Page 82 of Knot Her Mountain Men

I blinked back at him, not sure what he meant.

“The bond,” he explained. “Register it so you can claim her things for her.”

Oh, shit. He was right. I’d been so preoccupied by the emotional aspect of the bond I hadn’t even considered the legal power it gave me in Morgan’s life. I opened up the federal database on my phone. There was no approval technically required since you could only register a bond that had already happened, it was simply documented for government agencies so they knew who was bonded to whom.

Big block letters in red ran along a banner at the top of the page, warning that attempting to register a bond that did not exist would result in severe legal consequences, up to and including imprisonment. It was such a transfer of power that the authorities tended to bring down the hammer on anyone who tried trapping omegas with a fake registration.

The more information input the better, but since Morgan didn’t have access to any of her documents, we’d do what we could. I filled in everything for myself and added Morgan’s phone number so it could send her the form.

Her phone beeped and she broke off her pleading. Only our pack and her brother’s pack had the number, so she would know it was something important. She read over her screen for a few seconds before glancing up at me. Morgan tapped away, presumably filling out the form, and soon enough I received a notification that she had accepted the registration and we received a temporary acknowledgment, awaiting further details before they would send out a card we would be able to show.

I walked over to the staff, making sure the acknowledgment was open and showing both of our names. “Let her have it.” My voice cracked, and I felt the sharpness of every word, but these people needed to hear it.

The staff discussed among themselves. “We have to call head office in case it’s illegitimate.”

For fuck’s sake. I pulled down the collar of my shirt, exposing one of these several bites Morgan had left on me, and she pulled her hair aside to show off hers.

“It’s real. Let me have my things. He can claim it for me. I don’t know why you’re being so difficult. What would you do if it was all ofyourstuff that got stolen by your landlord because you were stuck in the hospital or something?”

They had the good sense to look admonished at her words. “That’s happened before to people. It’s nothing personal. We just don’t want to get fired.”

Morgan growled and I wrapped my arm over her shoulders, trying to offer her some comfort.

One staff member bustled away to call whoever the hell they needed to call, and the other stood guard, as if afraid we would manage to abscond with everything before they returned. I couldn’t blame him. I probably would’ve tried it.

The other staffer came back after a few minutes, looking like he was prepared to bolt in the opposite direction. “We’re told an acknowledgment is not sufficient. We only accept the cards after it’s been fully verified.”

A cacophony of fury, anguish, and a hint of murderous intent erupted through the bond from Morgan. I tucked her behind me and zoomed in on the portion of the acknowledgment that said the form was legally binding.

“Accept it,” I whispered sharply, “or I’m reporting the whole company and you two personally.”

Both staff members paled. “Let me just…call them right back.”

The one staffer sprinted away, leaving the other one to face us. “You don’t have to fight us on this.”

“You’re trying to break a federal mandate,” Kit snapped. “Bear has his ID and he’s bonded to Morgan. Legally you have to allow him to claim for her if you’re not accepting her taking it herself.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually making me consider calling the sheriff’s office about this,” Ryder groused. “Ihatebeing around law enforcement, so I’m gonna be real fucking pissed if it comes down to making that call.”

I wasn’t sure where the sheriff would fall between supporting a corporation fucking people over and helping an alpha assert their rights over an omega. Could go either way depending on whether he was feeling capitalistic or misogynistic that day.

The runner returned, looking out of breath. “Okay, they said you can claim it for her, but she’s still getting invoiced, and it all needs to be out of here before the twenty-four-hour mark.”

“We’ll handle it,” said Maverick. “Ry, let’s get the trucks.”

Relief joined Morgan’s cacophony, but none of the other emotions dissipated. She was practically vibrating under my touch, her body shaking as she struggled to keep a hold on all of it. I didn’t blame her one bit. I wasn’t going to bring it up to anyone how close Morgan had been to going feral. She could’ve bitten their faces right off but no court in the world would convict her with her hormones still being so elevated post-heat.

“Her profile has also been flagged for failure to meet obligations,” said one of the staffers, “so she might have a difficult time renting with the company in the future.”

Morgan growled again.

I leaned close so I could whisper in her ear. “Come on, angel.”

I signed a release form before we left and took Morgan to a small café that looked like it was just opening. I got her situated at a corner booth and typed out our orders on my phone, offering the screen to the barista.

Morgan was still distressed chaos in the bond, her eyes visibly shining from where I stood. Luckily it didn’t take them long to prepare the two cups of tea, and I used my body to block her from view.

“I feel like I’m falling apart, Bear.” Morgan sniffled. “I hate that they listen to you and not me, that there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do if you all hadn’t been there.”

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