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.”
And therein lay the reason why Dominic’s wolf wanted to claw his own Alphas.
“Especially since she’s dealing with her own shit right now.” Taryn stretched her legs out in front of her. “I’m guessing Emmet thought the first article would make people turn on you, but it didn’t. With any luck, this article will be just as ineffective. From the online responses that Rhett has seen so far on various blogs and forums, most people aren’t buying Emmet’s claims—particularly because the first article contained so many untruths. But Trey’s right: this will put you in the spotlight, and that spotlight will shine on whomever you’re seen with.”
“Also, Rosemary may see these articles and photos,” said Trey. “If you’re photographed with Mila or any other female, Rosemary could do something else stupid—maybe to them, maybe to you, or maybe to