Chapter 101: Chapter 101 Power Plays
Elara
The moment we arrived at the Wolfe family residence, Orion attached himself to me like glue, tugging me toward the garden.
His small hand gripped mine with surprising determination, practically bouncing on his toes with excitement.
"Orion, be gentle. Elara just got out of the hospital," Dominic cautioned. His voice carried that protective Alpha tone that made me roll my eyes.
"I know, Uncle Dominic! I just want to show Aunt Elara my fort!" Orion protested, his eyes bright with excitement.
He shot Dominic an indignant look, as if the Alpha had suggested something completely unreasonable.
"It’s okay," I said, squeezing Orion’s hand gently. "I’d love to see your fort."
Dominic’s jaw tightened slightly, clearly not happy about me being pulled away so soon after getting home.
Author
While Orion dragged Elara toward the garden, Alpha Dominic turned to his brother. "What’s with your son constantly stealing my mate?"
Yardley smiled faintly. "She’s nice to him. Pups know who treats them right."
"Smart kid. Takes after you," Dominic grumbled.
Yardley waved a cigarette between his fingers. "Want one?"
"No," Dominic shook his head. "I quit."
His brother raised an eyebrow, lighting up. "Marriage really has changed you."
Dominic neither confirmed nor denied this observation. He watched Orion pulling Elara toward what looked like a makeshift fort built from garden furniture and blankets.
“You know," Dominic said, his tone becoming more serious, "your son keeps asking about his mom. Who was she, anyway?"
The question hung in the air like smoke.
Yardley was even more tight-lipped than Dominic. When he chose not to share information, it stayed buried.
Orion’s mother was his biggest secret. Even Hunter probably didn’t know the whole story.
Yardley put out his cigarette. "Drop it. And it wasn’t that Nancy woman from last month."
Nancy’s background check had come back clean. Just looked similar.
In a world with millions of people, everyone has a twin somewhere.
Dominic let the matter slide. "Fine."
"But Orion clearly needs a mom figure," he added. "Yardley , maybe it’s time you thought about settling down."
Something flickered across Yardley’s expression before it settled back into cool indifference.
--
"Zack, the Alpha King hit on me at a club recently," Selina was saying, her voice full of fake distress. "He invited me for a drink. I said no. He didn’t like that."
She lifted her chin defiantly. "Now several of our clients have dropped us. All because of him. Aren’t you going to do something about this, Zack?"
Zack’s face darkened. "You’re talking about Dominic Wolfe?"
Selina nodded eagerly, her lie building steam. "Yes!"
Zack’s wolf stirred uneasily. Everyone knew you didn’t cross the Alpha King lightly. But this was about his mate. Dominic rarely looked at women. When did he suddenly want Selina?
The thought made Zack’s jaw clench. "Tell your father not to worry. I’ll handle this."
It wasn’t a direct challenge to Dominic’s authority. More like... strategic business competition. That was different.
With that promise, Selina smiled smugly. Too easy.
Over the next few weeks, a weird pattern started. Every client Dominic pressured away from the Amber Pack, Alpha Zack quietly won back through his own connections.
This caught the attention of the local business world.
Soon a gossip magazine ran a big headline: "Wolfe vs Blackwood - Two Alpha Males Fight for Dominance!"
When Dominic saw this on his phone, he laughed coldly. "Which tabloid published this trash?"
"Mr. Wolfe, it belongs to the Vance Pack’s media division," his assistant replied nervously.
"They really want attention," he muttered angrily. "Schedule a press conference for noon today."
His assistant gulped. "...Yes, Alpha."
Elara
I was sitting in my office when Hannah flooded me with panicked messages.
[Girl! Click this NOW! Your man is on live TV!]
Worried, I followed her link. There on my screen appeared Dominic, looking perfect in a navy blue suit, his expression totally relaxed.
"I understand there are rumors going around about Zack Blackwood and myself fighting over a woman," he stated, his tone full of disdain. "Any real news outlet should fact-check before running garbage like this."
He adjusted his tie. "Today I’m here to say one thing. I have zero interest in desperate, attention-seeking females."
"Camera, give me a close-up," he commanded.
The camera zoomed in on Dominic’s face as his lips curved into that heart-stopping smile.
"To the Vance Pack princess trying to use my name for clout. Stop it. I’m married."
His eyes sparkled with mischief. "My mate will be pretty jealous when she sees these headlines, and I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight."
