father—and Dominic hadn’t felt more than a twinge of hurt.
His own mother had abandoned him, but he hadn’t felt the expected level of betrayal and pain. As if the true impact of her actions just hadn’t been able to touch him. He’d realized then just how much he’d withdrawn from others. Realized that he’d built a metaphorical shell around himself.
He’d met many people who were hard and rough on the outside while hiding a soft center. Dominic might not have a hard outer layer, but he was still surrounded by a protective shell. There couldn’t be walls like that between mates. Both needed to be open to the other, and that left them incredibly vulnerable.
Allegra had known that separating herself from her mate, Lincoln, could lead to one of them turning rogue. She’d known that the rogue wolf would then be killed, and that the likelihood of the other surviving the breaking of the mating bond was slim. Allegra hadn’t cared about any of that. Hadn’t cared that Dominic would be left alone.
He had no idea where she’d gone or what had happened to her, although he believed she was likely dead. His old Alpha, Rick—who was Trey’s father—had survived after his mate had turned rogue, but Dominic suspected that was because Rick and Louisa hadn’t been true mates.
Dominic had never tried to find out what had happened to Allegra. He honestly didn’t care. Louisa had left her mate, knowing what fate could lie ahead for her, but she’d done it to be with her son; she’d done it to start a new pack with Trey after Rick had banished him. Allegra, on the other hand, had completely deserted her family. If she was alive, she’d know that Lincoln was dead, and she’d know that Dominic was alone . . . but she’d never come back for him.
If Allegra and Lincoln had been a human couple, they could have divorced and started fresh. True-mate bonds didn’t allow for things like that, and they sure didn’t guarantee the happiness that most people assumed they did.
Dante was right; Dominic wasn’t truly happy. But he still enjoyed his life. He didn’t yet feel the need to find his mate and, despite what Rosemary claimed, he never gave off any signals that implied differently.
Except with Mila, he thought. He’d never pursued anyone before, and such a thing could certainly be misconstrued. But he’d been completely honest with her from the start; he’d been clear that he just wanted a bit of fun.
Still, it would be wise to ease up on her, but Dominic knew that he wouldn’t. And he realized that part of the attraction for him was that there was no risk of emotional entanglements with Mila. No expectations. No complications. No chance of her wanting more, and then finding him lacking. Intent on an arranged mating, Mila wouldn’t want anything from him. She’d insist on distance and boundaries. It would just be sex. Rough. Hard. Raw.
Ignoring the odd sensation that he felt in his gut whenever he thought of her bound to some asshole—and yeah, Dominic had simply decided that the guy was an asshole based on nothing—he quickened his pace. He needed to get ready for his trip to the Velvet Lounge tonight.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mic in hand, Mila let the lyrics and raw emotion pour out of her and into the song. Harley perfectly complemented the dance tune as she played her electric violin, and the DJ hyped up the cheering crowd with his own mic. There was so much energy in the club, it was crazy. Performing was a rush for Mila. An intoxicating, unparalleled high that made her feel alive and free . . . taking her up and up and up.
Her cat loved experiencing that rush. Loved the feel of so much adrenaline pumping through her.
Onstage, Mila could forget everything else. Could shed her frustration with her pride for having spent the past six days trying to convince her not to mate with Maksim. Could shed her anger with Joel for going ape-shit on her earlier when she refused to budge on moving to Russia. Could even shed her irritation at the bitches who were trying to edge their way into the VIP area where Dominic was sitting.
He hadn’t bothered her once since that day at the barbershop, so he’d obviously accepted that she had no interest in starting anything with him. Yeah, all right, a very illogical part of her was disappointed by that. But it was for