"If I can ask, you were a normal like me when you first met your husband, right?" inquired Karen Yuletide.
"Yes," replied Regina Talbot, while sipping her tea.
"How did, that is..."
"How did I know Leon was the one?"
"Yes."
"Well, it did take a while. I didn't know at first that Leon was a werelion, let alone his position in werelion society," began Regina, recalling the past. "Leon was as handsome then as he is now, and while I knew that the man had a lot of girlfriends, besides other females always expressing an interest in him, for some reason he always came back to me."
"As if you two were already married?" asked Karen.
"Something like that. I was flattered, but concerned by what I thought was his promiscuity, but he eventually won me over. So kind and romantic... Anyway, at the time Leon had an older brother, who would have become the lion 'king' once their father retired, so Leon had more freedom to... play the field, as it were."
"Wait. I thought all of his brothers were younger."
"The ones still with us, yes. Leon's oldest brother, Adeola, was a firefighter. There was a huge state forest fire when Leon was in college and courting me. Moon Lake sent most of their department, along with just about every major city in Washington to combat it, but unfortunately not everyone made it back," revealed Regina. "I think that was the catalyst for Leon gaining a better sense of maturity and duty. But getting back to your question. Even then my husband listened more to his heart than to his libido. I had many of the same concerns then you do now, even before he explained were society and werelions to me."
"In all honesty, thinking about the werelion version of an... open marriage does give me pause," admitted Karen. "I know Peter is as much in love with me as I am with him, but that just wasn't the way I was raised."
"Except for maybe polygamists, who is?" asked Regina in return. "Leon's biggest straying sessions since I've known him have always been during pride meetings, which is to be expected. Most gatherings of any were group tend to end up being nothing but giant orgies in my opinion. Yet in the years since Peter was born, Leon has been different. More focused upon me and our son than he was before. Nowadays, except for some old friends and the occasional female newcomer who think it's some kind of status symbol to be welcomed into were society by the lion 'king', he's with me most of the time."
"But how did you learn to deal with it in the first place?" wondered Karen.
"It took time but the heart knows what it wants, if you are wise to listen to its words," said Regina, while sitting her tea cup down. "I realized that a life with Leon most of the time was far better than any life without him at all. Besides, when Leon was... out and about, as it were, who said I wasn't having some fun too?" asked Regina with a sly wink. "Now come. The guest room should be ready by now," she added, while rising and leading the way to the back of the house.