“No,” he bit out. “I want that territory.” He leaned forward slightly, eyes drilling into Dawn, Makenna, and Madisyn. “And I will have it. Think very clearly about whether you really want this to go further. I can promise all three of you that you’ll come to regret it if you don’t agree, here and now, to give me what I want.”

Makenna pretended to consider it. “Nah.” She looked at Dawn, who shook her head. “Madisyn?”

“No, I’m not feeling better about Remy,” the feline replied.

Shaya leaned back in her seat. “Okay, then. In eight weeks this matter will go before the council. Unless, of course, both parties come to an amicable agreement within that time frame.” She rose from her seat. “And that concludes the meeting. Remy, you and your pack mates will leave first. After ten minutes, the respondent and her companions will leave. This is protocol to prevent confrontations from occurring between parties.” Selene appeared disappointed.

Remy slowly got to his feet, eyes narrowed at Ryan. “I’m not sure why you’re here.”

Ryan just gave him what Zac referred to as “the look.”

“He’s part of my security team today, as you can see,” said Shaya.

Remy ignored her, adding, “Seems to me like whenever I want to talk to Makenna, you turn up. I don’t like that.”

“Then don’t talk to her,” said Ryan, glaring at the fucker and enjoying the angry flush that stained his cheekbones. The male grated on every nerve Ryan had. His wolf was pacing, itching to surface and lunge at the prick. Ryan was sorely tempted. His muscles hurt with the strain of holding back. The only thing that kept him in place was the knowledge that attacking an Alpha, particularly one of a very large pack, would bring problems to his own. Remy would pay for what he’d done. Just not yet.

After a moment of strained silence, Remy glanced at Dawn, Makenna, and Madisyn. “I’ll see you all in eight weeks . . . if not before.” The latter words held a threat that made Ryan tense. He didn’t react, though, as he knew it was exactly what Remy wanted.

When the Cedar wolves were finally gone, Shaya puffed out a long breath and spat, “What a fucking dick. He needs to fucking choke on his own fucking balls, assuming the shithead has any.”

Makenna smiled. “I think I’m going to like you.”

“She uses bad words like an expert,” said Madisyn.

Shaya chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Taryn speaks highly of you,” Dawn told Shaya.

Shaya flushed a little. “Let me introduce you to these guys over here. We have my Beta, Derren, and three of my enforcers, Bracken, Roni, and Marcus. Marcus and Roni are mates; we share them with the Phoenix Pack, since that’s Marcus’s original pack.”

All of the guys were tall, hot, and exuded dominance. Roni was tall, though smaller than the males, dominant, and had a lethal vibe that Makenna liked.

“You’re the expert in these situations; what do you think will happen next?” Dawn asked Shaya.

“Taking into account Remy’s vow to have the shelter and his parting words, I’d say he’ll do his best in the next eight weeks to create a situation in which you need the protection and support he’s offering.”

“They’ll never need him,” Ryan vowed.

Shaya smiled apologetically at the females. “I’d love to give you the support of my pack, but I can’t. As the mediator—”

“You need to remain impartial and can’t get involved in disputes,” finished Makenna. “We get it.”

“The last thing we want is for you to lose your job,” added Dawn, and Madisyn nodded.

“Don’t worry so much about Remy,” advised Marcus. “You have the protection of the Phoenix Pack, and that’s no small thing.”

Ryan glanced at his watch. “I need to leave. I’m picking up Zac in an hour.”

After everyone said their good-byes, Ryan remained close to Makenna as he escorted her, Dawn, and Madisyn to the Mustang. He knew his stance was both protective and possessive, but hell if he could stop it. The amount of time he spent around Makenna hadn’t gone unnoticed by his pack. They assumed that he and Makenna were having a casual fling, and he allowed them to believe it, although it galled the possessive streak in him that he couldn’t declare the truth.

“Where are you and Zac going today?” Dawn asked him as they reached the vehicle.

“I told him I’d let him choose.”

“You’ve made a lot of progress with him.”

Not enough. “He won’t accept a place in my pack.”

“Yet. That’s not something you should take personally. Zac’s probably having more trouble trusting his own judgment than trusting you. And if my suspicions are right and he was abused in some way by the people who were supposed to care for him, his hesitancy to put his safety into the hands of another is only to be expected.”

“He trusts you three,” Ryan pointed out.

“We helped him, so he associates us with safety. Be patient. You’ll soon have him in your pack.”

When the females slid into the Mustang, Ryan braced his hands near the open window. “Call me if you have any problems,” he told Makenna.

“You say that a lot,” she said impatiently.

Dominant females liked to take care of their own shit, but this was a lot of shit to shovel. Rather than saying that, he sneakily added, “It’s not just your safety at risk.” He knew she’d accept his help for the sake of those under her protection. He pushed away from the vehicle, almost smiling as she grumbled under her breath before switching on the ignition and driving off.