CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Three weeks. It had been three weeks of “lying low” while they waited for the protests outside pack territory to stop and for the media attention to die down. If Emmet Pierson had been feeding it by making statements to reporters, the drama might have dragged on. But he’d been extraordinarily quiet since his daughter’s attempted suicide.

Rosemary was still in a coma, and Mila imagined that her father felt partially to blame for it. If his past behavior was anything to go by, Emmet would eventually displace that guilt onto someone else—probably Dominic.

Dean had also lapsed into silence. According to Adele, he still wasn’t taking her calls. If he had, she probably would have told him that she’d finally told Joel the truth. Mila only knew this because Joel had told Luke everything while in a drunken stupor at a local bar.

Joel had moved out of the house he shared with Adele, although only temporarily—he needed space to “think.” From what Luke said, Joel was mostly upset that Adele had been communicating with her true mate behind his back, just as Mila had anticipated.

Each time Mila’s phone rang, Dominic tensed, and she knew he was expecting it to be Joel; expecting the other male to declare that he wanted Mila. While she doubted that would ever happen, Dominic wasn’t so sure. He also wasn’t so sure that they should be going out tonight, but Mila was done “lying low.” He’d tuck her away in his sock drawer if he could. “We all agreed that this is the right move,” she reminded him.

Sitting on the bed, he watched her through broody eyes. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Crossing to him, Mila straddled his lap and linked her fingers behind his nape. “I know why you’re worried, and I get it. But my cat is chomping at the bit. She won’t last much longer if I keep her confined here. Don’t think I can’t sense how edgy and restless your wolf is, Dominic.” Her cat was the same. The feline had been seriously moody, lashing out at Mila and just about anyone who came too close. “We’re hurting our animals by keeping them here.”

“And we could hurt them by leaving.”

Mila sighed. It was hard to be annoyed with him when she could feel his tension just as easily as she could feel her own. The strength with which she felt the echoes of his emotions had increased over time, and she knew the imprinting bond was close to forming. Could almost taste the promise of it.

“We already had this conversation in Trey’s office,” she said. “Everyone voted that we continue our lives as normal, starting with me performing at the Velvet Lounge tonight.”

“Not everyone. I voted that we give it another week. Emmet—”

“I’m well aware that he’ll eventually strike one way or another. However, I’m not convinced he’ll do it via the extremists.”

“I am.” Dominic splayed his hands on her back and pulled her closer. “Emmet will blame us for what Rosemary did, and he won’t let it go. The extremists are like loaded guns, and Pierson can easily aim them in our direction. He used the media to rile them up before. They haven’t acted yet, but they’re probably just biding their time—and probably at his order.”

“Maybe. But we can’t live like this, Dominic.” She caught his face with her hands. “Let’s stick to what we agreed earlier. We resurface, give him the opportunity to strike in whatever fashion he chooses, and then we deal with him—we end this once and for all.”

Dominic clenched his teeth. “Mila—”

“It’s unlikely that he’ll act tonight. He’ll want to lure us into believing he has no intention of coming at us. That way we lower our guards and make things easy for him. But we won’t. We’ll be ready.

“Besides, humans can’t enter the club unless they’re mated to a shifter, so there’s no way for the extremists to get inside. Which is why I don’t think Trey, Taryn, and Dante need to come with us tonight, but I won’t fight it. Alex and my parents will be joining us later, remember? I’ll be safe at the club.”

Dominic blinked. Safe? “You were attacked by a jackal there not so long ago.”

“The price is gone from my head, and I don’t believe Dean is still a threat. The hit was never about me. It was about Adele and Joel. If the asshole does try to enter the club, the doormen will detain him anyway. Harley showed pictures of him to all the staff.” Mila gave Dominic a light kiss. “It’ll be fine. And you know you like watching me perform while lounging in VIP.”

Gripping her hips tightly, Dominic pinned her gaze. “I won’t be waiting for you in VIP. I’ll be in the greenroom with you, and then I’ll wait in the wings while you’re onstage so that I can get to you fast if I need to.”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she said, “All right, if it’ll make you feel better.”

“What will make me feel better is getting you back here, in this bed, and pounding my cock into you.”

“So romantic.”

He just grunted.

A smile crept onto her face. “You’re cute when you’re surly.”

“I’m not surly,” he clipped, sounding . . . well, surly. In which case, he lost his ground. With a put-out sigh, Dominic stood. “You ready?”

“I’m ready.”

As planned, the Alphas and Dante rode with them to the club. Mila kept her window down the entire time, enjoying the feel of the fresh air on her face, inhaling it like she’d been trapped in a bunker for months.

It hadn’t mattered that Phoenix Pack territory was vast and peaceful. Simply knowing that she couldn’t leave the territory had slowly driven her and her cat crazy. Which was why she’d proposed going to the club tonight. Performing would not only help her relax, it would rid her of that feeling of being suffocated. She never felt freer than when she was performing.

When they finally pulled up outside the club, Mila raised a brow at Dominic. “No one followed us?”

He shook his head. “No.” Sliding out of the SUV, he gave the area a once-over but saw nothing shady. Still, his scalp prickled, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. It was probably paranoia on his part, given how worried he was for Mila, but the bad feeling remained.

Taryn and Trey walked ahead of them into the club while Dante covered their backs. Dominic could sense that being surrounded by so many defenses was pricking at Mila’s pride, just as he sensed her impatience. She no doubt believed they were being overcautious. Still, she was humoring them.

The scents of beer, hair spray, and various breeds of shifter swirled around him. His mouth tightened as he scanned the club. Despite the dim lighting, Dominic could see that the place was packed. Waitresses carefully weaved through the tables, most of which had been claimed. The dance floor was crowded with people dancing, hooting, grinding, and flirting. The bar was lined with patrons, and others stood in clusters here, there, and everywhere.

It was a security nightmare.

Trey sidled up to Dominic. “We’ll escort you and Mila to the greenroom, and then we’ll hang out in the VIP area where we can best keep an eye on things.” The area was on a raised platform, so it would definitely give the wolves a better view of the club.

The Mercury Pack would have the security covered, and Dominic trusted them to be on the ball. But Mila was his mate—the more protection she had, the better. Like Mila, his pack mates didn’t think Pierson would act so fast, but Dominic wasn’t taking any chances.

Shielding Mila’s body with his own, Dominic shouldered his way through the crowds. People called out hellos, seeming surprised to see them. They were especially surprised by the claiming marks that Mila and Dominic wore, so he assumed that they hadn’t believed the news that he was mated.

Reaching the greenroom, Trey and Dante did a quick but thorough scan of the space. Satisfied, Dante nodded at Dominic. “It’s clear. I’d advise you to lock the door behind us.”

Which was exactly what Dominic did, leaving him and Mila alone. He rolled back his shoulders. They were so stiff, they ached.

“Everything will be fine,” said Mila, settling on the chair in front of the vanity.

He watched as she swiftly and expertly dabbed on some makeup, her hands constantly in motion. And she was humming. Yes, humming. He didn’t know how she could be so relaxed. But then, performing was her outlet for stress, he remembered. Being here was probably comforting for her.

Hearing a knock on the door, Dominic felt his body go rigid.

“No enemy is going to politely knock on the door,” Mila pointed out gently.

Making a mental note to tell Harley to add a peephole, Dominic opened the door a little. The sight he found sent rage whipping through him. His wolf’s ears flattened as a dark, guttural sound rumbled in his chest. “What the fuck?” Dominic burst out.

Joel raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “I just want to talk to Mila.”

“Are you shitting me right now?” If Dominic had even suspected the guy would show up there, he’d have asked the doormen to keep the asshole out. Joel hadn’t done anything wrong, true, but his commitment to Adele was no longer absolute; he might now covet the one thing that Dominic and his wolf couldn’t live without. They didn’t want Joel anywhere near Mila.

“I just want to talk to her for a minute, that’s all,” said Joel, sounding so fucking reasonable that Dominic wanted to punch him.

“There’s nothing you’ve got to say that she needs to hear.”

Joel’s jaw set in a hard line. “You do know she can speak for herself, right?”

Dominic’s wolf snapped his teeth. “Don’t test me.”

“I’m not here to stir shit up. I’m here to speak with her. You’re her mate, I get it—”

“Then leave.”

Joel jutted out his chin. “What I have to say is between me and Mila—”

“There’s nothing between you and my mate,” Dominic ground out, his fingers contracting like claws. “There never will be.”

“I know. Like I said, I just want to talk to her.”

Crossing to Dominic, Mila stood a little behind him and placed her hand on his rigid back. She could feel echoes of his anger and sensed that he felt threatened. No, she thought, he wasn’t intimidated by Joel, but he viewed the male as a threat to their relationship. She couldn’t have that. Didn’t want him ever feeling insecure with her the way he’d felt as a child. “Let him in, Dominic.”

“No.”

“Let him in.” Mila needed to get this done. Not just because Joel would keep hounding her until he got to say his piece—he was stubborn like that—but because she needed Dominic to see that there was nothing between her and Joel. Especially since the imprinting bond would never form if he had any doubts.

“We can give him a few minutes, right?” she said, purposely using the word we to show that she viewed herself and Dominic as a unit. The tension didn’t leave his spine, but he did relax his hands and back up two steps, allowing Joel to cross the threshold. Mila also backed up, remaining a little behind Dominic.

He jabbed a finger at Joel. “That’s enough. You don’t move any farther than there.”

Joel halted, although his gaze was on Mila. There was no yearning or lust there, only regret and a hint of self-condemnation.

“How did you know I’d be here tonight?” she asked.

“Someone from the pride told me,” replied Joel. “They knew I wanted to talk to you.”

“Make it quick,” Dominic ground out, but Joel didn’t glance his way.

His brow furrowing, Joel swallowed. “I didn’t sense it, Mila. I really didn’t sense that we were true mates. Didn’t even suspect it.”

“Because Adele is your world—I understand that.” Because Dominic was Mila’s world.

“But I hurt you,” he said, his voice thick. “Didn’t mean to. Didn’t know I had. My only excuse is that I love her, I always have.”

“I don’t expect you to feel sorry or guilty for that. I never did.” Her cat did, but Mila kept that to herself.

“I still can’t believe Adele didn’t tell me her suspicions. We always promised there’d never be secrets or lies between us. She betrayed both of us.”

“She obviously didn’t want to lose you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You didn’t even hint at it.” He didn’t seem angered by that, just confused.

Mila shrugged. “There would have been no point. Mostly because Adele might not have been meant for you, but she’s it for you. Just like you’re it for her.”

He snorted, pain flashing across his face. “If that were true, she wouldn’t have been meeting her true mate in secret, would she?”

“She didn’t choose him, though,” Mila pointed out, marveling over how it didn’t feel odd to be pushing her predestined mate toward another female. “Dean tried convincing her to leave you, but she didn’t.”

“That doesn’t mean it was okay that she had coffee with him a few times and that they called each other regularly.” Joel shoved a hand through his hair. “She said she was just curious about him, which I guess is understandable. But she’s refusing to cut all contact with him, since she doesn’t truly believe he put you in danger. She figures that if I can be friends with you, she can at least have indirect contact with her true mate.”

Mila suspected that Adele was hoping Joel would offer to sever his friendship with Mila in exchange for Adele’s promise to cut contact with Dean.

Joel licked his lips and took a deep breath. “I just want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you. And I’m so, so sorry that I did. I should have seen that you were mine—”

“I’m not yours,” Mila said quickly, splaying a hand on Dominic’s back when he prepared to protest Joel’s words. “I might have been yours, if things had been different. But they’re not.”

Joel nodded. “Still, I should have seen it. And it must have been hard for you that I could be so close to you yet be blind to it. Which is why I just wanted to say that I do see it now. In your position, I’d want that acknowledgment, if nothing else.”

“Thank you for that, but it really doesn’t matter now. We both made our choices.”

“Whether it means anything to you or not, I’m still sorry. It cuts me deeply to know that by pushing for friendship, I was hurting you all this time.”

“Apology accepted.”

“And you’re happy?” he asked her, sliding a meaningful glance at Dominic.

“I’m happy,” said Mila. “I have no regrets about how things have turned out. And if you were honest with yourself, you’d admit that neither do you. You’re hurting, but you love Adele. Imprint bonds can be broken, Joel. Don’t let that happen.”

He swallowed. “I can feel a strain on the imprint bond. Like it could start crumbling any second.”

“You don’t want that. You’re angry with her, but you wouldn’t want to be without her.”

“It’s just hard to—” He cut off, his muscles tensing. And then she heard the snick of a gun.

“Do not move,” a new voice snarled.

Mila fisted her hands as a burly bearded male came into sight, shaggy-brown hair down to his shoulders. It didn’t matter that those eyes were dark blue—she knew them. Knew the beard was as fake as the color of the contact lenses and the wig that covered the dark hair she’d trimmed many times. He was also wearing padding to make his figure seem bulkier.

None of that held her attention, though.

She was more concerned with his hands. He wasn’t holding a gun. He was holding two, and both were outfitted with silencers. One was pointed at Joel, and the other was trained on Dominic. Mila’s claws sliced out, and her seething cat let out a loud guttural hiss that rang in Mila’s ears.

“Motherfucker,”spat Dominic as a menacing intensity gathered around him like a cloak.

Dean inclined his head. “Yeah, I figured you’d feel that way about me.”

“Hello, Dean,” said Mila, somehow keeping her voice calm even while panic tightened her muscles and poured down her throat, leaving a sour taste on her tongue. Her heart was pounding with a thick, insidious, all-consuming dread.

She now had a little taste of how Dominic must have felt seeing Rosemary pointing a gun at her. Terrified. Powerless. Enraged.

Unlike Rosemary, Dean’s hands were steady as he aimed those guns, and she could see he’d be perfectly comfortable using them. Knew he’d shoot Dominic without blinking, and he’d think nothing of it. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Adrenaline pumped through Mila, feeding her cat’s need to act. Lunge. Maim. “You know, Adele doesn’t believe you could possibly be the person who put a price on my head, but I think it’s safe to say that her faith in you is somewhat misplaced.”

A muscle in Dean’s cheek ticked. “My original plan was to make a deal with you, you know. I thought the two of us could somehow conspire to separate Adele and Joel. But I quickly sensed that you wouldn’t go for that, so I improvised.”

“Improvised? You put out a fucking contract on me, Dean.”

His jaw hardened. “I need her, Mila. I’ve needed her since the moment I first saw her in a vision. I spent years looking for her. Years. She’s mine; she should be with me, where she belongs. Not with some goddamn asshole who can’t recognize his own true mate even though she’s right under his fucking nose.”

Stepping farther into the room, Dean sneered at Joel. “Never once asked yourself why you were so drawn to Mila, did you? Adele didn’t want to switch back to your pride, you know, Mila. He pushed for the transfer, not her. And we all know it’s because part of him needs to be near you. Even now, when he finally knows the truth, he won’t demand to have what’s rightfully his.”

Dominic snarled, his neck corded, his muscles straining against his skin. “Mila will never be his. She’s mine.”

Dean frowned at him. “You have a predestined mate somewhere—”

“Mila is my mate,” Dominic stated, itching to pound his fists into the fucker’s face, just as his wolf itched to maul the living shit out of him. “Doesn’t matter to me what fate intended. I decide my own fate, and I chose Mila. She’ll always be my choice. So you can imagine just how badly I want to slit your fucking throat right now.”

“Well, we’re about to put your devotion to the test. We’ll see how much you really want her after she fucks her true mate right in front of you.” Dean smirked at Joel. “You want that, don’t you? You might not like that you want her, but you do.”

“Not gonna fucking happen,” Dominic rumbled.

Joel’s nostrils flared. “I love Adele—”

“She’s not yours to love,” snapped Dean. “And you can’t deny that you want that female over there who was made especially for you. Yeah, you want her. And now you’ll take her right here.”

Mila glared at him as a cold anger twisted her insides. The guy had obviously hopped onto the crazy wagon at some point. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am,” said Dean. “The only reason I didn’t kill him long ago is that the abrupt snapping of the imprinting bond could lead to Adele’s death. But I heard what he said just now. There’s a strain on the bond. It’s fragile. If the bond quite simply fades and crumbles to nothing, it won’t hit her so hard—she can survive it.

“Now that you both know the truth of who you are to each other, it won’t take much to make his bond with Adele fade. The mating urge would then kick in straightaway, and you and Joel will be driven to claim each other. Then Adele will be free of him. Joel, grab that chair and sit in it,” Dean instructed. “Good.” His eyes snapped back to her. “Now strip, Mila.”

“Fuck you,” she hissed. Her cat bashed at her, wanting the freedom to attack.

“No, you’ll be fucking Joel. And if you don’t, I’ll fire the gun that I’m pointing at Dominic’s head.”

Which was no doubt why Dean hadn’t already shot him, she thought—he knew that threatening Dominic would gain him her cooperation. And while she’d do just about anything for Dominic, she wouldn’t do this. It wouldn’t keep him alive. Dean didn’t plan for anyone other than himself to walk out of this room alive. He just wanted to make sure the imprinting bond between Joel and Adele was severed.

Her only real chance of saving Dominic would be to take her chances and lunge at Dean. He’d have to aim one of his guns at her to defend himself, which would then free either Joel or Dominic to move. Sadly, though, she’d be highly likely to get shot. Again.

“You’re wasting time, Mila,” said Dean.

Dominic lifted a brow. “You think I’ll just stand here while my mate fucks another guy?”

“Well, you can either stand still or be shot in the kneecaps.” Dean shrugged. “Either works for me.”

“So what, you think Adele will ride off into the sunset with you?” Mila shook her head. “She’ll consider this a betrayal.”

“No, she’ll see that I was right and that all it really took for you and Joel to claim each other was simply having the opportunity,” Dean argued. “She’ll see it was inevitable and that I saved her pain in the long run.”

“No, she’ll see that you’re fucking twisted—she won’t want anything to do with you.”

“I’ll take that chance. If I don’t, I lose her anyway. Now strip.”

“Hell fucking no.” Her whole body jolted as Dean fired a bullet at Dominic’s feet before quickly aiming the gun at his head once more. “Son of a bitch.” Her cat hissed, spat, and generally lost her mind.

Nostrils flaring, Dominic narrowed his eyes at the little fucker. “I’m going to kill you, you know,” he said conversationally.

Dean snickered. “I’m sure you think you—”

Joel sprang to life. With pallas cat speed, he jumped out of his seat and whirled on Dean, slicing at the tendons in the bobcat’s arm. A gun dropped to the floor. Fired. But the bullet harmlessly sank into the sofa.

Still, Mila flinched with a curse. She would have made a grab for the fallen weapon if it wasn’t somewhere behind Dean. Joel was currently trying to wrestle the second gun from the bobcat, both his hands locked around Dean’s wrist.

Dominic whipped out his phone and called Trey. “Need a little help in the greenroom. Alert security. Keep people away.” He ended the call without waiting for a response.

Mila bit her lip. “I know it’s dumb to get between two dominant shifters when they’re fighting, but I feel like we should do something.”

Intervening in such fights wasn’t done in their culture, but Dominic had every intention of doing so at some point. He was happy for Joel to beat the shit out of Dean, but Dominic was set on being the one to kill the bobcat. “Not yet.”

Mila shifted from foot to foot, wishing one of the brawling males would somehow kick the fallen weapon her way. Just when Joel seemed close to snatching the second gun from Dean, the bobcat managed to train it at Joel’s thigh and attempted to tighten his finger on the trigger. With a snarl, Joel used a surge of strength to shove the gun aside, inadvertently making it point at Dominic.

Her heart in her throat, Mila threw herself at Dominic, knocking him to the floor. The gun fired, and an unbearable heat blazed across her arm. She let out a pained “pissed-the-fuck-off” hiss.

Dominic rolled her beneath him, shielding her. “You okay?”

“Flesh wound,” she assured him. Which was true. But it still burned like a bitch.

“I’ll kill that piece of shit.” The bullet had merely grazed her, to his relief, but it had taken off a good few layers of skin. His head snapped up as his pack mates rushed inside and skidded to a stop, causing Zander, Derren, and Ally to almost crash into them.

“Need a healer over here!” Dominic called out. Mindful of her wound, he carefully pulled Mila to her feet.

She waved Ally off. “I’m fine, it’s just a flesh wound. My kind are fast healers, remember?”

“Then think of this as calming Dominic,” said Ally, placing her hand on Mila’s injured arm.

Taryn squinted. “Is that Dean Preston? I’d ask how the hell he managed to bypass security, but that disguise is damn good. He looks nothing like the pictures I saw of him.”

Trey grimaced at the blood Mila was now wiping from her healed arm. “Your brother and parents are gonna be pissed when they get here and find out you were hurt.”

Joel slammed Dean’s hand against the wall, making the gun clatter to the floor. Joel kicked it aside and then laid into Dean.

Dominic scooped up the weapon as the two male cats tore into each other, snarling and hissing. The fight was ugly. Fists flew. Teeth bit. Claws slashed and stabbed. Dean’s wig and fake beard soon toppled to the blood-specked floor.

Joel was faster. Stronger. But Dean was driven by the anger he’d harbored against Joel since his first vision of Adele, and he was venting every ounce of that rage. It was giving him an edge and making him a little crazy—hell, he even tried to tear a chunk off Joel’s ear with his teeth. Worse, Dean’s padding seemed to be making it hard for Joel to deliver maximum pain.

Zander winced when Dean raked his claws over Joel’s crotch. “That bobcat is a vicious fucker, isn’t he?”

“He knows that even if he defeats Joel, we’ll kill him,” said Mila. “Knows he’s gonna die tonight. He wants to take Joel down with him.”

“The only person who’ll die here tonight is Dean,” said Dominic. Although Mila was healed, the smell of his mate’s blood fed Dominic’s anger until it was agonizing for him to hold back and let Joel have his moment with the bobcat. Both males were tiring, and he knew it would only be a matter of—

Joel doubled over with a grunt as Dean’s claws stabbed him right in the gut. Eyes wide, the pallas cat staggered backward, heaving in a breath.

Smirking, Dean advanced on his opponent. So Dominic fired at the fucker’s ankle. Dean roared in pain, his leg almost crumpling beneath him. Dominic pulled the trigger again. The bullet sank into the bobcat’s foot, eliciting another agonizing cry out of him. And then Dean collapsed to the floor.

Clicking on the safety, Dominic tossed the gun aside. Barely holding himself upright, Joel looked as though he still might lunge at the bobcat, but Dominic shook his head and said, “No. He’s mine.”

Dominic slowly stalked toward Dean, his eyes flashing wolf as his animal reached for the surface. But Dominic suppressed the beast and remained in control.

Flat on his stomach, Dean weakly tried to drag himself toward the other gun.

“Planning to shoot me?” Dominic tutted at him. “That’s not very nice.” He stilled as a noise drifted to him over the sounds of music thumping.

Healing Joel, Ally frowned. “Was that—? I thought I heard screaming.”

Dominic narrowed his eyes. “So did I.” He reached out with his senses, and what he heard sent his heart racing. Screaming. Yelling. Gunshots. “What the fuck?”

Mila’s eyes widened as she glanced past him. “Dominic—”

He looked down just as Dean’s hand closed around the butt of the gun. Bending over, Dominic fisted the fucker’s hair and snatched back his head. “I told you I’d kill you.” In one merciless swipe, Dominic slit Dean’s throat with his claw.

“Outside,” said Derren, fisting his hands. “The gunshots are coming from outside. And they’re getting louder.”