Thierry stepped forward and snapped his fingers, the sound like a whip-crack in the silence. “Wake up, Dom. Can’t you see he’s using you?”
“You don’t know anything about him,” he snapped back. “He’s not—”
Dominic whipped his attention to the door, sensing movement in the hallway beyond before he saw it. The soft, pained gasp that accompanied the disturbance left no doubt as to who had been eavesdropping.
“Sammy,” he called, his voice tight, strained. “You can come in.”
Dressed all in white, with his hair loose around his shoulders, Sammy emerged from the shadows like a ray of sunlight. He wore a pinched expression, his mouth twisted as if chewing back sour words, but he stood tall with his shoulders back.
Instead of immediately seeking comfort and safety at Dominic’s side, he stopped directly in front of Thierry.
“I don’t know what happened in the past.” His eyes flickered to Dominic briefly, then back. “And I know there is nothing I can say that will change your mind, but I’m not here to hurt anyone.”
Thierry looked surprised at being addressed directly, and he glanced away, his own face showing an odd mixture of guilt and stubborn pride.
“Just so you know,” Sammy continued, his voice quivering—from fear or something else, it wasn’t clear. “Dominic wasn’t my only option. He wasn’t even my first.” His lips twitched into a sad smile. “I didn’t ask for this any more than you asked for what happened to you.”
Thierry stiffened, his eyes flashing with hatred and something far more vulnerable. “You know fuck all about what happened to me.”
Sammy didn’t flinch, and he didn’t retreat. “And you know fuck all aboutme.”
While a part of Dominic knew he should intervene before things escalated further, he decided to let the altercation play out. He would walk through hell to protect his mate, but it didn’t mean anything unless Sammy was willing to fight for himself and for his place at Dominic’s side.
A muscle in Thierry’s jaw jumped, and the vein that bisected his forehead throbbed madly. His mouth worked, forming and abandoning words, and his fingers curled at his sides.
In the end, he said nothing. Instead, he gave Sammy a look of scathing disgust and stormed out of the room.
Sammy’s entire being seemed to deflate as he stared at the empty doorway. His head drooped, his shoulders rounded, and the air in his lungs rushed out in a whoosh.
“I don’t think he likes me very much.” He spoke barely above a whisper, and the tremor in his voice didn’t match the glibness of his words.
Dominic stepped forward and gathered him into his arms. “I’m proud of you,colibrí.”
“Yeah, well, I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
“That’s the adrenaline.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to his mate’s temple as he hugged him close. “You did good. Thierry needed to hear it, and I think you needed to say it.”
“I don’t really care what he says about me.” Sammy paused and shook his head. “Okay, that’s a lie.” He twisted around in Dominic’s embrace so he could look up at him, his jade eyes bright with concern. “But I couldn’t let him believe that you would put the pack in danger for me.”
That hadn’t been the point Thierry had been trying to make. His accusations had been more singular, more precise. While he had chosen a poor way to express himself, his concerns hadn’t been entirely without merit.
“He has good reason to think that.”
Sammy’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, and his gaze softened. “Because of what happened last time?”
He tensed as an uncomfortable truth settled in his chest. “How much did you hear?”
“Everything.” Sammy shrugged. “You said this wasn’t like last time. What did you mean?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Dominic hedged. “It happened a long time ago.”
Sammy’s gaze never wavered. “With the changeling you trusted? The one you told me about at the gathering?”
Overcome with a volatile blend of shame, guilt, and anger, he could only nod. He didn’t discuss it. Ever. Only Thierry and Saint knew the truth. Thierry because he’d been there, and Saint because he’d ferreted the story right from his mind.
“I’d like to know what happened,” Sammy said with gentle insistence. “If you’ll tell me.”
Dominic sighed. He had known this day would come. He just hadn’t expected it to arrive so quickly.