“No, you can’t. Not while you two share the mating bond. Every shifter in town is going to know about this.”
“So what if they know? Shifters mate all the time.”
Hank turned to him in amazement. “She’s only been here a week! Malcolm set the standard that shifters could not mate until they had been together for two years. Everyone who knows that rule will think—”
Dominic felt a smile tug at his lips. “I really don’t give a shit about my father’s old rules or what they think.”
After that kiss, after coming to the conclusion that he was falling hard and fast for a girl he barely knew but had so much in common with, it was uncanny—he was ready to howl it out from the mountain tops.
“Did you think you could just hide something like this?”
Dominic gave a helpless shrug. “I didn’t anticipate it happening at all.”
“So it just… happened?”
Dominic nodded and Hank appeared momentarily surprised.
“You know she can’t come before the pack, right?”
Dominic sighed and felt the golden eyes finally recede. “My mother never did. So yeah, I know.”
Hank seemed to ignore the curbed resentment behind his response and strode forward to face his alpha. “If Erica starts to get in the way, you need to know when to break it off.”
Dominic gave the beta a rueful smile. “We’re mated. There is no ‘breaking it off.’”
“Then you better be able to handle both her and the pack.”
There was an unspoken threat in what he said, and Dominic sneered. “Or what? You’re going to take over Tolstone?”
It wasn’t such a bad idea. Dominic could live a relatively normal life, hopefully with Erica. He wouldn’t have to leave her in the middle of the night for some pack business, and shewouldn’t have to worry about his safety when he was called to settle a fight. He might have been a child at the time, but he knew what it was like for his mother to be married to the Prime Alpha. If he intended to have a mate, it might have been best for everyone if he stepped down, but never in the entire history of Tolstone had a Beaumont ever refused his inheritance.
“No, but I know someone who may be itching for the chance.”
It didn’t take him more than a moment to know who he was talking about. The snide looks, the biting comments about his authority, all of it might have suggested that Wyatt was more than ready to face down Dominic for the title of Prime Alpha. Wyatt was careless with his own pack. If he tried to mutiny against Dominic, the negligent alpha wouldn’t stand a chance. Though, just the thought of Tolstone in the hands of Wyatt made him cringe. Tolstone would be secure with Hank, but not with Wyatt.
“Erica won’t come before Tolstone,” he assured Hank, all self-possession returned.
By the way Hank frowned, he knew that the beta was less than convinced, but he didn’t care. As confusing and muddled as this whole affair was, Dominic would find a way to be both mate to Erica and Prime Alpha. He wouldn’t follow that closely in his father’s footsteps. Erica deserved better than how his mother was treated. Tossed aside. Ignored. If it wasn’t for her obvious agony over his father’s neglect, he might have wondered if they ever shared a mating bond. If he couldn’t find a balance, he knew exactly which role he would drop in favor of the other.
That was, if she’d even take him back after the episode tonight. A sliver of panic shot through him at the thought that they would have to have that all-important conversation about shifters. As a human, there was no telling how she would take it. But Dominic had time… he hoped.
“You obviously needed something badly enough that you thought tracking me down to my home was a good idea.” Dominic spread out his arms. “What is it?”
“Declan and Gage were testing out a new motorcycle motor out near Mr. Johansson’s farm. They ran it into a shed. It’s technically not on his property, but he thinks it is.”
Dominic rolled his eyes. “I told them not to get anywhere near that old man. Ever since me and my friends messed with that damn shed years ago, he’s been keeping a shotgun by his bed.”
Hank’s mouth quirked up in a wry smile. “Shotgun won’t do a whole lot to those boys.”
“Yeah, but if Mr. Johansson finds that out, it won’t be good.”
“Almost as bad as if Erica turned out to be a hunter.”
The alpha shot daggers with his eyes. “Don’t ever joke about that.”
The beta realized he had overstepped and held up his hands in surrender before they made their way toward the door.
“Are you going to at least change your shirt?” Dominic looked back down at the tattered rags hanging off of Hank.
