Page 12 of Pistols & Peonies

I stiffen, that one word hitting harder than anything else he’s said. An insult and a diagnosis rolled into one.

“I’m not a threat to the pack,” I say evenly.

“You’re becoming one,” he counters. Not angry, not even accusatory, just stating a damn fact. “Your wolf needs grounding. Something to guard instead of fight.” His eyes flick down to the tablet. “A mate would give you that.”

I grit my teeth. “Not interested,” I repeat.

He sighs and drops the tablet onto his desk with a dull thud, leaning back in his chair. The exhaustion on his face is real, but so is the strategy glinting behind it.

“This pack needs stability, Kane. Strong leadership and order. I’m drowning in bullshit, and a high-profile Pairing like yours would turn things around. It’d boost morale. And female applications next quarter? They’d spike.”

I stare at him.

He stares right back.

This isn’t about my wolf, or my future, or my supposed need for ‘grounding’. It’s about convenience. Control. Alpha using me to clean up a mess he can’t solve on his own. I’m just a piece on his damn board, and he’s calling checkmate.

He slides the tablet back toward me with two fingers. “Pick someone.”

“No,” I grit out, not making any move to take it.

“Kane.”

“No.”

Alpha command snaps through the air like a live wire, but instead of bowing to it, my wolf rears up in challenge. The air between us tightens instantly, our beasts circling a line neither of us wants to cross. I can feel it, and I know he can too.

Gage’s voice drops lower, rough and honest in a way he rarely lets himself be. “I want you at my side,” he says, eyes locked on mine. “But if your wolf keeps slipping the way he is… I won’t have a choice.” He pauses for a beat to let that settle– a threat wrapped in concern, overridden by authority. “I can’t keep an unstable enforcer in your position.”

And there it is.

The bigger picture settles over me like a lead weight. Why I stay in this role and grit my teeth through bureaucracy and bullshit day after day; why I swallow my irritation rather than walking away like I’ve wanted to for years.

Keeping this position is vital. It’s not a matter of pride, but one of purpose. Losing my rank isn’t an option.

“Fine,” I bite out, pushing up from the chair so abruptly it scrapes across the floor. “Assign whoever you want.”

I don’t trust myself to wait for a response. I storm out of his office, letting the door slam in my wake. Most people wouldn’t get away with it, but Gage and I have known each other long enough to recognize when distance is necessary.

The hallway feels colder than when I walked in. I head straight for the elevator, jabbing the call button harder than necessary. It arrives with a soft chime, and I step inside. The mirrored walls reflect me in harsh fragments, my jaw clenched, shoulders tight, hard expression carved from stone. My wolf prowls restlessly under my skin the whole way down, unsettled in a way that makes my teeth ache.

Alpha thinks he’s doing what’s best for the pack, but he doesn’t even realize the leash he’s tugging on with this flex of authority. It’s one I’ve kept hidden, buried deep.

The last damn thing I want is a mate. Someone in my space, messing with my routine, and poking around in my personal life. There’s a reason I keep it all locked down; a reason no one gets past my walls.

I don’t want attachments.

I don’t want questions.

I don’t want to be beholden to anyone but myself.

Whoever Gage decides to chain me to better have low expectations, because we’ll be bonded in name only. If I can help it, I’ll avoid her completely– let her stay in my Tower apartment while I retreat to my lake cabin every night.

This Pairing won’t be a blessing, it’ll be a sentence.

For both of us.

CHAPTER 5