Page 72 of Fetch Me A Mate
"I learned that some problems require direct solutions."
Kael stepped forward, his own wolf stirring. "You can't take all of us, brother."
"Watch me."
But Danarius held up a hand, stopping his enforcers. "Actually, I have a better idea. You want to play hero, protectyour human from the big bad pack? Fine. But understand the consequences."
"What consequences?"
"The complaint against your innkeeper is just the beginning. We've got federal contacts, state regulatory boards, journalists who specialize in exposing fraud." Danarius pulled out his phone, showing a contact list. "One word from me, and Diana Merrick becomes the most investigated small business owner in North Carolina."
"You can't prove fraud where none exists."
"Proof is irrelevant. Investigation is the weapon. Every day she spends fighting bureaucratic battles is another day she's not running her inn. Every legal fee, every compliance requirement, every suspicious inquiry chips away at her resources and her community support."
Rowan's wolf snarled, recognizing the true threat. They could destroy Diana without ever laying a hand on her, simply by drowning her in manufactured crises.
"Or, you can return to the pack. Your help resolving the Sarah situation." Danarius pocketed his phone. "Simple transaction. Your cooperation for her peace."
The trap was perfect, brutal in its simplicity. Rowan could fight the three wolves in front of him, might even win. But he couldn't fight a coordinated campaign of legal harassment and bureaucratic sabotage.
"How long do I have to decide?"
"Until the Council meeting ends. If she survives tonight's proceedings, you have until midnight to contact me with your decision."
Danarius turned to leave, confident in his victory. Kael and Max flanked him, already moving toward the tree line.
Rowan stood silent for a long moment, his head bowed like a wolf finally accepting defeat. His shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of his posture.
"Wait."
They paused, turning back with predatory satisfaction.
"You win," Rowan said quietly. "I'll come back. Just... give me tonight to say goodbye."
"Wise choice." Danarius's smile was triumphant. "I knew you'd see reason eventually."
"Yeah." Rowan lifted his head, and his eyes blazed silver in the moonlight. "I see plenty."
The shift exploded through him like lightning, bones cracking, muscles reshaping, human thought dissolving into wolf instinct. He launched himself at Danarious, but Kael stepped in front as two hundred pounds of fury and claws drove them both into the rocky shore.
Kael's own shift began mid-fall, but Rowan was already moving, already committed, teeth seeking throat while his claws raked across flanks.
They crashed into the water together, a tangle of snarls and snapping jaws and blood that looked black in the moonlight.
35
DIANA
The Council Glade felt different at night. Fae-lights bobbed between the ancient oaks, casting shifting shadows on the stone circle where five figures waited. Diana approached with Miriam beside her, their footsteps muffled by fallen leaves.
"Breathe," Miriam murmured.
Varric sat at the head of the stone circle, his silver braids gleaming in the ethereal light. Elder Bram occupied his usual position to the right, his expression carved from granite. Emmett flanked the left side, his weathered hands folded on the stone table. Two other Council members Diana recognized but rarely spoke to completed the tribunal.
"Diana Merrick," Varric's voice carried across the clearing. "You've been summoned to address concerns regarding your suitability as innkeeper of the Hearth & Hollow."
"I understand."
