Chapter Seven
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“Then believe I can do this.” He pressed a kiss against her lips. “I am stronger than you know. I help Max control this entire empire as well as run my own company. I protect Max, my sister, Alicia and you.”
“I thought your sister was assigned to protect Alicia.”
“And now you question me?” He nipped her throat. Something mates and parents did to the one who was misbehaving. “My sister is assigned to protect Alicia when she is with her. Just like you are to protect her when you’re with her.”
She looked contrite for questioning him. “And you protect us all?”
“Now you’re getting it.” He pressed a kiss against her throat where he had nipped a few moments before. “Dominic doesn’t scare me. He is a child who doesn’t know how to behave.”
“He scares me to death.”
“Then I need to make you forget all about him and your fear.” He slipped his hands under her sweater and palmed one of her breasts. “And I know how to do that.”
He moved down her body until he could take the tip of that breast into his mouth. Brushing his tongue against the hardened nub he felt her move beneath him.
Patrick wanted to be tender but knew he needed to dominate. He pulled her sweater up until he had her arms ensnared then he made short work of her yoga pants as well as his pants. He drove in and felt her shudder.
He controlled their lovemaking, not letting her touch him while he could touch her wherever he wanted. “You are mine, Stacey. Never forget that.”
“Patrick…”
He pulled out but didn’t drive back in. “There is no argument, sweetheart. You need to understand that. I don’t care about anything but your happiness.”
She looked at him in shock. He took that moment to drive back into her. Stacey moaned her pleasure.
“Now, repeat after me. You are mine.”
She opened her mouth then closed it for a moment before she repeated what he said. Her voice was soft, but he got what he wanted from her. He started to move faster, filling her completely each time. Her body started humming he felt a howl building in her. He had one building in him as well. Her muscles contracted around him, hugging him perfectly as he slid in and out of her. She started moving her legs higher up his back as she struggled against the sweater keeping her arms trapped when her orgasm got closer.
He growled when her muscles clamped down on him, sending her right into her climax. Her howl filled the room. Just as she hit her peak his release started. His howl overshadowed hers, but the sound of their howls blended together beautifully.
Now he hoped she understood. He was her alpha, her protector. Nothing was going to harm her as long as she was with him.
***
Alicia had her second cup of coffee when her phone rang. “Morning, Mom. How are you?”
Max got up and kissed her on the forehead. He mouthed shower before heading out of the kitchen.
“So why did you call?” She put her phone down and put it on speaker so she could enjoy her coffee.
“Your father and I are coming into the city and would like to have dinner with you and Max.”
“Sure. When?”
“Your dad has booked us a room at the Marriott for the weekend. Maybe we can eat at one of those fancy restaurants near South Park? You know I’ve always wanted to do that, but we never seem to get it done.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“You know, you and Max can stay at the hotel with us. It would allow us to have more time with the two of you.”
“I’ll check with Max and see what his schedule is like.”
“Does he work weekends?”
“He’s always on call, Mom. His job sort of demands it.”
“I would think that ‘Max of millions’ would be free whenever he wants.”
“You know.” Her shoulders slumped.
“I knew the moment I saw a picture of you with him in one of the social sections of our paper.”
She had hoped her mom hadn’t seen any of the social media images of her and Max together. Most of what had been publicized was on the web and she knew her mom didn’t normally use a computer for more than e-mails.
“Oh and then your aunt Em sent me a link to all these images of the two of you. He’s quite serious, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, Mom. So am I.”
Max came in to see her do a pantomime of her being hung on a noose.
“Well, if he can get away let us know what room you’re going to share. Maybe we can get our rooms close.”
Max pointed to the floor. She mouthed what? He pointed to the phone then the floor again, then he mouthed stay here. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. He nodded before he took the phone off the table and held it up to his mouth. “Why don’t you two stay here with us?”
“That would be wonderful, Max.”
Alicia smacked herself in the forehead. “Okay, Mom, then we’ll see you this weekend. I’ll give Dad the directions later.”
“Can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait either.” She glared at Max. “Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetie. See you soon.”
The moment she hung up Alicia stood and placed her hands on her hips. “Are you out of your mind? My nosey mom underfoot in this house for a whole weekend? Thought we were going to keep the mating from them?”
“I don’t plan on telling them.”
“And how do I explain how Patrick, who is here all the time, likes to bow and scrape at my feet? Or that Catherine, another one who shows up all the time, treats me like royalty because of who you are.”
“I will ban them both for the weekend,” he responded.
“You can’t do that. It will hurt their feelings and I would feel so guilty. Just know that my mom will try to find out things by snooping. It’s what she’s good at.”
“You, my dear, are getting worked up over nothing. There is nothing here that says we’re mated.”
“You don’t get it. It’s not a certificate, or pictures. It’s the way we interact. There is an intimacy to us that goes beyond a simple relationship and they’re going to notice that if they’re around us that much.”
“You want them to know we’re serious about each other. You want them to believe it when we marry. That it will be forever.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“I know I’m acting crazy, but I know my mom.” She wrapped her arms around him as well. “I want her happy with my choice.”
“You don’t think they’ll be happy with ‘Max of millions’?”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be happy with your checkbook, but I wanted Mom to like you for you. Now I’ll never know.”
“Yes, you will. You do know your mom. You’ll know if she doesn’t really approve.”
***
Max sat behind his desk when Patrick walked in. Once again he smelled like Stacey. At least he was being consistent right now and her scent smelled right on him.
“Patrick.”
“I know, normally I don’t seem to stay with the same woman for very long.” He dropped into the overstuffed chair in front of Max’s massive desk. “Stacey and I talked last night. I found out a little more about her and the pack her father left. It was Dominic’s pack. Her father was his father’s second and the two men pledged their children to each other.”
“That does explain a lot. You know if he demands Stacey to be his mate I can’t interfere.”
Patrick inched forward. “What if I told you that they never made it formal? That she bears no mark?”
“I need to speak to her father. He is supposed to be here in a few hours. Make sure Stacey is here so I can get to the bottom of this promise.”
“I’ll make sure.” He stood but hesitated. “Um, can I bring Stacey to the house this weekend? I’ve never seen her wolf and I think if she had a place to relax she just might show it to me.”
“Not this weekend. Alicia’s parents are coming in and they’re staying with us.”
“Then you’re going to pop the question.”
“That’s my plan.”
“Okay then. I’ll have Stacey here in a few hours. Text me when he arrives, and I’ll bring her.”
Max watched him leave. He wasn’t acting like a man who was just was in it for a good time. He knew Stacey and her father both thought she had to mate with Dominic, but if they never formally marked them to show they belonged together then it was a bit murky. If Stacey didn’t want to mate with this man, he would do everything he could to keep her safe from him.
His secretary came in a few hours later and announced that Stacey’s father was there. He sent a quick text to Patrick then asked to have James ushered into his office. He stood and stepped from behind his desk so he could shake the man’s hand. “Thank you for coming.”
“I appreciate you giving me the time to talk to you about my pack.”
“Yes.” Max crossed back to his chair. “I’ve been doing some research.”
“I expected that.” He took the overstuffed chair in front of Max’s desk. “I didn’t leave Dominic’s pack on a whim.”
“I didn’t think you did. You had a lot invested, with your daughter promised to the alpha’s son.”
“So you know that too.” His shoulders slumped a little. “Dom Senior was a wonderful man. We grew up together. His mate was one of my cousins. When he became alpha we talked about making the pack strong by binding our children together. His son was born first. He was a bit head strong but nothing Dom couldn’t control.
“Then my angel was born. I spoke to Dom then. He was my alpha and I made a promise. I think he knew something then because he wanted to wait until Stacey was thirteen.”
“But that didn’t happen.”
“No. When she was eleven Dom Junior was sixteen. He was full of himself and wanted to be the alpha. His father tried to train him properly but something in the kid snapped and he pushed until the pack allowed him to challenge his father.”
“He was underage?”
“Yeah.” James nodded. “If he had waited until he was of age then I think the pack would have stood behind him. He cheated. I saw him pull the weapon that killed his father.”
“Then he shouldn’t be alpha.”
“He was the heir apparent. So that is a gray area.”
“James, this Dominic has caught my attention and he’s been doing things that make me angry, but if I have to confront him I need all the details. I know he lost a lot of his pack when he took over. I know that he’s threatened some of the people he has found that left and has others doing his dirty work. You need to tell me everything.”
There was a soft knock on the door then Patrick stuck his head in. Max waved him in and waited for the fallout.
Patrick stepped past James as Stacey entered the room. She seemed shocked to see her father. Didn’t Patrick tell her?
Her father grabbed her by the arm. “What have you done?”
“Good to see you too, Papa.”
He backed down a little. “I thought we talked about this.”
“We did, but the more time I spent with Alicia and Max I realized I don’t want to live in fear for the rest of my life. I want love like they have. Dom would expect me to remain chaste.”
“You remember what he did the last time you disobeyed him?”
“I still have the scar.”
“Scar?” Patrick grabbed her by the shoulders. “What did he do to you?”
“He broke my arm.” She pointed to a small scar on her shoulder. “This is where the bone broke through the skin.”
“I will kill him.”
Max placed a hand on Patrick’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him so he could regain control. “When did Dom do this to you?”
“When my father told him we were leaving.” She looked at Max. “He lost control and grabbed my arm to stop me. His mother made him let go, but not before he snapped my arm by yanking then pushing me toward my family.”
“I didn’t even know he had done this until days later. I realized she wouldn’t shift, even though she was safe with her family,” James said.
“So you know this yet want your daughter to mate with this madman anyway?” asked Max.
“I made a promise to his father.”
“Exactly,” replied Max. “You made it to Dom Senior, not Dom Junior You also never made that promise formal and you have told me Junior didn’t follow proper protocol in order to become alpha.”
“Really?” asked Patrick.
“Yes.” Max looked at him. “Something he mentioned before you got here.”
Patrick dropped his gaze. He should have been there earlier and knew it. “I’m sorry, Max. We should have been here.”
That was all Max wanted to hear. “It seems everything we learned was true plus a few more tidbits that I’ll have your sister investigate. What is important is that it looks like there is a loophole.”
“You mean I won’t have to mate with him?” asked Stacey.
“You never had to. The laws are quite clear. There was no formal marking. Without that happening you are not bound,” said Max.
“And if he threatens my family if I refuse him?”
“We will protect you.”
“I mean no disrespect but how?” asked Stacey. “That man is crazy. He’s hunted down everyone he can and either forced them back to the pack or killed them.”
“You don’t know this one hundred percent,” said her father.
“Actually, she’s right. Our research so far backs up the fact that he is that vicious. Most of the people from his pack that have approached us want to fade into the background just like your daughter. They don’t want to be found because they fear what he will do to them.” Max leaned back against his desk. “I have sworn to protect every one of them and I will. You knew him as a child and probably saw what caused him to snap, whether you know it or not.”
“If you promise to protect my people, and my daughter especially I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“I will protect her with my life.”
Max looked at Patrick who had spoken. Those weren’t words a man would say if he only wanted a bed partner.
***
Stacey stared at Patrick. He said that with all his heart and soul. She thought she was some sort of fling for him. She had worked with Alicia long enough to know the man went through women very quickly. Why was he lingering with her?
Her father touched her arm to get her attention. She knew he had questions he didn’t want Max to hear.
Patrick slipped an arm around her waist. “It’s close enough to lunchtime, perhaps you’d like to have lunch?”
“Um, can I talk to you?” Stacey took his hand and half dragged him out into the outer office. “My dad wants to speak to me privately. I can see it on his face.”
“I know. And he’s going to ask you if you’re out of your mind and if you have a death wish.”
“Probably.”
“I want him to know that I will keep you safe starting right now.”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts. What would your father think if I were to allow you to go out without my protection after I swore on my life?” He crowded her into a quiet corner. “I know how to get you to obey me.”
“Obey?” Her eyes widened when she felt one of his hands on her thigh. It slid up under her skirt. “Patrick?”
He stepped close so no one could see what he was doing to her. He brushed his fingers against the soft curls at her core. Patrick spoke softly in her ear. “You trust me with your body. Trust me with your father.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I just might have to follow through on that threat to take you over my knee and spank you. I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
Stacey’s hands gripped his arms as he moved his fingers to her core.
He knew he couldn’t keep this up or people would know. Their senses were a little too sharp for him to get her to climax. “We’ll finish this later.”
“I sure hope so, you started something now.”
“I know.” He smiled against her cheek as he pulled his hand from beneath her skirt. “But first we’ll deal with your father.”
“He’s not going to be happy.”
He isn’t happy now.” He helped her straighten her clothes and they turned as one as Max’s door opened. The thunderous look on her father’s face showed his anger. Patrick slapped a smile on his face and stepped up to him. “Sir, we have a wonderful restaurant nearby that I think you’ll enjoy.”
“I wish to speak to my daughter. Alone.”
Stacey wanted to cringe. He was truly angry.
“And you will speak to your daughter, with me as her protector.” Patrick took her hand. “I told you I would protect her with my life. She is precious and I take my job very seriously.”
Stacey waited for her father to rip him a new one but that didn’t happen. He looked at her, their clasped hands and nodded.
“Lead the way.”
Patrick had to tug on her hand to get her moving. Her father backed down? She wanted to ask what just happened so badly but knew better. Instead she allowed Patrick to guide them to the little Irish pub they frequented a lot.
***
Max walked out of his office and caught a whiff of arousal. He noticed Stacey and Patrick standing awfully close to each other looking like they got caught. Patrick’s whole demeanor changed when her father confronted him. Max was happy to see him keep his ground. He was surprised when James backed down.
He looked at his watch. His mate should be here any minute. He caught her soft scent just before she stepped off the elevator. Max smiled as she walked up to him and slipped into his open arms.
“Explain to me why you have elevators in this building when you guys don’t use them.”
“Because our human guests do.” He pressed a quick kiss against her lips. “You ready?”
“Yes, and I have a surprise for you.”
“You do?”
She had a silk scarf around her neck that she loosened, there resting against her soft skin was the beginnings of her necklace design. “What do you think?”
“It’s so delicate.” He touched the beautiful silver design. “How come you don’t have any of the Tears attached?”
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to take them out of the safe.” She shrugged. “I also wasn’t sure if silver or gold would be best for them.”
“So where is the gold design?”
She pulled a box out of her purse and opened it up.
“Wow, I’m glad I’m not the one who has to make this decision.” He waited for her to put the box back into her purse then urged her toward the stairs. “Stacey’s father just left with Stacey and Patrick.”
“Really?” She looked up at him as they entered the large stairwell. “How did Daddy take their relationship?”
“Well, that was the interesting thing. He wasn’t happy yet he allowed Patrick to join them even though I know he wanted to speak to his daughter alone.” Max opened the door to the outside. “I think Patrick let his alpha out.”
“Let his alpha out? You want to explain that?”
“Everyone has a little alpha in them.”
“You just have more than most?”
“I was trained to be the top alpha from a pup. Patrick was trained to protect me and to take over if something happened to me. He has just as much alpha as I do, he just keeps it under control.”
“But I thought there can only be one alpha?”
“True.” They had reached the restaurant. Max opened the door for her. “And if you noticed Patrick never challenges me. He is my second. You’ll hear him snarl and growl at other people in public but never at me.”
“Okay, I get that. The only time I’ve ever heard him growl at you was when it was just family and you were teasing me a little too much for his liking. He has always had your back. I’ve even seen him bare his neck to you to show his submission.” She scooted into their booth. “But I thought the alpha was the only one in a pack.”
“A pack can’t survive that way. If the alpha is out hunting, someone must protect those who remain. It’s been that way from the beginning. But there can only be one that no one will question. They have to prove their worth to the pack. They have to rule with passion and compassion.” Max slid in beside her. “I thought Catherine was teaching you all of this.”
“Don’t be mad at her. There is so much to learn and I have a tendency to ask a lot of questions. You guys grew up in this and know all the basics, but I didn’t. She’d say something like I should know what she’s talking about and I’d have to ask a bunch of questions just to get an idea of what she was talking about.” Alicia scooted over a little more. In the beginning of their relationship it drove her crazy but now she understood why he sat beside her. If someone wanted to approach him they could sit in the booth without any issue. If she sat on one side and he was on the other side they wouldn’t be able to approach. No one would dare sit with Max and knew they could stir his anger if they sat with her. “I’m getting there but my learning curve is much larger than yours. Plus I have to learn all the etiquette that goes with my new position.”
“I promise not to yell at her.” He placed his hand on hers. “You have learned that one pretty quickly.”
“It didn’t take long when I heard you ripping them a new one when you didn’t have all the information. I also remember the glower you had on your face when I tried to defend them.” She laced her fingers with his. “Hell, I remember them giving me the evil eye when I tried to defend them.”
“That’s them protecting you from my anger.”
She cracked up. “Have they not met us? We push each other’s buttons all the time. It’s just in a good way.”
Their waitress brought them their drinks.
“So how did your meeting with Stacey’s dad go?”
“It was focused on the relationship she is having with Patrick, but it actually works in my favor.” Max picked up his glass. “If he can accept Patrick in spite of his anger over how it happened it will give me insight on how he handles his pack and how well they will fit into ours.”
“That’s actually smart.”
He smiled as he shrugged.
She laughed as she picked up her glass as well.
***
Patrick picked up part of their conversation but knew he needed to focus on the man in front of him. Stacey’s dad was pissed. He wasn’t sure if he was angry because his daughter slept with a stranger or because she broke some promise dealing with Dominic.
“Stacey, how could you? Dominic will kill you when he learns you aren’t a virgin anymore.”
“I don’t care, Dad. It is done and I’m happy.”
“You care for this man?” He looked at Patrick for a moment. “You have an odd way of showing you care. Dominic will kill him as well.”
“Never underestimate me, sir. I am Max’s second. You were Dominic Senior’s second so you know what I’m capable of.”
“And what are your plans for my daughter? You plan on fighting Dom to be able to mate with her?”
“We haven’t talked about anything past defeating Dom. She fears what he will do to her and your pack and no matter how many times I explain he will never harm a hair on anyone’s head she doesn’t want to think about anything but what will happen if Dom finds her.”
Stacey looked at him before she squeezed his hand. Even though they never really talked about what they were doing or where it was going he knew how she was thinking. “Papa, what is happening between us is new and fragile. I don’t want to stare at it under a microscope. Knowing what Dom can do scares me and this gives me some wonderful memories that could sustain me if he does win.”
“He’s not going to win, Stacey. I’ve been with Max long enough to know how to predict the outcome correctly. If we were not going to win, I’d know it and would work until we get the outcome we want.” He turned to her so she knew he was talking to her not her father. “Dominic believes in the old ways so he believes he is right. That’s his first downfall. How many reality shows have you watched where the person eliminated is the same one who believed they were better than anyone else or in charge of everything?”
“Okay, Alicia loves those things and I had to start watching so I could keep up with her love of them.” Stacey tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
Patrick laughed. “That’s how it happened for me too. She’d get all excited talking about some of these shows and I’d have to watch them to figure out what she was talking about.”
“But you’re right. I have seen that because they thought they were steering the outcome when it was someone else actually in control.” She glanced at her father. “I still don’t trust him.”
“I don’t either, but we’ve already figured out he’s the one behind the books being off.”
“He did that?” asked her father.
Patrick turned toward him. “The problems your daughter caught were in departments that had people from his pack. Most are new employees and the issues started right after they were hired.”
“Are you going to confront him?”
“That is up to Max.” That simple statement quieted him for a moment.
“Stacey, would you allow me to speak to Patrick alone for a moment?”
“Um, sure.” She looked at him for a moment before she stood up.
Patrick watched her head to Max and Alicia’s booth.
“You care for my daughter.” James came right out with it.
“As Stacey said this is new for the both of us, but there is something about her that I can’t ignore.”
“Or leave alone. Your scents are one. Did you know that?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But there aren’t too many people who will tell me what I need to hear. Max, my sister, Stacey, Alicia and now you. No one else will.”
“Interesting order.” James watched him for a moment. Patrick looked right back at him. “My daughter is the most precious thing to me.”
“And to me.” Patrick placed his hands on the table. “Your daughter is afraid of any relationship. Even though she says she doesn’t want to be with Dominic she feels obligated to make sure her path is clear to his side. That is your doing. Your daughter feels it is her obligation to mate with a violent, egotistical man. It isn’t, but I can’t convince her otherwise.”
“I don’t want her with Dom, but I know he thinks she is supposed to be his mate. If I didn’t tell her the truth she would’ve been blindsided when he showed up.”
“You took her life away from her. You told her to hide so he couldn’t find her. She wants to be in the background all the time. She is too pretty and brilliant to hide for long. It took me and Alicia to see that.” He leaned forward. “She deserves to have a full life.”
“And you want to be the one to give it to her.”
“I want to make sure she gets it, no matter what.”
James watched him. “I know how dangerous that young man is.”
“Yet you were able to walk away from him and your pack and stay away for years. How did you do it?”
***
Stacey wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. She looked at the booth Max and Alicia sat in but wasn’t sure if she should approach. It took Alicia throwing a biscuit at her then waving her over to join them.
“You okay?” asked Alicia as she slid into the vacant side of the booth.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Papa and Patrick are speaking alone right now, and it scares me a little.”
“Afraid they’ll make decisions for you that you might not want?”
“Alicia.” Max said her name softly, but they knew he was only trying to keep his mate safe.
“Pack rules are changing, and this is one that needs to be changed right away. Stacey deserves to make her own decisions.” She turned in her seat to look at Max. “Loved ones can help her with her decision, but they shouldn’t make it for her.”
“I hear what you’re saying but these rules were designed to protect the pack. Sometimes they were misused like the way Dominic wants to bend them, but you know I won’t allow him to force her to do anything she doesn’t want. Patrick is explaining that to her father right now.” Max looked at Stacey then Alicia. “James is the one who knows Dominic. We need him as an ally so we can learn as much as possible.”
“Stacey knows him too.”
“And I will learn what she knows as well, but she was a child when they left. Her father probably shielded her from a lot.”
“He did.” Stacey nodded. “But he couldn’t shield me from the man’s violence. That I know better than anyone else.”
“And that knowledge will show me how to push his buttons so I can manipulate him into doing something stupid. Ladies, I promise we are all working toward the same goals. I want Stacey to be happy. I want her to live a full life. I need to stop Dominic. To do that I need all the information I can get on the man.”
“You could put spies in his pack like he’s done to you.”
“That would take too long. We might have a few months at the most but I’m thinking a few weeks. I expect him to strike right after the audit happens. He’s going to think I got caught siphoning money off and will want to attack when I’m at my weakest.”
“That soon?” the color left Stacey’s face.
“Yes. That is one of the reasons I need you to go through all the numbers. I need to catch every one of the places where his people have altered the books. We also need to find the money that is missing before the audit happens. My control must be ironclad so he can’t get a foothold.”
“Why is that so important?” asked Alicia.
“It will allow him to challenge me.”
“Challenge you?” Alicia looked at Stacey for a moment. “You mean the way he challenged his father? Max, he killed him. I know you’re the strongest, but I can’t help but worry. You’re my mate.”
Max patted her hand.
Stacey expected him to get mad at her even though she tried her best to say the right words. Instead he was kind.
“That is part of the job as the alpha. If someone wants to challenge me, I must face them.”
“I remember reading that, but I never thought it could happen. Everything is all so civilized now.”
At that Max laughed. “We’re still steeped in the old traditions and some want us to stay there. I have to face him to prove I’m the true alpha. That I can lead all into the future.”
“Wait, all? Like your entire race?”
“To a point, yes.”
“God, I make so many mistakes within your pack what sort of disaster will I create within the whole race.” She looked at Max with hopeful eyes. “Is there a book I can study to handle all of this?”
“Sweetheart, you’re doing great.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure I am.”
“Patrick is coming. I’m assuming the conversation is over.” Max watched his friend approach the booth.
Stacey turned and watched as well. He moved with a grace that made her heart sing. Confidence flowed around him. There was something about the man that made her want something she wasn’t sure he wanted, or she deserved. At least not until they could defeat Dominic.
He slid into the booth beside her. “He’s ready to talk to you, at your convenience.”
“Good.” Max picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. “Alicia’s Jeep is at the office. Please make sure she gets back to it safely.”
“Of course.”
He stood then leaned over to kiss his mate. The look on her face told everyone she could get to her car very well on her own, but she kept those thoughts to herself. He gave her a smile before heading over to James’ table.
Stacey knew Alicia was mad. She just wasn’t sure how she was going to express it.
“Well, golly-gee, who’s the lucky one to walk me to my vehicle?”
“Don’t get too mad at him, Alicia. With everything we’ve learned about Dominic he wants to be sure you’re safe.”
“Third degree black belt sitting here.”
“And human,” Patrick reminded her as he stood up. “Ladies.”
“I hate this,” Alicia grumbled.
“Dominic is a dangerous man and if he got his hands on you he wouldn’t blink if he had to hurt you. He’d do anything to undermine Max,” said Stacey.
“I know and you’re now going to tell me not having pack blood makes me weaker.”
“No. Not having pack blood isn’t the problem but being mated to the alpha is. It makes you a target.”