"A true-mating," answers Cougar.

"What's that," answers Bass.

"It happens when true-mates find each other," explains Seal. "It's said to be very dangerous to interfere in a true-mating."

"According to my dad," shares Cougar with Seal, Bass and Otter, "interfering with a true-mating could be deadly."

"Do they know what's happening," asks Otter.

Cougar shakes his head. "No, they're both operating on pure instinct and until they finish establishing their link as true-mates we need to give them both space."

"Are the children in any danger," asks Otter worried and concerned.

"They don't see them as any kind of threat," answers Cougar.

Richy walks past the over turned dining table without giving it a glance. He steps into the kitchen doorway where he stands and watches Talia pace for a couple of minutes. Then she fills a glass with cold water and he watches her drink it down. She looks at the empty glass a moment. Then she throws it as hard as she can at Richy at a speed a normal man could never achieve.

If Richy was an ordinary man, the glass would have hit him in the face. But he's not an ordinary man any more than Talia is an ordinary woman so he catches it. It still hits his hand with enough force to cause a few significant cracks.

Richy frowns at the now ruined glass. "That wasn't necessary. Now it's ruined." Then he drops the ruined glass into the trash can next to the refrigerator.

"That woman was awfully happy to see you," says Talia keeping the kitchen table between herself and Richy.

Richy simply responds, "Otter, she's my cousin."

"Just a cousin," Talia asks accusingly.

Richy answers, "Just my cousin and nothing more."

"And how many nothing mores have you brought here before," demands Talia.

"None," answers Richy. "You're the first woman I've ever brought here, that I've ever wanted to bring here and meet my family."

He's not lying. Talia can smell he's telling the truth.

Then Richy asks her, "Why are you still here, Talia? Why haven't you left here? Why have you stayed?"

Talia grabs her head and shakes it as tears squeeze from her eyes. "I don't know." Her confusion scents the air. "I tried. I get to the edge of your territory and then I have to come back."

In her confusion, Talia forgets to maintain that safe distance from Richy. Richy doesn't hesitate to grab her and pull her against him. She eagerly accepts his mouth. There is a hopeless desperation to her kiss. Her body language is confusing. One second she's pushing against him eagerly and the next she's trying to pull back.

Talia's claws rake slowly down Richy's back, but he barely registers the sting. He's immersed in the feel and smell of Talia. He can smell how hot and wet she is for him. She turns away from him intending to walk away because her head is swimming, only to have Richy pull her backside against him. His mouth latches onto the side of her neck with a sweet suction. That sensation alone makes Talia whimper helplessly. Then one of his hands slide under her shirt as the other hand slides down the inside of the front of her boy-cut panties finding her slick with wetness as he begins to caress her feminine nub.

Richy walks Talia forward to the kitchen table while pushing her panties down. When they bump into the table, Richy undoes his jeans and frees his erection with the hand he used to stimulate Talia's feminine nub and push her panties down so they are sufficiently out of his way. He manages to catch Talia's mouth with own as he grips her wrist and pulls her forward over the table causing her to pull up onto her toes as he uses his knees to push her legs far enough apart. He stretches her hands out to either side of the round table. When Talia feels the edges of the table under her hands, she grabs them, which was just what Richy wanted. He takes a few moments to admire her stretched out on the table before him like an offering, running his hands over her -->>

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