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Domenico smiled at her gently. “Sweetheart, I am no longer heir apparent to the Moretti pack, remember?” He nudged her towards the seat. “I cannot sit in the same table with other pack leaders.”
Her eyes widened. “But that’s insane. You were---”
“Were being the operative word,” he said with quiet firmness.
Knowing he had again taken a position he wouldn’t budge from, Misty had no choice but to face the assembly of pack leaders again. Her heart broke as she thought of what Domenico had sacrificed just to take her back. Once he had been commanding the entire Moretti pack, once he had been equal to the Lyccans before him, if not surpassing them with his power and wealth.
And yet now, it almost felt like he had willingly turned himself into an invisible slave for Misty, someone who only showed up when she needed his help.
“We are glad to see you again, my dear,” Filippo Cavalier said gently. “I trust the Faeries are treating you well.”
“Yes, they more than treat me well, thank you for asking.”
Domenico was proud at the way Misty answered the questions of other pack leaders. Her tone was respectful but strong at the same time, a woman who knew the value of the hierarchy they treasured but one who also did not hesitate to stand for what she believed was right for the Faeries.
Aurelius cleared his throat, and the way the others stopped talking made both Domenico and Misty tense again.
“You may be wondering why we haven’t called for your Co-Ambassador.”
Misty nodded.
“Well, this is more of a matter concerning Lyccans alone, which we believe your Co-Ambassador has nothing to do with.” With the usual bluntness that Misty had come to expect from Lyccans, Aurelius said, “When Domenico relinquished his right as heir apparent to work as our emissary, it was admittedly a great boon for Lyccans. We could not ask for a better representative, especially one who would be free of any conflict of interest.”
Domenico’s gaze narrowed. He finally knew where this was going and his lips tightened in dislike. He glanced at Alessandro and saw that his brother, too, had caught on as well. There were grimaces on the faces of the Cavalier, Buenaventura, and Fontabella pack leaders.
He did a swift mental count and cursed silently, realizing that the odds were against them.
“Domenico had specified certain terms for his role as emissary,” Aurelius was saying. “They have been presented to the Council, and almost all of it was approved – everything actually except for one term and which the Council would now wish to discuss with you.”
“No.” Domenico’s face was hard as he outright rejected what was about to happen.
Enrico Fiarino smirked. “I’m sorry, but do you think you have a say in this? You are no longer a pack leader, remember? You gave it up for a woman,” Enrico said with a curl of his upper lip.
It was a public set down meant to humiliate, and Domenico could feel Misty’s distress at hearing those words. Even his younger brother was furious while his allies appeared uncomfortable. Surprisingly, Domenico was the only one who truly felt unaffected by the slur. If there was anything he didn’t like then it was the fact that all of this was hurting his princess.
Misty so badly wanted to look at Domenico after hearing what the other man said. She recognized him as the son of the traitor responsible for the numerous Lyccan and Caro slayings and whom Domenico had helped capture last year. Because of that Misty understood where the animosity was coming from, but what she had a difficult time taking in was how disrespectful the man was being to Domenico. Didn’t he know Domenico could kill him with his bare hands? Didn’t he know how powerful Domenico was?
And yet – no one came to Domenico’s aid, not even Alessandro.
She didn’t understand what was happening, and her heart thudded against her chest as the feeling of something bad that was about to happen became heavier, lodging itself inside her body like a ticking time bomb. Forcing herself to speak calmly, she asked, “What is this term you find objectionable?”
It was again Enrico who answered, his tone jeering as he said, “We wanted our emissary to consider the Lyccan race – the packs – as his first priority. It was to be important above all else.”
She became even more confused. “And so? I understand why you’d want that---”
“The thing is,” Enrico cut her off contemptuously, “the man you have enslaved has rejected this term. He wants to place you above all else. He has stated that if he was forced to make the choice, he would always put you first.”
She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “I don’t understand.”
Enrico laughed contemptuously. “Do you truly want us to spell it out? He is choosing you over his pack – over the entire Lyccan race.”
Misty twisted around to look up at Domenico, and he gazed back at her implacably. “Domenico…” Still, he didn’t answer. “Domenico, no. You don’t have to do this.”
He finally looked at her. “Yes,” he answered simply, “I do.”
She shook her head, not entirely surprised to find herself crying. Never in her life had Misty imagined that Domenico Moretti would actually place her above even his duties as a Lyccan. It was one thing to give up his right as heir apparent, but to turn his back completely on his race?
“You really don’t have to do this,” she choked out. “I’ve never wanted to stand between you and your duties.”
“You’re not, Misty.”
The tenderness of Domenico’s voice made her cry harder. How could he bear to sound so tender when he knew that half of the pack leaders in this room were intent on judging him harshly? “I understand---I expect you to put your pack before me. It’s your duty---”
He shook his head just once, a sharp negation of her words. “You are my duty,” he said harshly, and Domenico’s gaze met the eyes of the other pack leaders, one by one. “And anyone who thinks I’m going to sacrifice you for pack can go to hell. Before anything else, I’m yours to command.”
Enrico clapped his hands. “What a melodramatic confession. Perhaps you’re hoping that would get you back in your ex-wife’s bed?” He gave Misty an oily smile. “I commend you for picking so fine a slave, my dear. Domenico Moretti as a puppet is quite amusing. Perhaps one day you’d choose to entertain us by telling him to suck up to us?”
Misty didn’t think after hearing those words. She simply…reacted.
