Dance Around - Susi Hawke Page 0,7

"So my parents didn't come up with the whole arranged mate idea themselves?"

Shaking my head, I held up a hand. "Don't get it twisted, sweetheart. They still went for it, so they aren’t absolved. But no, it wasn't their original plan. Maybe it would've been at some point? You'd have to ask them. But according to Sal's records, Chuck asked his parents to approach Adrienne personally. He told them some lie about hearing through the grapevine of an eligible omega nephew from pure bloodlines who was not only cute but a chef as well. Your dad got his sports car, they got their contract, and Sal got you. Forcing you to accept multiple partners so Theo’s parentage would be unknown was to show shifter purity is a farce. Sal came up with the concept. It was on a recording from one of their meetings."

Nash looked as disgusted as I'd felt when I first came across the information. "So basically, by picking Isaac, Sal could thumb his nose at the SPTA and the idea of shifter purity, while also having an omega handy to make his statement to the world. And he didn’t give a shit what the omega would have to go through in the process. Damn. That's cold, even for a piece of shit like him. Now I wish we’d killed him when we had the chance."

Isaac rubbed his mate's chest as if trying to soothe an angry cat. Technically, it wasn't far from the truth. His nostrils flared in another deep breath. "It was bad enough to think my shitty luck was happenstance, you know? But knowing I was personally targeted makes me feel… I don't know, dirty? No, not dirty. Used. Like I was simply a fancier tissue than the others in the box. But in the end, I was still a tissue to be used and tossed aside. Am I making sense?"

My heart broke for him. He'd been through so much before finding his way to Nash. "Absolutely. Hence why I wasn't in a hurry to tell you what I discovered in the files. Honestly? I can't promise I ever would've if this whole thing hadn't come up."

I paused to breathe in another shot of sweet baby smell before passing Theo back to his grandmother. Once my hands were free, I slapped them on my knees and leaned forward. "As my mother used to say, I would bet dollars to donuts Morty needs you there personally to testify because of her. And since you didn't know about the Adrienne Powell connection, he wasn't planning to tell you unless he had to, either. I’d like to say Morty was being sneaky again, but I suspect this is a sign he might have a heart. You being a Powell will have a lot of pull with some members of the council. If it didn't, the SPTA wouldn't have such a firm toehold with them."

Nick got out of his chair and climbed onto Clay's lap. I wasn't at all surprised to see Dear do the same with Nate. Gibby simply leaned into Darius' side, too strong to let me see him on his alpha’s lap but seeking the same comfort solely to be found with a mate.

Apparently, anyway. I wouldn’t know anything about mates offering comfort. Fucking Dan… that stubborn Portuguese alpha of mine needed to get his head out of his ass one of these days. But since I wasn't in any hurry myself, maybe comfort wasn't everything it was cracked up to be.

I swallowed and tried to ignore the cute couples. "So what's the plan? I'm guessing each one of you are also coming to the meeting?"

Dear nodded. "Yes, but not for the reason you think. One of our requirements for Isaac coming to testify in person was to add us to the agenda."

I perked up. "Really? Do I want to make a wild guess it has something to do with arranged matings and why they need to disappear from our society? Let me guess, you're going to threaten to increase contributions to the underground railroad if they don't abolish the practice?"

Nate started laughing. "You're quick, Gil. I enjoy that about you. But no. We will never admit knowledge of the railroad. I can, however, tell my brother's story. I invited Tony and Marcel to join us, but they're not available this week. They have both given their permission for me to share their history, though."

"And I plan to speak about the corruption involved with the dowry