The defiant mate by Fennifer Francis novel Chapter 11

Jay-la POV

She was called to the conference room on Eric’s floor of the building, it was 11 in the morning and she had been back at work for just 2 days and she had been diligently trying to catch up on her case load.

Although most of her clients had been very understanding of her situation as it was very public knowledge what had happened to her, Eric had published one of her photos of her injuries sustained. She hadn’t been all that happy about it and had only allowed the one where she was still fully clothed, the original photo of how she looked upon being rescued, before the police had stripped her down to document all the injuries.

Reporters were still camped outside her office building to try and get an interview with her, to which she had so far refused. As she walked into the conference room she saw not only Eric Stanton seated at the table but also all the senior partners of the Law Firm. She drew in a steady breath when they all turned to look at her, some had pity in their eyes, others had admiration and a few didn’t seem to concerned at all. Eric nodded to the seat next to him, she walked over and sat down as was directed. “what’s going on?” she asked him quietly.

“Mr Browning is about to hold a live broadcast press Conference, we as your attorney’s were informed by his attorneys to watch it. It’s about your case against him.” He informed her.

Jay-la froze, this was not going to be good, why was he even responding in the human world way, no wolf cared for that stuf. If it wasn’t wolfen society then it didn’t matter.

She had in all honesty thought he would just sever her tie with the pack and then let his Pack lawyers śort it all out for him. Not wanting to deal with her in the human world, currently she actually felt safe, for if she suddenly went missing again or anything happened to her, it would all point directly at her Alpha and he would be dragged back into the human world spotlight of suspicion, be investigated again.

Jay-la knew he would not want that at all, this was likely going to be a blanket statement from one of his packs legal team in order to placate human world public opinion. She could only imagine his human world business’s had taken a hit, that his stocks in his companies had probably fallen as well, not that she was keeping track, in fact she had refused to watch the news in the past 10 days since her ordeal.

Not wanting a reminder or recap of it, she had lived it, that was enough, and she didn’t want her children to have to see her in that state again.

The TV was turned on and to her surprise she watched as he strode toward the podium set up, outside the front of one of his business’s.

Behind him in the background all wearing immaculate dark grey suits with black shirts and red ties, pack official colours, were Jackson, Stephen and Ethan. As he walked directly towards the podium she could see his muscles straining against his suit, he was wearing a black suit with pinstripes probably grey she couldn’t tell from here, a dark grey vest overa black dress shirt, that matched the boys suits and a red tie, his Alpha dress code.

Kora stood to attention her ears pricked up instantly and she too was watching. She had not gotten to see him that day, having been kept forcibly avway due to the them being drugged with wolfs-bane and the use of silver cuffs. She whined as she laid eyes on him for the first time since leaving the pack. The father of her püps.

He was dressed to kill, that was for sure. No female reporter would ask him anything that would incur his angry look directed at them and that was how he most likely wanted it, he wanted all of them drawn to him she supposed, their lust and desire eradicating any torrid questions that might make him unseemly to the public eye.

He was clean shaven and his hear neatly slicked back the way he liked to wear it. He looked better with it slightly tussled she though absently, Kora agreed, Jay-la checked herself.

‘Stop looking at him, remember what he did to you:’ she told herself internally also reminding Kora she could feel that her wolf was more interested than she should be, probably due to their connection through the triplets, but it must be kept in check.

He cleared his throat casually and tapped the microphone “l will make a short statement this moning regarding Miss Jay-la Freeman and what happened between us.’ he hushed the reporters with a simple wave of his hand as several questions were yelled at him from many reporters.

“Firstly I would like to apologise to my childhood friend. Yes, I have known Jay-la since we were small children.”

He was trying to establish a friendly long-time relationship with her and gain the reports trust she thought, sneaky bastard, but not to be unexpected. If she was his lawyer she would have suggested as much.

“My apologies Jay-la… Yes, I did send for you to return to our hometown, I however, did not order for you to be kidnapped, drugged or injured in any way at all.”

Jay-la snorted ‘yeah right’ she thought ‘ I received that black envelope and the wolfs-bane inside it. Your intent was clear. Very clear’.

“I was also corńpletely unaware of your singłe mother status, as not having spoken to you in 6 years. IfI had known you were a mother of 5-year-old triplets I would certainly have never, ever, sent men to bring you home… I would have come myself, to your very door.”

Fear was starting to creep into her every fibre, ‘he knows’ he was speaking directly to her, letting her know that he had fully investigated her and found out about the triplets, her children. His children. Their children. That she had kept from him.

“I did send 3 letters prior to this particular unfortunate incident, to request that you come home.” he went on “My intent was to simply discuss with you, your outstanding debt to my family in regards to us having paid for your Law School Tuition. Which was to be repaid by you by working in the Browning Corporations Law Department over the course of the first 5 years -out of suhöol. Which you agreed to do and even signed a contract for.”

Oh, his lawyers were good, they were trying to make it out that she was the one in trouble not him, redirecting the reporters’ focus to her and her outstanding debt that she owed to him. Bastard.

He produced the document which she recognised as the pack agreement for her tuition fees for 5 years’ legal work with reduced wages to pay the money back.

“Due to the current circumstances and the unfortunate and terrible incident that has happened, which deeply upsets me, I would like to take this opportunity to try and offer an olive branch to you. First, this contract, gone ‘she watched as he tore it in half you owe me nothing, I consider your monetary debt repaid. I would not wish to cause you any more grief or by forcing you to repay this sum of money.”

“Secondly,I would like us, you and I, to sit down and mediate the current issue between us, please take into consideration our long standing friendship Jay-la.. You know very well I never laid a hand on you.

Your statement on record says as much. You fully acknowledged that all harm that was done to you, was by the men who took you against your will.

“Thirdly, I would like the opportunity to personally apologise to your children for any distress, or mental trauma they may have suffered due to your disappearance or your current injured state upon returning home. I am certain they were very upset and distressed and I would like to personally assure them I am of no threat to you or them for that matter, none whatsoever.”

Jay-la noted that his eyes never left the camera in front of him, a shiver ran down her spine, he was speaking directly to her, letting her know he wanted to come for his children, her precious babies.

Not going to happen. If he forced the situation, it would all back fire on
him, and the humans would all bad mouth him again, for they had human birth certificates and

“I’Il take questions now.” he informed the reporters.

“You said you grew up as childhood friends? Is that actually true?” a reporter yelled from the crowd.

“Yes, Jay-la and I were once very close, indeed.” he smiled that devastatingly handsome smile of his, that could make any she-wolf or human woman’s heart melt and she didn’t miss the insinuation in his voice that belied they had had more then a friendship, implying with one sentence they were lovers.

“How close?” another reporter yelled out, a female voice.

“We dated for a time, just over a year if my memery šerves me correctly.” his mouth
Twitched at the corner a suggestive smile.