“Do you mind telling me what happened to the security footage from yesterday?” A stern look passed across her dad’s face as he leaned against the doorknob with his arms folded over his chest. “Everything’s been erased. Either that or the damn thing glitched again.”

His expression reminded Chelsey of all the times he used to ground her. Only this time, she was too old for his tough parenting tactics. She was literally counting down the days until she could get an apartment of her own—away from campus life and away from the scrutiny of her dad. Her privacy had always been paramount for her, so she’d known earlier on in her life that a career path in politics wouldn’t be a good fit for her. She needed a job where she didn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations. Some days, she didn’t know how her dad coped—but somehow, he did.

“Maybe it glitched…” she replied.

On Chelsey’s demand, Pack Alpha Dane and his brother had returned everything they took that night. She hadn’t thought to check the security cameras, so the lack of footage from yesterday probably meant that Brock’s brother had done something to the cameras prior to breaking in.

“Well, did the electricity go out or anything?”

She continued to stuff her clothes into a suitcase. “I told you. I wasn’t here all night last night. I rested a little, got up, and got ready for a party. And then I left.”

He narrowed his gaze and pressed his lips together in a scowl. Chelsey wondered if he detected her slight variation about what happened the previous night. There wasn’t much she could get past her dad—the former prosecutor who was now the devoted, hard-working Governor.

“You weren’t interested in Aspen Valley’s nightlife when we first moved out here,” he stated, suspiciously.

“Well Dad, this town isn’t exactly known for its nightlife. Everyone my age hangs out in the clubs and bars of nearby cities. Too bad I just figured that out. That information could’ve saved me a lot of lonely nights last year when we first moved out here.”

“And maybe I withheld that information on purpose. Some of these bars should be shut down after learning what goes on the inside of them,” he said, reluctantly. “Whose party was it?”

“What party?”

“The party that you said you went to last night.”

“Oh…that party,” she said. “It was a private house party near Aspen Lake. I don’t really know the hosts personally. I learned about it through some old friends.”

That was only half the truth. A party had occurred that night, but fate had other plans for her.

“Just be careful going out alone like that. By the way, why are you packing so soon if you’re not due back to campus until Monday?” he asked.

“I have some things to take care of before my classes start up again,” she replied.

Truthfully, the only other thing she was pressed to take care of was the urgent need to get back to Brock. She didn’t know how she would feel when she left him on Sunday to travel back to college. What was wrong with her? She’d never been this attached to any previous dates or boyfriends? In fact, she wasn’t even ready for the time commitment that being in a steady relationship would warrant. She was attracted to Brock on both a physical and emotional level, but something about being in his presence and in his arms made her open up in ways that left her feeling vulnerable but safe. Was she ready for this? Was she ready to wear his mark?

Her dad must have sensed her change in demeanor. “You want to help others but it looks like you’re rushing back to campus before your break is up and I’ve barely gotten a chance to sit and have a talk with you. Do you need my help with anything while you’re here?”

She stopped packing long enough to give him a kiss on the forehead.

“The only thing I need your help with is what we talked about. The holidays are coming up and I’ll be back home and we can have dinner and do all the chatting you want,” she said.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your post-graduation plans, but I guess we can hold off that discussion for another month or so,” he said.

“Nothing’s changed. I’m still weighing my options.”

“You are planning on moving back into Aspen Valley, aren’t you?”

She shrugged. “That depends on where I’m offered a position at. I have at least one out of state offer on the table.”

“Out of state, huh?” He gnawed wearily at his bottom lip. “You know, there’s a part-time position at the Courthouse that’ll be vacant right around the time of your graduation. I think it’ll be a good fit for you, even if it’s just to try out different career paths. Why don’t you apply?”

“Thanks Dad. I know this is your last ditch effort to keep me within arms reach, but it’s time that I made decisions for myself. Even if they're bad ones. Besides, I have a few offers already to entertain.”

He sighed heavily. “Alright. You know I’m here to help if you need it.”

Chelsey was a little relieved that he was done grilling her about her career choices, but then he returned to the dreaded topic about the break-in.

“You know what? I can’t ignore my gut instincts. I’m going to have to report my suspicions about someone possibly breaking into here to the police. Just last week some local high schoolers broke into Gerald’s vacation home. The one right across the street from us. Nothing was stolen and the suspects claimed they were just looking for a place to crash for the night after drinking. They must have known Gerald wasn’t living there at the time. And you know what’s really odd about what I saw here?” he continued. “I don’t remember leaving my office door unlocked.”

Chelsey swallowed and turned to face him. “Was anything missing?”

“No, I did inventory. Things weren’t where I remember them being, but I was also in a rush when I left here the other day. Are you sure you didn’t go in there to use the computer or anything?”

“No. Or maybe I did and I just don’t remember,” she said.

“Possibly. Well, I’m going to go get those security cameras fixed.”

“At least nothing’s missing, but you know what else is really odd…?

“What’s that?” he asked.

“I’m hearing rumors that you’ve made a group of people very angry because you and the other city council members are threatening to take their land and demolish what’s left of it.”

Dad grumbled. “I make a lot of people angry, Chelsey, but that doesn’t stop me from doing my job.”

“Does your job include putting dozens of Tellevue County residents out on the streets?”

“That tract of land is nearly ten percent vacant. That’s a very small portion of Tellevue County.”

“Who told you that the land was only ten percent vacant?”

“No one has to tell me anything. There are maps to tell us these things and the most recent County census report has been released. Besides, the tenants will get a reasonable token as soon as they vacate. It’s all part of doing business.I’ve conducted deals like this before with wolf shifter packs like the one here in Aspen Valley. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose.”

“You’ve conducted deals with them?”

Chelsey had to admit that politics weren’t really her thing, so she hadn’t been keeping up lately with what her father was doing or who he made deals with. After almost flunking out of her last year of college do to the stress of her parent’s nearly splitting up, she’d made a promise to herself to focus on nothing but her grades and her health.

“Yes, I have,” he replied. “Like I said, it’s the way business is conducted in this State.”

“What kind of deals have you conducted with local wolf shifter packs?”

Dad pulled out a desk chair from under the table and sat in it. “There are things that you’d never understand, Chelsey. You were only a child when these shifters began coming out. Back in our hometown where you were born, half of our police force was made up of shifters. One thing wolf shifters do exceed well at is protecting territories and securing borders from threats entering the State or, in that case, the town. We almost never had the use for police dogs because the wolf shifters were our eyes, ears, and nose…and they could talk. They picked up on everything. They kept our streets safe and drug-free. While I was a member of the city council, I did a number of things to help the shifters improve their way of living. Some of that included lawmaking that would allow them to repurchase or outright take back most of their hunting grounds. I funded some of their projects with private loans from my bank.”

“I remember when you used to work for the city council. I was just getting ready to graduate middle school at the time, but I didn’t know you were involved with wolf shifters on that level.”

“I was, but for the most part shifters don’t like to be governed by humans. We established what laws we could that were inclusive of the shifter population.”

“So that means you once cared about their way of life. Don’t you still do?”

Dad paused a moment before saying, “I tried to keep the reason for me and Priscilla’s rocky marriage away from you. You had a lot on your plate with entering your Senior year of college.”

Her heart grew heavy at the mention of her parent’s marriage which was hanging on by a thread. She sat on the edge of her bed, facing her dad.

“I think it’s time you tell me,” she said. “I’m not a little girl anymore. I understand about relationships and marriage and all that.”

“Yes, I know that. Your mother and I stayed together for a long time because of you. We wanted what’s best for you and we still do. I love your mother very much and I’m trying and willing to work things out with her. She’s just not very forgiving.”

“What does she have to forgive?”

“A whole lot.” His shoulders slumped and his eyes shifted across the room. “There was this woman. I would go on lunch dates with her. She was just someone that worked on the city’s council with me. Name’s not really important now, but I’m sure if you researched you could probably put two and two together. Your mother got the wrong impression and thought I was sleeping with her. We never slept together, but I had to admit that I was emotionally involved with the other woman to the point where anytime I’d meet her for coffee or anything, I’d tell your mother I was at work or having the beer with one of the guys. I was doing a lot of nice things for this woman—paying her bills and buying her things when she claimed to be going through hard times. Your mother had some of my credit card bills that attested to that.”

“Mom thought you were cheating,” Chelsey stated.

“She did. It took me a while to realize that’s what it was. I was untruthful and lying to myself and to her, which was nearly the same as cheating. My…friendship with this woman was cut short when your mother hired an investigator to look into my extracurricular activities. That investigator was a shifter and he helped her catch me in numerous lies. Your mother confronted me while I was at the spa with the woman.”

Chelsey swallowed and bit her lip. It was enough to make her angry. “This is the first time hearing the truth behind what caused the disconnection between you two. Mom hinted that there may have been another woman in the picture, but she didn’t come right out and say it and I didn’t want to open up any wounds for her by asking.”

“I know and I’m sorry. We decided together that you didn’t need to know the details. It was something Priscilla and I tried to fix. And for a while after that, we were working things out, but I don’t think she’s ever gotten over it.”

“Well, it hasn’t even been two years. It almost seems like yesterday when you two told me you were going to marriage counseling.”

“Right. If time is what she needs, I’ll give her that,” he said.

“And you’re holding a grudge against all wolf shifters because of something you were caught doing? By one of them?”

Dad lowered her head. “Unfortunately yes. This shifter may have been moonlighting as a private investigator, but he was also working in the special police force at the time. The same police force that I pushed because I wanted to help bring jobs to the shifter community.”

“I see.”

“But honey, that’s not what this eminent domain proceeding is all about. I didn’t target shifter land because of my past transgressions. I’ve been in communication with Midway Industries for several months now regarding their plans for Aspen Valley.”

“Midway Industries?” she mumbled. “That’s the same company who makes custom weapons, isn’t it? Rifles and guns, right?”

“Yes, it is. They’ll bring jobs and money to the entire County, not just Aspen Valley. It just so happens that the tract of land that would most benefit them is remote and virtually uninhabited, but unfortunately, the wolf pack has made claims that it’s not.”

“Haven’t you listened to them?” she asked.

“There’s no evidence. No homes, no cars…nothing indicates that this area has become the permanent resident of any of them.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Dad? These are wolf shifters we’re talking about. They live in homes too, but they also run free through the woods. Do you really think they’re going to cut down all those trees to build homes instead of preserving their natural habitats?”

“This isn’t the only tract of land they have access to in Aspen Valley,” he countered.

“Apparently they’re adamant about keeping this one. I visited the area. What may look like dozens of miles of forest and barren acreage to you, is home to them. Is money more important than retaining the natural resources of the state and the respect of the citizens, including shifters?” she asked.

Dad frowned. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. We won’t demolish everything. Midway Industries will do everything they can to salvage what they can. They’d like to acquire the land but would rather not deal with the local shifters.”

“They don’t want to deal with them because maybe they know they’ll be met with opposition. Do you know what Midway Industries is known for? Clearing out forests to use in their weapons manufacturing operations and then building huge retail centers that drive the local shops out of business. Is that what you want for Aspen Valley?”

“I want to do all I can for the local economy. My term is up next year and I doubt I’ll be running again. Why are you so concerned about this?”

“Because I actually have friends who live out there,” she stated. “These investors from Midway Industries aren’t concerned about Tellevue County. They’re just concerned with their bottom line. Who’s going to piece our County back together when Midway Industries exhausts all we have and then moves onto the next money hungry politician?”

Her dad gave her a side-eye that rivaled all others. “Are you calling me money-hungry? There’s a time and place to question me about things, but this issue isn’t up for discussion—certainly not with my daughter.”

“So you’re going to let this happen?”

“Plans have been underway for months. The President of Midway will be flying in from Texas next week to get some signatures and it’ll be a done deal.”

“Unless the wolf pack can prove their case, right?” she inquired, hopefully. “Because what it seems to me is that someone on your council has made it their priority to keep the wolves quiet and at bay.”

He rose swiftly to his feet. “You have a lot more things to worry about, Chelsey, and this isn’t one of them.”

“Please Dad. I’m just asking you. I promised my friends that you’d at least listen to what the leaders of the wolf pack have to say. I know sometimes you have to make decisions that won’t benefit everyone, but please…for me…”

He frowned.

She approached him. “I told them you’d at least listen to what they have to say. Your staff won’t even direct the calls to you.”

“Who would like to speak with me?”

Chelsey rushed to her purse on the nightstand and pulled out a business card from it. She handed the card to her dad with shaky fingers.

Her dad inspected it and read the name aloud. “Dane Magnus. I’ve heard of him.”

“Then that’s great, right?”

“Not sure, but he seems to have a fondness for acquiring real estate.”

“They said—I mean, my friends said that he’d like to talk business with you.”

“I’ll call him,” her dad stated. “In the meantime, I don’t want you conducting any more business on my behalf. That’s my job. You’re my daughter and you shouldn’t be doing anything to jeopardize your safety in my name.”

“Understood.”

“Besides, if you want to play the part of a nice politician, you should seriously consider the job I mentioned,” he said, grinning.

“I have seriously considered it,” she said. “For right now, just consider me the friendly mediator between the wolf faction and the money hungry politician.”

He chuckled. “Mediator, eh? I think you should seriously consider that as a career path.”

“I just might.”