Page 69 of Down Knot Out (Pack Alphas of Misty Pines #3)

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 see Vivian’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. “And you are 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 her shoulders 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 did to 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?”

I look down at the flowers in my hands, broken but still beautiful. Still mine. “Yes.” My head lifts. “I really am.”

And for the first time in my life, I mean it.

“Do you want me to tell your Alphas that you need another five minutes?” he offers.

With a deep breath, I face forward once more. “No. My pack is waiting.”

Relief washes over his features. “Then let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”

I push aside the encounter with my mother, refusing to let her ruin this day for me.

As we descend the grand staircase, each step brings me closer to the courtyard and the life I’ve chosen rather than the one thrust upon me.

The afternoon sun slants through the lobby windows, casting prisms across the marble floor.

At the bottom of the stairs, Grady pauses. “Just a second.”

He leaves my side and filches a new bouquet from a vase on a pedestal. It’s not the planned one, but it will work in a pinch. He takes the broken one from my hands and sets it aside before handing me the new one.

His fingers squeeze mine before we continue toward the French doors leading outside.

Music drifts through the open doorway as a string quartet plays a melody that rises and falls in waves.

The scent of lavender and roses grows stronger as we step onto the stone path.

Paper lanterns sway above our heads, their light unnecessary in the golden afternoon but promising magic as evening falls.

The courtyard has transformed since I last glimpsed it from the window.

Rows of white chairs line either side of a lavender-strewn aisle.

Fairy lights twine through the pergola posts, waiting for darkness to reveal their full splendor.

At the front, beneath an arch of greenery and white blooms, my pack waits.

Nathaniel stands tall in his charcoal suit, hands clasped before him, chin lifted with quiet pride.

Blake’s broader frame fills out his navy jacket, his beard trimmed, hair pulled back in a bun to showcase the strong line of his jaw.

Dominic’s lean elegance complements his gray suit, the cut tailored to his frame.

And Holden stands perfectly still, his hazel eyes finding mine across the distance.

The sight of them steals my breath. My Alphas.

As the music shifts, the guests turn in their seats.

Emily smiles in approval from the front row.

Nathaniel’s father sits rigidly beside her, his expression unreadable but his presence a concession that matters more than he’ll ever admit.

On the other side, Holden’s family beams, his mother already dabbing away tears with a handkerchief.

Quinn bounces on her toes at the edge of the aisle, her pink dress fluttering with each movement.

She clutches a tiny bouquet of wildflowers she insisted on arranging herself, the stems wrapped in ribbons that match my dress.

Beside her, Sadie places a steadying hand on her shoulder, whispering something, and the little girl giggles.

The first notes of the processional begin, and Quinn steps forward, scattering petals with more enthusiasm than precision.

Sadie follows, her small bouquet held before her.

When they reach the front, Quinn breaks protocol to run to Blake, who lifts her for a quick hug before setting her down beside him.

Then it’s our turn.

Grady’s arm tenses beneath my fingers. “Ready?”

I squeeze his elbow, and we step onto the lavender-lined path.

As I walk toward my bondmates, Nathaniel’s eyes shine with unshed tears, his composure cracking to reveal the depth of emotion he usually keeps contained.

Blake’s chest rises and falls with controlled breaths, his eyes never leaving mine.

Dominic’s fingers twist the ring he’ll soon place on my hand, the metal catching the light with each nervous rotation.

And Holden rocks forward on his toes, as if restraining himself from rushing to meet me halfway.

By the time we reach the end of the aisle, my cheeks ache from grinning.

Grady places my hand in Dominic’s, the symbolic transfer of protection from friend to mate. Then he steps back, taking his place beside Sadie in the front row.

The officiant, a gray-haired Beta with a kind face, opens her book. “We gather today to witness and celebrate the formal bonding of this pack…”

Her words wash over me as I stand surrounded by my Alphas, their scents mingling in the air around me, Blake’s applewood and cider, Dominic’s citrus and musk, Nathaniel’s leather and clove, and Holden’s vanilla cake.

The combination fills my lungs with each breath, my lilac and lilies curling through them all.

When the time comes for vows, Dominic speaks first, his voice steady despite the emotion that pulses through our bond.

“Chloe,” he says, fingers tightening around mine. “I vow to stand with you through whatever comes. To build our home on trust rather than obligation. To remember always that what binds us is stronger than what once separated us.”

Blake steps forward next, his hands engulfing mine. “I promise to catch you when you stumble, to carry you when you cannot walk, to fight for you when others try to harm you. My strength is yours, now and always.”

Nathaniel’s turn brings a hush over the gathering. “I pledge to provide a safe and stable home for our pack. To listen when words are difficult, to understand when silence speaks louder. To build a legacy worthy of the family we’ve chosen.”

Holden takes my hands last, his touch gentle. “I promise to love all of you, exactly as you are. To cherish your light and your shadows equally. To fill our home with laughter even on the darkest days. To make Rice Krispies Treats when disaster falls.”

A giggle escapes me at the reminder of our first meeting, and I sniff back the sting of tears.

When they finish, four pairs of eyes turn to me. The officiant signals that it’s my turn to speak the vows I’ve carried in my heart for months.

“I once believed love was a fairy tale,” I begin, my throat tight. “A story I wrote for my characters but never expected to experience myself. With you, I learned that love is real. It’s messy and difficult. It needs to be fought for. And every second makes life wonderful.”

I turn to each of them in turn as I continue. “I promise to trust when fear tells me to run. To speak truth when lies would be easier. To build our pack with intention rather than circumstance. To choose you, every day, as you have chosen me.”

The exchange of rings follows, simple bands that symbolize our connection.

When the final ring slides onto my finger, a warmth spreads through my chest, radiating outward along the pack bonds that connect us.

The sensation grows until it fills every corner of my being, sealing what was begun with the Marks on my neck months ago.

The officiant smiles. “By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce the Wright pack of Misty Pines formally and legally bonded.”

My Alphas move as one, surrounding me in an embrace that blocks out the rest of the world. In this moment, wrapped in their arms, surrounded by their pheromones, and filled with their love, I know a truth deeper than any I’ve ever written.

This is where I’ve always been meant to belong.