Page 2 of Paws and Claws

The door swung open with a creak, cutting through Dominic's briefing. Bruce Meyers strolled in, his polished badge catching the fluorescent light. The lion in Dominic's chest rumbled with irritation.

"Morning, everyone!" Bruce's voice carried across the room, drowning out Dominic's last words. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

But he knew he was. Dominic's enhanced senses picked up Bruce's satisfaction - the slight uptick in his heartbeat and the faint scent of smugness rolling off him.

"Actually," Dominic said, his voice level despite his lion's desire to assert dominance, "we were discussing the magical incident from last night."

"Oh, the little fender bender?" Bruce waved his hand dismissively as he made his way to the front. "Let me take it from here, Dom. You've probably got paperwork waiting."

Dominic's jaw tightened at the nickname. His officers shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut.

"Listen up, folks," Bruce continued, leaning against Dominic's podium like he owned it. "Sometimes accidents just happen. No need to get your tails in a twist."

The casual dismissal of a potentially dangerous magical incident made Dominic's blood boil. His lion prowled under his skin, demanding action, but he maintained his composure. Leadership meant controlling both man and beast.

"Three simultaneous mental manipulations don't qualify as 'little,'" Dominic said, his eyes fixed on Bruce.

"Come on, Dom. You're always so serious." Bruce turned to the room with an exaggerated eye roll. "This is why we make such a great team, right? Good cop, fun cop?"

"Sheriff," Dominic corrected, his voice carrying the weight of his position. "And this isn't about fun. It's about keeping our people safe."

The air conditioning chose that moment to sputter and die, leaving the room in uncomfortable silence. Bruce's cologne - too strong for Dominic's sensitive nose - mixed with the lingering scent of coffee and tension.

"Dismissed," Dominic's voice finally broke the tense silence.

He watched his officers file out, their chairs scraping against the linoleum floor. "Bruce, a word."

Bruce lingered behind, that practiced smile still plastered across his face. The room emptied, leaving them alone.

"Something on your mind, Dom?" Bruce perched on the edge of a desk, his casual posture at odds with the tension in the air.

Dominic's lion bristled at the deliberate informality. "You can't keep undermining my authority in front of my officers."

"Undermining?" Bruce pressed his hand to his chest in mock offense. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. You're always so tense."

The scent of deception rolled off Bruce in waves, making Dominic's nose twitch. His enhanced senses picked up the subtle increase in Bruce's heart rate, and the slight dilation of his pupils.

"Cut the act." Dominic stepped closer, using his height advantage to full effect. "We both know what you're doing. You've been gunning for my position since you transferred here."

Bruce's smile slipped for a fraction of a second. "Now that's paranoid thinking, Sheriff. Maybe you need a vacation?"

"What I need," Dominic's voice dropped lower, "is for you to do your job without trying to turn this into a popularity contest."

"Everything okay in here?" Connor stuck his head through the doorway, his expression concerned.

Dominic stepped back, his lion reluctantly retreating. "We're fine. Just having a discussion about chain of command."

"Right." Bruce pushed off the desk, straightening his uniform. "And I think we understand each other perfectly now." He headed for the door, pausing to throw back over his shoulder, "By the way, those accident reports you wanted? They'll be on your desk tomorrow. Maybe."

The door clicked shut behind him, and Dominic's lion roared in frustration beneath his skin. He'd dealt with challengers before, but Bruce's passive-aggressive approach was starting to wear on his patience.

"Want me to write him up?" Connor offered.

"No." Dominic gathered his papers, trying to ignore the headache building behind his eyes. "That's exactly what he wants - something to take to the Council about abuse of power."

"He's playing a dangerous game."

"Yes." Dominic's eyes narrowed at the door.

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