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)
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.”