Page 58 of Fetch Me A Mate
"You son of a?—"
"Now, now." Kael held up a hand in mock peace. "I'm not threatening anyone. Just pointing out how quickly situations can deteriorate when the wrong elements are involved."
Rowan's control hung by a thread. Every instinct screamed at him to shift, to let his wolf handle this threat the way nature intended. But they were standing in the middle of Hollow Oak's square, surrounded by witnesses and security cameras and the kind of exposure that would destroy everything Diana had worked to build.
"What do you want, Kael?"
"Same thing we've always wanted. For you to come home and handle your responsibilities like an adult." Kael straightened his expensive jacket with theatrical precision. "The offer stands. Resume your position, help us clean up the mess you made, and your pretty innkeeper gets to keep playing house in her little sanctuary."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we stop being subtle about encouraging your cooperation." Kael's smile was winter-cold. "Amazing how quickly a thriving business can develop problems. Health code violations, zoning disputes, financial irregularities that require intensive investigation."
"We handled Jerry Kowalski."
"Jerry was amateur hour. A small demonstration of what coordinated pressure can accomplish." Kael pulled out his phone, scrolling through messages with theatrical casualness. "But we've got resources Jerry never dreamed of. Connections in state agencies, federal departments, regulatory bodies that can make life very complicated for small business owners who attract the wrong kind of attention."
The threat was clear. Crystal clear. They could destroy Diana's life without laying a finger on her, could turn the inn into a liability that would crush her dreams and scatter her community.
"How long?" Rowan asked quietly.
"How long for what?"
"How long before you stop playing games and get to the point?"
Kael's laugh was soft, dangerous. "We're not playing games, brother. We're demonstrating consequences. Every day you delay is another day your innkeeper's life gets more complicated."
"She handled today's complications just fine."
"Today was easy. A few rumors, some minor supply chain disruptions. Child's play." Kael pocketed his phone and stepped closer. "Next week will be harder. Next month will be impossible."
Rowan held his ground, letting his wolf's presence fill the space between them. Two predators measuring each other in the gathering darkness.
"You're making a mistake, Kael."
"I think it’s you who's confused about where your loyalties should lie." Kael glanced toward the inn again. "Pretty as she is, that human's not pack. She's not blood. She's not worth destroying everything you used to be."
"Maybe what I used to be needed destroying."
"Careful, brother. That kind of thinking is how you ended up exiled in the first place." Kael's smile turned predatory. "Don't make the same mistake twice. Some bonds can't be broken, no matter how far you run."
He melted back into the shadows between buildings, leaving Rowan alone on the café's front step with rage burning in his chest and the scent of threat lingering in the night air.
Inside Griddle & Grind, Twyla looked up from wiping down tables. "Evening, Rowan. You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Something like that." He set her serving tray on the counter, his hands steadier than he felt. "Diana and I were wondering if you had any of those dinner specials left."
"Course I do. Soup and sandwich? Dessert?"
"Whatever you recommend. It's been a long day."
"Good long or bad long?"
Rowan thought about Diana's triumphant afternoon, the way the community had rallied around her competence and vision. Then he thought about Kael's threats, the coordinated pressure campaign that was just getting started.
"Both," he said finally. "Definitely both."
As Twyla packed up their dinner, Rowan stared out at the inn's glowing windows and made a decision. Kael was right about one thing - this was just the beginning. The pack wouldn't stop with minor harassment and manufactured crises. They'd escalate until Diana's life became unbearable or until Rowan gave them what they wanted.
