Free Serengeti Lightning by Vivi Andrews

Rocks who had changed prides looking for a better life. If anyone would understand why Mara was doing what she was doing, it was her.
    “Hey,” Zoe called, closing the distance between them and falling into step beside her. “You look like shit.”
    A short laugh burst out of Mara’s mouth. She shoved her hands into her pockets and kept walking. “Don’t hold back, Zoe.”
    The tall blonde shrugged. “I call ’em like I see ’em. You okay?”
    “Fine.”
    “Uh-huh. Fine isn’t a way to be. Fine sucks.” She cocked her head to the side. “Wanna talk about it?”
    “Not really.”
    Zoe nodded sagely. “Me either.” They walked in silence for about two steps before the restless energy in Zoe had to be verbally released. “Men, huh? Can’t live with ’em, can’t rip out their entrails to wear as a necklace.”
    Mara snorted. “Something like that.”
    Zoe swung her arms and bounced on the balls of her feet, bubbling over with kinetic energy. “You should talk about it. You’ll feel better.”
    “Zoe.” Mara used her teacher voice. The one guaranteed to snap recalcitrant pupils back in line. Unfortunately, Zoe appeared to be immune.
    “You want kids, right? And none of the guys around here look like viable daddy material, yeah?”
    Mara winced. Even Zoe, who’d been with the pride for less than a year, could tell she was desperate and pathetic. Great.
    “I know how you feel,” Zoe continued.
    Mara stayed silent. She couldn’t imagine Zoe’s claim was true. She had a decade on the pretty blonde. It was a long way from twenty-five and annoyed to thirty-five and frustrated.
    “I’m staying with Three Rocks to support Landon,” Zoe confided. “I’d be long gone if he weren’t so determined to make a go of it as the Alpha here. There aren’t exactly a lot of hot prospects for a girl here, am I right? We both know what a pain in the ass the Minor brothers are, but they’re the only quality lions in this damn pride.”
    “I don’t—” Mara wasn’t sure what she was going to protest, but it didn’t matter because Zoe didn’t give her a chance to finish.
    “I know, I know. You aren’t serious about Michael. A girl like you isn’t gonna be dumb enough to get serious about a guy like that. But what are you gonna do? It sucks, but there aren’t a lot of options. Sometimes you’re just stuck. Sorry ’bout that.”
    “I’m not stuck,” Mara snapped. She wasn’t annoyed with Zoe so much as herself, but the frustration would take any outlet. And the idea that a woman would have to be stupid to want to be with Michael rankled on some level. He deserved a goddess. Just not her. “I’m not some pathetic little girl waiting for a man to sweep me off my feet.”
    Zoe’s blonde eyebrows flew up. “Hey, chica , a dominant female is only pathetic when she lets herself be.” She glared back over her shoulder in the general direction of the garage.
    “Well, I’m not. I’m doing something about it. I’m going to Florida.”
    “I’ve been to Florida. The traffic sucks.”
    Mara walked faster, fueled by irritation. “I’m taking my fate into my own hands. I’m going out, actively looking for a mate. I’m not running away from my problems. I’m facing them head-on.”
    “Hey, no one said you were running away.”
    “Well, I’m not. It takes a lot of courage to do what I’m doing.”
    Zoe held out her hands in surrender. “No one’s arguing with you, chica .”
    “I’m doing the right thing. I know it. There’s nothing for me here.”
    “Uh-huh. You ever seen Hamlet ?”
    Mara stopped in her tracks, turning to frown at Zoe. “ Hamlet ? What does Hamlet have to do with anything?”
    “The lady protesteth too mucheth and all that. You sure you aren’t running away from someone?”
    “I said I wasn’t—”
    “Yeah, you said. You said nice and loud and emphatic, but the thing is, I never said anything about running. You came up with that one all on your own.”
    Mara’s