Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

B olt paced Arek's office, stomping out his irritation with each step. "There's got to be someone else who can take this job." He glared at his alpha and snarled when he saw the amusement in Arek's eyes.The drive back to the Pack House had been tense. Bolt had tried to get his alpha to see how impossible the fake fiancé plan was, but Arek hadn't wanted to discuss it. He insisted they'd wait until Justice, the other lieutenant of the pack, could join them.

"I don't want Justice distracted from working on Bayden's disappearance, and he's going to stay on that until we get our pack member back."One of their wolves who worked a fraud case had all of a sudden stopped communicating with them, and nobody seemed to know what had happened to him. Bolt wasn't close to Bayden, but the fact that someone in the pack could just go missing was disturbing .

"Sorry, mate." Justice shook his head. "Wish I could help, but I'm sure you got this all handled. What did you call this client, the ice queen?"His British accent made the consonants extra clipped.

Bolt regretted sharing that nickname with the others, but it had slipped out before he could filter his thoughts. He still needed that nap. Moving his glare from Arek to Justice, he claimed the visitor's chair next to the one in which the Brit sat. "I didn't mean to say that out loud," he grumbled.

"I love it." Justice grinned at him. "You, with all them bottled-up emotions, ready to explode, paired with a woman who's all poise and control." He reached for the mug of tea he'd placed on Arek's desk. Always with his fucking tea.

"I don't bottle up my emotions," Bolt countered just as Laney slipped through the door.The strong scent of witchcraft trailed after their alpha's True Mate. She could manipulate space and time with her magic and send items into other dimensions. She also had the ability to figure out the age of ancient magical artifacts and what powers they held.

"You absolutely do," the witchsaid as she walked over to Arek, where he sat behind the desk and gave him a kiss. Their alpha's gaze softened as he looked at Laney. He tucked a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. The couple shared a private smile before Laney threw herself down on the sofa along one of the walls. She faced Bolt. "There are so many emotions trapped inside of you, and it's a wonder you don't walk around perpetually constipated."

Warm liquid sputtered out of Justice's mouth, soaking Bolt's jeans. He jumped out of the chair.That was just fucking gross.

"Sorry," the Brit croaked out between coughs. "It's just, Laney described you perfectly."

"Fuck you." Bolt grabbed some tissues from the dispenser on Arek's desk and blotted his jeans.He threw an apologetic look at Laney. Because of what had happened with his twin, he mistrusted witches on principle. But Laney used her powers for good, and so he liked her. It had, however, taken him a long time to get to that point. Saving his life had been a big help for her to become one of his favorite people, though. But after the constipation comment, she'd definitely slipped several positions in those rankings.

"It's okay to swear out loud even if I'm in the room," Laney said. "I'm not that delicate." Her golden eyes sparkled. "So, what's got Bolt so worked up?" she asked Arek.

He walked over to sit beside his true mate, putting his arm around her. "Bolt's just found out he's going to pose as a fake fiancé for our new client."

Laney scooted closer to Arek, leaning into him. "Ah, yes. I wondered when you would drop that bomb on him. How did Regina Lansford feel about her engagement? "

"Well," Arek hedged, throwing Bolt a crooked smile. "Let's just say she was about as delighted as our friend here."

Justice laughed again. "I don't know much about the lady, but I can see why she'd be reluctant to become a fake fiancée to grumpy-ass here." He gestured toward Bolt.

Before he had a chance to respond, Laney interjected excitedly. "I love her yoga videos." She scooted her slim, athletic body to the edge of the sofa. "Regina is such a badass. She built a multi-billion company from scratch that's all about women accepting themselves as they are and learning to love themselves." Her amber eyes shone. "I'm so excited she's our new client...well, except for that whole stalker thing. That's not good."

"I'm confused," Justice said. "I thought Lofn Wellness was all about getting women to work out. Doesn't that mean they want to change themselves, or at least their bodies?"

Laney shot him one of those I-can't-believe-I-have-to-explain-this-again looks that women used whenever they had to deal with a dense male brain. "Lofn Wellness's mission is to get women to accept themselves as worthy so that they want to feel better for themselves . Not so that they work out to look better for someone else."

Bolt didn't understand why this distinction made all the difference, but he wasn't going to tell Laney that. The witch looked at both him and Justice, so he nodded as if he understood. He worked out because he wanted to be strong and good at his job. When he'd been a captive in the fighting pits, he'd worked out in order to gain the strengths and muscles necessary to survive. To some extent, that was still true.

To be of value to the pack, he needed to do his job well. To stay sane and tame the wildness of his wolf, he needed to run in his animal form in nature. That cardio workout gave him stamina. But he didn't think being in physical shape made him more or less worthy.It was just something needed for his work. But them, he was a male wolf shifter, an apex predator. Human women had to navigate a much more hostile world than him, so he didn't pretend he understood the rules under which they lived or interacted with their environment.

The nod must not have been convincing, or maybe Justice still looked clueless because Laney sighed loudly. She looked at Arek, who also nodded and then shook her head. "Look, I could work out because I want to look good on the outside, but until I love myself on the inside, I'm never going to believe I look good on the outside. Get it?"

Nope. Still not getting it.

But absolutely not admitting to it.

Bolt tilted his head, trying to look as if what she said made perfect sense. Loving the inside made you look good on the outside. He had no idea what that meant. Tall or short, thin or thick, women had a beautiful grace to them that the male species lacked. And most of them were smarter than men .

Justice shook his head. "I'm sorry, Laney. I don't."Proving Bolt's point about not being smart enough to keep his mouth shut about his ignorance.

Laney snorted. "Of course, you don't. You're a man."

Bolt shifted in his seat and noticed Arek doing the same. Those words, in that tone of voice, never led to anything good.

His Alpha's True Mate's voice rose in volume as she continued. "You were raised to believe that the world centered around you and that how you look is just fine. You're judged mainly on what you accomplish, not on how you look."

Justice and Bolt were both raised by the same pit master. A mean son of a bitch who used the whip to get them to do what he wanted. Bolt didn't know what Justice's mental state was during that time, but his own focus had been on surviving and getting out of the hell that was the fighting pits. What he looked like hadn't really been all that important. However, now didn't seem like a good time to bring that up because Laney was on a roll.

"Women, on the other hand," she continued, her voice rising even more. "We're taught that we never measure up to the world's beauty ideal. The whole cosmetic industry and most of the fitness companies tell women that they are flawed and that their products can fix them. No matter how accomplished they are. No matter how much money they make. There is always something in their appearance that is flawed. Some insecurity to exploit for profit."

"To be fair," Justice interjected, "those industries tell men that too."

Laney shot him an impatient look. "Yes, but not to the same extent. Men's worth is valued according to their wealth and power. The media would never describe the cut of a rich male CEO's suit or mention what shoes he wore. However, even if you're one of the most powerful women in the world, journalists will still mention your hairstyle, your weight, and what you wear. A woman's worth is always about how she looks. It's so messed up that fashion magazines sell much better when they have a female model on the cover, even though they market to women."

Bolt didn't read fashion magazines, but he could see why that was bonkers. Although most of the men's fitness magazines had male models. Was that for the same reason? Not that he would ask Laney about that.

At least not now.

"I thought that was because those magazines are about clothes," Justice said. "It wouldn't make sense to have a man on the cover. Why would women want to buy men's outfits?"

"My point is," Laney said, frustration lacing her voice. "Lofn Wellness tells women that they are perfect just the way they are. That they are worthy and that they deserve to feel better in body, mind, and soul. Working out is not to make yourself look better to meet someone else's standards. It's about making yourself stronger and healthier so that you can live your best life."

Justice rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "That's brilliant."

"Yes," Laney agreed. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Ms. Lansford is a brilliant marketing strategist. She's managed to convince her customers that she is different from all the other companies out there. And she can show them why they didn't meet their fitness goals in the past."

Laney shook her head. "No, that's not what she's saying."

Justice nodded. "But it is.She's still telling them that they are flawed, the same message that other companies project. But her message isn't that they're not good enough because they're not good-looking enough. They're imperfect because they don't love themselves enough. Plus, it doesn't hurt that she was born into immense wealth and privilege. Even if she fails in business, she's got family money to soften her fall."

Laney stared at Justice, who calmly met her gaze.

Then she looked at Arek.

Her mate leaned over and took her hand. "You are the most beautiful woman I know, inside and outside." Good answer, but apparently not the correct one this time .

Laney pulled her hand free and stood. "It's impossible to reason with someone as cynical as you," she shot Justice's way as she stomped toward the door. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob and turned toward them. "And for your information, she was not born into money. Her dad squandered most of the family money. Her parents' life insurance paid for her college and graduate school, but she rebuilt the Lansford family fortune with Lofn Wellness. Something you'd know if you'd bothered to read her file." She didn't slam the door on her way out, but it definitely made a louder noise than normal.

Bolt mulled over Laney's words about Regina Lansford earning her own money. He'd have to adjust his view of the ice queen. What he really needed was for this meeting to be over so he could take that nap and then read his new client's file.

"Do you have to do that?" Arek asked Justice. "Do you have to push all her buttons?"

"But it's so easy," the Brit laughed. "I'll apologize later. She'll forgive me. Again."

"One of these days, she just might not," Arek answered.He growled low. "Or maybe I won't."

Justice shrugged. "She loves me and knows I'm just teasing. But I get your point. I'll stop irritating your mate. At least for today, maybe even for the rest of the week." He turned toward Bolt. "Let's discuss this new job of yours, then. Now that we know how brilliant Ms. Lansford is, how are you going to hold your own against her?"

First the quip about the "bottled-up" emotions, then the laughter about him being constipated, and now the Brit insulted his intelligence. Justice had just slipped completely off Bolt's favorite people list. As a matter of fact, he had a new position at the top of a list of people Bolt would most like to punch in the face.

"It's a job like any other job," he said, purposely keeping his voice flat while wondering how hard he'd have to hit Justice's nose to wipe that smug look off his face."The ice queen and I will keep things professional and amicable until we find this sick fuck who's stalking her."

His wolf growled at the thought of Regina's stalker.

Arek and Justice startled at the sound and then both busted out laughing.

Assholes.