There was nothing quite like the pressure of trying to measure up to the elder’s standards, especially now that his promotion was in jeopardy. Dax cursed at himself for the way he had handled Jennifer’s news about Vince. He hadn’t wanted to snap at her the way he had, but for some reason the bear within him was infuriated by the way she was trying to protect him. He was the one who was supposed to protect her and for some reason, she was seeming extremely vulnerable lately. Much more vulnerable than she had been before, the last time he had seen her.
Sure, it had been strange and awkward for them both, but he felt a strong urge to protect her after the night with her at the pizza place. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the bear was in a mood. Something about her it seemed to be sensing was riling it up and making him both angry and protective of her. But why should he be angry? Things hadn’t worked out between them romantically, so what? It wasn’t like he wanted to use her just for the promotion. He wanted to take care of her and make sure that she was safe… that was all.
Yet hearing her talk about Vince had infuriated to him. Not just because Vince was an asshole, but because there was something she still wasn’t telling him and he knew some part of him could just tell was something important. Something that had nothing to do with Vince, and everything to do with his relationship with Jennifer. He couldn’t help but feel betrayed about it.
“Dax, welcome.”
His thoughts were driven away by the sound of Hugh’s voice and Dax straightened his back and faced the head elder.
“Thank you,” he said, his stomach in knots. For the first time he wished he had paid more attention to what Jennifer had been trying to tell him about Vince. Something was going on and the jerk had probably done everything in his power to sabotage Dax’s chance at moving up on the board. What was the point of even presenting if it wasn’t going to work?
“Now please, present us the seal.”
Dax’s stomach dropped. The seal had been missing for weeks. He had searched his house top and bottom, even drilling Marnie about it to the point where she had been bitter at him about it for nearly two days, but still the seal hadn’t turned up. Without it, he might as well have never even tried.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’ve misplaced it. I don’t want to blame my daughter since I don’t know for sure, but…”
The elders glanced at each other and began to speak in hushed tones, and Dax could feel his face turn hot. He looked down at the ground, more embarrassed than he had ever been before and finally looked up again when Hugh cleared his throat.
“We’ve decided to overlook the seal as a complication. You’re a strong candidate and we understand you have been under quite a heavy load. You may offer your presentation to us for deliberation.”
Dax took a deep breath. He was going to have to get focused, and fast.
“My presentation today is on merging our communications department with Blaine’s mining corporation. He has a ton of connections in the human world, and—”
“It’s a charming suggestion,” the elder interrupted, “but unfortunately we’ve already heard that proposal today. We’re hoping to accept one more innovative on to the board. It’s brilliant, of course, but we would like you to give us something else. I would hate for you to bore the council.”
Dax opened and closed his mouth. Of course. Somehow Vince had managed to get his hands on Dax’s research and stole his presentation. With the seal being missing, he was already down two strikes.
“Well, I didn’t have anything else prepared. I was working on that for three months. I have so much research on how the profit margins would increase if—”
“Well, make something up then, Dax,” Hugh said with an impatient sigh.
Dax took a deep breath. “Okay then. Um….”
He made a wide hand gesture in the air, as if hoping to summon up some kind of miraculous idea out of nothing, but none came. He closed his eyes and wracked his brain. No ideas were forthcoming. He had been under far too much pressure and now he was choking.
“Why don’t we get back to that. We will ask you a few questions first. How does that sound?”
Dax nodded, relief coursing through his body. Although he felt like hell about it, the elders were always fair. He would just have to figure something out before the conversation came back around to it.
“So Dax, how would you describe your home life? Is it satisfying?”
Dax blinked. What kind of question was that? He loved Marnie more than anything, but ever since his wife had left him there had been something very distinct missing.
“My home life is as satisfying as it can be with demanding work hours. I love my daughter. I want to provide the best life possible for her. I think this promotion could truly help me in that sense.”
“We’re sure it could as well, Dax, but tell us, what do you plan to do if you do get the promotion? Your daughter would be without a father and a mother. A child deserves to have a parent at home who cares for them, to nurture and love them, even against all odds.”
“Of course. And I wish I could bring Marnie’s mother home. If she chose to come back, I would take care of them both. But she didn’t want to be with us. I don’t even know how to contact her anymore.”
“What about a new mate? That girl you mentioned before?”
“I don’t think…we’re not really that compatible, I guess,” Dax said, the bear within him pacing and stirring with pain. It wanted things to be okay with Jennifer. If they could work things out, he wished they would. The way she had been with Marnie had been unbelievable. It was as if she immediately connected with her. Normally, Marnie was very shy with anybody who wasn’t Dax. It had shocked him to see the two hit it off so well. He would have done anything to keep Jennifer in their lives, But instead the bear had gone off on her, overwhelmed by a plethora of sensory information that his human side couldn’t seem to process the same way the bear within him was able to.
“Well with no new mate in the picture, then you understand it wouldn’t be fair to your child if we were to allow you the position on the board. I’m sorry, Dax, but that doesn’t seem like the kind of partner we’re looking for. I do hope you continue to strive to meet our expectations. There will be other opportunities in the future if you continue to keep striving.”
Dax felt the weight of the world crushing him. He had completely blown it. Nothing about the interview had gone well. He had never felt more humiliated in all his life.
“Thank you for your time,” he managed to say. He gave them all the traditional bow before leaving, hoping that nobody would be able to see his face.
Dax knew better than to feel surprised about it. Vince had obviously had it in for him and whatever his plan had been had succeeded because the bear had been too angry and hurt and prideful to listen to what the human had to say. Now he had lost his only chance at making life better for his daughter. Still, the elders were right. What kind of a life would it be for his daughter? She would hardly ever see him, and when she would see him, it would still be hard for them to relax knowing he might be on call for council duties at any given time. She wouldn’t feel like she had a family. It would be too much change. He would almost rather be saddled with this debt for the rest of his life than to have to try to explain to his daughter why he was always coming and going and disrupting what little routine they had managed to establish.
Dax left the building and shifted miserably into his bear form. He had to get some fresh air. Everything he had been working so hard for over the past three months had just crumpled into dust. What the hell was he supposed to do now?