Dominic could only stare at the human. The guy was either fucking deluded, like his daughter, or he was vastly uneducated on the ways of shifters.

Taryn sighed. “There’s a great deal of misinformation out there about mating bonds, Mr. Pierson, and—”

“You cannot claim that you weren’t latent,” clipped Emmet.

Trey bristled. “As a matter of fact, we can claim whatever the fuck we want—we don’t owe you any explanation about anything. But yes, it’s common knowledge that my mate was latent until we mated. However, I’ve yet to hear of another latent shifter whose animal surfaced upon mating.”

“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen for my daughter,” said Emmet, not in the least bit deterred.

“A bite won’t cause a mating bond to form,” Dante told the human. “It doesn’t work that way. It certainly wouldn’t grant your daughter added strength or any other shifter abilities. And even if Dominic did mate with your daughter, it wouldn’t be something either of them could walk away from once she had what she wanted.”

Emmet scoffed. “No one truly believes that mating bonds are mystical connections or that their mates are predestined.”

“Surely you heard stories about the bond your great-great-grandmother shared with her mate,” said Dominic.

“She was a kooky woman who was also convinced that the wind spoke to her.” Emmet shook his head, incredulous. “If you wanted to get out of a mating, you could. Anyone could.”

Oh, you could walk away, but not without facing potentially dire consequences. Keeping a distance from your true mate could lead to one or both individuals turning rogue. When Dominic’s mother left, his father’s wolf had not only turned rogue, he’d also killed three people before the Alpha and Beta of Dominic’s old pack managed to take the wolf down.

Lincoln hadn’t deserved that ending to his life. He hadn’t been evil, hadn’t even known what he was doing. And it just went to show that the mating bond wasn’t always the pretty, shiny thing it was perceived to be.

Dominic lifted his chin. “I can’t give you or your daughter what she wants.”

“Maybe this will change your mind.” Emmet fished something out of his pocket and then slid it across the table. A check for $50,000. No one touched it. “All I’m asking you to do is temporarily take Rosemary as your mate. Once her animal has surfaced and she’s pregnant, you can walk away from the relationship.”

Dominic had to clamp his jaw shut to bite back a curse. The human was just not fucking listening.

Emmet’s gaze cut to Trey. “I’m a good ally to have. That’s what shifters like, isn’t it? Allies. It can be very beneficial to have good human connections. I can give you those.” He looked at Dominic, clearly expecting him to agree.

Dominic didn’t. “If Rosemary really has an inner animal, it’s possible that she has a true mate waiting for her. I wish her good luck in finding him. That male is not me. She and I were not in a relationship. We met at a bar, we had a one-night stand, and I left before morning—that’s it. There was nothing more to it than that, which she knows perfectly well.” No, it wasn’t nice to tell this guy that he’d had a one-night stand with his daughter, but this human wasn’t getting the message.

Flushing, Emmet placed his hands flat on the table. “As I said, I’m a good ally to have. I can also make a very bad enemy.”

Trey gave him a shark’s grin. “You can’t make a worse enemy than I can.”

Emmet’s eyes flickered. “Don’t be so sure of that. You have a son. Is there anything you wouldn’t do to secure his happiness? Could you really sit by and watch him suffer?” He banged his fist on the table. “Dammit, you didn’t see how Rosemary fell apart after her ex-husband left her. He tossed her aside like she was nothing. Ever since she was a child, all she ever wanted was a child of her own.”

Pierson looked at Dominic. “You say you can’t force her wolf to surface. Fine. But you can at least give her that sense of worth back that her ex-husband took from her. I’m offering you fifty thousand dollars. All you have to do is bite her, claim her as yours, and then impregnate her—all of which you could probably do in one evening.”

“I’m sorry for what your daughter went through,” Taryn said to him. “I truly am. And I can understand that you love her and just want to make everything better for her. But we’ve explained to you that what you’re asking for can’t be done. Mating bonds are complex things that cannot be forced, bought, or simply willed into existence. If you don’t believe us on that, talk to other shifters. Offer the same deal to them. They’ll tell you the same thing.”

“She doesn’t want other shifters, she wants your pack mate. She loves him.” Emmet looked at Dominic. “Not that you deserve her, considering you won’t even admit to having had a relationship with her.”

“There was no relationship,” Dominic told him as he and his pack mates got to their feet. “And there never will be. Take my Alpha female’s advice—consult other shifters and offer that check to them. You’ll soon come to realize that you’re asking for something I can’t give her.”

With that, the four wolves stalked out of the restaurant and headed to the pack’s vehicle.

Riding shotgun, Dominic rubbed at his nape. “I did not see that coming.”

“Rosemary never hinted at you mating with her?” Trey asked him from the rear seat, his arm draped around Taryn.

“No.” Dominic clicked on his seat belt. “She said she was divorced, that the guy was a complete asshole, and that she envied shifters for having predestined mates. She didn’t mention that she believed she had an inner animal.”

“Because she was sure you’d know that to be untrue.” Dante switched on the ignition and reversed out of the parking space. “I’m guessing she thought Daddy could get her what she wanted. Money talks in the world of humans. In our world? Not so much.”

“Although I feel bad that she can’t have kids, I also want to wring her neck for feeding her father all those lies,” said Taryn. “She clearly lives in a fantasy world. Be careful, Dominic. People like that don’t give up easily. They can cling to their beliefs for a long time. She apparently sees you as the answer to all her problems.”

Driving out of the lot, Dante sighed at him. “Don’t you know better than to sleep with unhinged humans, Dom?”

“Hey, she didn’t let her crazy flag fly when I was around her,” Dominic defended himself. “She seemed normal enough.”

“See, this is what happens when you skip the getting-to-know-the-girl phase—you miss learning she’s a living, breathing shit-storm heading your way.” Dante met Trey’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Do you think her father will try to cause problems for the pack?”

“I doubt it,” replied Trey. “He probably threatened us because he was pissed. Besides, I don’t see what kind of trouble Pierson could cause us anyway. He’s probably still hoping that Dominic will change his mind. Whatever the case, it’s possible that Dominic hasn’t seen the last of Rosemary. She won’t like that she didn’t get what she wanted.”