Page 19 of Mismatched Mates

“Ah, Mara.” I tapped her chin as I walked past her to our father’s office, from where there was the tinny sound of voices. “The feminist in you does you credit. But as it happens, she’s in on it. And she’s using me just as much as I’m using her.”

The combination of confusion and surprise that crossed Mara’s face was exquisite, and I took a second to appreciate it fully before opening the door and entering our father’s study for the second time this week, Konrad hot on my heels.

He waved us towards seats, and I sprawled in the chair, looking at the framed photo he had of my stepmom, Catherine, on the desk. She was laughing in it, head tilted back, and if I thought my father was capable of sentiment, I’d probably have thought it sweet. But seeing as he couldn’t have foundedSentinelwithout her help, it was probably more out of expectation than affection.

“I suppose you think you’re funny,” he growled after slamming the phone down.

“I'm following your orders to the letter.”

"Don't play games with me, boy."

"I'm not playing anything," I countered, meeting his gaze. "You wanted me to date. I'm dating." I thought of Jane – her warmth, her strength and the way she razed me. And I realized, I wanted to fight for her.

“Konrad, have you been in contact with the bear clan?”

"Of course," Konrad nodded, his tone smooth and reassuring. "I've already reached out to their elders. “They were just as surprised as I was. I explained the situation and by all accounts it’s something that’s frowned upon but falls under the terms of the treaty.”

“Which,” our father said, his tone like acid, “naturally you knew, Grant.”

“The date wasn’t in either of our jurisdictions,” I reminded him, remembering the three idiots who had converged on Jane by the side of the road. She was more than capable of handling herself, though I was glad I’d stepped in before the situation had gotten out of hand, but that was enough to prove that we needed a new system. “But I did come across Perry and his cronies harassing her.”

The lines on my Father’s face deepened as he frowned. “Harassing?”

“She crashed off the road and they were posing. I don’t think they would’ve seriously harmed her, but we need to crack down on this kind of stuff before it becomes a serious problem and undermines the truce.” Which was, for the most part, pretty stable. Konrad did a decent job of maintaining good connections between our pack and the bear clan. But that didn’t mean that the new generation of kids, who thought that we should be top dog, didn’t think that the truce had passed its usefulness.

Konrad's jaw clenched as he turned to face our father. "I'll handle it," he said firmly, his fingers twitching at his sides. Growing up, I’d been warned to stay away from the bear clan. Our species had been at odds for centuries, but a treaty had formed the foundation for a fragile peace. We tried to keep shifters hidden from humans, so staying within our own kind was crucial.

Grudgingly satisfied, our father moved on to his next point in the agenda. “Next time you want to engage in a public display of affection with the bear, try not to do so next to one of the company cars.”

“Calling Winslow was a last-minute thing,” I said. “And that’s where she wanted me to drop her off.” An absolute stroke of genius from her part. “I’ll save our next kiss for the gala.”

My father grunted, but he knew he couldn’t order me not to bring her to the gala, not now we’d been seen together. Everyone knew about my ‘latest fling’, and the best way to put the rumors to rest was make it seem serious.

As I turned to leave, a spark of satisfaction flickered in my chest. The chaos I'd introduced to our carefully ordered world felt like a breath of fresh air.

"Grant." My father's voice halted me at the door. "Remember who you are. What you represent."

I didn't turn back. "How could I forget?"

“Just keep your nose clean. And when this thing inevitably ends between you, don’t make it messy. The investigative period is almost over—if we don’t do anything that compromises the integrity of the company or trustworthiness of this family, we stand a chance of getting that IPO and moving the business up to the next level. Understand?”

I wanted to mess with him, to let this thing with Jane be an act of defiance within the guise of submission, but at the end of the day, he was still my father and my alpha, and this companywouldn’t always be his. Eventually, it’d be Konrad’s, and he was the one person who’d always accepted me. The one person I’d never mess with.

Jane's face flashed in my mind – her warm brown eyes, the strength in her presence that both challenged and intrigued me. A pang of guilt twisted in my gut. I'd dragged her into this mess of family politics and corporate maneuvering.

"Shit," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. Was this just about getting under my father's skin? Or was there something more to it?

JANE

Heather lived in Fayetteville, about two and a half hours from Pine River, and by some miracle of miracles, the weekend after my date, both our schedules aligned. Luke and Victoria had the boys for a hiking trip, and after sending them off with their tent and sleeping bags, I left Pine River behind.

I was driving a rental car because my SUV was in the shop for repairs. And although I thought longingly of the work I’d be missing out on by spending the entire weekend away, my laptop was in my bag, and I always woke earlier than she did. Nothing like a Sunday morning coffee and an hour to read my emails.

By the time I finally pulled up outside Heather’s apartment, she was waiting with tacos and too many questions.

“So, spill. How'd the big date go?” she asked as she led me through to her living room. Deep green walls surrounded us, offset by thrifted mid-century furniture that somehow managed to look both eclectic and perfectly curated. “You’ve been holding out on me and it’s been torture.Torture.”

“Something tells me you’ve never been tortured in your life,” I said, inhaling the aroma of spicy beef tacos. My stomach grumbled. “I don’t know how humanity survived before tacos.”

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