Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack #5) - Suzanne Wright Page 0,94
always been a bit of an asshole. It seemed they wouldn’t be getting much support from that corner.
Parker looked at Remy. “As I understand it, you wish to claim the shelter and its land as your own.”
Remy straightened. “Yes. Unfortunately, Dawn is opposed to the idea.”
“Before we proceed, I must ask both parties if either wishes to change its stance.” When he received no response, Parker continued, “Remy Deacon, as you are the applicant, let us hear your case first.”
“May I please ask that the Phoenix wolves be removed from the room? This business is not theirs.”
Makenna blinked. Ho, ho, ho—what a sneaky little shit. She placed a hand over Ryan’s clenched fist, feeling his aggravation flow through her.
Dawn spoke quickly. “Makenna is one of my most trusted staff members and, as such, this is very much her business.”
“She is a Phoenix wolf?” asked Parker.
“Yes. Naturally, her mate and some of her wolves are here to support her, just as Remy’s wolves are here to support him.”
Parker inclined his head slightly. “Very well. Let us continue. Remy, please come forward.”
As Remy moved to the chair that was slightly to the right of the panel, Emilio leaned forward. “Tell us, Remy, how long ago did you first approach Dawn about joining your pack?”
Remy spared her a brief glance. “Approximately seven months ago.”
“And what was it that you discussed?”
“I told her that I admired what she did for lone shifters, that I would imagine she found it difficult to run the shelter without protection. I offered for Dawn and her staff to join my pack. I won’t say I did it purely for selfless reasons. I made no secret that I was interested in possessing the land the shelter sits on. I wish to expand my territory.”
“What was Dawn’s response?”
“She turned down the offer, claimed she didn’t need any protection. I wasn’t happy about that, but I respected her decision. I would have stayed away from the shelter but . . .” Remy sighed. “I’m sure you all remember that local humans began a petition to have the shelter shut down.”
Harrison replied, “Yes, the human court dismissed it.”
Remy nodded. “But I was worried for the shelter and its future, so I went back to Dawn and repeated my offer. Again, she rejected it out of hand. I felt my only choice was to apply to the council. When I served Dawn the mediation letter, I tried one final time to convince her to accept my offer. It did not happen. In fact, the Phoenix wolves warned me away. I don’t feel that such intimidation was necessary or fair. I expected better of Dawn.”
Emilio tapped his chin. “I take it mediation was not productive.”
“Dawn sees no gain in this for anyone—not even me. I had hoped she would change her mind at some point. I’m surprised she didn’t, given the things that later happened.”
Landyn’s brows pinched together. “Could you elaborate?”
“As I said, I was worried for the shelter and its future. And as I hoped the land would soon be mine, I assigned some of my wolves to guard it. They reported that Dawn was having problems.”
“What sort of problems?” asked Parker.
“The shelter always had a constant flow of people coming and going, but lately it seems that not many loners are moving on. The place is becoming overfull. And, according to some of her staff who actually want to move to my pack, some of her sponsors have pulled out.”
The lying little fucker. Makenna clenched her jaw to stop the words from escaping her.
“I see,” said Emilio.
“I have already told Dawn that I have the means to financially support and expand the building. Yet, she did not seek my help. At first, I thought the female was merely stubborn. But I’ve come to believe that it’s not actually Dawn who’s so opposed to joining my pack, it is the two females you see with her.”
Landyn consulted a sheet of paper in front of him. “Madisyn Drake and Makenna Wray?”
“Yes,” confirmed Remy. “They are, in a sense, her enforcers. I suppose they fear losing their position. My point was proven when Makenna insisted on continuing to work at the shelter after being attacked by extremists, even though it could lead them there. It clearly demonstrates she’s selfish and not devoted to the shelter for the right reasons. I believe that Dawn is. Still, if Dawn did not insist that Makenna stay clear of the shelter until things cool down, she doesn’t care for