“And what, Dean put a bounty on Mila’s head at Adele’s request?”

Charlene gave a fast shake of her head. “No. Nothing like that. As I said, he truly doesn’t want Mila dead. He just wants his mate. His theory is that if Mila’s in enough danger, it will stir up Joel’s protective instincts; it will reach the part of him that acknowledges who she is to him. Dean was excited when he realized that things seemed serious between you and Mila. He hoped it would bring out Joel’s possessiveness too.”

“Dean wants Joel to realize who Mila is to him. He can’t make Adele leave Joel, so he’s hoping to make Joel leave Adele.” Dominic’s jaw hardened. “And you knew? You knew he’d put a price on Mila’s head?”

Charlene shook her head. “He told me he only ordered for her to be hurt.”

“Well, he fucking lied. Probably because he didn’t trust that you wouldn’t warn her. But regardless of whether he wanted her hurt or dead, you should have told her.”

Charlene licked her lips nervously. “She’s a pallas cat, Dominic. They’re tougher than rock. I figured she’d be fine.”

Dominic stilled, disbelief smacking him in the face. “You figured she’d be fine? That’s your defense?”

“I didn’t think she’d ever come to mean anything to you. I figured you just wanted to test the bedsprings with her.”

“That has no bearing on the fact that you should have told her.”

“I promised Dean I wouldn’t! I honestly didn’t think anyone would be dumb enough to even try to cash in on the contract. I mean, who’d want to fuck with a pallas cat pride? They’re insane. But after the attacks started, I thought about coming to you. I did. But you would have been angry with me for not saying something sooner.”

“I’m still not hearing an excuse that’s even close to valid.”

Switching from beseeching to defensive in an instant, she jutted out her chin. “Yeah? Well, she almost died today. And it wasn’t because of Dean. It was because of your ex. You brought that fucked-up shit into Mila’s life. So don’t get all high and mighty with me about how I could have helped her. You could have helped keep her safe by staying away, but you didn’t. You just can’t keep your dick in your pants. And if she thinks that claiming you will change that, she’s a fool. Some people aren’t made for commitment—you’re one of them.”

“Is that what you tell yourself so that your ego isn’t hurt by his refusal to commit to you?” asked Mila as she strolled out of the trees, grass rustling beneath her feet.

Charlene whirled to face her, paling. “Mila—”

She put up a hand. “I heard all your excuses, Charlene. Don’t need to hear them again. I have only one question for you, and I’d say you owe me the answer. Where do I find Dean Preston?”

“He really doesn’t want you—”

“Dead,” Mila finished, her voice flat. “Yeah. I heard that. But, see, I don’t care.”

“There would be no point in me telling you anyway. He has visions; he could have one that warns him you’re coming. He’ll run.”

“We’ll take our chances,” said Dominic. “Where is he, Charlene?”

The fox’s eyes closed, and her expression turned pained. “You’ll kill him.”

Yeah, he would. “And if you heard someone had put a price on Lennie’s head, no matter the reason, what would you do?”

Opening her eyes, Charlene sighed. “I’d break their fucking neck.”

“Believe me, Charlene, I’m close to breaking yours. You knew my mate was in danger, and you said shit about it. You tried to separate me from her, which would have left her more vulnerable to attack. I’m guessing you did it because you didn’t want a stray bullet sinking into me—I don’t care, and that’s not good enough. Her life is more important to me than mine.”

“I didn’t know he put out a hit. I swear to God, I didn’t!”

“You still should have told her what you did know.” Dominic paused as several of his pack mates—all of whom looked mighty pissed—stepped out of the trees to circle the three of them. He watched it sink into Charlene’s brain that she was surrounded.

“There is only one way you’ll walk off this territory alive, and that’s if you tell me where I can find that fucker right now,” Dominic told her. “Bear in mind that you’ll tell me one way or another. Dante will get the information out of you. Whether you volunteer that information or need to have it tortured out of you will decide your fate. Choose, and do it fast.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Charlene made the right choice and confessed all, which unfortunately meant that Mila couldn’t kill her. She did, however, deal the fox a blow to the jaw that knocked her clean out for a few minutes. The moment Charlene was kicked off pack territory, Mila called Vinnie and brought him up to speed. Annoyingly, that also meant telling him that Joel was her predestined mate. He hadn’t taken that too well, growling, “We’ll discuss this after I’ve paid Dean’s Alpha a visit.”

It was later on, while she was gathered in Trey’s office with Dominic, his Alphas and Betas, Tao, and the other enforcers, that Vinnie called her. She placed him on speakerphone as he relayed the conversation he’d had with Dean’s Alpha, Jonah, who claimed he hadn’t seen Dean in days. Apparently, Dean also wasn’t answering anyone’s calls.

“Do you think Jonah bullshitted you to protect his pride mate?” Trey asked, his arms folded, his back against his desk.

“I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had, but no,” replied Vinnie. “I think Jonah was telling the truth. He agreed to call me if Dean returned, but very few Alphas would put an outsider before their own pride mate, no matter that person’s crime.”

“I wonder what made Dean cut contact with his pride.” Roni poked her inner cheek with her tongue. “I mean, that’s not something that anyone would do lightly. Especially if they had family there.”

“According to Jonah,” began Vinnie, “Dean hasn’t had trouble with any of his pride mates, so we can rule that possibility out.”

His arm draped over his mate’s shoulder, Dominic twisted his mouth. “Maybe Dean did it to protect them.”

Mila’s brow puckered. “From what?”

Dominic shrugged. “He could be worried we were close to discovering the truth. Maybe he thought that if he made it clear he was acting alone by cutting contact with his pride, they wouldn’t suffer any blowback. Especially if he heard from Adele that there were people working on cracking the website.”

“It’s possible,” allowed Taryn, sitting in the leather office chair. “Do you think Adele knows that Dean’s responsible for the hit, Mila?”

“My gut says no,” Mila replied.

“She told Dean that she suspects you’re Joel’s mate and that she finds it hard to see how attached he is to you,” Taryn reminded her. “If you were dead, she wouldn’t have to be hurt by it anymore.”

“I know,” said Mila, “but she’s just not the type of person who would wish anyone dead.”