"Care to tell me what's going on?" Karen Yuletide asked Peter Talbot.
"I came to meet you for lunch, but didn't see you waiting outside, so came in looking for you. Thankfully just in time. What did she want?"
asked Peter, staring at his girlfriend.
"Liz, or whatever her name is, was our female life model today. Everything seemed fine until she confronted me after class, claiming I was beneath you, you were slumming, and to leave you alone, you were hers," revealed Karen, to which Peter grew more angrier with each word.
"I'll explain it all over lunch," promised Peter, taking Karen's arm in his and leading out of the art building.
Soon the couple found themselves in a quiet corner of the campus commissary with their meals as Peter began his explanation.
"Remember when I told you how my first transformation came upon me sooner than expected, and my parents had to scramble to find a werelioness that I wasn't related to?" he asked.*
"Let me guess. Liz," assumed Karen.
"Yes. She was already a bit... more experienced, being a couple of months older than me, so was my first," revealed Peter, actually blushing a bit. "Elizabeth Brookshire, of the Moon Lake Brookshires, as she usually introduces herself. Despite whatever anyone else might say about her, I personally consider her a stuck up snob. I'm grateful that she was there to help me out in my time of need, but ever since she thinks we're destined to be together."
"And your thoughts on that?" Karen asked carefully.
"Because of her... aspirations, I've kept my contact with Liz limited to social events where I couldn't avoid at least saying hello to her, but my heart lies elsewhere," said Peter, eyeing Karen intently.
"And all that other stuff she said to me?"
"For that, I'd have to explain werelion hierarchy."
"A Talbot heads each of the prides scattered across Moon Lake," began Peter, "but since my father is the oldest amongst his brothers..."
"He's the Lion King?" asked Karen, in genuine surprise.
"Oh how I hate that term!" declared Peter, actually putting his hands in his face as part of a major expression of emotions. "Personally, I prefer something more down to earth, like Head Lion, but yes. Technically, my father is the king, with my uncles and every other werelion subservient to him," admitted Pete, raising his head to look at Karen again.
"So, as his only son, you're the Lion Prince," realized Karen. "At least now I understand Liz's opinion, and why that nurse in the campus infirmary was treating me odd when I said who I was seeing when I asked for a sample of the werelioness birth control pill."
"When I turn 21, I will either have to start my own pride, subservient to my father, of course; or challenge him for the right to rule all if he doesn't willingly step down."
"How long until..."
"I'm 19 now, so about a year and a half. Then again, if anything ever happened to my father, I would automatically assume his title and fold any pride I formed into his, unless one of my uncles wanted to challenge me if I was still under age at the time," revealed Peter.
"And either way, whoever you chose as your wife would be sitting pretty in werelion social circles," realized Karen.
"But only amongst our fellow werelions," quickly added Peter. "None of this should or does matter to the other weres, let alone normal humans or anyone outside of Moon Lake."
"Well, my only concern is for you," said Karen, reaching out to hold Peter's hands in hers. "I didn't know about any of this before we met, and the only thing I care about is you," she said with a smile, while looking at him.
"And I you," confirmed Peter, before reaching out to kiss her hand.
"So what happens now?"
"Between us or in regards to Liz?" asked Peter in return.
"Both."
"Once I tell my father what happened, he will summon his brothers to a formal meeting of our elders' council and decide Liz's fate. She could get up to a week in jail just for breaking the werelion code, for a lion never threatens a normal human without just cause. More if the DA wants to file formal charges for threatening to violate Moon Lake Statue 1-A.** After all, she did threaten to have you turned into a wereskunk."***
"Jealousy isn't limited to humans. But if Liz is willing to give me a formal and sincere apology, before both of us, I'd be willing to drop any complaint and charges," revealed Karen.
"You'd do that?" asked Peter with genuine surprise. "I'll admit, I wasn't looking forward to seeing her get a severe sentence from anybody, but Liz still has to learn a lesson out of all of this."
"Considering the look of shock I saw on her face when she ran out of the classroom, I think Liz might already be learning her lesson."
"Wow!" said Peter, staring at Karen.
"What?" she asked, smiling back at her fledgling boyfriend with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"About us? Time will tell," was all Peter would say, while smiling back at her. But if my head agrees with what my heart is saying, I not only think you'd make a beautiful werelioness Karen Yuletide, but a wonderful Queen as well.
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*Which Peter recalled in "Take A Walk On The Wild Side".
**Changing a normal human into a were against their will is punishable by a minimum sentence of 50 years in prison.
***In our previous chapter.