Grayslake: More than Mated: Dirty Lion Bastard (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Renee George Page A

entrance. Even if I can’t do anything, I need to confront my father. He needs to know how his carelessness ruined my mother’s life.”
    Terrence stood up and rubbed his hand over his head then nodded. “What’s your father’s name?”
    “Matthew Shane Pierce.” He winced as he said the entire name. He hated that he shared a name with the lying deadbeat.
    “Fuck.”
    Shane narrowed his gaze. “What?”
    “Pierce is the Rex. He’s the head of the Leone Pride.” Terrence went to a small bar and poured himself a drink. “There is something you can do.”
    A small thrill of victory zinged through Shane. “Tell me.”
    “As his son, you can challenge him for the Pride.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Twenty-three years ago, Matthew Pierce challenged his father Solomon to be alpha in the Pride. To be the Rex. You can do the same.”
    “And what happens to him if I win?” Would the Pride kick his father out? Would he, as the new Rex, dictate the terms of Pierce’s exile?
    “You bury him.”
    “I…what?”
    “A challenge in the Leone tribe is to the death.” Terrence shook his head. “Your father is very strong. He keeps an iron hold on his people. Taking him won’t be easy.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “I’m saying,” Terrence said, taking a sip of his whiskey. “I suggest you take some time to learn different fighting styles. Regardless, get your affairs in order before you go. I will call the Itans in that area and ask for your safe passage, but chances are, this is going to be a one-way trip for you, right into a grave.”
    Terrence’s words were a warning, one that Shane didn’t take lightly. Was courting his own death worth confronting his father? Maybe not. Was he foolish in seeking justice for his mother? Probably. But his anger wouldn’t allow him any other course. “Thank you, Itan.”
    Terrence nodded. “I hope to see you again, Shane Largos.”
    Shane could tell by the grim set of the Southeast Itan’s mouth, and the doubt in his eyes, Terrence believed this would be their only meeting.
    “Until we meet again,” said Shane.
    ****
    One year later…
    Scottie Monroe watched her Aunt Tig, a big, buxom blonde, wiggle her hips at the customers and ply them with a charm unmatched. Blenders whirred, bottles spun, and drinks were set up expertly as the four men, three bear shifters, and one wolf gave Tig their undivided attention.
    Scottie owned and operated Pitch & Paw Bar and Motel with her mom, Lin, and Aunt Tig. The shifter-only establishments were located just outside the Leone, Grayslake, and Redby territories.
    Tig yelled, “Hey!”
    Scottie looked up.
    Her aunt slid a quarter from the bar and flick it with her thumb through the air. Scottie reached up and snagged it as it flew above her head.
    Tig gave her niece a nod and a smile. “Play something nice, baby. Something easy.”
    Scottie glanced around the bar at all the faces. Most of the customers were regulars, bears from the Grayslake and wolfs from Redby, and no hyenas. Not since they were purged from Boyne Falls two years earlier. The Grayslake’s Itan Ty Abrams and the Redby Pack’s Alpha Reid Bennet did the shifters and the humans in that territory a huge favor by taking over. Scottie’s family never played politics, but they’d all been relieved when the battle was all over. Tig had made a regular practice of banning the werehyenas over the years. That group never seemed to get the message about no violence in the Pitch & Paw.
    Of course, there were always a few shifters who were simply passing through the territories and wanting a neutral place to stay for a day or two. They were the ones who fascinated Scottie the most. Because of the bar’s neutrality, the Pitch & Paw had a reputation as a safe haven for shifters who didn’t belong to the Leone Pride, the Grayslake clan, or the Redby Pack. And as long as the Monroes quelled violence and keep their noses clean, the Itan and Alpha left the three ladies