Page 6 of Howl About That

"I'll bring her by tomorrow morning. Oh, I'm Gerri Wilder by the way. So nice to finally officially meet you, Keiro." Gerri's smile carried the satisfaction of someone whose plans were falling into place exactly as intended. She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Keiro? Next time you want to help your mate, try asking what she actually needs instead of assuming you know better."

Before he could respond, she disappeared down the sidewalk with the fluid grace of someone who'd orchestrated this entire mess on purpose. Keiro stared after her, wondering how she'd known his name when he was certain they'd never met.

The purr of a high-performance engine drew his attention as Dax's Ferrari pulled to the curb, the sleek black paint reflecting the city lights. Keiro climbed into the passenger seat, immediately enveloped by the familiar scents of leather and his Beta's steady presence.

"Well?" Dax's voice carried that careful neutrality as he pulled into Manhattan traffic. "What was that all about?"

"I was just informed how badly I overstepped tonight. But I'm fixing it tomorrow."

Dax's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. "Overstepped how, exactly?"

"I interfered in something I didn't understand." Keiro leaned back against the seat, watching the city blur past the windows. "My mate was fighting for her pride land, and I turned it into a spectacle."

Dax was quiet for several miles, processing information with the methodical approach that made him invaluable in both business and pack matters. "The elders aren't going to be thrilled about a cross-species mating."

The understatement drew a bitter laugh from Keiro. Helias had been pushing him toward suitable wolf shifter females for years, convinced that pack strength depended on maintaining traditional bloodlines. The idea of their Alpha bonding with a lioness—especially an Alpha lioness with her own territory and responsibilities—would trigger every conservative instinct the elder possessed.

"The elders can adjust."

"And if they don't?"

Keiro's wolf stirred with territorial aggression at the implied challenge. "Then they'll learn that some things aren't negotiable."

As they left the city behind and entered the winding roads that led to their Catskills territory, Keiro found himself caught between anticipation and dread. Tomorrow he would see Poppy again, would have the chance to explain his intentions and hopefully begin repairing the damage he'd caused. But his wolf was already demanding more—demanding they claim their mate and figure out the political consequences later.

No.We handle this properly.

Though as the familiar forests of his territory came into view, Keiro suspected things had just become significantly more complicated than a simple apology could fix.

THREE

POPPY

Dawn crept through the tall windows of Poppy's private chambers like an unwelcome visitor, casting long shadows across the Persian rug her father had brought back from a business trip fifteen years ago. She'd been pacing the same path for hours—from the mahogany desk where financial documents lay scattered like accusations, to the windows overlooking her pride lands, then back again. Her feet had worn a groove in her restless circuit, and her lioness prowled beneath her skin with matching agitation.

Two hours of sleep.

Numbers swam behind her eyelids every time she'd tried to close them last night. Five million dollars in outstanding loans. Ninety days until everything came due. One parcel of pride land now owned by a wolf shifter whose scent still clung to her memory like intoxicating smoke.

Her fated mate. Who'd just destroyed her life with ten million dollars and probably thought he was being romantic.

Poppy's hands clenched into fists as she remembered the moment his bid had echoed through the Plaza ballroom. The way every conversation had stopped. The way Sander's supporters had probably exchanged knowing glances, alreadyplanning their next move. The way she'd felt her world crumble in real time while hundreds of the most powerful shifters in North America watched.

She'd cried on the drive home. Actually sobbed. The same way she did eleven years ago on the night they'd told her about her father's assassination. Neve had simply driven in silence, occasionally passing tissues without comment, understanding that some grief needed space to breathe before it could be dissected and solved.

I haven't cried since I became Alpha. Not once. Not when the banks threatened foreclosure. Not when Sander challenged my authority in front of the entire council. Not even when I had to sell the London properties that had been in our family for two centuries.

But last night, something broke. Maybe it was the public nature of her failure. Maybe it was the cruel irony of finding her fated mate in the same moment he'd delivered the killing blow to everything she'd fought to protect. Maybe it was simply eleven years of exhaustion finally demanding its due. But her lioness had roared with frustration, demanding immediate action.

This battle isn't over. We can find another way. We always do.

Poppy had spent the sleepless hours running calculations, exploring options, grasping at increasingly desperate solutions. She could challenge the sale, but on what grounds? She could approach other investors, but with what collateral? She could throw herself on the mercy of the pride elders, but that would be admitting defeat.

That wolf had to have known I was his mate. Wolf senses are just as acute as ours. So why did he bid against me? Why did he make it impossible for me to win back what was mine?

The questions had circled through her mind like vultures, each one sharper than the last. Had it been some twisted attemptat courtship? A display of dominance meant to impress her? Or had he simply seen a desperate lioness and decided to teach her a lesson?

Suddenly, her phone buzzed against the nightstand, jolting her from the spiral of increasingly dark thoughts. Poppy glanced at the screen, expecting Neve's name—her Beta had been texting periodically through the night, checking in without being intrusive. Instead, she saw an unlisted number.