“That may be the case but I’m not using her like that.”
Vas wheezed out a long sigh. “Fine...fine...I guess we can...at least save face with the résumé bullshit. Say we did know about it the whole time. That she hadn’t lied. Cover up for it”
“I don’t care. Spin it if you have to, but I’m going after her.”
His mother’s head snapped towards him then she was stalking towards him, her heels clicking in hard snaps on the floor. “You need to be here. This election is bigger than you or her. It’s about your father’s memory. This is what he wanted from you, why you always worked so hard under him. Do not throw this away, Dominic. Do not. You need to get out there and speak to the people. We’ll get the speechwriters in here straight away and work something out. We’ll find a way to use this to our advantage. Vas made a great point. We can play on their sympathies for you.”
Dom felt his mother’s words like physical blows to his gut. He’d spent years working his father’s campaigns, helping him to read and write bills, and create decisions based off people’s values. They’d been a great team, but since he died, Dom had never been more ready to step up and take responsibility. He craved it like a much needed breath of air after holding it in for too long.
He turned to Vas and Lucas. “The résumé situation is not an issue. As for Felicity, no one needs to know what we’re doing. We’re not commenting.”
Lucas shook his head. “You don’t comment they’ll do the commenting for you. I know all about the media like this. Any chance they get to twist things and make it sound more controversial than it really is they’ll do it. They don’t care who they hurt or how far they have to stretch the truth. This could crush you.”
Dom was already yanking off his suit jacket, pulling off the bow tie, and taking off the suit he would have been mating to Felicity in. “Take care of it but do it any other way than I say and you’ll be dealing with me.”
With that, he strode out of the room slamming the door behind him. Outside, he refused his guard, got in his car, and drove. He drove to the part of the highway where the alpha’s car had been dumped.
He might not have the senses of a were whose nose could smell better than most dogs, but he had something else—Felicity’s blood. Having shared her blood he had a closer connection to her than if they were holding hands. No matter what happened, he’d find her and when he brought her back, whether kicking and screaming or calm and docile, she was going to be punished.
And then he was mating with Felicity Shaw.
Chapter 25
“What have I done?”
She’d meant to ask the question to herself, but the alpha’s exceptional hearing picked up her misery-driven question as easily as if she’d screamed it.
Zeke lifted his head from some brown leather journal he’d been scribbling in and grinned. When he grinned like that the dimple in his chin poked out as well as the ones in both of his cheeks. Felicity rolled her eyes and forced herself to look away. He was a handsome man, but she would not be won by his southern charm no matter how much of it he had in spades. Besides, he kept muttering to himself but none of it made sense and when he wasn’t doing that he was quiet. Too quiet. She couldn’t hear him breathe and when he moved he didn’t make a sound.
“You’ve created a whole lot of chaos, darlin’. Couldn’t have done much better if I’d been the one doing it.”
Felicity rubbed the heel of her palm against her chest where a heavy pain throbbed. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I wasn’t trying to create problems.”
I just needed to get out of there.
It’d been too fast. Maybe if he’d slept with her the night before and they hadn’t ended the night with him yelling at her then things would be different. Maybe if Helena hadn’t threatened her. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Maybe many things might have changed the outcome of last night. In one of those little scenarios maybe she would have had enough confidence to go down that aisle and get mated. But she hadn’t been able to do it.
“Yeah, well you did a great job of it.” He scribbled one last thing down in his book, the ink scratching on the paper. He snapped it shut.
“Where did you bring me?”
He stood and held his arms out to indicate the dark space. “This, Mizz. Shaw is my humble abode. Don’t worry your pretty little skin now we’re underground. That sun won’t touch you today, my dear.”
“Today’s the election.”
“Don’t I know it? Do I need to ask who you’re voting for?” He laughed at his own joke and proceeded into the next room. It had three large TVs on the wall, two opened laptops sitting on a table and several other weres. She hadn’t even felt their presence. How could weres be so quiet? They lounged on the couches, of which there were many. The big room had three couches plus four sofas and enough floor space to sit a small classroom of children.
And judging by all the news reports VNN, V News Network, CNN, and other channels the race was already on. The sound stayed muted but black-and-white subtitles scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
A picture flashed on screen of Dominic and then her breath caught as a picture of her running from the hall came across the screen. Oh god. They were already talking about it. The reporter speculated about whether this would affect the election for Dominic. Felicity realized for the first time just how dire her decision was. She might have cost the whole election for him.
“I have to go.”
No one turned to her. No one spoke.
Louder, she said, “I have to go! You have to take me back. I need to speak with them and set things straight.”
Zeke touched a few buttons on the remote and the sound came on. “I don’t think so, Mizz. Shaw.”
“What do you mean? Just show me how to get out of here and I’ll leave.” She’d followed him deep into the woods after stopping at some non-descript part of the highway. Sure it’d been odd but she’d been desperate. In her world desperate outweighed odd by a lot. They’d walked on for quite some time but she hadn’t paid much attention. She’d been too numb from all that had happened. Her mind still reeling from shock at her own decision. When they’d stopped suddenly and he pulled open a wooden door in the ground she’d blinked and followed him down the ladder. All she knew now was the alpha Zeke had an underground layer.
He tsked. “Don’t think so, shuga. That man of yours is about going ape shit, I ‘spect. He’s going to try to find you.” He gave her a slow smile, but this time it gave her a chill down her spine. “He won’t though. No one finds me unless I want them to.”
“Why would you want to keep me here? I’m nothing to you.”
His men chuckled and gave her approving smiles as if to say thanks for the laugh, lady. She glared back at them.
“Listen, I’ve known Dom for a long, long time. That man...” his voice trailed off as something on his laptop caught his eye. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he muttered. His fingers flew across the keyboard like rapid fire. Then he tossed his head back and laughed, the sound maniacal.
Felicity took a step back. “I want out of here.” She made her voice firm hoping that would do the trick.
The alpha didn’t even spare her a glance. “Good luck. You’re welcome to try to get the hatch open. Even if you somehow managed to do that, which I doubt, then you won’t find your way back to the road.”
One of the weres nodded his head in affirmation of the alpha’s words.
“At least let me call him.”
I have to fix this. I never meant to hurt his campaign.