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“Girls have to stick together,” she says with a shrug, leaving.

I wasn’t expecting her to say any of that. Closing up the office, I walk out of the building with heavy steps. My chest hurts so often, if I didn’t know that it was because I miss Nina, I’d worry that I was having the heart attack everyone teases me I’ll have one day.

The cold wind is a welcome punishment as I walk out into the late afternoon air. Everyone is leaving, happy to be done with the day. I refuse to hurry as people pull out of the lot, because my son got his road rage from me. It’s why I’m on his ass about his driving.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I curse, knowing I won’t be able to answer until I’m in my car. My hands are freezing, even stuffed in my pockets. Hurrying, I unlock my doors and get into the vehicle. Pulling out my phone as I hit the start button, I answer it.

“This is Professor Thornefield. How can I help you?” I ask.

I didn’t bother to check the caller ID due to my hurry, and I pinch my nose in frustration as I hear Vivian’s irritating voice. Fuck, why did I even bother getting out of bed today?

“Cooper, I need you to do something for me,” her cool, coy voice says.

A long time ago, I let myself get pulled in by that voice. I allowed myself to get wrapped around her finger like an idiot, convinced I was in love with her. What a joke.

“I don’t think you have that kind of pull anymore, Vivian,” I murmur, turning the heat up.

I don’t trust myself to drive while speaking to her.

“This is for my daughter’s wellbeing, Cooper. You’ve been throwing up quite the disturbance at Weeping Willow. I need you to reject her,”she says confidently.

My heart plummets and I find myself growling.

“I’m sorry, I need you to repeat that with context,” I say. While my voice sounds calm, I know that Brooke would be heading for cover if she heard me.

I’m about to blow, and I will not take any prisoners.

“I…need…Nina to be free,”Vivian says so slowly, I begin to imagine snapping her fucking neck.

Something has changed inside of me. Instead of simply pretending that I’m squeezing people’s heads till they pop off so I feel better, I fucking itch to do it.

“Why?” I drawl, counting in my head.

“I need it,” she hisses. “How else will I get her set up with a pack that’ll align with my interests?”

“I have money,” I remind her. “If your new husband isn’tgiving you enough, I’ll give you some, but I am not rejecting Nina, and neither is Ethan.”

“Ugh, I forgot the well built twit was also her mate,” she grumbles. “It just won’t do for her to marry my ex-husband. You knew her when she was a child, Cooper. For all anyone knows, you could have tucked her in.”

I never did, though. Vivian was very determined to keep Nina and I apart, and I wasn’t her father. Those were the lines drawn in the sand, which is why it’s not odd for me that she’s my scent match. I wish that I’d been able to shelter her more from her mother’s abuse.

No one can change my mind on this. Vivian is abusive to her daughter, constantly using her to cement her own position in society. It’s fucking disgusting.

My chest heaves as I silently fume. I’m working myself up, and I refuse to keep quiet. I just need to know more about her plans before I burn them all down.

“You’ve never had a scent match before, which means you don’t understand how strong it is,” I say, digging the knife into her chest. I firmly believe she wasn’t given one because she’s such a terrible person, I simply didn’t realize it until it was almost too late. My regret lies in not being able to take Nina with me.

“That’s why I need you to reject her,” Vivian complains, as if I’m the child who isn’t processing things fast enough for her.

“Here’s the thing, though. Nina will always look for me at every heat, she’ll feel the gnawing pain inside of her because her mates aren’t with her. Our connection runs deep, despite not knowing each other for long,” I remind her. “It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been since we’ve seen each other. Scent matching is forever.”

“Unless you reject her!” Vivian screams. Ha, there’s the cracks inside her seemingly placid nature.

Vivian is a fucking hot head, but few people have had shitthrown at them like I have by her. Her aim sucks, and consistently gets worse the angrier she gets.

“So you can sell her to the highest bidder?” I ask nonchalantly, though I feel anything but. “Are you already shopping around for a pack for her, dear ex-wife?”

“I’m not your dear anything, Cooper,” she grumbles. “I need her to be the perfect daughter, and while the hospital doctors state she’s not there yet, they promise she will be soon. Nina will be pliant, obedient?—”