Page 5 of Mismatched Mates

I bit back a sarcastic retort, my wolf snarling inside. "I wasn't aware my behavior required your approval, considering I'm a grown man."

"Everything you do reflects on this family," he snapped. "On our pack. On Sentinel. You can't afford to be so reckless."

I leaned back, feigning nonchalance. "Reckless? I'd say I'm living life to the fullest. Isn't that what you always preach about seizing opportunities?"

His eyes flashed gold, a warning. "Don't twist my words, boy. Your idea of 'seizing opportunities' seems to involve more debauchery than business acumen."

I felt my jaw clench, the urge to bare my teeth almost overwhelming. "Well, we can't all be perfect sons, can we? Some of us have to have a little fun."

"Fun?" he scoffed. "Is that what you call jeopardizing everything we've built?"

He wordlessly slid a tablet across the table. The harsh glow of the screen illuminated his stern features."Take a look," he commanded, his nails tapping an impatient rhythm on the desk.

I leaned forward, my eyes narrowing as I focused on the image displayed. It was grainy, clearly taken from a distance, but unmistakably depicted me locked in a passionate embrace.

“That’s Tatiana,” I explained, pushing the tablet back. “We had an arrangement when I was working in New York. I moved back and things ended. End of story.”

"How do you think your philandering is going to reflect on the company?" Vince asked, his voice sharp.

I suppressed a growl. "Due diligence doesn't mean they're going to deny us an IPO because I hooked up with a model. This could've been an email." Sentinel was considered the premiere security solution for shifters—and humans alike. The next logical step was to take the company public, further cementing our fortune and social standing.

"An email?" Vince's voice rose, heavy with disapproval. "You think this is a trivial matter?"

I crossed my arms, trying to maintain a facade of indifference. "It was ages ago. Ancient history."

"Ancient history has a way of resurfacing at the most inopportune moments," he snapped. "Your carelessness is a liability, Grant. One we can no longer afford." He rubbed his eyebrows in a gesture that spoke of exasperation and disappointment.

My lip curled. “It’s not as though I did it on the job, and we’re two consenting adults.”

“Konrad never gets involved in these scandals.”

I was the eldest Elston, yet in his eyes, I would always be second best. A twinge of envy towards Konrad flared, followed by a rush of guilt. He was my brother, not my rival. Despite the endless measuring against each other—the comparisons only strengthened our bond instead of tearing us apart.

“There’s noscandal.”

His nails tapped impatiently against the table. “How many times do I need to tell you—it doesn’t matter what the truth is.”

“Funnily enough, it matters to me.”

“I need you to stop flitting around like a damn butterfly.”

There were many reasons I didn’t date for keeps, none of which I could ever tell my father. Or anyone.

I felt the walls of the office closing in, my gaze drifting to the window where the trees swayed tantalizingly in the distance. My wolf whined, desperate for the freedom just beyond our reach. But here I was, trapped by duty and expectation, about to be handed yet another leash.

"So what's your grand solution, then? Lock me in a tower until the IPO goes through?"

Vince's lips thinned into a hard line. "Not quite. But I do have a proposition that might salvage this mess you've created. We need to rebuild the public’s perception of you. Right now, they think you’re an entitled, womanizing playboy with too much free time on your hands.”

I shrugged. Womanizing was an inaccurate characterization; I viewed it as a string of mutually beneficial situations.

“Okay,” I said. “So what’s your proposition?”

“A matchmaking service.”

The cogs of my brain caught on the words, coming to a halt.

“A what?”

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