Page 25 of Howling Mad (Romance Expected Dating Service #1)

“These are my strategies,” he whispers through clenched teeth.

“Every single one. The market diversification model, the staged investment approach, and even the risk assessment matrix. I developed all of this during our relationship with the plan to present them to the pack, but Father made it clear he didn’t need my input then. ”

I stare at the presentation in disbelief. The slides show complex investment models that Claudia explains with rehearsed confidence, but she glosses over a lot of the actual details. I don’t know much about it, but I can tell she’s skimming the surface.

“She’s presenting your work as her own?” My whisper comes out more like a hiss.

“Work she dismissed as ‘too human’ when I first developed it,” Michael confirms, his scent shifting subtly with rising anger and disbelief. “She said pack investments should follow traditional models, not human market theories.”

The territorial violation sends a surge of protective rage through me.

My wolf stirs beneath my skin, bristling at this theft.

It’s one thing to challenge someone directly but another to steal their intellectual property and present it as your own, especially when the one you stole from is in the crowd!

At the front of the room, Claudia continues smoothly. “My approach synthesizes traditional pack economic principles with select human market insights, creating a hybrid model uniquely suited to modern shifter needs.”

The smug satisfaction radiating from her makes it clear this isn’t about winning Michael back but about proving her superiority and his insignificance to the pack. She occasionally glances our way, gauging Michael’s reaction with poorly concealed triumph.

When she finally opens the floor to questions, Michael raises his hand. The room stills, clearly aware of the angry pheromones pouring off him.

“Ms. Hayburn,” he says, his voice perfectly controlled but ice-cold, “I couldn’t help noticing the striking similarity between your proposed strategies and the investment model I developed three years ago.

Particularly the risk assessment matrix on slide seventeen, which appears identical to my work. ”

Claudia’s smile doesn’t falter, but her eyes narrow fractionally. “I’m not surprised you see similarities. After all, I was the one who conceptualized these approaches while you merely worked out some technical details. It’s natural that you’d recognize elements of our collaborative process.”

The blatant lie sends a surge of fury through me. A low growl escapes my throat, and it’s audible enough to make several heads turn in my direction, including Claudia’s.

Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arch as she gives me a dismissive once-over. “Perhaps your...companion...should remember her place in the pack hierarchy before making such sounds during a formal business presentation.”

“My place?” The words escape before I can stop them.

“Indeed.” Claudia’s smile turns condescending. “As a guest, and presumably a potential mate still seeking approval, traditional protocols suggest listening rather than growling, especially when discussing matters beyond one’s expertise.”

The room temperature seems to drop several degrees. Michael half-rises from his seat, but I place a restraining hand on his arm. This is my battle now.

“Funny,” I say, keeping my voice even, “I thought my place was beside my mate, defending his intellectual property from theft.”

Gasps ripple through the assembly. Claiming Michael as “mate” so publicly, without formal pack recognition, is provocative enough, but accusing Claudia of theft pushes it into outright challenge territory.

Her perfect composure slips for just a moment, and raw anger flashes in her eyes before she controls it. “Bold words from someone whose wolf form we haven’t even seen. Perhaps you should demonstrate what kind of mate Michael has chosen, so everyone can see.”

The challenge hangs in the air, unmistakable in its intent.

She expects me to back down, to shrink away from displaying my wolf form to the pack.

She has no idea that I’m smaller than the typical wolf but likely has guessed I probably won’t pass muster with these judgmental jerks.

It’s a calculated move to humiliate both me and Michael in one stroke.

Instead, I rise from my seat. “With pleasure.”

Michael starts to protest, but I shake my head slightly. I’ve spent my entire life being judged for being different. I’m done hiding.

Without hesitation, I step into a clear space between the tables. In one fluid motion, I toss off my dress and shift into my full wolf form. My process is notably quicker than most wolves can manage, a quirk I’ve possessed since childhood. My underwear rips and flies everywhere.

The assembled pack members gasp audibly.

Where they expected a traditional wolf, my form is smaller than average with unusual silver-tipped fur that immediately marks me as different.

Whispers spread through the room, and I catch fragments about my “runt” size.

From the corner of my eye, I see Michael’s father’s expression darken with disapproval.

Not to be outdone, Claudia steps forward. “If we’re demonstrating forms...”

After disrobing, she shifts as well, her transformation elegant and practiced. Her wolf form emerges textbook-perfect. Glossy black fur, powerful build, and an imposing size at least a third larger than mine. Everything a “proper” wolf should be.

She circles me with clear predatory intent, expecting easy dominance over the smaller wolf. The pack watches, a few leaning forward in anticipation of my inevitable submission to her superior form.

What happens next shocks everyone, including, slightly, me.

When Claudia lunges, I don’t retreat or submit.

Instead, I move with the lightning speed and uncanny agility that my smaller form allows.

I sidestep her attack with a maneuver that no one anticipates, using my size as an advantage rather than a liability.

Years of being underestimated by larger wolves in my childhood pack taught me how to fight smarter, not harder.

She recovers quickly, whirling to face me with a snarl.

She lunges again, expecting to overwhelm me with her superior mass.

Instead, I duck beneath her, using her momentum against her.

Through a series of strategic movements—feints, redirections, and one particularly daring roll—I manage to get behind her.

In a display of strength that surprises even me, I leap onto her back and pin her to the ground, placing my teeth at her neck in the classic wolf dominance position. I don’t bite down since I’m not looking to harm her but make it unmistakably clear who has won this confrontation.

The pack meeting room erupts in chaos. Eleanor’s appreciative howl cuts through the commotion as Alpha Dexter rises, shouting for order. Michael’s father stands frozen, his expression caught between outrage and reluctant admiration.

I hold the position for three more seconds—long enough to make my point without humiliating Claudia further—and then release her and step back, keeping my head high and my posture proud.

For a moment, the two of us stand facing each other, wolves assessing the new reality between us. Then, with deliberate calm, I shift back to human form and retrieve my dress.

Claudia shifts back as well, though her perfect appearance is now distinctly disheveled. Somehow, I’ve emerged looking more composed than she has.

“This meeting is in recess!” Alpha Dexter’s voice cuts through the uproar. “We will reconvene in one hour.”

As the room empties, a mixture of shocked murmurs and excited conversations trailing behind them, I meet Michael’s gaze across the distance. His expression contains so many emotions, I can hardly catalog them all. Pride, amazement, concern, and something deeper that makes my heart race.

Before I can reach him, Claudia intercepts me, blocking my path. Her perfectly manicured hand closes around my arm, pulling me slightly aside.

“That little display won’t change anything,” she hisses, quietly enough that only I can hear.

“You humiliated me today, but this pack will never truly accept either of you. Michael will always be an outsider here, and so will you. You’re both freaks in their eyes.

The wolf who thinks he’s human and the runt with silver fur. ”

I look at her, seeing past the designer clothes and perfect appearance to the insecurity beneath. She needs the pack’s approval so desperately that she’d steal another wolf’s work to get it.

“Being outsiders together beats fitting in with wolves like you,” I say, flashing a smile that deliberately shows my slightly sharper-than-average canines. “And for the record? I didn’t humiliate you. Your theft did that all on its own.”

I pull free of her grasp and continue toward Michael, who has been detained by his father near the door. When I reach them, Heath Thornton gives me a cold appraisal.

“Impressive physical prowess for your...stature,” he acknowledges reluctantly. “Though such displays are hardly appropriate in formal business settings.”

“Neither is intellectual theft,” I say evenly.

His eyes narrow fractionally. “You have spirit, Ms. Morgan, but spirit doesn’t build or maintain packs.”

“Perhaps that depends on what kind of pack you’re trying to build,” I say, pointedly taking Michael’s hand.

Heath looks between us, and something unreadable shifts in his expression. Without another word, he turns and follows Alpha Dexter from the room, leaving us alone with Eleanor.

She breaks the silence. “That was certainly the most exciting investment presentation I’ve witnessed in thirty years as pack historian.”

Michael lets out a startled laugh as tension eases from his shoulders. “Finley, you just... I can’t believe you just...”

“Kicked your ex-girlfriend’s ass in wolf form in front of your entire pack?” I suggest helpfully. “Yes, I did. I’m as surprised as you are.”

Eleanor pats my shoulder approvingly. “Not everyone is surprised, dear. Some of us recognize quality when we see it, regardless of size or fur pattern.” She glances meaningfully in the direction Heath disappeared. “Some take longer than others to learn lessons.”

The drive home that evening is quiet at first, with both of us processing the day’s events.

The pack gathering ended shortly after the confrontation, once Alpha Dexter announced that financial discussions would be postponed for further review.

That was his attempt to apply a thin diplomatic veil over the chaos we’d caused.

“I still can’t believe you did that,” he says finally, breaking the silence. “No one has ever defended me or my place in the pack quite like that. Ever.”

I look out at the passing trees, watching the territory boundary markers fade behind us. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I just couldn’t stand hearing her take credit for your work.”

“Overstepped?” He takes my hand, kissing my knuckles without taking his gaze off the road. “What you did was incredible. Terrifying and slightly insane but incredible.”

“Slightly insane is my specialty.” I laugh, though it comes out a bit shaky. “I was worried, you know, that you’d be embarrassed by my wolf form. Everyone can see how different I am.”

“Different doesn’t mean lesser,” he says firmly. “If anything, today proved that. You outmaneuvered a wolf nearly twice your size through intelligence and skill not brute strength. How could I possibly be embarrassed by that?”

His words settle something restless inside me. “So, you’re not mad that I potentially created a permanent rift with your pack?”

“The rift was already there,” he says quietly. “The difference is, now I’m not facing it alone.”

I lean across the console, resting my head on his shoulder. “Being outsiders together.”

“Exactly.” He kisses the top of my head. “Though I should warn you that after today, Aunt Eleanor is definitely going to insist on officiating our mating ceremony, whenever we decide to have one.”

The casual mention of a future ceremony sends pleasant warmth through me. “I think I can live with that, as long as your father isn’t in charge of the guest list.”

“Deal.” His laugh fills the car, free and genuine in a way I haven’t heard since we left the city. “Thank you. Not just for defending me but for seeing all of me and still choosing to stay.”

“Nothing you could show me would ever make me walk away,” I say softly, meaning every word.

As the city skyline appears on the horizon, I have a personal epiphany. We’re not traditional, either separately or together. We don’t fit the expectations and never will. That makes us different but never lesser, especially when we’re supporting each other. I laugh lightly.

He arches a brow. “What?”

“I was just thinking how glad I am to have answered Red’s ad for a matchmaker. I didn’t really think I’d find my own perfect match in the process, but the universe has a way of surprising us, I guess.”

He grins and squeezes my hand where it rests on his thigh. “Maybe we were her most oblivious duo, but not anymore.”

I nod my agreement as we enter the city, where we belong, with each other and in our perfect space.