Page 25 of Down Knot Out (Pack Alphas of Misty Pines #3)
“Yeah. Fucking assholes.” A tear slips down my cheek, followed by another. “I’m so tired, Dom. Tired of being used. By Vivian, by the Sinclairs, by Louie. By Simon, whoever he really is. I’m tired of being a pawn in games I never agreed to play.”
Dominic cups my face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away my tears with gentle strokes. “You’re not a pawn, Chloe. You’re the queen. The most powerful piece on the board. And it’s time everyone recognized that.”
The analogy draws a watery laugh from me. “I don’t feel very powerful right now.”
“You are. Look how much you’ve endured, and you keep moving forward despite all of them.” A purr rumbles from his chest and into me. “And you’re not alone anymore. Whatever you decide to do, I’m here. We’re all here.”
His hand slides up and down my spine in slow, soothing strokes, each pass easing the tension from my muscles. The steady rhythm of his heart beneath reminds me that this is what’s real, that despite everything the world has thrown between us, we’ve found our way back to each other.
“What do you want to do?” he asks finally, the question a gentle rumble beneath my ear. “About the lawyers, I mean.”
I take a moment to savor the last moment of peace before I have to face reality again. “I’m scared,” I admit, the words muffled by his skin. “But I think I need to meet with them and find out what they want.”
Dominic’s arms tighten around me, his chin resting on top of my head. “If that’s what you want to do, then we’ll do it.”
I pull back enough to search his expression for any hint of doubt or hesitation and find only steadfast resolve. “Simon keeps claiming my dad sent him. At the very least, meeting with the lawyers may get them to call off that psycho.”
“Maybe,” Dominic agrees, though he doesn’t sound convinced. “Or it could give us information about who he is and why he’s targeting you.”
The memory of Simon’s fingers around my wrist sends a shiver through me, and Dominic’s arms tighten with the promise of protection.
“So you think I should go?” I need his affirmation even though the decision is ultimately mine.
“I think you need answers, and this might be the only way to get them. But it’s your decision.” His palm cups my cheek, turning my face up to his. “If you decide you want nothing to do with the Sinclairs, we’ll do everything we can to force them to stay away. ”
His thumb traces the curve of my cheekbone, the touch so gentle my heart hurts. How did I survive ten years without this? Without him?
“I don’t want to go,” I confess, leaning into his touch. “I’d rather go back to believing I’m not a Sinclair, because knowing I was one all along, that we suffered for nothing, makes the last ten years hurt even more.”
“I know.” He kisses my forehead. “But we can’t change the past. We can only decide what to do now.”
“Yeah.” I lean against his shoulder again, drawing strength from him. “I don’t want to face this alone.”
“You won’t have to.” His hand slips through my hair to cup my nape. “I’ll go with you.”
“No.” I pull back, shaking my head. “The Sinclairs are such assholes, Dom. I don’t want you pulled back into that world. Not after everything your mother put you through because of them.”
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth before it fades. “I’m well aware of who they are, Chloe. I grew up in the same circles, remember?”
“Exactly.” I place both hands on his chest, his heart a steady beat beneath my fingers. “You escaped all that. I don’t want you to get dragged back in. ”
He catches my hands and brings them to his lips. “You’re not dragging me anywhere. I’m choosing to stand beside you.” Fierce conviction fills his voice. “I’m not letting you go alone. I’m never letting you face bullies like them alone again.”
His vehemence steals my breath, a reminder that the boy who once backed down when our families tore us apart is now a man who would face down the world for me. The bond between us thrums with renewed strength, weaving itself into the fabric of my being.
“Okay.” The fight drains from me. “But this doesn’t just change things for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mom kicked you out of the pack for refusing to bond with a suitable mate.” My throat tightens. “If the Sinclairs acknowledge me?—”
His finger over my lips stops me. “Fuck my mom. And fuck the Sinclairs. You are Chloe Richardson, the future Omega of the Misty Pines pack. That’s all that matters.”
My shoulders relax. “Are you sure? You could get a big inheritance.”
“I don’t want money from the Sterlings or the Sinclairs.” He snorts. “I wish we didn’t take money from the Burtons, either. It just complicated things for our pack. But we’re going to do things better than our families did.”
His arms tighten around me, drawing me so close I’m almost in his lap. I melt into him, absorbing his certainty that we can face this together.
“Thank you,” I murmur into his neck. “For everything.”
He doesn’t respond with words. Instead, his fingers tangle in my hair, tilting my head back so he can capture my lips in a tender kiss that bridges our past and whatever future we forge together.
When we part, I feel steadier, more certain.
For the first time since I found out I’m a Sinclair, the ground beneath me has stabilized again.
Whatever the Sinclairs want from me, whatever game they’re playing, I’ll face it with my Alphas at my side.