Page 34 of Fetch Me A Mate (Shifter Mates of Hollow Oak #1)

ROWAN

W hen Diana went back upstairs, Rowan pulled out his phone. Gerald Finch answered on the second ring, his voice tight with barely contained panic.

"Rowan–."

"Where are you?"

"Home. Why?"

"Because I need to see the paperwork. The complaint forms, the payment records, everything." Rowan grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door. "I'm coming over."

"I can't?—"

"You can and you will. Unless you'd prefer I explain to your supervisor how you've been taking bribes to manufacture problems for local businesses."

Twenty minutes later, Rowan sat in Finch's cramped living room, photocopied documents spread across the coffee table. Bank deposits, complaint forms, detailed instructions on exactly what violations to cite.

"How much did they pay you?"

Finch didn’t even try to deny it. "Two thousand. Up front." Finch's hands shook as he poured whiskey into a coffee mug. "Said there'd be more if the Council voted to revoke her license."

"They have names on any of this paperwork?"

"Corporate account. Something called Backwoods Consulting." Finch gulped his whiskey. "Look, I didn't know it would go this far. Thought it was just harassment, not actual removal proceedings."

Rowan gathered the documents into a manila envelope. "You're going to make this right."

"How?"

"Call your supervisor. Tell him you discovered irregularities in the complaint process. Anonymous tip that led you to evidence of bribery and false reporting."

"But—"

"But nothing. You do this, or I make sure everyone in town knows exactly what kind of man takes money to destroy honest businesses."

Finch nodded miserably. "What about the Council meeting?"

"That's not your problem anymore."

Rowan left Finch's house with the evidence and drove straight to the Book Nook. The store was closed, but lights glowed in the upstairs apartment. He pounded on the back door until Lucien answered, his dark hair mussed and his expression irritated.

"What?"

"I need help. Both of you."

Lucien's irritation shifted to alertness. "What kind of help?"

"The kind that involves making evidence admissible in Council proceedings without revealing how I obtained it."

Moira appeared behind Lucien. "What evidence?"

Rowan handed over the envelope. "Proof that the complaint against Diana was purchased. Bank records, payment schedules, detailed instructions on what violations to cite."

Lucien opened the envelope and scanned the documents. "Backwoods Consulting. Subtle."

"Can you make this discoverable through official channels?"

"We can do better than that." Moira took the papers, her fingers tracing the letterhead. "I can make it look like the information came through my archival research. Cross-referencing business licenses with suspicious complaint patterns."

"How long do you need?"

"Twenty minutes to forge the research trail. Another ten to make it look like I've been working on this for days." Moira was already moving toward her desk. "Lucien can deliver it to Varric as a concerned citizen report."

"Why are you helping?"

"Because Diana doesn't deserve this," Lucien said simply. "And because your pack needs to learn that Hollow Oak protects doesn’t back down to anyone."

Rowan left the Book Nook with assurance that the evidence would reach the Council within the hour. Time enough for Varric to review it before Diana faced the tribunal. But not enough to prevent the meeting entirely.

His wolf paced restlessly as he drove toward Moonmirror Lake. The pack would be waiting, expecting him to fold under pressure, to choose Diana's safety over his principles.

They were about to learn how wrong they were.

The lakeshore was empty when Rowan arrived, but scent trails told him they'd been there recently. He parked at the water's edge and walked out onto the rocky point where he'd first confronted Kael weeks ago.

"I know you're watching," he called into the darkness. "Come out. Let's finish this."

They emerged from the tree line like shadows given form. Danarius in the center, flanked by Kael and Max, moving with the coordinated precision of predators who'd hunted together for years as the rest of the pack fell into place.

"Rowan." Danarius smiled, his teeth white in the oncoming moonlight. "Punctual as always. Though I expected you sooner."

"Had business to take care of first."

"The complaint, you mean? Yes, we heard about the Council meeting. Unfortunate timing, really. Right when you need to be making difficult decisions about your future."

"My future's already decided."

"I’m not so sure. It seems your human is facing some serious challenges to her inn ownership. Amazing how quickly these bureaucratic processes can destroy a small business."

Rowan stepped closer, his wolf rising beneath his skin. "You made a mistake, Danarius."

"Oh?"

"You threatened what's mine."

"And what are you prepared to do about it?"

Rowan let the shift begin, bones popping, muscles reshaping. His wolf had been caged too long, forced to watch threats circle his mate while he played at being civilized.

"I'm prepared to end this."

"With violence? How predictable." Danarius tsked softly. "And here I thought you'd learned subtlety during your exile."

"I learned that some problems require direct solutions."

Kael stepped forward, his own wolf stirring. "You can't take all of us, brother."

"Watch me."

But Danarius held up a hand, stopping his enforcers. "Actually, I have a better idea. You want to play hero, protect your human from the big bad pack? Fine. But understand the consequences."

"What consequences?"

"The complaint against your innkeeper is just the beginning.

We've got federal contacts, state regulatory boards, journalists who specialize in exposing fraud.

" Danarius pulled out his phone, showing a contact list. "One word from me, and Diana Merrick becomes the most investigated small business owner in North Carolina. "

"You can't prove fraud where none exists."

"Proof is irrelevant. Investigation is the weapon. Every day she spends fighting bureaucratic battles is another day she's not running her inn. Every legal fee, every compliance requirement, every suspicious inquiry chips away at her resources and her community support."

Rowan's wolf snarled, recognizing the true threat. They could destroy Diana without ever laying a hand on her, simply by drowning her in manufactured crises.

"Or, you can return to the pack. Your help resolving the Sarah situation." Danarius pocketed his phone. "Simple transaction. Your cooperation for her peace."

The trap was perfect, brutal in its simplicity. Rowan could fight the three wolves in front of him, might even win. But he couldn't fight a coordinated campaign of legal harassment and bureaucratic sabotage.

"How long do I have to decide?"

"Until the Council meeting ends. If she survives tonight's proceedings, you have until midnight to contact me with your decision."

Danarius turned to leave, confident in his victory. Kael and Max flanked him, already moving toward the tree line.

Rowan stood silent for a long moment, his head bowed like a wolf finally accepting defeat. His shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of his posture.

"Wait."

They paused, turning back with predatory satisfaction.

"You win," Rowan said quietly. "I'll come back. Just... give me tonight to say goodbye."

"Wise choice." Danarius's smile was triumphant. "I knew you'd see reason eventually."

"Yeah." Rowan lifted his head, and his eyes blazed silver in the moonlight. "I see plenty."

The shift exploded through him like lightning, bones cracking, muscles reshaping, human thought dissolving into wolf instinct. He launched himself at Danarious, but Kael stepped in front as two hundred pounds of fury and claws drove them both into the rocky shore.

Kael's own shift began mid-fall, but Rowan was already moving, already committed, teeth seeking throat while his claws raked across flanks.

They crashed into the water together, a tangle of snarls and snapping jaws and blood that looked black in the moonlight.