Once again, Makenna almost felt sorry for him. But being abused didn’t give him the right to inflict such abuse on others. He could have become someone who protected others from such harm. Instead, he’d chosen a path that robbed children of their innocence, despite knowing how much that hurt.

Figuring it would be best to get this perverted bitch out of her sight before Makenna was tempted to act on the violent fantasies swirling around her head, she forced a smile. “Well, it’s been great talking to you. I don’t want to keep you, so . . .” She flicked her fingers.

“You think you can dismiss me? You think I’m weak?”

“I think you’re twisted and evil and you fucked up your child’s head so badly he’s now just as sick and depraved as you are.”

A flush stained Deanne’s cheeks. There was no shame or remorse in her expression, just anger. She didn’t deny her actions or defend herself, which was confusing as fuck. Could she genuinely not believe she’d done anything wrong? If so, that made her as chilling as it did warped.

“Just stay away from my son.” She marched off, head held high. Someone needed to kill that bitch. Hopefully karma had some interesting things in store for Deanne Deacon.

Hearing her phone chime, Makenna scooped it out of her pocket and swiped her thumb over the screen. “Hey, Madisyn.”

“Makenna, please tell me you’re on your way here. Something weird is going on.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Standing in Dawn’s office, Makenna looked at the feline in disbelief. “I’m going to need you to repeat that.”

Dawn rubbed her temple, shoulders curling forward. “Four of our biggest sponsors pulled out.” As news went, that was extremely bad. The shelter couldn’t afford to lose sponsors—big or small. The grants Dawn received were helpful, but they didn’t cover the full cost of the shelter’s upkeep or fund the other services Dawn provided, such as therapy, education, and substance abuse projects. Those services were important. They helped the residents have what they needed to move on and start afresh, thereby making room for other loners to stay at the shelter.

It wasn’t until Makenna felt her nails digging into her palms that she realized how tightly she’d clasped her hands. Forcing them to relax, she asked, “Did they say why?”

“One claimed to be unable to offer any further financial aid. The others gave no explanation at all.”

“Either Remy paid them off or intimidated them into withdrawing their help.”

“I should have seen it coming.” Dawn sighed, her gaze unfocused. “It’s such an obvious way to make it difficult for me to run the shelter.”

“That’s not all,” said Madisyn, sitting on the sofa, her expression hard. “Some of the residents were fired from their jobs.”

Makenna blinked. “Fired?”

“They were posing as humans,” Madisyn said. “Their superiors were ‘alerted’ that they were shifters, and apparently those particular humans don’t want our kind working for them.”

Restless with manic energy, Makenna began to pace. “Remy had to have exposed them.”

“But how would he know their names or where they work?” asked Dawn.

Madisyn bit her lower lip. “We know he has people watching the shelter. Maybe he also has people following the residents who leave each day for work, learning everyone’s patterns.”

“But why have them fired?” Dawn shook her head. “It seems such an indirect form of attack for someone so angry with us.”

“It is indirect,” agreed Makenna. “So much so that you’re thinking it probably has nothing to do with him. That makes this extremely smart. Think about it, Dawn. A huge way that you make a difference is by helping loners get a job so they can financially support themselves. Without that, they can’t afford to move into accommodations of their own. Ask yourself what would happen if a lot of the residents couldn’t afford to leave.”

Dawn swallowed. “The shelter would become too full at some point, and I’d have to turn people away—especially since I no longer have as much funding as I did before.”

“Exactly. That would mean the number of lone shifters living on the streets would build and build. The shelter wouldn’t seem to be making much of a difference anymore. Also, loners living on the streets tend to stay in their animal form so they can better defend themselves. The humans would notice wild animals roaming around, and they wouldn’t like it—particularly the people who started that petition not so long ago.”

“The council wants peace. If Remy can present himself as the answer to my problems and the end of any trouble, they may very well agree to give him what he wants.”

“And we could accuse him of being the one to cause the problems,” said Madisyn, “but he’s attacking the shelter in a way that doesn’t actually look like an attack. The council would ignore the claim.”

A knock at the door made Dawn’s head snap up. “Come in!”

Zac strolled into the room. As he took in their solemn expressions, he blanched and every muscle in his body tensed. “They’ve found me, haven’t they?”

“No, sweetie,” Makenna assured him. “This isn’t about you. Remy’s playing games.” She noticed he was carrying a small bag. “What you got there?”

He cleared his throat. “My stuff. Ryan will be here any minute. I told him on the phone that, um, I’ve decided to join his pack.”