to their feet. “And there never will be. Take my Alpha female’s advice—consult other shifters and offer that check to them. You’ll soon come to realize that you’re asking for something I can’t give her.”
With that, the four wolves stalked out of the restaurant and headed to the pack’s vehicle.
Riding shotgun, Dominic rubbed at his nape. “I did not see that coming.”
“Rosemary never hinted at you mating with her?” Trey asked him from the rear seat, his arm draped around Taryn.
“No.” Dominic clicked on his seat belt. “She said she was divorced, that the guy was a complete asshole, and that she envied shifters for having predestined mates. She didn’t mention that she believed she had an inner animal.”
“Because she was sure you’d know that to be untrue.” Dante switched on the ignition and reversed out of the parking space. “I’m guessing she thought Daddy could get her what she wanted. Money talks in the world of humans. In our world? Not so much.”
“Although I feel bad that she can’t have kids, I also want to wring her neck for feeding her father all those lies,” said Taryn. “She clearly lives in a fantasy world. Be careful, Dominic. People like that don’t give up easily. They can cling to their beliefs for a long time. She apparently sees you as the answer to all her problems.”
Driving out of the lot, Dante sighed at him. “Don’t you know better than to sleep with unhinged humans, Dom?”
“Hey, she didn’t let her crazy flag fly when I was around her,” Dominic defended himself. “She seemed normal enough.”
“See, this is what happens when you skip the getting-to-know-the-girl phase—you miss learning she’s a living, breathing shit-storm heading your way.” Dante met Trey’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Do you think her father will try to cause problems for the pack?”
“I doubt it,” replied Trey. “He probably threatened us because he was pissed. Besides, I don’t see what kind of trouble Pierson could cause us anyway. He’s probably still hoping that Dominic will change his mind. Whatever the case, it’s possible that Dominic hasn’t seen the last of Rosemary. She won’t like that she didn’t get what she wanted.”
Dominic snickered. “Well, she’ll just have to deal with it.”
Shoving her pasta around the lunch container with her fork, Mila sighed. She’d known that her parents wouldn’t take the whole “arranged mating” thing well. Known they wouldn’t want her to take a mate who’d only looked her way because he wanted an alliance with the Ivanov wolverines. Known they’d hate that mating Maksim would mean her staying permanently in Russia. Although she’d been braced for their disappointment, the weight of it still hurt.
Her mother was beyond furious. Her mouth tight, Valentina was sharply striding around the barbershop’s break room cleaning in fast-forward—wiping coffee grounds from the counter, cleaning mug rings from the table, tidying the newspapers, washing cups, and even wiping the screen of the wall-mounted TV.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” said James, sitting on the couch with his elbows braced on his thighs and his hand clenched around a porcelain mug. “You’re the last person I ever thought would enter into an arranged mating.”
“It sounds cold, I know, but I like the guy, Dad.” Mila leaned back in the plastic chair. “It’s not official yet. I haven’t allowed Maksim to lay any claim on me—not even a temporary one. We’ll get to know each other better when I return to Russia. I’m not rushing into anything—I can’t rush, since the visa application process takes time. It’s not like I’m leaving next week or anything.”
“Arranged matings can be disastrous if the couple never imprints on each other.”
“Which is why I won’t go through with the mating ceremony unless we imprint. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll walk away. But there are many instances where such matings do go well.”
“Oh, couples can grow to care for each other, sure, and the bonds they form can be strong. But not always strong enough that their happiness is long lasting.”
“What about my grandparents?” she challenged, referring to Valentina’s parents. “They entered into an arranged mating, and they’re happy.”
James flicked his hand. “Skeletor and her man-slave don’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’re both highly dysfunctional.”
Considering her grandfather did odd shit like pretend to be agoraphobic so that her grandmother wouldn’t make him go shopping, Mila couldn’t argue with that. She dumped her fork in the plastic tub, and her mother instantly snatched it up, along with James’s cup. “Mom, sit down, I’ll clean them.”