Tychon Makucha still hasn't answered my question, and I am no closer to an answer myself. I got scared the moment I found out my Mate wasn't a feline shifter, and I made the mistake of not talking to her about my fears, for not opening up to my chance at happiness. In our family's history, there have been quite a few rejections. Most of them were Wolves or Lycans that did the rejecting, and in a few cases, my relatives beat them to it. It made me reluctant to entertain the idea of getting a Mate that wasn't a feline shifter. Watching Keir around Denali has shown me that not everyone is willing to give up their Mate. The fact he had another fated Mate before her is also very helpful, and I have watched them as they would talk about whatever the other wanted to know. Denali had felt heartbroken when Keir told us what happened to Lakota's Mother, and we both had roared when we found out who was behind it and why. Keir made my Sister turn a deep shade of red when he asked if they would have Pups or Kittens, and Alice had told him that it could vary with every pregnancy. I laughed my ass off when he told Denali he would keep getting her pregnant until they had a litter of Kittens, which earned me a punch in the face from my Sister. They aren't anywhere near that point yet, but I know that Keir will give her all the time she needs to finally accept him as her Mate. I snicker as I remember Lakota's face when I had asked her if she was going to call me Uncle Tychon, and the fact her Father had laughed at her expense wasn't helping either. It wasn't until Lance pointed out I actually had a point that she looked as if she was seriously thinking about it. "Fuck, then I have to call Jazzy Aunt," she had muttered, and it took us all a while to catch our breath. It was one of the few moments that my Mate's name was mentioned in front of me; most of the time they avoided mentioning her, and I know they wanted to give me time to come to an answer myself. Every Pack-member I have talked to has told me the same thing: they would never reject the Mate the Goddess paired them with. Most of them had gone through a rejection themselves, and others were treated like trash by their family or Pack leaders. Lance explained to me how a Pack is supposed to work, but he also told me that not every Alpha is like Keir or Lakota. I was surprised to hear that there are Packs that don't teach their members how to smell the difference between a Wolf and a Lycan, and Keir had always been grateful to run into a Pack like that. Lance told me about the positions within a Pack and what every position entailed. I watched the Pack's leadership after that and found out that Lakota chose the right Wolf or Lycan for the position. The biggest surprise had been to find out that Darrius and Matt are a fated couple and that no one makes them feel any different.Matt even suggested adopting a Kitten next time or maybe a Cub, and no one made fun of him. It sounded like everyone would welcome any addition to their family. I would like to see how that would turn out with their Pups; both of them are very protective of smaller Pups, and they are only four years old. "I want to talk to our Mate," Makucha whispers in my head. "I want her to know why we didn't make ourselves known that day; I want her to understand that Denali was our first priority. We need to explain to her that we never meant to hurt her, even though we did it unintentionally. I want her to tell us how she feels, what her thoughts are about being mated to a Leopard. She needs to know that her feelings and thoughts are important to us." This is the first time since coming here that he has given me an answer, and I hope that Jazzy is willing to give us the time to explain things to her. I slowly drift off to sleep on top of the mountain after Makucha and I have agreed on finding our Mate in the morning to talk to her. Jazzy Dusk has been whimpering in my head ever since Lakota told us about Tychon. She blames me for the disappearing act he pulled, and I stare at the ceiling as I recount my conversation with Lakota. I get this feeling she didn't tell me everything, and I guess I will have to talk to Tychon to find out what she left out. My mind wanders back to the day my fated Mate rejected me. I never had been close with the Pups of our leadership, and I figured I would get a Warrior as a Mate. Finding out our future Gamma was my fated Mate was a shock, and when he asked me to wait until after they had taken over from their Fathers, I had agreed. I didn't see much of him in the following week, but it hadn't really bothered me as he was busy with the ceremony to take over the Pack with our future Alpha and future Beta. He came to me the night before the ceremony and told me that he would claim me as his Mate after the ceremony, putting a megawatt smile on my face. The next day went by quickly, and I couldn't wait until he would come to my room that night, but it all turned out a little different from what I had expected. He did show up that night, but only to reject me and to inform me he would be taking the Beta's Sister as his chosen Mate. Mom and Dad blamed me for him rejecting me and told me he made the right decision in choosing another as his Mate. It took me three days to recover from the rejection, and slowly I had gotten back to my old self, picking up the pieces of my life. Two months after the rejection, I had walked back home from night patrol, and it didn't take me long to realize that no one was home. It didn't bother me at all; I was actually relieved that I would get some peace and quiet for a chance. Dad constantly reminding me of the fact that I was worthless, that my Mate didn't even want me. As I opened the backdoor, I felt his presence behind me, and he had tried to shove me inside, but I hadn't given him the chance. I fought back, and I was able to knock him out in the end. During the fight, he made it clear I was going to be his breeding machine, and it fueled my anger towards him even more. I packed a few things I wanted to take with me, and as I locked the backdoor, I saw that he was still unconscious on the ground. I spent the night in a cottage I knew was unoccupied, and after I left the territory, I sighed in relief, but that was short-lived when I felt his presence behind me again. I will always be grateful for what Keir and Lakota did that day, and after hearing Lakota's story, I know she would never allow a female in that situation, not if she can prevent it. It is also the reason why she took me with her to Silver Shadow Pack to put a stop to their practices; I just hope Denali and Carmen are able to overcome whatever they did to them. I know I won't be getting any sleep tonight; my body doesn't allow it as I slept the bigger part of the day already, and my mind is running in circles. It runs from my rejection to Tychon, from Tychon to Josy, and from Josy to our entire Pack. After Lakota found out that Jake had been a Mountain Lion, she informed the entire Pack, and it didn't take long before we all realized that was why the members of Hidden Mountain Pack took chosen Mates, but none of us could understand why they would reject their Goddess-given Mate. Dusk pointed out that it was probably out of prejudice, just like rejecting your fated Mate because of their rank, and it had pissed both of us off. I had vowed to Dusk that I wouldn't reject our second chance Mate if he was a feline shifter, but I hadn't counted on feeling hurt when Tychon had seemed reluctant to come with us. I still felt hurt when Lance woke me up that morning, and I might have reacted worse than I should have. "Might," Dusk huffs in my head, and I know that she is right; I did overreact. Just like I did when Keir told me Tychon wanted to talk to me about Josy, and I don't blame him for running. I just hope he will return soon. I need to explain myself to him and his Leopard, and I have to give him the chance to tell me his own story. "Do you think we will have Kittens?" Dusk asks, and for a moment I am too stunned to answer. I think about it for a few minutes before I answer her. "I have no idea; I don't know if it works the same as with a Lycan and Wolf couple. In their case, the more dominant gene will determine the kind of Pup they get; I even know of couples that have had both, and that could mean we won't know until they are born.If we can work things out, I couldn't care less if we had Pups or Kittens; maybe a few of both would be nice," I answer, and while I am thinking about a litter of Kittens, I drift off to sleep.