Page 31 of Chain Me Knot

My phone vibrates against my hip. The screen displays a name that makes me frown: Kevin Dawson, head of the department's Legal Affairs Division. The man who keeps us out of trouble when cases go sideways.

I put the phone on speaker when I answer and wonder why the hell Dawson is calling us this late at night. “Dawson. What's wrong?”

My skin prickles in anticipation of someone from LAD contacting us. Thank the gods Dawson is on our side. Especially now when we have everything to lose.

He draws a breath before he speaks and I ignore my churning gut. “Are Soren and Phoenix with you? You all need to hear this.” Dawson continues after my affirmation. “Pack Carmichael has just filed emergency proceedings against you. They're claiming illegal interference with rightfully owned…property. They want your omega returned immediately.”

The room temperature drops ten degrees. I expected this but, surely, we have more time.

“How? Asher has claimed her and he’s a prime scent-matched alpha.” Soren plays our one fucked-up card.

“They're claiming your bonding bite was an assault, Asher. They want you brought up on charges.” Dawson's frustration is evident even through the phone.

Phoenix swears under his breath. “How long do we have?”

“Hearing's set for day after tomorrow with Judge Winters.” The name sends another chill through the room. Winters is known for his traditional views on omega rights—or lack thereof.

“The day after tomorrow!” Soren launches out of his chair. “How the fuck did they manage that so quickly?”

My mind races through how we can delay them, and I pull at the last straw my mind throws up. “Tell them we can’t make it. Emma’s our scent-matched omega and if she’s separated from us, medically speaking she’ll be in danger. She needs our physical contact to recover.”

“Dr. Chen will back that up,” Phoenix says. At least the good doctor is on Emma’s side.

Soren leans forward, his hands clasped. “It will buy us time.”

Time we desperately need because if this goes ahead, our timetable for gathering evidence is greatly reduced. The unspoken reality hangs heavy between us. Legal delays can't last forever. Eventually, we'll run out of procedural maneuvers, medical excuses, jurisdictional challenges.

“If we all completed the bonds as her scent-matched pack, the Carmichaels' claim would be void,” Phoenix says.

“That’s not going to happen without her full consent.” I’ve already done enough damage. I don’t expect Soren and Phoenix to add to the damage.

I press my palms against my eyes again, the pressure doing nothing to ease the headache building behind them. Emma's trust is a fragile thing we haven't even begun to earn, and here we are, discussing a complete bonding as a legal strategy. The irony is bitter enough to choke on.

“We find another way.” I drop my hands. “One that doesn't require her to trade one form of bondage for another.”

“I'm doing what I can on my end and will delay the proceeding with everything I can put in its way,” Dawson promises. “But... prepare for the worst. Winters rarely rules against documented ownership. I’ll contact Dr. Chen in the meantime and get that letter of declaration from him.”

After we end the call, silence falls over the living room even though I know Dawson will do everything he said he would.

Phoenix sends me a desperate look. “How in the seven hells did they get that through so fast? And get Judge Winters for their case?”

He has a point. The legal system moves slowly. Bringing forward a case of ownership doesn’t happen this fast.

“The commissioner's help, you think?” Soren asks.

He has a point. “It could be, but he won't want any direct, obvious connection to Pack Carmichael—not if someone starts linking them back to these underground auction networks. He'll play it as an innocent favor, signing something off for a friend. Technically, the law would be on his side.”

“We're not letting them take her. I don't care what the law says,” Phoenix says.

“We won't,” I agree. “Even if it means our badges.”

I’m already planning aliases.

Soren stabs the tablet. “I’ll sort out our contingency plan. If the ruling goes against us, we'll need extraction routes, safe houses not connected to the department.”

I clamp down anything she’ll feel coming from me and look up at the ceiling in the direction that Emma sleeps, unaware that her nightmare may not be over. That the alphas who chained her might legally reclaim her after all.

Chapter Twelve

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