Page 34 of Down Knot Out (Pack Alphas of Misty Pines #3)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chloe

“ T here’s a lot to update everyone on.” Dominic leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “This afternoon, Chloe and I went to Sinclair & Associates Law Firm.”

“What?” Blake’s head snaps up. “Why?”

Nathaniel rises from his spot on the opposite end of the sofa, pacing to the windows that overlook the construction site. His shoulders bunch beneath his polo shirt, hands clasped behind his back as if preparing-for-battle stance.

“Because it turns out I’ve been a Sinclair all along,” I whisper. “I found out when I received the DNA results from the Omega Registration office.”

Holden stiffens. “But that was weeks ago.”

I hang my head. “I was going to tell you guys, but I wanted to sort out my own feelings first. It was a lot to process.”

“We could have helped you.” Hurt turns Holden’s vanilla scent bitter. “Is this why you’ve been acting funny?”

“Don’t guilt her.” Nathaniel turns from the window to glare at Holden. “If she needed time to sort everything out, there’s no shame in that.”

“No, you’re right.” Holden’s hand rubs my back. “I’m sorry. I just don’t like you suffering alone.”

I tuck my head back onto his shoulder. “Anything to do with the Sinclair’s is complicated.”

Blake shifts closer to Holden and me, the leather cushions creaking under his weight. His scent sharpens, the smoked-applewood notes taking on an edge of unease. “What did they want?”

Dominic reaches for my purse, which sits on the coffee table next to the leather folder. “It’s easiest if everyone listens to the meeting.”

From the inner pocket, he withdraws a small digital recorder, no bigger than his thumb.

“I activated this before we went into the building.” He jumps forward several minutes to skip the elevator ride and reception. “Everything they said is on here. ”

Nathaniel starts pacing. “Play it.”

Dominic’s thumb finds the play button. Static fills the room for a moment before voices emerge with startling clarity. My own voice first, tentative and polite, followed by the dry tones of Harrison Wells and the cold calculation in Gregory Sinclair’s words.

Holden’s arms tighten around me as we listen to Gregory speak. Listen to him dismiss my worth with chilling indifference. The way he talks about my mother’s affair as a business transaction. His devaluing me from his child to nothing better than livestock.

Holden’s hand rubs slow circles on my back, the movement soothing.

When Simon starts talking, describing his surveillance of my life with fevered pride, Blake’s hands clench into fists on his thighs. His knuckles go white, tendons standing out under his skin. A vibration starts in his chest, hovering on the edge of a growl, and it sinks straight into my bones.

Nathaniel stops pacing when Wells begins outlining their offer, turning to face us with his jaw set in granite lines.

The worst moment comes when Gregory reveals the identity of my intended Alpha mate. Jonathan Sinclair. A stranger chosen to breed me like a prized mare.

Simon’s shocked outburst follows. “But you promised?—”

Even over the small speaker, he makes my skin crawl.

Blake’s scent flares with protective rage, so strong that my head spins. “That sick bastard thought he was going to get you as payment?”

When the recording reaches the moment I reject their offer, Holden’s chest swells with pride beneath my cheek.

His hand moves to push back my hood and cradle my head, his fingers threading through my loose braid. “That’s my girl.”

The recording plays through to the end, capturing Wells’s threats about DNA results and legal battles, Gregory’s final attempts at manipulation, and our exit. When Dominic clicks it off, silence fills the room.

Nathaniel breaks the silence first. “That won’t be the only recording of your meeting. They would have made one themselves in case you flat-out refused and tried to negotiate later. Men like Gregory Sinclair operate that way as a rule.”

Blake scrubs a hand over his jaw, tension in his shoulders. “Can they actually alter DNA results? ”

Dominic sets the recorder on the coffee table with careful precision. “Legally? No. But they can drag out the process, piling on enough costs to bankrupt anyone trying to challenge them. And of course, any recording on their end will be edited to fit their narrative.”

His focus shifts to me. “That’s why they waited until now to approach you. They needed time to position themselves as the reasonable party offering a generous settlement.”

I shift in Holden’s lap. “So what’s our legal position actually worth?”

“Everything, if we play it right.” Dominic’s expression turns dangerous.

“Gregory admitted paternity on that recording. Augustus died without a recognized heir, which puts you first in line under pack law. The Sinclair holdings include real estate, business interests, and liquid assets worth somewhere north of thirty billion dollars.”

Blake whistles. “No wonder the Santaro pack wanted to marry into that.”

Nathaniel turns from the window, his expression thoughtful.

“They’ll fight it, of course. Drag it through the courts, claim you’re illegitimate, hire experts to challenge everything.

” His fingers find his grandfather’s ring, twisting it.

“But that recording changes the dynamic. It’s evidence of a conspiracy to defraud you of your inheritance. ”

“What about a buyout?” Holden’s hand rubs soothing circles on my back. “Would they consider paying Chloe to walk away quietly?”

“Possibly.” Dominic leans forward, elbows on his knees. “It would mean giving up control of the heir to the next in line, but that might not matter to Gregory. He’s the head until he dies or steps down.”

“They’d lowball your offer,” Nathaniel adds, “hoping you'll settle out of fear.”

I shift on Holden’s lap so I can see all their faces. “I don’t want their money. I want them to leave me alone.”

“It’s not about the money.” Nathaniel moves to perch on the arm of the sofa near Dominic. “It’s about power. As long as they think they can intimidate you, they’ll keep coming. The Santaro pack will keep sniffing around. Simon will keep showing up in dark parking garages.”

The reminder of Simon’s obsession sends a shiver through me, and Holden’s arms tighten in response, his vanilla cake scent spiking with protectiveness.

“We need a lawyer who specializes in pack inheritance disputes.” Dominic turns toward Nathaniel. “Someone who knows how to handle families like the Sinclairs.”

Nathaniel’s expression shifts, calculation replacing anger. “My father has connections in that world. There’s a firm in Seattle that handles high-stakes, family disputes. They have experience with pack politics and old money tactics.”

Blake’s eyebrows rise. “You’d reach out to your father for help?”

“Not for help.” Nathaniel’s features harden. “For information. He’ll be able to tell us which firm to contact, and he’ll understand how this benefits him, too. If the Sinclairs are pulling strings in pack politics, it affects everyone in their social circle.”

I study his face, reading the tension there. Asking Maxwell Burton for anything costs Nathaniel, even when it’s strategic rather than personal. “You don’t have to?—”

“Yes, I do.” His eyes meet mine with absolute certainty.

“You’re pack, which makes this pack business.

And I know how these people think, how they operate.

Gregory Sinclair respects one thing only.

Superior positioning. If we come at him with the right lawyer and the right strategy, he’ll fold rather than risk public exposure of his family’s dirty laundry. ”

Blake cracks his knuckles, the sound sharp in the 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 a real pack 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 life together 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 stable home 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.

But we’re not facing them alone. Not anymore. Not as pieces to be moved, or leverage to be spent.

I look around the room, at my Alphas. This isn’t just survival. This is what it means to be chosen. Not as property. As pack .

My spine straightens. My heartbeat steadies.

Let the dragons come. The battle lines are drawn, and this time, I’m not fighting alone.