CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN

Aweek. That was all the peace Dominic got before Pierson struck again.

Perched on a smooth rock that was shaded by one of the trees dangling over the river, Dominic watched the kids of the pack play. Tao and his mate, Riley—a raven shifter who was also the pack’s guardian—were supervising the children. Trick and Dante were also there, kicking a ball around with Kye. Tao was carrying Dexter around on his back, while Sienna was trying to catch the leaves that Savannah, who was hanging upside down from a tree branch, was letting flutter to the ground. Lilah was pointing at some ducks that were swimming in the shallows, asking Riley numerous questions about the birds.

It was a tranquil spot on their territory. Shards of sunlight danced off the steady torrent as it splashed over rocks and crashed against a half-built beaver dam. Reeds nodded in the breeze that carried with it the scents of wildflowers, wet earth, and clean water. Wildflowers ran along the gravelly banks, where many algae-stained rocks sat—there was a little turtle resting on the one nearest to Dominic. The moment would have been relaxing if not for the reason his Alphas had called him out here.

Fucking Pierson had struck again. Another online article—this one more vindictive and disparaging. Rhett had discovered it an hour ago, and it had already been shared on multiple online platforms. That news was bad enough. But what his Alphas were now asking of Dominic only increased his anger.

His wolf was currently pacing, agitation in every step. He occasionally lashed out with his claws, showing no signs of calming. He also kept pushing to the surface just enough for Dominic’s eyes to flash wolf. The animal wanted the Alphas to see his displeasure.

Taryn and Trey were sitting on the bench opposite him, looking both apologetic and concerned. But there was pure steel in their words. They didn’t feel good about their decision, but they weren’t going to back down. Dominic had known them both long enough to be sure of that.

Leaning forward, Trey clasped his hands. “You know I’m making sense, Dominic. I was pretty sure that Emmet wasn’t done being an asshole—especially since his first article was considered by most to be fiction—so I’m not surprised that he’s pulled another stunt. But this follow-up article has me worried, because it’s all about you. Not him, not the pack, not shifters in general. Hell, Rosemary only got a brief mention here and there. He’s utterly focused on you now.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” said Dominic, his tone flat. The human had gone through a lot of trouble to dig into Dominic’s past, clearly searching for dirt. He’d managed to find out that Dominic’s mother had left his father and that Lincoln had died shortly afterward. But Pierson’s source of information either hadn’t known more or hadn’t been willing to talk in depth about it, because Pierson seemed unaware that Lincoln had turned rogue and managed to kill a few people before being killed himself.

“It was smart of Pierson to twist the story the way he did, right?” Dominic’s smile was bitter. Pierson had falsely claimed that Lincoln had killed himself after Allegra had left him because he’d been unable to deal with the agony of it. “I mean, by saying that the whole ‘abandoning a mate’ thing runs in my family and that I knew it would destroy Rosemary because I’d seen it happen to my father, he made me seem like a cruel motherfucker.”

“I’m more concerned about his mention of a nonexistent rumor that you drug women for sex,” said Taryn, rubbing her thighs. “Not that I think anyone will believe that shit. Anyone who knows you will know you’d never do something like that. Also, her mental state couldn’t have been a result of a drug you gave her because, hello, she didn’t try to kill herself until two weeks after your ‘date.’ The drug would have been way out of her system by then. Plus, she tried to kill herself twice before she had even met you. Still, anti-shifter assholes could pounce on that accusation.”

Pierson, the bastard, had not only gone to the trouble of finding out names of the women that Dominic had been seen with over the years, he’d also listed them in his article. He’d made Dominic out to be a womanizer without a conscience who cared only for himself. Although Dominic was no such thing, he’d actually felt a lick of shame when he saw that long list of names, especially since he didn’t even remember some of them. He’d have recognized the women’s faces, but their names just didn’t stick out in his mind.

“It’s clear that he’s set out to destroy your character,” said Trey. “You can handle that, I know. But like I said earlier, it’s not fair to expect Mila to have to handle it. And she would have to handle it, Dom. Humans snap photos of shifters all the time, and you’re a particular favorite among them. If someone snaps a picture of you while you’re with Mila, Emmet could turn his attention on her. Keeping your distance from her until all of this blows over is for the best.”

And therein lay the reason why Dominic’s wolf wanted to claw his own Alphas.

“Especially since she’s dealing with her own shit right now.” Taryn stretched her legs out in front of her. “I’m guessing Emmet thought the first article would make people turn on you, but it didn’t. With any luck, this article will be just as ineffective. From the online responses that Rhett has seen so far on various blogs and forums, most people aren’t buying Emmet’s claims—particularly because the first article contained so many untruths. But Trey’s right: this will put you in the spotlight, and that spotlight will shine on whomever you’re seen with.”

“Also, Rosemary may see these articles and photos,” said Trey. “If you’re photographed with Mila or any other female, Rosemary could do something else stupid—maybe to them, maybe to you, or maybe to herself.”

Dominic flexed his fists. “I won’t put my life on pause because of those lying assholes.” He hadn’t even let his own reservations keep him away from Mila, and now Trey wanted Dominic to give the Piersons that power? Fuck that.

Dominic had made the decision to enjoy what time he had with Mila before she left for Russia. He’d seen her every day since the first article was released a week ago. Sometimes at the barbershop, sometimes at her apartment, sometimes at the club.

Her parents even had him over for dinner again, which Mila hadn’t protested this time around. He liked her family. Liked that they made him feel so welcome. It gave him a sense of belonging that he’d only ever had with his pack.

Dominic had also hinted at her moving to his territory until the bounty was off her head, and that conversation had gone exactly as he’d expected. So he’d had to content himself with keeping a lookout for her. If he heeded Trey’s order, he’d no longer be able to do even that.

“I’m not asking you to put your life on pause, I’m just saying it’s best for you to keep some distance from Mila until everything cools down.”

Dominic narrowed his eyes at the other male. “This isn’t you being concerned for Mila. You’re thinking that if she gets dragged into this, you could end up making an enemy of Vinnie.”

Trey shrugged. “It’s something we have to consider, sure, but I’m not worried about Vinnie. My main concern is you. And I know that if Mila were pulled into this, you’d feel like shit. From what I’ve heard, she’s a smart girl; she’ll understand. She might even thank you for it.”

Brows snapping together, Dominic snorted. “She’s a highly dominant female shifter, Trey. She’ll be offended that I’d even insinuate that she couldn’t deal with any blowback from the articles. I won’t get any thanks, because I’ll have hurt her pride.”

“But she’ll get why you did it.”

Dominic fisted his hands. “Would you stay away from Taryn, knowing she had a price on her head and could be attacked at any moment?”

“No, but Taryn’s my mate. I don’t know what Mila is to you. I’m not sure if you know what Mila is to you. But if you don’t claim rights to someone, you can’t act like you have them. So unless you’re telling me that you have laid some kind of claim on her—even if it’s only temporary—you don’t have ground here.” He fell silent, giving Dominic the chance to voice a claim . . . but he didn’t.

“She’s surrounded by her pride, Dominic,” Taryn reminded him. “You know they’ll keep her safe. And I’m sure they’ll keep you posted if you ask them to.”

Dominic wouldn’t need to ask, since he already checked in with Tate daily, asking for updates on Mila’s situation. Strangely, the Beta had never told him to butt out of pride business. Really, Dominic had no right to constantly keep tabs on her. She wasn’t his. Hell, she wasn’t even wearing a temporary mark from him. But he just needed to be certain that she was okay. His wolf needed it. Either Tate was taking pity on him or Mila’s parents had dragged the Beta into their little plot.

“And Mila’s not so easy to take down, is she?” Taryn added. “That’s not the point, I know. I’m just asking you to remember that you’re not leaving some naive girl to fend for herself. Mila’s tough. She can handle her shit. And she has plenty of people around her who will keep her safe. If I didn’t wholeheartedly believe that, I’d fight Trey about asking you to pull back.” Taryn sighed. “As for our next course of action—”

“No more videos,” Dominic cut in. “We’ve stated our case, it hasn’t changed. There’s nothing new to say. Any attention we give to Emmet makes him seem credible.”

“I agree,” said Taryn. “We can post something simple on our blog that says we hope the public sees his story for what it is—an angry father looking for someone to blame for his daughter’s pain.”

“If you want,” began Trey, “I can call Mila myself and—” The Alpha’s brows lifted as Dominic’s eyes flashed wolf again and a territorial growl rattled in his chest. “I sensed that your beast didn’t like me telling you to stay away from her, but I didn’t see the possessiveness until just then. I’ll bet that emotion is new to him.”

Dominic just grunted.

“Taking that into account, it might be best to put some space between your wolf and Mila,” said Trey. “Or he’s going to be highly fucking pissed when this thing between you and her ends, and he’ll want to challenge the male she’s entering into an arranged mating with.”

“Do you think it’s possible that she could be your true mate?” asked Taryn, her voice soft.

Dominic fisted his hands. “No.”

“You should be open to the idea,” she advised. “Plenty of people don’t sense that they’re around their true mate. It can take a while for—”

“She’s not mine.” The words were like gravel.

“You can’t know that for sure.”

“I can. I can’t tell you why because it’s not my secret to share, but I can tell you that I’m absolutely certain I’m not her true mate.”

Clearly reading between the lines, Taryn gave a slow nod. “That’s a shame. But it doesn’t mean you can’t still have something with her.” Standing, she straightened her tee. “I’ll go speak with Rhett and get this blog post done.”

“And I’m going to join that football game before Kye gives me another dirty look for not playing.” Trey raised his brows at Dominic. “You coming?”

“No.” He had a call to make, so when the Alphas walked away, Dominic whipped out his phone and dialed Mila’s number.

She picked up after a few rings. “Hey, GQ.”

Her smoky voice snaked over both him and his wolf, as comforting as it was arousing. “Hey, what you up to?”

There was a slight hesitation. “No weird dirty line?”

“I’m saving them for when I next see you.”

“You don’t sound like yourself. What’s wrong?”

Fuck, she read him too easily. He sighed. “Pierson had the journalist release a follow-up article, and it’s bad.” Dominic brought her up to speed.

“I really hope someone stomps on that motherfucker’s dick.”

Dominic’s mouth curved slightly. “One can but hope.” He scratched at his nape. “Trey’s concern is that this is going to put a spotlight on me, and that whoever shares the spotlight could then be targeted by the Piersons. He thinks it’s best if I keep my distance from you until all the trouble dies down. I can’t say I like the idea, but I also don’t want this fucked-up mess touching you.” No response. “Mila?”

“It’s understandable,” she finally said, her voice a little stiff. “After all, I kept my distance from you when I realized I had a bounty on my head. Oh, wait, no. I trusted that you could take care of yourself, and I respected that you have your own mind.”

He cursed. “It’s not like that, Mila. I know you can protect yourself—I’ve seen it firsthand. But this guy won’t come at you physically; he’ll attack your reputation, which may then bleed over onto the barbershop and your family. He’ll do his best to dig up your secrets, and then he’ll twist what he finds, just like he’s done to me. If you read the second article, you’ll understand.”

A heavy sigh. “Fine. Whatever. I hope for your sake it blows over soon.”

Something about her tone put him on edge. “Mila, I’m not using this as an excuse to put space between us, if that’s what’s going through your head. That’s not who I am.”

“But it’s best to put that space there. I’m leaving the country soon, and it’s probably not fair of me to be fooling around with you when I should be thinking about Maksim.”

Dominic snapped his teeth. “Fooling around? Is that what you’d call it?” His wolf peeled back his upper lip just enough to bare one fang.

“And what would you call it?” she challenged.

He swore under his breath. He didn’t have an answer for her, because he didn’t know what the fuck was between them. He’d never had it before. “I’m going to call you every night, Mila. And you’d better fucking pick up.”

“Why would I do that?” she asked tartly.

Because his wolf would need to hear her voice. Because Dominic needed to be sure he was in her thoughts. But he didn’t say any of that, knowing it would just give credence to her bullshit “we shouldn’t be having sex because I should be thinking about that Russian bastard” thing. So instead, Dominic said, “Because if you don’t, I’ll spank that sweet ass when I finally get my hands on it again.” It wasn’t a lie.