Page 25 of My Pleasure

“Could be raw egg or rotten cabbage,” the man snarled.

“Ewww,” Meryn said. She held up a fork. “Zev, wanna meatball?”

The wolf-shifter stopped mid snarl, walked over and accepted the meatball. He chewed, swallowed, and took a deep breath. “It was the people on the street, Caiden. They saw me coming back from Franklin with groceries and started throwing shit.”

He placed the bags he was carrying on the counter and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at what he encountered.

Caiden turned to his father. “If we issue a decree at this juncture, it would be seen as being tyrannical.”

Their Elder began pacing. “Zev, was it planted antagonists or actual citizens?”

Zev sighed. “It was Mr. Calathea. I’ve walked by his shop hundreds, if not thousands, of times. He knows me. Or I thought he did.”

Hunter spoke up. “Sir, the units, we have to be able to defend ourselves.”

Elder Ironwood stopped his pacing. “Give me half an hour. I want to get Byron, Magnus, and Brennus on the phone and get their input.” He turned to his son. “Tell the men not to engage for now.”

Caiden’s expression hardened. “Yes, sir.”

“All we can do for now is keep showing up and showing the people we can be trusted,” the Elder said, reaching for his phone.

Meryn snorted. “That’s the quickest way to fail.”

Marshall turned to her. “How do you mean?”

“You’re moving at their pace and letting them set the narrative. You’re in a reactive mode,” she explained. “By not doing anything about it, you’re basically broadcasting that you feel guilty and are accepting their punishment.” She waved her fork about. “If shit wasn’t hitting the fan, and people threw eggs at unit warriors, what would be the punishment?”

Elder Ironwood thought it over. “They’d probably receive a heavy fine.”

Meryn looked at him. “Then give him a fine. Don’t change the punishment, that way he can’t say he was singled out.”

Kiera listened to the entire conversation. “Gods, she’s right.”

Elder Ironwood’s answering smile was rueful. “She nearly always is. I’ll still loop, Byron, Brennus, and Magnus in though.”

“Tell Dad and Uncle Bren I said hi, and tell Magnus I miss him,” Meryn said, steering a meatball through the glaze on her plate.

“Dad? Uncle?” Kiera looked to the small, quirky woman.

“Aiden’s dad is the Shifter Elder of Lycaonia, so he’s my dad too. My Uncle Bren, is Brennus Ri’Eirlea, the previous queen’s consort, and Magnus is like one of my bestest buds,” she explained.

“You?”

“I know right?” Meryn said. “Last October I was a nobody geek. Now, I’m up to my eyeballs in paranormal shit.”

“Lucky you?” Kiera asked.

“Some days, I wonder,” Meryn answered.

Chapter Four

Hunter stood and placed his mate on her feet before taking her hand. “We’re going to visit with the kids before dinner.”

Caiden waved them off. “We got this, we’ll see you in a few hours.”

Hunter led her back to the front door, and they started back to his parents’ house. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“That small woman, she’s kinda amazing.”