The lying little fucker. Makenna clenched her jaw to stop the words from escaping her.
“I see,” said Emilio.
“I have already told Dawn that I have the means to financially support and expand the building. Yet, she did not seek my help. At first, I thought the female was merely stubborn. But I’ve come to believe that it’s not actually Dawn who’s so opposed to joining my pack, it is the two females you see with her.”
Landyn consulted a sheet of paper in front of him. “Madisyn Drake and Makenna Wray?”
“Yes,” confirmed Remy. “They are, in a sense, her enforcers. I suppose they fear losing their position. My point was proven when Makenna insisted on continuing to work at the shelter after being attacked by extremists, even though it could lead them there. It clearly demonstrates she’s selfish and not devoted to the shelter for the right reasons. I believe that Dawn is. Still, if Dawn did not insist that Makenna stay clear of the shelter until things cool down, she doesn’t care for the place as much as I thought.”
Oh, the asshole was seriously good at twisting things. And that was a real problem. Makenna barely resisted the urge to call him the lying, scheming, sick piece of shit that he was.
“To Dawn’s credit,” Remy added, “she did appoint two Phoenix wolves to help guard the shelter—something which was very helpful when a pride of cougars tried to invade the building.”
Landyn stilled. “Cougars?”
Remy nodded. “They believe Dawn is giving sanctuary to someone they are seeking.”
“What happened?” asked Emilio.
“My wolves chased them off. They haven’t returned.” Remy shifted in his seat. “As I said, the Phoenix wolves have been helpful in guarding the shelter. But the reality is that their presence cannot be a permanent thing. Their pack is reasonably small. They cannot afford to spare enforcers on a daily basis. I doubt they will spare Makenna so often either, meaning Dawn will have less help from now on.”
Remy leaned forward. “The truth of the matter is the shelter needs help. It needs protection from humans, it needs more funding so that it can be expanded, and it needs more staff so that Dawn has extra support. I can ensure all of that. Dawn has worked hard for many years; she has put the needs of the shelter before her own in all that time. She deserves to finally be part of something bigger than the shelter; she deserves to have some of the load taken from her. I understand that the idea of change can be unnerving, but she would soon lose that fear and realize this is for the best.”
After a brief moment of silence, Parker spoke. “Remy, you may return to your seat. Who were the wolves who chased away the cougars? I’d like to speak to these witnesses.”
“They’re here with me.”
Selene and another of Remy’s enforcers were briefly questioned. Emilio praised them for protecting the shelter.
Parker then turned his attention to Dawn. He swept a hand toward the empty chair by the panel. “Dawn Samuels, could you please come forward?” She rose and, head held high, walked to the chair.
Once she sat, Emilio said, “Remy approached you a few times with his offer of protection, yet you quickly declined without giving any real thought to his proposal.”
It wasn’t a question, Makenna recognized; it was a statement designed to put Dawn on the defensive. If the way Dawn narrowed her eyes was anything to go by, she saw that very clearly.
Emilio braced his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. “I must say I’m confused as to why.”
“Loners don’t trust packs,” Dawn pointed out. “They would never come to a shelter that is run by a pack. It’s also worth noting that there are many species of shifter at the shelter, not just wolves. They wouldn’t all fit in a wolf pack, and I doubt they would want to try.”
Emilio couldn’t deny that, but he sure as shit looked like he wanted to. “Remy has been very civil in his dealings with you. Nonetheless, you felt the need to scare him off using the Phoenix Pack.”
“No words were exchanged between him and the Phoenix wolves. They merely stood with us for support. If he finds them intimidating, I can hardly help that.” Dawn’s response made Remy’s upper lip curl back.
“So you admit that you need support?”
“Only against Remy.”
Parker looked about to ask a question, but Emilio beat him to it. “Tell me, Dawn, why is the shelter becoming overfull?”
“A large number of the residents were fired from their jobs after their employers—”
“Fired? That made it hard for them to support themselves and move on, I’m guessing. Is it true some of your sponsors pulled out?”
“It is, but—”
He whistled. “Now that must have had a big impact.”
Dawn’s mouth tightened. “We’ve attracted new sponsors. And none would have pulled out if—”
“So when Remy says you need help, support, funding, and the ability to expand the building, he couldn’t be more accurate. Your shelter is overflowing—”
“No one said it was overflowing,” she hissed, and Emilio looked pleased to see her riled.
“—you have cougars fighting to get inside the building—”
“There was no fighting.”
“—and you’re lacking the one thing the shelter needs to keep going: appropriate funding.”
Hissing again, she snapped, “Maybe if you’d let me get a word in edgewise, I could explain why I’m suddenly having all these problems.”