Page 175 of Down Knot Out
“You can’t handle anything.” Vivian’s lip curls as her eyes drop to the bouquet in my hands. “Playing dress-up, pretending you belong with people who don’t even matter. It’s pathetic.”
My heart pounds, but I steady my nerves. “You shouldn’t be here, Mother. There’s a restraining order.”
She barks out a laugh, the sound echoing down the empty hallway. “Restraining orders are for people who care about rules. You think a piece of paper will keep me from seeing what a fool my daughter is making of herself?”
“The only fool here is you.” I step forward, unflinching. “You had a chance to be part of my life. You chose your revenge, alcohol, and gambling instead.”
Her face contorts with fury. “I chose survival! What do you know about sacrifice? About doing what needs to be done?”
“I know enough to recognize when someone’s lying to themselves.” I motion toward the stairwell. “This is my bonding day. Please leave.”
Vivian lunges forward, fingers closing around my wrist with surprising strength. The bouquet tumbles from my grasp, petals scattering across the carpet. “You ungrateful little?—”
Grady moves between us, trying to break her grip. “Let go of her!”
“She’s mine!” Vivian’s nails dig into my skin. “My blood, my legacy, mine!”
The elevator at the end of the hall chimes, and two hotel security guards step out, alerted by the commotion. Their faces harden when they seeVivian’s grip on my arm, the fallen flowers, and the uniform she stole.
“Ma’am, you need to release her right now.” The taller guard approaches, hand hovering near the radio at his belt.
Vivian’s grip tightens. “Tell them, Chloe. Tell them who I am. Tell them who you are!”
“I am Chloe Richardson, Omega of the Misty Pines pack.” I meet her gaze. “Andyouare trespassing.”
Vivian jerks back as if slapped, giving the security guards their opening. They move in, one gently but firmly separating us while the other positions himself between Vivian and me.
“You are on the restricted visitors list, ma’am. You’re violating a restraining order.” The guard reaches for his zip ties. “We’re going to need you to come with us.”
Vivian struggles within their hold. “This is what he wanted! Gregory knew you’d throw everything away for these—these animals!” She thrashes, her shriek bouncing off the walls. “Your inheritance, your legacy, everything I suffered for!”
“You suffered for yourself.” I rub my wrist where her nails left crescents in my skin. “Not for me.”
The fight drains from her all at once, and hershoulders slump as the guards secure the handcuffs around her wrists.
“He promised me,” she mumbles, no longer seeing me, lost in her delusions. “If I brought you back, everything would be fixed.”
Understanding clicks into place. “Louie’s dead, Mother. Whatever schemes you two concocted are over. I’m worth nothing to the Santaros pack now. You need to see a doctor. You need help.”
Her chin lifts, a spark of defiance returning. “If I can stop this bonding, my allowance will be restored.”
Pity washes over me. “I gave up my Sinclair inheritance, Mother. It’s over.”
Vivian’s face crumples. For a moment, I glimpse the woman she might have been without Gregory’s manipulation, the alcohol, and the bitterness that consumed her.
But the moment passes, and hatred hardens her features once more.
“You’ll regret this,” she hisses as the guards lead her away. “When they tire of you, when they find someone younger, prettier, more fertile, you’ll have nothing!”
I shake my head, kneeling to gather the scattered flowers. “I’m sorry for what Gregory didto you, but my true mates will never turn their backs on me.”
She twists in the guards’ grip as they guide her toward the service elevator. “This isn’t over!”
“Yes, it is.” I straighten, petals cupped in my palm, stems broken but salvageable. “Goodbye, Mother. Don’t ever come back.”
The elevator doors close, cutting off her final shout. The sudden silence rings in my ears, broken only by Grady’s quiet breathing beside me.
He places a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
