C2

Sit down, Rhea."

"I'll stand, Alpha. I prefer the view from up here."

"A protector who doesn't follow orders? Interesting. Tell me why you left the Luna Guard Academy for a civilian contract."

"Because the Academy produces soldiers, and I realized I preferred molding individuals. I’m a specialist, not a drill sergeant."

"Why the switch to younger athletes? Seems like a waste of your... intensity."

"I like that they haven't learned how to lie yet. Pups are honest. Adults? Not so much."

"You find the rest of us lacking in integrity?"

"I find that most people in this territory carry enough hidden motives to sink a ship in Blackport Harbor. Pups just want to play. Adults want to conquer."

"So you value transparency above all else."

"Always. It’s the only way to survive a pack environment."

"That’s all, Miss Callahan. Thank you for making the trip from Ravenfall."

"That’s it? Ten minutes and a few questions about my philosophy?"

"Yes. My assistant will reach out on Monday with the final decision."

"Why wait? We’re both wolves, Dominic. Don't hide behind a weekend of silence. Just tell me I’m not what you’re looking for so I can catch the next transport out of this territory."

"You want honesty, Rhea? Fine. You didn't get the job."

"Why?"

"Do you really want the truth, or are you just looking for a reason to snap at me?"

"I want the truth. I'm a professional. I can handle a critique."

"It has nothing to do with your resume. It’s because of this."

"What are you—"

"This."

"Let go of me! What do you think you’re—"

"I think you’re vibrating with the same scent I am. I think your wolf is screaming right now. I think having you in my training facility, wearing those skates, would be a distraction I can't afford."

"You... you’re insane. This is a professional interview!"

"Was it? Then why is your heart thundering against my chest like a trapped bird? Why aren't you pulling away?"

"I’m going to—"

"You're going to do exactly what you want to do. Just like I am."

"Stop... don't... oh."

"You slap like a Beta, Rhea. You could have stopped that if you really wanted to. You wanted to feel the impact. You wanted to see if I’d flinch."

"You’re a monster. I’m leaving."

"The door is open. Go back to Ravenfall. Tell them the Wolfe Pack wasn't for you."

"Don't go."

"Who are you? Wait... Lydia?"

"Don't go. Please."

"Sweetheart, I... I can't stay. Your brother and I, we don't exactly see eye to eye."

"Please. Stay. Help me."

"Lydia, look at me. I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have... I need to go."

"Don't go."

"Stay? Why would you stay for me?"

"Because you're asking me to, Lydia. But I don't think your brother and I are on the same page."

"Don't leave me. Please. Don't leave me with them."

"Lydia! Inside, now. Margaret is looking for you."

"Dominic, you can't just bark at her like she’s a stray. She’s terrified."

"My sister’s discipline is pack business, Rhea. Not yours. At least, it wasn't until thirty seconds ago. Get back in the study. We aren't finished."

"I thought you made your 'decision' quite clear, Alpha Wolfe. I’m a distraction, remember? I'm already halfway to the Ravenfall border in my head."

"The air changed the second you touched those papers she gave you. Let me see them."

"Is this how you lead? Demanding scraps of paper from a girl you just insulted?"

"Give them to me, Rhea. Now."

"Fine. Read them. See exactly what you're doing to her."

"She wrote this? 'Don't let the shadows take me'? She hasn't written a word to anyone in six months. Not to the Pack Doctor, not to the elders. Why you?"

"Maybe because I don't look at her like a broken piece of equipment for your hockey team. I look at her like a wolf who’s lost her way."

"I’ve reconsidered. The position is yours. I was... premature in my assessment of your value to this estate."

"Oh, so now I’m an asset again? Just like that? One minute I’m a liability because you can't keep your instincts in check, and the next I’m the savior of the Wolfe lineage. I’m not sure I want to work for a man who flips his collar every time the wind blows."

"I’ll triple the Academy’s rate. You’ll have full access to the private ice rinks, the recovery labs, and a personal security detail."

"You think you can just buy off the insult? You put your hands on me to prove a point, Dominic. You used your Alpha status to corner me."

"I used it to show you the reality of the heat between us. It was a warning. But my sister’s silence is a weight I can no longer carry alone. She chose you. In our world, the instinct of the pup is law when it comes to protection. If she feels safe with you, I will move every mountain in the Blackport territory to keep you here."

"And what about 'the distraction'? What happens when we’re on the ice at 3:00 AM and the moon starts to pull? Do you expect me to believe you’ll stay on your side of the red line?"

"I am the Alpha. I have absolute control over my urges when the survival of my pack is at stake. You are here for Lydia. You are here to get her back on the ice and get her voice back. I have plenty of women across the UK Coastal packs who would jump at the chance to warm my bed. I don't need to hunt where I work."

"That was a low blow, even for a Wolfe."

"It’s the truth. You want honesty? There it is. I can get what I need elsewhere. Lydia can only get what she needs from you. You’re the only trainer she’s touched without flinching. Does that mean nothing to your professional pride?"

"It means everything. Fine. I’ll stay for the girl. But I want a contract. No 'Alpha rights,' no 'accidental' run-ins in the weight room, and you stay in the owner's box during her sessions. I am the lead on this."

"Agreed. You have my word as Alpha. If a hand is ever laid on you again in this house, it will be because you reached out first."

"Then you’d better find someone else to hold your hand, Dominic, because it’ll be a frozen day in the Hells of the North before I touch you again."

"We'll see. Can you have your gear ready by dawn? I’ll have Logan bring the armored SUV to your hotel in Ravenfall."

"I’ll be ready. Just make sure the ice is prepped. We have work to do."