Page 82 of Down Knot Out
Blake cracks his knuckles, the sound sharp inthe quiet room. “What about Vivian? She’s been playing both sides, stirring up trouble with the Santaro pack while keeping secrets about Chloe’s real parentage.”
“That stops now,” Dominic says. “Whatever game she’s running ends here. If she wants to keep gambling away her allowance from Gregory, that’s between them. But she doesn’t get to use Chloe as a bargaining chip anymore.”
The unanimity in their voices, the way they speak as one unit about protecting me, sends warmth cascading through my chest. This is what being arealpack means. Not the manipulation and calculation I witnessed today, but genuine care and unified purpose.
“So we’re agreed?” Nathaniel asks, his gaze moving from Alpha to Alpha. “Chloe is not Sinclair property, and we stop this before it escalates further.”
Three voices answer as one: “Agreed.”
Before they can disperse, Blake draws a deep breath. “There’s something else the pack needs to know.”
He stares at his hands, thick fingers worrying at a callus on his palm. “A representative reached out to me from Sadie’s rehab center.”
The temperature in the room drops. Nathaniel goes very still in his perch on the sofa arm, while Dominic’s attention sharpens.
Beneath me, Holden stiffens. “What did she want?”
“Sadie is getting out early.” Blake’s throat works as he swallows. “And she wants a supervised visit with Quinn.” He clasps his hands together, his knuckles turning white with tension. “She said Sadie is doing better and committed to the program this time.”
The rainbow bead bracelet on his wrist catches the afternoon light as his hands shake. I’ve never seen Blake look so fragile, this mountain of a man reduced to worried uncertainty by the possibility of losing the little girl who calls him Uncle Blake with such trust and affection.
I leave Holden’s lap to crawl over to Blake, and his arms come around me. He tugs me onto his lap with a pained sound that hurts my heart.
Nathaniel takes a slow, measured breath for calm. “What did you tell her?”
“That I needed time to think about it. To talk to my pack.” Blake kisses my temple and nuzzles my neck, seeking comfort. “But what if she wants custody back? What if she’s really gotten her lifetogether and decides Quinn belongs with her biological mother instead of her uncle who doesn’t understand the first thing about raising kids?”
His pain cuts through me, and I wrap my arms around his big frame. “You are the best father figure Quinn could ask for. Look at how she lights up when you walk into a room. She knows she’s safe with you.”
“Chloe’s right.” Holden sits straighter. “You’ve given Quinn stability, love, and a home. Whatever Sadie decides, that doesn’t change.”
Dominic leans forward, his expression serious. “And whatever happens, we’ll face it together. Quinn isn’t your responsibility alone. She’s pack.”
Nathaniel rises from the sofa arm, beginning to pace again. “We’ll need to document everything if it comes to a custody dispute. Quinn’s medical records, school enrollment, evidence of the stable home environment you’ve provided.”
“You think it’ll come to that?” Blake’s shoulders lift, then sink again, caught between hope and dread.
“I think,” Nathaniel says carefully, “we should be prepared for any possibility.”
Blake’s arms tighten around me, and I breathe in his scent, offering what comfort I can. The thought of Quinn being torn from the only stablehome she’s known knots my stomach with protective anger.
“While we’re putting it all out there…” Nathaniel sighs and turns to face us. “The water taxi breakdown yesterday wasn’t an accident. Kyle’s mechanic found evidence of sabotage.”
Ice water floods my veins. “Sabotage?”
“Someone messed with the engine to ensure it would fail under normal operating stress.” Nathaniel’s hands clasp behind his back. “The timing suggests they wanted to strand you on the mainland, possibly to give Simon another opportunity.”
The room falls silent as the implications sink in. Multiple threats circling us, each one probing for weakness.
The Sinclairs trying to manipulate me into surrendering my inheritance.
Simon’s obsession escalating to kidnapping.
Sadie disrupting Quinn’s stability.
The construction site sabotage that could derail our pack’s future.
We have too many vulnerabilities. Too many ways we could be hurt.
