Oh, she had no doubt Rhyzan would die if he attempted that.
“I have to file a counterpetition.” The answer came so quickly she was amazed she hadn’t thought of it before. She turned quickly back to Dane. “Contact Callan. I need the form for counterpetitions sent to Dog’s tablet as well as the form for a Petition for Restraint. He can access those for me if, as pride leader, he disagrees with actions being taken. I have them, but I need to show a paper trail to keep my back door into the files open.”
“You’re not part of his pride; your father will need to lodge that protest,” Dane pointed out. “And he’s considered prejudiced in your favor.”
She smiled slowly. “Dane, I was made part of Callan’s pride when I was nine years old, before Dad instituted his own pack. That induction was never rescinded because I visited so often.” She turned to Dog. “Are you considered alpha to your teams or do you answer to someone else?”
As if she didn’t know that answer.
“I answer to no one but you, halfling,” he assured her, satisfaction suddenly gleaming in his gaze.
“I’ll need the forms to file pack status as well,” she informed Dane as he pulled his mobile phone from the leather holster at his side. “We’ll go to my apartment rather than the Bureau tonight and arrive in time for the Cabinet to convene tomorrow evening.”
“You have an apartment?” Dog’s brows arched with curious amusement.
“Of course. I’ve had one near the Bureau for months.” Didn’t everyone have their own place?
She’d just never had reason to use it.
“Of course,” he murmured, his lips still quirked with that odd smile. “So, we’re going to that little meeting and facing Rhyzan?”
“We are. I’ll fill out the forms when Callan sends them and shoot them to all the required parties. All I need is Callan’s verification and acceptance of the protest to ensure Rhyzan’s hands are tied until Elizabeth can complete the mating tests with Kenzi, which will be before the meeting.” She shook her head. “I should have thought of that, dammit. I would have if you didn’t keep my brain messed up.”
His brow arched as Dane chuckled at the accusation.
“Message sent,” the hybrid announced. “And confirmation of agreement received. Dog will have the forms within the hour.” He looked between them, a dark blond brow arching inquisitively. “Shall we go, then?”
She slid him a considering look. “May we borrow a few of your Breeds? They’re not required to follow Bureau dictates, correct?”
“Correct.” She could see the laughter gleaming in his green eyes. “They are not.”
“We need a security detail that’s not required to obey Rhyzan’s orders if he somehow manages to throw a wrench in the works. I’ll be ready to leave within the hour.” Turning, she hurried to the bedroom.
She had a lot to do in that hour.
• • •
There she was.
It was all Dog could do to force himself not to follow her, to bend her over the bed and assure himself he was still alpha in this mating. He’d be damned if she wouldn’t challenge that position every chance she had.
“That look on your face is almost envious,” Dane drawled, pulling Dog’s attention from the fact that the bedroom door was closed and his little mate was hidden from view.
The undertone of regret in his friend’s voice was a reminder that the woman Dane believed should have been his mate was another’s, something the hybrid had never stopped regretting.
“She makes me complete.” Dog sighed, shaking head. “Hell, I never knew I was incomplete until the mating.”
The problem was, he wasn’t so certain she felt the same way. He knew she was determined to make the mating work. It wasn’t her determination he wanted, though; the hunger for her heart was growing by the day.
He wanted her love.
“Her life hasn’t been easy, has it?” Dane remarked. “She’s too damned intelligent, sees too much, senses too much, for others’ comfort. That woman could rule the w
orld if she set her mind to it.”
The world, or the Coyote Breeds Dog led. Over the years he’d drawn several dozen beneath his command. More than six alphas in their own right and Breeds hungry for a home, for a life that didn’t include living among the monsters they’d worked to destroy.
“I’m going to petition for Coy status when this is over,” he informed Dane, referring to the title given to a Coyote alpha who commanded more than a single pack. “Lobo’s Wolf Breeds are the only Breed force in the area, but it’s small and very secular. I have over sixty Coyotes that follow me with accompanied alphas ready to pledge their loyalty to the Breed Ruling Cabinet. I think there’s enough room among the Nation here for a Coyote community.”