CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Curled up on an armchair, Makenna sighed at her mate as she placed her mug on the small table beside her. “I’m just saying, it’s bad luck to cut your nails on a Friday.” She held up her hands in a gesture of innocence. “I don’t make up the rules of the universe. I’m just the messenger.”

A muscle in Ryan’s cheek ticked, and his hand clenched tightly around the TV remote. “But it’s not a rule of the universe. It’s a ridiculous superstition.”

“I don’t know why you have to say ‘superstition’ like it’s a dirty word.”

“I don’t know why you can’t just be normal and accept that they’re bullshit.”

“You know what I just heard? ‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, I’m a shithead.’”

Gently patting the back of the swaddled baby sleeping against his chest, Dominic watched the couple argue. Makenna was wildly superstitious, whereas her mate was all about logic and reason, so the two often argued over such things. Since Ryan was ordinarily quite stoic and mostly communicated with grunts, it was always fun to watch the enforcer lose it with his mate. She was literally the only person who could wrench such a reaction out of him.

The other pack members scattered around the living area were also enjoying the show. In fact, Roni and Marcus—a mated couple who acted as enforcers for both the Phoenix Pack and the Mercury Pack—had even switched their attention from the movie they had been watching to the other couple, observing the argument while sharing a bag of strawberry licorice.

Like the other rooms within the large multifloored cave dwelling, the living area was all modern furnishings and woodsy colors. Decorative swirls were carved into the main light-cream sandstone wall of the room, complementing the rustic fireplace. The large sectional sofas and plush armchairs were all angled toward the state-of-the-art audiovisual system.

“I’ve never even heard of that dumb superstition before,” Ryan went on. “It wouldn’t surprise me if you made it up to irritate me.”

Makenna’s eyes widened. “I didn’t. There’s even a rhyme about it.”

“You say that as if the rhyme gives it credibility. There’s also a rhyme about Humpty Dumpty. He was fictional too.”

“Actually,” Roni cut in, “there are some who believe that Humpty Dumpty was King Richard III of England, who was defeated in the 1400s despite how big and tough his armies were. And there are others who think Humpty Dumpty was actually a cannon that was placed on a city wall but later fell to the ground.”

Makenna smirked at Ryan. “Don’t know everything, do you, White Fang?”

“There is no such thing as bad luck,” he maintained.

“You’re tempting fate again.” Makenna pointed at the coffee table. “Knock—”

“Do not tell me to knock on wood.”

“Fine. Tempt fate. See if I care.” Makenna picked up her e-reader and returned to her book, dismissing him. Ryan honestly looked close to leaping off his chair and snatching the e-reader right out of her hand.

Dominic exchanged an amused look with his Beta female, Jaime, who was sprawled beside him on the reclining end of the sofa. As her mouth opened wide in yet another jaw-popping yawn, he said, “You look zonked.”

“Sleepless nights will do that to a girl,” she muttered, adjusting the soft blanket that was tucked around her legs.

“Why don’t you go rest in your room while the baby’s sleeping?” Makenna suggested.

Jaime gave a tired shake of her head. “I’ll stay.”

“He’ll be fine,” Dominic assured her.

“I know, I just . . .” Jaime lowered her voice, as if confessing a shameful secret. “I don’t want to leave him. Clingy, aren’t I?”

“I’d say it’s normal,” Makenna consoled.

Jaime gently skimmed the baby’s cheek with her fingertip. “I can’t believe how easily he falls asleep for you,” she said to Dominic.

“What can I say? I’m his favorite uncle,” said Dominic. “I’m still surprised you called him Hendrix.”

Jaime frowned. “And what’s wrong with that name?”

“Nothing,” said Dominic. “It suits the little guy. I just wouldn’t have expected Dante to go for something unusual. Also, he was set on Daniel.”

“Hendrix doesn’t look like a Daniel.”

In agreement with that, Dominic nuzzled Hendrix’s downy head. He was so small and cute, and he smelled so fresh and sweet.

“You know, Dom, this is the most laid-back I’ve seen you in days,” Jaime observed. “You’ve been a little moody lately. Seemed kind of distracted.”

“It wouldn’t have something to do with a certain pallas cat called Mila, would it?” asked Trey. Well, it was more of a taunt than a question.

Marcus chuckled. “I really wish I’d been there to see her blow you off.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that from Madisyn,” said Makenna, her mouth quirking. As the barmaid’s best friend, she’d gotten an earful.

Trey balanced his coffee cup on the arm of his chair, his eyes on Dominic. “I got a call from Vinnie. He said Ingrid mentioned something about you turning up at the barbershop where Mila works and giving her your cell number.”

“Really?” Marcus lifted a brow at Dominic. “Has she called you?”

Dominic narrowed his eyes at the other enforcer. “Since when do you care about my sex life?”

Marcus chuckled again. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Madisyn did tell you that Mila’s not someone you’ll be able to charm into bed,” Trey reminded him. “I asked Vinnie if he was going to warn you away from Mila. He laughed and said he wouldn’t need to—said she’d see right through your shit.”

Dismissing his pack mates with a Ryan-like grunt, Dominic nuzzled Hendrix again. It was true that Dominic had been moody and distracted recently. Six days. It had been six days since he’d last seen Mila. She hadn’t called. Had he expected her to? No. She seemed determined to resist him, and it was clear that she was stubborn as hell. It shouldn’t bother him so damn much, but it did—hence the moodiness.

Generally, Dominic didn’t “think” about women. Didn’t wonder what they were up to or where they were or who they were with. But Mila popped into his head several times a day. Hell, he’d even dreamed about her. Dreamed he was fucking her mouth, her sleek curls bunched in his hands.

She’d be singing at the Velvet Lounge tonight, and he fully intended to be there. He liked being around her. She amused him. Intrigued him. Teased him. Wasn’t easily impressed or charmed, which meant he had to work for her attention. Her eyes lit up when he amused her, which he liked, but she hadn’t fallen at his feet. Didn’t flirt or encourage him. She was just . . . refreshing.

Trey’s cell began to ring, and Hendrix fussed a little but thankfully didn’t wake.

“Hey,” Trey greeted the caller.

Thanks to his shifter-enhanced hearing, Dominic recognized the voice on the other end of the line as Gabe, Jaime’s brother, but he couldn’t quite make out the words.

Trey’s face hardened. Without ending the call, he spoke to Dominic. “You have a visitor, but I’m not so sure you’re going to like who it is.”

“Emmet Pierson?” Dominic had expected as much.

“No. Rosemary Pierson.”

Dominic swore under his breath.

Roni licked her front teeth. “That bitch is either ballsy or stupid.”

“I’m leaning toward crazy,” said Trey. His gaze slid back to Dominic. “If you’re willing to hear what she has to say, I’ll ask Gabe to tell her to wait outside the gate.”

“I’ll speak to her,” Dominic told him, carefully handing Hendrix back to Jaime.

“Want company?” Marcus asked him.

Standing, Dominic shook his head. This was his mess. “I’ll deal with her.”

He stalked through the network of sandstone tunnels, exited the main door, and descended the steps that were carved into the cliff face. The ancient cave dwelling was situated deep in their territory, surrounded by forests and mountains. It had been increasingly modernized over the years and comfortably housed all twenty-seven members of his pack.

The breeze kept him cool as he jogged through the maze of wild shrubs and weathered trees, alarming the small animals who then fled into the underbrush. The sounds of birds chirping, wings fluttering, and branches creaking were as comforting as the scents of pine, wildflowers, and sun-warmed earth. But none eased his irritation.

Arriving at the security shack, he nodded at Gabe and asked, “Has she given you any trouble?”

“No, she politely asked for you,” said Gabe. “When I said you’d be down shortly, she didn’t complain that I wouldn’t let her through, but she didn’t look happy about it.”

Crossing to the wrought iron gates, Dominic opened one just enough to slip through and then stalked to the driver’s side of the Volvo. His wolf snapped his teeth as Rosemary lowered her window, her smile both shy and uncertain.

With her sleek blonde hair, hourglass figure, and gorgeous long legs, she’d easily caught Dominic’s eye. He’d made it clear when they met that he wasn’t looking for anything other than a one-night stand, and she’d been fine with it. Or, at least, she’d seemed fine with it. Dominic was learning that Rosemary was very good at acting.

“Hi.” She glanced at the gate. “Can we talk? Please?”

She was high if she thought he’d ever permit her on his territory. He planted his feet and folded his arms. “You have two minutes, so make them count.”

She winced. “I can see that you’re upset. I’m sorry if my father—”

“This isn’t about your father. This is about you. You lied to him. You spun him a tale about us being in a relationship.”

“I didn’t tell him it was a one-night stand for two reasons. One, he would have been disappointed in me. Two, he might have tried to twist it into you using me. He can be vindictive at times, and I didn’t want him causing problems for your pack.”

“Why was I even a topic of conversation between you two?”

“I mentioned to him that I thought mating a shifter could be what my wolf and I need. He agreed with me, and he asked if I knew any shifters. I told him about you, but I didn’t think he’d go to you and make that offer. I swear, I didn’t.”

She could “swear” all she wanted—Dominic wasn’t buying it. He cocked his head. “You really think you have an animal inside you?”

“I know I do, Dominic.” Rosemary put a fist to her chest. “I feel her. She’s sleeping, but she’s there. If I mated another shifter, if she had a mate of her own, I think she’d wake for him and his animal.”

Dominic shook his head, sure to the bone that she was wrong. Maybe it was a fantasy she’d concocted as a child because it comforted her, just as a kid might invent an imaginary friend. But it was pretty fucking warped that Rosemary hadn’t let that fantasy go. “Like I told your father, if you had an animal inside you, I’d sense her. My wolf would sense her. There’s nothing there, Rosemary. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”

Her eyes hardened. “Like I said, she’s sleeping.”

“I’d still sense her.”

“You’re wrong.” Rosemary’s hands clenched so tightly around the steering wheel that her knuckles went white. “All I need is to mate with a shifter. She’ll surface to be with his animal. She will.” The feverish glint in her eyes told him there’d be no convincing her to even consider that she could be mistaken.

He backed up a few steps. “If you want to believe that, fine, but keep me out of it.”

“Dominic, wait. Look, I know you don’t want to be mated—”

Bristling, he stilled. “You don’t know anything about what I want.”

She scoffed. “Come on, Dominic, you go through women like they’re a dying breed. People are often judged for wanting to be single, but if that makes them happy, it should be fine.”

It was an argument that he himself had made many times to others who’d criticized his lifestyle. And yet, when he heard it from Rosemary, it sounded weak.

“If you want to be forever single, that’s your choice. But surely you want kids, Dominic. Surely you want a child you can love and teach and share your wolf with. Surely he wants it.”

It really wasn’t until Rosemary put the idea in his head that Dominic realized how much he did want kids. He’d never thought about it before, mostly because he was all about the “now” and wasn’t someone who thought too much about what the future held.

“I can give you exactly what you want—you can have a child without being in a relationship. If you mate with me, we can end it as soon as I’m pregnant. You can resume living a single life, if that’s what you want. This would work for both of us, Dominic.”

His wolf jerked back at the thought of having anything more to do with this female, let alone having a pup with her. “I don’t know what you think you know about mating bonds, but I’m guessing you’re as ignorant as your father. The bonds don’t form just because you want them to.”

“But I—”

“There have to be emotions like respect and trust between the pair. There can’t be secrets, fears, or barriers. You have to be completely bare to the other person. And you sure as shit can’t just walk away from a bond if it does form.” Not without grave consequences that could ruin several lives. “So no, this won’t work for either of us.”

Her lips thinned. “We might not love each other now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t feel that way. We just need to take the time to get to know—”

“What we need is to go our separate ways.” Done wasting his time on this shit, Dominic turned his back on her and headed for the gate. “There are other shifters, Rosemary. Talk to them, make your offer to them.” They’d tell her the same thing, and then maybe she’d realize she was pissing in the wind.

“You don’t want to walk away from me, Dominic.”

Slipping through the gate, he glanced back at her. “Oh?”

She licked her lips. “I didn’t want to tell you this because I was worried you’d freak out. When I’m around you, I swear I feel my wolf starting to stir. Not awaken, exactly. But . . . it’s like you disturb her sleep. As if you make that sleep lighter. It could be that we’re true mates.”

His gaze flicked upward, and he almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of that statement. “Go home, Rosemary.”

“You know it, too, Dominic. I know you do—you gave off all the signals of a male who’s found his mate,” she said, her words coming sharp and fast. “You may not want a mating bond, but what about your wolf? Wouldn’t he like the gift of finding his mate? Don’t you see, Dominic? We could all get what we want out of this. It’s the perfect solution!”

Locking the gate, Dominic firmly stated, “We’re not true mates, Rosemary.”

“But my wolf—”

“Doesn’t exist. Even if she did, it doesn’t change that this situation will not work for me. Like I said to you earlier, you don’t know a damn thing about what I want. You just think you do.” With that, he stalked off.

“It doesn’t surprise me that you’d walk away from this!” she yelled. “It just proves I was right, that you don’t want attachments!”

Ignoring her, Dominic spoke to Gabe. “If she comes back, send her away.”

Gabe nodded. “Got it.”

Hoping to walk off his anger in the woods, Dominic didn’t hurry back to the caves. “Signals,” she’d said. He hadn’t given her any fucking signals. He hadn’t led her on by word or deed. Hadn’t done anything that would give her the false impression that he was looking for something serious.

She was wrong in thinking he didn’t want a serious relationship eventually. He’d come across countless females in his time who’d claimed they “knew” why he didn’t commit, who’d been so certain that they’d seen through him. They’d tossed out all kinds of theories—he feared commitment, he was pining for someone he couldn’t have, he’d become relationship-shy after a woman he’d loved had betrayed him.

They’d all been wrong.

It had long ago become instinct for Dominic to keep a large part of himself separate from others. His parents lost their first son, Tobias, when the kid was ten. His mother, Allegra, had crashed the family car after falling asleep at the wheel, and the brother he’d never known was killed. She’d never stopped hating herself for it. Grief had begun to drive his parents apart, so they’d had Dominic to “fix” their relationship, to “heal” them and bring them back together.

The problem was that they’d never been able to fully see Dominic. They’d always compared him to Tobias. Always marveled over their similarities and frowned at their differences.

In many ways, Tobias had been held up to him as a measuring stick. No matter what he’d done, Dominic could never quite meet their expectations. And when someone didn’t see you, when they’d twinned your identity up with someone else’s and made you feel both unknown and unwanted, the world could be a very lonely place.

As an adult, Dominic could see that his parents had held back from him out of fear that they’d lose him just as they’d lost Tobias—they hadn’t wanted to feel that same level of pain again. But as a child, Dominic hadn’t seen it that way. He’d felt unimportant, unloved, and not good enough. Felt like he didn’t belong.

He’d not only maintained an emotional distance from his parents, he’d also developed a habit of keeping that same distance from others. He’d subconsciously hidden his pain and anger as well as his true self, only giving people small glimpses of the real Dominic. It was something he hadn’t really noticed until the day his mother left when he was just thirteen—deserting both him and his father—and Dominic hadn’t felt more than a twinge of hurt.

His own mother had abandoned him, but he hadn’t felt the expected level of betrayal and pain. As if the true impact of her actions just hadn’t been able to touch him. He’d realized then just how much he’d withdrawn from others. Realized that he’d built a metaphorical shell around himself.

He’d met many people who were hard and rough on the outside while hiding a soft center. Dominic might not have a hard outer layer, but he was still surrounded by a protective shell. There couldn’t be walls like that between mates. Both needed to be open to the other, and that left them incredibly vulnerable.

Allegra had known that separating herself from her mate, Lincoln, could lead to one of them turning rogue. She’d known that the rogue wolf would then be killed, and that the likelihood of the other surviving the breaking of the mating bond was slim. Allegra hadn’t cared about any of that. Hadn’t cared that Dominic would be left alone.

He had no idea where she’d gone or what had happened to her, although he believed she was likely dead. His old Alpha, Rick—who was Trey’s father—had survived after his mate had turned rogue, but Dominic suspected that was because Rick and Louisa hadn’t been true mates.

Dominic had never tried to find out what had happened to Allegra. He honestly didn’t care. Louisa had left her mate, knowing what fate could lie ahead for her, but she’d done it to be with her son; she’d done it to start a new pack with Trey after Rick had banished him. Allegra, on the other hand, had completely deserted her family. If she was alive, she’d know that Lincoln was dead, and she’d know that Dominic was alone . . . but she’d never come back for him.

If Allegra and Lincoln had been a human couple, they could have divorced and started fresh. True-mate bonds didn’t allow for things like that, and they sure didn’t guarantee the happiness that most people assumed they did.

Dante was right; Dominic wasn’t truly happy. But he still enjoyed his life. He didn’t yet feel the need to find his mate and, despite what Rosemary claimed, he never gave off any signals that implied differently.

Except with Mila, he thought. He’d never pursued anyone before, and such a thing could certainly be misconstrued. But he’d been completely honest with her from the start; he’d been clear that he just wanted a bit of fun.

Still, it would be wise to ease up on her, but Dominic knew that he wouldn’t. And he realized that part of the attraction for him was that there was no risk of emotional entanglements with Mila. No expectations. No complications. No chance of her wanting more, and then finding him lacking. Intent on an arranged mating, Mila wouldn’t want anything from him. She’d insist on distance and boundaries. It would just be sex. Rough. Hard. Raw.

Ignoring the odd sensation that he felt in his gut whenever he thought of her bound to some asshole—and yeah, Dominic had simply decided that the guy was an asshole based on nothing—he quickened his pace. He needed to get ready for his trip to the Velvet Lounge tonight.