Page 110 of Down Knot Out
Milo’s voice fills the office. “Option one: Full withdrawal. You revoke all standing legal and registry ties to the Sinclair pack and re-register as unaffiliated, with a request for privacy protection.Downside is that you lose any claim to the estate or hereditary benefits. Upside is that the Sinclairs can’t leverage pack law to force a courtship or inheritance on you.”
Chloe’s nostrils flare, and her chin tilts up. She writes a quick note in the margin of the notepad balanced on her thigh, and I read it upside down.No f-ing way.
“Option two?” I prompt.
“Buyout clause,” Milo says. “We argue that the original rejection from the pack nullifies further claim. Sinclair estate can issue a single payout, let’s call it a ‘goodwill severance’, that releases you from any obligation to participate in succession, courtship, or legacy politics. You’d keep the money, but the pack loses the right to drag you into their drama.”
Chloe’s hand stills. She draws a double underline, but I catch the hesitation in her posture. She doesn’t want to owe the Sinclairs a single thing. She wants her life to be clean.
“Third option.” I shift closer, sliding my hand up her thigh to her hip. “Lay it out, Milo.”
“Addendum rider,” Milo says, his voice dropping as if worried about who’s listening. “You accept the Sinclair connection, but with acustomized legal addendum. This document blocks any pack from invoking courtship by obligation, force-bonding, or inheritance unless you give explicit written consent. There’s precedent for this. It’s a nightmare to get past the Registrar, but if you pull it off, you get access to estate resources with zero social leverage from the pack. They can’t touch you.”
Silence stretches. On the desk, the air from the vent ruffles the edges of the DNA results. The ticking of the clock, always faint in this office, now sounds loud, counting down the timeline to decide how to move forward.
Chloe’s mouth works, her tongue pressing into the groove of her lower lip as she digests the options. “What’s the chance of getting option three through the Registrar?”
Milo doesn’t hesitate. “Less than twenty percent, unless you have a sympathetic legal representative or blackmail material on the registrar’s clerk. But, with the right signatures and a little creative phrasing, it can be done.”
Her pen quivers above the paper. “And the odds that the Sinclairs will retaliate?”
“Near-certainty,” Milo says. “But if you want to hurt them, public embarrassment works better thanlegal. Established packs like theirs care more about reputation than money.”
She gives a sharp exhale. “I don’t want revenge. I want out.”
I squeeze her hip. “Then that’s what we’ll get you.”
A quiet rustle comes from the phone. “I’ll send over the latest draft language for all three options. You’ll need two witnesses, preferably bonded partners, to cosign. Email me if you want to pursue option three, and I’ll call in a favor at the Registrar’s office.”
“Thank you, Milo.” I end the call and shift in my chair to face Chloe. “What are you thinking?”
“I need a cocoa break,” she says, slipping off the desk. She leans down to kiss my cheek. “Do you want some tea? I can bring you some.”
“Give me a minute, and I’ll come out to join you.” I catch her before she can straighten, drawing her in for a longer kiss as I let my pheromones out to soothe her.
She relaxes against me, her small hands curling on my shoulders before she pulls back. “Thank you. I appreciate everything you’re doing.”
“Whatever ensures you stay with us.” I sweep my thumb across her glistening bottom lip. “We’re not letting them take you from us.”
A wobbling smile forms on her lips, and she takes another deep inhale of my pheromones before she slips from the office.
I sit in the quiet and drum my fingers on the edge of the desk, counting the pulse in each fingertip.
The Sinclair proposal sits on the top of the document stack. We had hoped it would be our ace in the hole. Proof that they not only acknowledged Chloe’s bloodline, but intended to use it as manipulation. If it had, Chloe could have used it to break from the Sinclair pack.
But they were careful to avoid making any admissions or using language that could be turned against them. Just a sanitized outline of a courtship with terms, incentives, and family expectations.
Nothing illegal.
Nothing actionable.
I’d been furious when I read through it the first time. Not only at them, but at myself for thinking they’d be stupid enough to put the noose in writing.
Without the recording of the meeting, we’d have no leverage. No real proof of what they threatened.
My hand tightens around the edge of the desk.
If we go forward with Chloe reclaiming hername and making her break public, the Sinclairs will retaliate. And not only socially. The old guard will come crawling out of the woodwork, the kind who threaten Omegas into submission. They’ve already made the first volley with her publisher to show they’re willing to push to get what they want.
