Chapter 4: The War Room

DOMINIQUE’S POV

When I woke up the next morning, I wanted to pull the covers over my head and hide in embarrassment. Not only hadn’t he bought me for sex, I thought, but I actually repulsed him. That was the only possible explanation for what had just happened. When we touched, he had broken contact like I was on fire. Whatever I had thought had momentarily passed between us was entirely one sided. My side. I blushed in embarrassment, remembering how I had shamelessly offered myself to him. What had I been thinking? He had been horrified. The way he covered me up. I had to salvage this somehow.

Of course I was relieved that he hadn’t bought me for sex. It was what I had feared from the moment I had been captured. So why, I reflected, did I feel a twinge of disappointment at the idea that he wasn’t at all interested? Nothing made sense to me anymore. Maybe I was finally losing my mind. The knock at my door interrupted my reverie, and I was relieved at the distraction. Being alone with my thoughts was becoming hard to bear.

"May I come in, Ma’am?" Collin asked from behind the door, "I have a message for you." I automatically got out of bed, pulled on a robe and told him to enter. At least I knew what to expect from a visit from Collins. And I had to hand it to the guy, he was always a gentleman.

"Good morning," I told him with a smile, "What’s going on, Collins? How are you today?" I realized that I was truly happy to see him. He was the only person in this place so far who behaved fairly predictably. And he was always kind to me.

"I’m well, thank you Ma’am," he replied, with a small smile of his own, "I’m here to deliver a message from Sir Griffin. He requests your presence in the War Room, as soon as possible."

We had a War Room, I thought, what on earth was a War Room? And why did he want me in it?

"Of course," I replied, and phrased my next question carefully, "Um, Collins, what and where is the War Room?" I said a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess that Collins was there to ask. At least someone in this crazy place seemed to be relatively normal.

"Oh yes, apologies Ma’am," Collins replied, "It’s our meeting room. There’s an issue that has arisen with the War Council meeting, and Sir Griffin requests your assistance. He mentioned that you are well educated, and he needs you to take notes. You are to be the new Council Secretary, I believe he said. As to where it is, I will wait outside while you ready yourself, and take you there. Is that satisfactory to you?"

Did I have a choice, I wondered, but I didn’t want to take it out on Collins. It certainly wasn’t his fault that his boss was clearly a madman.

"No problem," I assured him, "I’ll be ready momentarily." He nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him to allow me privacy to get dressed.

I opened the closet with a sigh, expecting to see nothing but what I had brought with me. I was pleasantly surprised to see an array of dresses. I selected one at random, and held it up to my body. It seemed to be exactly my size. It was gorgeous, I realized, a light blue silk, hitting at just above the knee. The bodice was tailored, drawing in at the waist. I hurriedly slipped it over my head, and found myself smiling at my reflection in the armoire mirror. If I was to be a slave, I thought, at least I was going to be a well-dressed one. It reminded me of the dresses I’d had at home. It even had pumps to match. Soft leather, in the same hue, with kitten heels, my favorite height.

Those awful stiletto boots were gone! I slipped the pumps on with a sigh of relief, brushed my hair and gave myself another cursory glance. It would do.

"I’m ready," I called out to Collins, who was presumably waiting behind the door to my chamber, "Let’s do this."

***

GRIFFIN’S POV

As I waited for Dominique to appear, I silently prayed that she had sufficiently recovered from our strange evening together to be in the same room with me. I knew that I was taking a risk, asking her to come to this meeting. But the truth was, I needed her there. Things were getting dicey with the Greystone pack, and I needed a witness to take notes on the proceedings.

"You are supposed to be our pack ally," Stephan Greystone, their Alpha said, raising his voice in annoyance, "Are you really telling me that you won’t be able to help us in our time of need? Remember your oath, Griffin."

I sighed. Of course I remembered my oath. How could I forget? Our alliance with the Greystone pack was borne strictly out of necessity. I disliked Stephan on a personal level. His arrogance was as legendary as that absurd blond ponytail he proudly displayed. His hairline had receded into almost nonexistence, but he nonetheless kept the back of his hair, what little was left of it, as long as possible. He then tied the long, thinning strands together with a black ribbon to complete the look. The overall effect was bizarre…

Despite all of that, I couldn’t allow my personal feelings about him cloud my judgment. A war was coming, of that there was little doubt, and we needed his backing if we were to keep our pack together.

"Steph, you know that’s not what I’m saying," I admonished him lightly, turning to the council, "I’m just asking what you need to deal with these rogue wolves, so that we can best allocate our resources to you. Surely you can understand..." Then I lost my train of thought completely when she entered the chamber.

Her long blonde hair hung loose down her back. That dress fit her like a glove. I had a flash, unbidden, of her gorgeous body, now hidden beneath that finery. By the Goddess she was beautiful.

"Dominique, welcome," I said, and shook my head in an attempt to clear it, "Come have a seat. Dominique is our new Council Secretary. She will be here assisting, and taking notes. You may all speak freely in front of her."

She gave me an uneasy smile, and sat down in the chair next to mine.

"As I was saying," I said, and tried desperately not to think about taking her right there, on the conference table, "Rogue wolves are a serious threat to all of us. You have our full support." We needed to keep this guy happy, even though the idea turned my stomach. I needed to keep my pack safe, and our options were limited at the moment.

"I’m very glad to hear that," Stephan replied, casting a cold, calculating glance around the room, "Our women and children are fearful, as well they should be. The rogues have already killed three of our men. We need to take action now, before it’s too late."

I quickly glanced at Dominique to gauge her response, and she seemed to be adapting well under the pressure. She took notes, her lovely brow furrowed in concentration. She didn’t seem to be unnerved by the subject matter, or her proximity to me, in the least. It seemed that I was the only one having difficulty remaining calm. I wondered what she was really thinking. Was she truly unaffected by what had transpired in my study? Of course, that was when Stephan forced the issue of how far I was willing to go to prove my loyalty.

"I’ll need proof that you are on our side," he announced with an ugly smirk, and gestured to Dominique, "She will do. I’ll take her, your secretary, for myself. I see that she wears the iron collar. She is not really a secretary, is she? She is but a slave. That won’t be a problem for you, will it, Griffin?"