Chapter 8: The Lesser Evil

It wasn’t in Natalie’s nature to cower from anything challenging, no matter how much danger or risk it involved. Maybe it had a lot to do with her being Kage; continually proving herself had always been a way to gain some measure of respect. But this wasn’t just a dare. This was her life and the direction she wanted it to take.

Natalie groaned inwardly. This was supposed to be a simple decision, right?

Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and focused on Dominic. “My dad isn’t stupid, unfortunately. He knows I don’t want to be mated to Mark. If I walk up to him and say, ‘Hey Dad, turns out Ava wasn’t my true mate after all. Guess what? I found the real one,’ he’s going to accuse me of trying to play him.”

“And that’s why we’ll need to be publicly seen to discover each other,” Dominic said. “Maybe at one of the werewolf gatherings coming up. No one outside my wolves will know we’ve met before that claim.”

Okay, that was a good idea. But would it work?

Natalie stifled a groan as indecision wracked her. Her wolf wasn’t undecided. Not at all. With her elemental nature, Raven wasn’t interested in details or complications. She was interested only in whether Dominic was a potential mate. She liked his confidence, his determination, his dominant air, and she loved his scent. Raven was completely fine with letting Dominic mark her. She was even craving it. And that was not a good sign.

“Have you thought about what it’ll mean to claim me, even temporarily?” Natalie asked. “Your wolf will know I’m not your true mate, and he might even understand that you don’t see this as permanent, but those are small details to him. If you bite and mark me, your wolf is going to see me as his in every way. That means he’ll be—”

“Crazily possessive, crazily jealous, and crazily protective,” Dominic finished. “That will help us with faking a mating bond. And I’m sure his understanding that you’re not my true mate will be enough to keep him under control.”

---

Drak was currently quiet in Dominic’s head, and as much as Dominic hated to admit it, his wolf didn’t support those words at all. Drak strongly approved of both Natalie and her wolf. Especially her wolf. He had identified her as dominant and assertive, and he already wanted to mark her. Dominic could feel Drak’s emotions, and he knew he was going to have to force his wolf under control more often than he liked. But he would do it if it meant getting what he needed to stop his brother’s madness.

Even while distracted, Dominic could see how close Natalie was to accepting his proposition. He didn’t blame her for being wary. That was why she needed to understand that he was the lesser of two evils.

“Natalie, I’m offering you a way out,” he said. “If I were you, I’d take it. Unless you want to end up bound to Mark for the rest of your life.”

“That would never happen. Ever,” Natalie spat.

“Maybe not,” Dominic said, “but it seems to me there aren’t many avenues open to you right now.”

“I was planning to go to my friend’s pack.”

He hadn’t doubted she had some kind of plan. He just needed her to doubt it.

“You trust his Alpha to take you in? To protect you against Mark when he comes for you? And he will come for you.”

She swallowed hard, and Dominic smiled inwardly. He was getting closer.

“I don’t know if I can trust his Alpha because I’ve never met him,” she rasped, “but I don’t know if I can trust you to protect me either.” Dominic shook his head while she spoke, disbelief dripping from his posture. “I know Mark won’t bow down and accept it. He has too much pride. He’ll most likely turn up and challenge you. Are you saying you’d honestly accept that challenge? That you’d fight to keep me in your pack?”

She didn’t hide the skepticism in her voice, but Dominic didn’t care. In fact, he was beginning to see that skepticism was exactly what she needed answered.

“Yes, I would,” he said firmly. “I need this mating as much as you do. You can still contact your friend after joining me, and then see about switching packs after. Six months at most is the length of time I’ll need you to stay. Umpires don’t usually ask packs to take longer than that to settle disputes. After that, you could say you realized you were wrong about me being your true mate, or something similar.”

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What was she so scared of? Why wasn’t she jumping at the offer?

Deep down, she knew the answer. She just couldn’t admit it. She couldn’t accept how damaged she felt inside. But realistically, a few months mated to Dominic was better than a lifetime bound to Mark. In theory, it was like choosing the big bad wolf over the monster. And Natalie’s instincts told her that Dominic, at least, wasn’t going to hurt her. Not the way Mark would.

“Well, Natalie, do we have a deal?” Dominic asked as he shook the pill packet. “Or would you prefer another long nap?” he added with his brows raised dramatically.

There were still so many issues, so many unanswered questions. But when everything was stripped down to its core, only one question mattered: Was she willing to do whatever it took to remove herself from Mark’s reach?

Fully aware of the weight of her choice, Natalie returned her gaze to Dominic. With more determination than she’d ever mustered, she gave him a firm nod.

A devilish smirk curled up Dominic’s lips.

And Natalie began to wonder if she had just made the greatest mistake of her life.