“It was smart of Pierson to twist the story the way he did, right?” Dominic’s smile was bitter. Pierson had falsely claimed that Lincoln had killed himself after Allegra had left him because he’d been unable to deal with the agony of it. “I mean, by saying that the whole ‘abandoning a mate’ thing runs in my family and that I knew it would destroy Rosemary because I’d seen it happen to my father, he made me seem like a cruel motherfucker.”

“I’m more concerned about his mention of a nonexistent rumor that you drug women for sex,” said Taryn, rubbing her thighs. “Not that I think anyone will believe that shit. Anyone who knows you will know you’d never do something like that. Also, her mental state couldn’t have been a result of a drug you gave her because, hello, she didn’t try to kill herself until two weeks after your ‘date.’ The drug would have been way out of her system by then. Plus, she tried to kill herself twice before she had even met you. Still, anti-shifter assholes could pounce on that accusation.”

Pierson, the bastard, had not only gone to the trouble of finding out names of the women that Dominic had been seen with over the years, he’d also listed them in his article. He’d made Dominic out to be a womanizer without a conscience who cared only for himself. Although Dominic was no such thing, he’d actually felt a lick of shame when he saw that long list of names, especially since he didn’t even remember some of them. He’d have recognized the women’s faces, but their names just didn’t stick out in his mind.

“It’s clear that he’s set out to destroy your character,” said Trey. “You can handle that, I know. But like I said earlier, it’s not fair to expect Mila to have to handle it. And she would have to handle it, Dom. Humans snap photos of shifters all the time, and you’re a particular favorite among them. If someone snaps a picture of you while you’re with Mila, Emmet could turn his attention on her. Keeping your distance from her until all of this blows over is for the best.”

And therein lay the reason why Dominic’s wolf wanted to claw his own Alphas.

“Especially since she’s dealing with her own shit right now.” Taryn stretched her legs out in front of her. “I’m guessing Emmet thought the first article would make people turn on you, but it didn’t. With any luck, this article will be just as ineffective. From the online responses that Rhett has seen so far on various blogs and forums, most people aren’t buying Emmet’s claims—particularly because the first article contained so many untruths. But Trey’s right: this will put you in the spotlight, and that spotlight will shine on whomever you’re seen with.”

“Also, Rosemary may see these articles and photos,” said Trey. “If you’re photographed with Mila or any other female, Rosemary could do something else stupid—maybe to them, maybe to you, or maybe to herself.”

Dominic flexed his fists. “I won’t put my life on pause because of those lying assholes.” He hadn’t even let his own reservations keep him away from Mila, and now Trey wanted Dominic to give the Piersons that power? Fuck that.

Dominic had made the decision to enjoy what time he had with Mila before she left for Russia. He’d seen her every day since the first article was released a week ago. Sometimes at the barbershop, sometimes at her apartment, sometimes at the club.

Her parents even had him over for dinner again, which Mila hadn’t protested this time around. He liked her family. Liked that they made him feel so welcome. It gave him a sense of belonging that he’d only ever had with his pack.

Dominic had also hinted at her moving to his territory until the bounty was off her head, and that conversation had gone exactly as he’d expected. So he’d had to content himself with keeping a lookout for her. If he heeded Trey’s order, he’d no longer be able to do even that.

“I’m not asking you to put your life on pause, I’m just saying it’s best for you to keep some distance from Mila until everything cools down.”

Dominic narrowed his eyes at the other male. “This isn’t you being concerned for Mila. You’re thinking that if she gets dragged into this, you could end up making an enemy of Vinnie.”

Trey shrugged. “It’s something we have to consider, sure, but I’m not worried about Vinnie. My main concern is you. And I know that if Mila were pulled into this, you’d feel like shit. From what I’ve heard, she’s a smart girl; she’ll understand. She might even thank you for it.”

Brows snapping together, Dominic snorted. “She’s a highly dominant female shifter, Trey. She’ll be offended that I’d even insinuate that she couldn’t deal with any blowback from the articles. I won’t get any thanks, because I’ll have hurt her pride.”

“But she’ll get why you did it.”

Dominic fisted his hands. “Would you stay away from Taryn, knowing she had a price on her head and could be attacked at any moment?”

“No, but Taryn’s my mate. I don’t know what Mila is to you. I’m not sure if you know what Mila is to you. But if you don’t claim rights to someone, you can’t act like you have them. So unless you’re telling me that you have laid some kind of claim on her—even if it’s only temporary—you don’t have ground here.” He fell silent, giving Dominic the chance to voice a claim . . . but he didn’t.

“She’s surrounded by her pride, Dominic,” Taryn reminded him. “You know they’ll keep her safe. And I’m sure they’ll keep you posted if you ask them to.”

Dominic wouldn’t need to ask, since he already checked in with Tate daily, asking for updates on Mila’s situation. Strangely, the Beta had never told him to butt out of pride business. Really, Dominic had no right to constantly keep tabs on her. She wasn’t his. Hell, she wasn’t even wearing a temporary mark from him. But he just needed to be certain that she was okay. His wolf needed it. Either Tate was taking pity on him or Mila’s parents had dragged the Beta into their little plot.

“And Mila’s not so easy to take down, is she?” Taryn added. “That’s not the point, I know. I’m just asking you to remember that you’re not leaving some naive girl to fend for herself. Mila’s tough. She can handle her shit. And she has plenty of people around her who will keep her safe. If I didn’t wholeheartedly believe that, I’d fight Trey about asking you to pull back.” Taryn sighed. “As for our next course of action—”

“No more videos,” Dominic cut in. “We’ve stated our case, it hasn’t changed. There’s nothing new to say. Any attention we give to Emmet makes him seem credible.”

“I agree,” said Taryn. “We can post something simple on our blog that says we hope the public sees his story for what it is—an angry father looking for someone to blame for his daughter’s pain.”

“If you want,” began Trey, “I can call Mila myself and—” The Alpha’s brows lifted as Dominic’s eyes flashed wolf again and a territorial growl rattled in his chest. “I sensed that your beast didn’t like me telling you to stay away from her, but I didn’t see the possessiveness until just then. I’ll bet that emotion is new to him.”