Page 103 of Knot All is Crystal
It doesn’t escape my notice that he made two, and one of them has a ‘P’ right over the heart.
THIRTY-EIGHT
The brightnessof the computer is making my eyes dry out. I feel like I am half in the grave with everything going on. Trying to balance the absolute shit show that is my life with my new pack, Prism, and work at the Design Clinic has me feeling like I’m running on fumes.
But despite the sandpaper feeling, I can’t look away from the email on my screen.
Ms. Manson,
Let this email serve as a record that the Omega Affairs department has processed your request for a change in Omega Guardianship. Kieran Cobb has replaced Eve Newton as requested.
If you believe this has been done in error, please contact the Omega Affairs department at your earliest convenience.
I read it over and over, trying to make sense of it.
Clearly, Kieran did this. But how?
Isn’t my signature, my approval needed to change my guardian? Or at least Eve’s? She wouldn’t sign me over to him. She just wouldn’t.
There is a movement, quickly picking up steam, aiming to remove the need for an Omega guardian altogether. Still, most people treat it as nothing more than a formality, so it’s not seen as a pressing issue. While I know there is abuse of the system, Eve has always been my guardian in name only.
How did it get transferred to Kieran?
My hands shake as I pull out my phone and call my sister.
“Crystal! Why didn’t you tell me you had an Alpha?’
My stomach bottoms out. “What?” I whisper.
A rustling on the other line makes me imagine her wedging the phone between her ear and shoulder while she cleans something up.“He stopped by yesterday. I was waiting for you to call and tell me, but I didn’t think it would take this long! He’s so handsome. I didn’t expect you to end up with someone so much older, but…”
Well, there goes any hope I had that it was one of my actual Alphas who went to visit her.
“What did he want, Eve?”
“Well, he said he was going to surprise you with a bonding trip, but he needed my permission. I just signed the travel and bonding documents.”
I swear loudly and slam my hand down on the tabletop. “Goddamnit, Eve! It wasn’t travel documents. He filed a change in guardianship. I just got the notification.”
Her sharp inhale of breath is followed by loud steps and a slamming door. When she speaks, it’s barely above a whisper.“Are you telling me he took guardianship of you? Why would he do that when he can bond you?”
“Because he’s not my Alpha, Eve.” Despair and devastation drip through me, and every bit of fight I have left in me decides to flee. “He’s my boss and not a good guy.”
“No, that can’t be right.”Her denial is sharp and filled with guilt. Silent tears run down my face.“He was so kind. He clearly had a lot of money, and you deserve a good life. You’re meant for more than this, and he seemed like he could give you that. He knew all this stuff about you, about us. He had pictures of you on his phone…”
“I’ve got to go to the Omega Affairs department and see if I can get this reversed. He… I can’t be under his thumb any more than I already am.”
I can’t wait to hear what she says. Her apologies won’t do anything to help me now.
It takes only a few seconds for me to gather my things and shove them in my purse. I’m not working today. I’m done. What’s going to happen if Walter reports me to Kieran?
He already owns me.
I can’t keep living like this. This isn’t sustainable.
I want to hurt Kieran Cobb. At this point, it’s not going to be enough to get out from under his thumb.
I want to fucking destroy him.
