Everything had been planned and prepared for. Everything but this.

She was gone.

She left me.

Dominic gripped the glass, stared into the empty cup where drops of blood and alcohol coated the bottom in a thin film, and squeezed. He squeezed with all the anger shaking in his bones until, with a crunch, the glass shattered. Shards cut into his palm. Fresh blood spilled down his hands, mixing with the glass. He stared at the bright red mixture for a moment before turning his palm over and pulling out little dregs of glass rooted in his palm.

“Fucking hell, Dom.” Lucas strode forward, snatched a towel from the bar, and thrust it at him. “Clean yourself up.” He paused to unbutton the collar of his shirt with agitated jerks. Everyone was so dressed up. All for a ceremony that didn’t happen. “Listen, I know you must be freaking but we’ll get her back.”

Get her back. His mind slowly turned over those words like it was an object he could inspect. Get her back? Did he even want that? The answer came swift, hard, and resounding—yes. The word echoed in his brain, in his heart. Yes, he needed her back.

But she’d left.

Why?

The question haunted him, burned him down to his soul. Why had she done it? His mind tried to search for answers. Did she not love him? Was she too overwhelmed? Didn’t she know he’d take care of her? Did she want that damaged alpha instead? She couldn’t have wanted money because she didn’t make out with any.

So the question remained.

Why.

He did not have the answer but he was prepared to find out.

Wrapping the towel around his fist, he looped it and used his teeth to tug on the end until he’d made a knot.

“I’m going to find her.” He stood as he spoke, his words taking command.

He met each of his brother’s bewildered stares.

“You can’t.” This from Vas who looked at Dom as if he was an idiot.

“You wanna watch me?” Dom said, his voice dark.

 Vas threw up his hands. “Listen, she may be gone but in about, oh,” he glanced down at his watch, “Five hours polls will open.”

Dom drew himself up with a start. He’d actually forgotten. Amid all the insanity happening he’d actually forgotten that the election would start in a matter of hours. Dom’s gaze found a clock to ensure that Vas wasn’t pulling his chain, but of course, his brother was right.

Had it really been only hours since she left him?

A brisk knock sounded at his study door. His mother entered. Instantly, he knew something was wrong. Something more wrong than the fact that Felicity left him.

“What is it?”

She opened her mouth to speak and then snapped it shut. Walking over to the bar, she found the remote behind it, pointed it up to the TV above the bar, and turned it on.

A news report came on. A reporter stood outside the hall he’d been at with Felicity not that long ago. Paparazzi loitered at the scene making it look as if a major crime had taken place. God he hated them.

However, as the reporter started speaking everyone in the room stiffened, breathing seized.

“Yes, this is exciting news Cameron, not only do the reports say that Ms. Felicity Shaw fled from her own mating ceremony with Dominic Blackmoore, but now we’re receiving word that Ms. Shaw lied in order to get her position with the Blackmoore family.”

The camera cut back to a well-groomed man with white hair combed to the side. His even whiter teeth gleamed under the lights of the news studio amidst his tanned skin. “Yes, by our reports Felicity Shaw lied to get her job. That’s right, the reports are only now coming in from an anonymous source but our researchers are saying they are finding evidence right now that Felicity Shaw did not have previous experience stated on her résumé. So, tell me Stacy, if she did all this to get the job and she ended up with Mr. Blackmoore then what could have scared her off?”

The camera flashed back to the reporter standing outside the hall. “Well, some are saying it’s for fame others for her possible lover to the alpha Zeke Hunter. Some are even saying it’s because of Dominic Blackmoore’s previous relationship with Helena Blackmoore, formerly Helena Garret that caused her to run away.”

Back in the newsroom, white-teeth spoke. “What a shame to leave Dominic Blackmoore standing along on at his mating ceremony and with his presidential election tomorrow—”

The TV cut off. Dom’s mother pursed her lips. “Did any of you know about this?”

Voices rose, arguments grew heated like a dry logged tossed on fire. Dom kept silent, his eyes still locked on the TV. She’d lied on her résumé. The news was hardly a big deal. In fact, the news didn’t bother him at all, but ever trained to perceive possible consequences he knew he’d taken a hit. His whole campaign had just taken a massive hit.

“How bad is this going to be?” he asked.

The arguments subsided. Shaking his head, Vas took a long puff from his cigarette and blew it out in a puffy cloud. “Big, I suspect. Rather overestimate the damage than under. With her running like this, it’s already going to be the talk of the day. I suggest we make some statements about your broken heart, shit like that to get people’s sympathies up.”

Dom’s lips curled with distaste. Use her for his own campaign? “No.”

Vas lifted a black eyebrow as he tossed up his arm. “Well what do you suggest? You’re going to take a hit within hours of polls opening, Dom. Nothing’s going to stop that from happening.”

“That may be the case but I’m not using her like that.”

Vas wheezed out a long sigh. “Fine...fine...I guess we can...at least save face with the résumé bullshit. Say we did know about it the whole time. That she hadn’t lied. Cover up for it”

“I don’t care. Spin it if you have to, but I’m going after her.”

His mother’s head snapped towards him then she was stalking towards him, her heels clicking in hard snaps on the floor. “You need to be here. This election is bigger than you or her. It’s about your father’s memory. This is what he wanted from you, why you always worked so hard under him. Do not throw this away, Dominic. Do not. You need to get out there and speak to the people. We’ll get the speechwriters in here straight away and work something out. We’ll find a way to use this to our advantage. Vas made a great point. We can play on their sympathies for you.”

Dom felt his mother’s words like physical blows to his gut. He’d spent years working his father’s campaigns, helping him to read and write bills, and create decisions based off people’s values. They’d been a great team, but since he died, Dom had never been more ready to step up and take responsibility. He craved it like a much needed breath of air after holding it in for too long.

He turned to Vas and Lucas. “The résumé situation is not an issue. As for Felicity, no one needs to know what we’re doing. We’re not commenting.”

Lucas shook his head. “You don’t comment they’ll do the commenting for you. I know all about the media like this. Any chance they get to twist things and make it sound more controversial than it really is they’ll do it. They don’t care who they hurt or how far they have to stretch the truth. This could crush you.”

Dom was already yanking off his suit jacket, pulling off the bow tie, and taking off the suit he would have been mating to Felicity in. “Take care of it but do it any other way than I say and you’ll be dealing with me.”

With that, he strode out of the room slamming the door behind him. Outside, he refused his guard, got in his car, and drove. He drove to the part of the highway where the alpha’s car had been dumped.

He might not have the senses of a were whose nose could smell better than most dogs, but he had something else—Felicity’s blood. Having shared her blood he had a closer connection to her than if they were holding hands. No matter what happened, he’d find her and when he brought her back, whether kicking and screaming or calm and docile, she was going to be punished.