Page 46 of Hell and Hexes
He was already mad at me and Adrienne. It was logical to think the solution was for us witches to attack so Clinton and his father could bond over fighting us off, but I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to further fracture the relationship between the werewolves and us, and I didn’t want the packs to withdraw even further from Accident as a whole. No, we needed an exterior threat for them to come together over.
And it would help if it wasn’t just Clinton and his pack that helped, but us as well.
“Dallas doesn’t want to kill Clinton. He doesn’t want to go to war against you witches. He knows there’s people in the pack that want things different, but he doesn’t know how to give it to them without appearing weak. He’s stuck, Sylvie.”
“He’s the alpha. Can’t he just say he’s changing things and that they need to deal? Isn’t that pretty much what he did when he took over from Old Dog Butch?”
She flushed again. “It was easier to change things when he was the brand-new alpha. If he changes them now without a solid reason, he looks like he’s weak. Dallas can’t look weak. He needs to appear strong, confident, inflexible, wily, generous to those who are loyal, and protective of the pack.”
I thought for a second, musing over what I could possibly do to give Dallas the out he needed.
Tink set down her mug and leaned forward. “It’s exhausting for him. Always needing to be on, always needing to be the strong one. When someone gives him an opportunity to relax, to not be in charge for a few moments in private or behind the scenes, he’s thrilled. He just can’t have that sort of thing public, if you know what I mean.”
Suddenly I did know what she meant. “So, you and Dallas…you both…?”
She nodded and shot me a sheepish grin. “I’m in charge in the bedroom. I plan everything. I tell him what to do, and he does it. It’s glorious. And he loves it, but no one can know.”
Male sexual submission was a common kink, but I’d honor confidentiality on this just as I always did with my clients because I could see how this wouldn’t be acceptable in werewolf culture, especially with their alpha.
“If you can think of a way where Dallas owes you one, or owes Clinton one, or needs to unite with both Clinton and the witches to fend off a bigger foe, he’ll jump at it.” She picked up her mug of tea and finished it off. “Give him an out, Sylvie. He doesn’t want to kill his son or other werewolves. He doesn’t want a war with the witches. Give him an out.”
