“Show off,” Dom muttered. That got a few polite laughs around him. “The man is not right in the head,” he said to the group.

“Not entirely,” agreed Gioni. “But has made a few good points about trying to join the separated were packs.”

“What he wants would cause chaos and that’s just what he’s told us about his plans. Who knows what trickery he has in his mind? I don’t trust him. I thought you preferred old values, Gioni.” Dom could feel his anger coming up again.

Gioni shrugged. “Sometimes change is good.”

Dom ground his jaw but politely asked, “Since when?”

Gioni ignored his question. “So this is the lovely Lady Julianna Greenwich. I believe we met at an art opening sixteen years back.”

Julianna and he murmured pleasantly, reminiscing about some stupid painter Dom had never heard of. Dom excused himself and made his way to Philips. Philips and Edgar had been sitting on the vampire’s side of the council since it began. They were both well liked and considered pleasantly fair and neutral to the rights of vampires and weres, which is how they kept getting re-elected.

The alliance between weres and vampires worked because of their government. Two vampires represented the vampires, two weres represented the weres and the president sat as a neutral party between them. Yet, since they started this government some seven hundred years ago only a vampire had ever held the presidential seat.

Vampires and weres got together on Election Day and cast their votes for their leaders. It was up to the vampire and were leaders, like Philips to cast the deciding vote based off the popular vote. It was a democratic system, and Philips has promised Dominic his allegiance.

Dom caught Philips’ gaze and watched the older vampire’s eyes flicker with alarm. Philips was not much older than Dom and had been raised the life of a dandy. He knew Dom could take him, and Dom knew it too. That’s why, as he spotted Dom, he made quick regrets to the group he spoke with and slipped down a darkened hallway. Dom followed him, catching his sweet scent of red wine.

Dom followed him, closed the door behind him, caught Philips by his neck, and slammed him back against it. He squeezed the man’s throat for good measure.

“What is this I hear of you siding with Zeke?”

Philips gasped as his hands latched onto Dom’s wrist. “That is none of your business, Dominic. I am a neutral party.”

Dominic growled, his fangs threatening to emerge with the urge to drain the man dry. “It is very much my concern, Philips. What has he bartered with?” That was the only way Zeke could have swayed Philips.

Philips licked his reddening lips. “See here I haven’t made any final decisions yet. He just offered me...” Philips cheeks flushed.

“What did he offer you?” He tightened his hand and loved the give of skin and tendons beneath his hand.

He cheeks turned even redder. “I-I can’t say.”

“The hell you can’t.” Dominic pulled him back and slammed his head into the door with a resounding crack. “Tell me now.”

Philips looked at a point over Dom’s shoulder. “He-he agreed to support a new...amendment.”

“An amendment to what?” growled Dominic.

“Mating laws.”

Dominic pulled back with a frown. “Since when do you have a concern with mating laws?”

The vampire definitely wasn’t turning red from lack of air but embarrassment. “Since I fell in love...with a man.”

Slowly, Dominic released the man’s throat. He fell to his knees, gasping. “Why didn’t you come to me with this?”

Philips looked up at him. “You are too much like your father. I asked him for mating reform too and he denied it.”

Dominic didn’t give a shit if Philips wanted to mate with a man. “I swear to push forth the amendment, and I will get it passed if you give me your vote.”

Philips looked unsure. “I have the word of the were already. However, I cannot make a promise to either of you. I must stay neutral but I will take your vow into consideration.”

Dominic slammed his fist into the door by Philip’s head. Philips flinched and cried out. “I am offering the same thing. Give me your promise.”

“Y-yes, but I will not be swayed by strength. It is time for change, Dominic. If you can’t be the one to make those changes then my vote, and the vote of the people under me, goes to Zeke.”

“You’ll regret this.”

Dominic slammed out of the room. He didn’t waste any time in grabbing Julianna and dragging her from the room. Faces turned to them with curious eyes but they didn’t dare to ask questions. Only after he had them both stuffed in the car did the tension in his shoulders lessen some.

His guards started driving. All he could think of was getting to Felicity tonight. She always made him feel better.

“What’s the matter?” Julianna asked. She always kept her voice pleasantly neutral as if she didn’t actually care whether he answered.

She was so unlike Felicity. He could read everything Felicity felt or thought by looking at her face, or hearing the levels of passion or anger clouding her voice. The woman was so alive, and he wanted all of that for himself, in his bed or on his arm every night. His hands clenched as a wave of pain flared where his heart was.

“Zeke is doing everything he can to win the presidency from me. The bastard’s even using low-handed tactics.”

“I’ve heard talk that he’s mad because he’s been searching for his mate for so long but can’t find her.”

Dom grunted. “That’s part of the reason. He wants to open packs to one another—so the men can hunt down their mates.”

“That doesn’t seem so bad,” she said.

“It’ll be bad once one of them find his mate is with another, then goes into a murderous spree and starts killing. That would be just the tip of the iceberg. The packs are very territorial, they nearly hate each other and they covet their women like precious little keep sakes. If another were from another pack comes sniffing around their women, things are going to get tense. Putting forth a law like that isn’t going to make their instinctive natures go away.”

“I see.”

They finally pulled up to the manor and one of the valets came to open their doors. Julianna stepped out but Dom shook his head and the valet lifted a brow but didn’t open his door.

She turned around before the valet closed her door. “You are not coming inside?”

“I have business to attend still.” He had to go see Felicity.

She gave him a little smile that made the guilt he felt sit in his stomach like bad food. Guilt over many things. She nodded then swept away in her floor-length gown. She walked regally like a fine, gentle bred lady with her back straight, chin high, and hair and face immaculately beautiful.

Yet none of it stirred him.

“Take me to Felicity’s,” he told his driver.

They drove on leaving Julianna to his mother in that big, suffocating home.

She was not what he wanted, but he’d do whatever it took to win the election; even mate with her. The lie he’d told Felicity sat in his gut like lead. Would she ever forgive him?

She must.

He’d make her forgive him, but for now she’d continue unknowing of his deceit. God, what a bastard he was. Lying to her about something so important. He felt like a downright dog.

Dom felt the first trickle of unease hit him as they stopped at a red light. His guards felt it too. They both tensed as their eyes scanned around the car. The scene looked relatively empty aside from the single car sitting next to them at the light. Inside the car, a young blonde woman sat. She wore too much makeup and her lips moved as she sang along to some song about breaking up with her boyfriend.

He and his men never saw it coming because it came from up above.

The light hadn’t even turned green when the driver slammed on the gas. But it was too late.