Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Tao, the Head Enforcer, made a sound of disgust. “I get that Pierson’s upset and wants someone to blame, but this is fucking bullshit. It’s also the kind of thing that stirs up the anti-shifter extremists. Granted, they’re not as organized or well funded as they used to be, but they’re still dangerous.”
Tense seconds ticked by as everyone seemed to take a moment to digest everything.
Dominic looked at Trey. “What now?”
The leather chair squeaked as Trey leaned forward. “Now you lie low.”
Both Dominic and his wolf bristled. “I’m not hiding.”
“No, you’re not,” said Trey. “But you do need to keep a low profile for a few days. This article has already been shared on other sites and blogs and forums. You can bet your ass that a crowd of anti-shifter extremists will be standing outside our gates within a matter of hours, holding up ‘die demons’ billboards and making as much of a scene as they can. They’ll be chased off, but they’ll no doubt come back.”
Taryn slid off the desk with a sigh. “He’s right, Dominic. They usually get bored within a few days. Until then, it’s best you avoid your usual hangouts and don’t draw any attention to yourself. It’ll blow over fast. These things always do.”
“In the meantime, we’ll make a statement on the pack blog,” said Trey.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of statement?”
“A video.” Trey clicked his pen on and off as he continued. “We’ll tell the truth of the matter, and although it seems a shitty thing to do to someone who just tried to kill herself, we’ll mention that it’s not something she hasn’t tried before.”
Roni blinked. “Say that again.”
It was Taryn who explained. “Rhett’s unearthed a whole lot of information on Rosemary Pierson. She has a history of stalking, for one thing.”
“Stalking?” echoed Dante, draping an arm around Jaime’s shoulders.
“Yep,” replied Taryn. “An old boyfriend, her ex-husband, and her ex-husband’s new girlfriend all got restraining orders against her. She wrote them threatening letters, harassed them on social media, and turned up at their houses and places of work. She’s also tried to kill herself twice in the past. Once as a teenager, and once after her divorce.”
“I can see now why her father was so desperate to get her what she wanted that he offered me money to mate with her,” said Dominic. “He was worried she’d have a relapse of some kind.”
Trey nodded. “That was my thought. The ex-husband resembles you a little. I’ve got to wonder if that’s why she fixated on you. There are a lot of shifters out there, but she chose you—one who was highly unlikely to give her a commitment. That made no sense to me. But it could be that she was subconsciously drawn to you because you reminded her of what she lost and desperately wants back.”
Marcus scraped a hand over his stubbly jaw. “Do you think Emmet will stop at the article, or do you think he’ll make another sly move?”
“I don’t know.” Trey twisted his mouth. “That may depend on how damaging the article is for us.”
“If we move fast, we should be able to minimize any damage,” Trick reasoned.
“The extremists will pounce on this, but I don’t think we have to worry too much about the public believing Pierson’s lies,” Tao stated. “Especially when they hear about Rosemary’s history.”
Scrunching the printed article into a ball, Trey tossed it in the wastebasket. “I don’t like that we’ll be airing her dirty laundry, but we need to show that her unstable behavior started long before she ever met Dominic.”
Taryn straightened her shoulders. “Then let’s get it done.”
Sitting at the office desk, Trey, Taryn, and Dominic used the camera on Trey’s computer to record a brief but succinct message addressing Pierson’s article. They weren’t insensitive, didn’t directly call Rosemary a liar or claim she was unstable. They just stated the facts, letting them speak for themselves. Before ending the live recording, Taryn passed on her hope that Rosemary recovered soon.
Trey then turned to Dominic. “I know you’re thinking that your behavior brought this shit to our door. But you’re wrong. Rosemary’s and Emmet’s behavior did that, not yours.”
Dominic pushed to his feet. “I need to let my wolf out. He needs to run.” Run off the rage and feel fresh air on his face.
Outside the caves, Dominic shifted into his wolf form. The beast spent hours padding through the woods, chasing small animals, lapping from streams, and traipsing through the shallow river. Tired and much less angry than before, his wolf retreated.
Dominic pulled his clothes back on, still as restless. He had no one else to blame for the situation that he and his pack were currently in. It lay squarely on him, no matter what Trey said.
Did Dominic feel any responsibility for Rosemary’s attempted suicide? No, although he did feel shitty for being so harsh with her. The main reason he was so pissed at himself was that he quite simply hadn’t seen how unstable she was. She hadn’t raised any red flags. Why? Because he hadn’t looked below the surface. When it came to women, he never did.