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“Any abuse on the daughter?”

“Grandmother throws things and yes, has hit the child,” I confirmed, holding up the phone. “Threats to kill them both that I will send you.”

“Good. Okay, I will walk her through the process and get started on it all,” Alexis said as she reached for the door.

“Wait, she’s being treated and on pain medicine,” Gerald cut in. “Anything she signs will be called into question and would—”

“Yeah, I know, and this isn’t my first rodeo, kitty,” Alexis drawled. “You’re the new kid here. Listen and learn.”

He blinked after her as she didn’t even wait for a response and went inside. “Right, okay, right then.”

And then he followed after her.

The security guard and I shared an amused look but then I had to put on my game face and jump into battle.

And a battle it was.

The husband was there now and his mother was playing the ultimate victim. Female vampires were some of the best actors there were, and it wasn’t a compliment since we’d all learned from an early age.

It was a needed skill for survival.

But we were all taught to be manipulative and to act well, so we—our society was truly fucked up.

“Enough!” I snapped, focusing on the man. “Your mate will be filing for a dissolution of your—”

“My wife,” he corrected. “She’s not my mate. She’s just my wife that I was—it was a strategic marriage.”

His mother slowly looked at him in horror and he cleared his throat knowing he’d slipped up but kept focused on me.

But I wasn’t going to let it go. I let out an evil chuckle and waited until she met my gaze.

“And you thought you raised him so well—not like those other monsters or your husband who abused you, right? Your sons weren’t going to be like others, but he is .

He will find his mate just like the rest of them while—”

“Shut up!” she screeched. “You know nothing and—”

“I know this world and game too and I’m older than you,” I snapped. “I ran from becoming you, so I have every right to stand here on my soap box and lecture.” I moved closer to her, stopping only when someone cleared their throat to remind me to keep my head.

These situations were the only times that I ever cracked, ever broke my professionalism, and those who had been at the hospital for a long time knew it.

It also made it a bit odd that Tommy really hadn’t known anything about my family background. Then again, it was our security normally involved, and they were under my department… And kept their mouths shut.

“ You are the whore to these vile men,” I hissed at her.

“You are the one that was bought and their mates are the ones they love. You think you’re the matriarch and the respected one, but we all know the truth.

You were bought like the broodmare you are and—” I caught her hand when she went to slap me and backhanded her instead.

And my hit had her landing hard on the floor.

“I will sue you and this hospital for all you have,” the man threatened. “I want my wife and daughter right now and we’re leaving to—”

I snorted, meeting his gaze. “Go ahead and try.” I pointed to all of the cameras around us.

Then I pulled out his wife’s phone and played the recording she told me about first. It was his mother hysterically screaming that it was his wife’s fault for falling down the stairs and she’d kill them both if she called for help.

The bile that came out of her mouth and was recorded made people go pale around us.

The man just got annoyed.

“Shut it off,” he finally snapped.

“Sure, I have something better,” I purred and played her a recording of one of their conversations where she tried to tell him that his mother was abusing her and their daughter.

“That was illegally recorded in my home and—” he started to interject and tried to reach for the phone.

Two security guards stopped him and gave him looks not to be stupid.

“ Your home, huh?” I chuckled. “I’m very sure it’s the law that she can record anyone in her home that she wants especially when she feels unsafe and is collecting evidence to leave you.

” I nodded when he froze. “She was getting ready to leave you. She needed evidence that you were complicit so it didn’t go to court and you could play the clueless victim. ”

“I had no idea Mother was abusing her,” he snapped.

I smirked at his mother. “Look how fast your beloved son turned on you when it’s to save his own ass.” I focused back on the son. “Don’t worry, you’re in just as much trouble.”

He snorted at me. “I never touched her. You don’t know what you’re talking about, and if she’s saying otherwise—she can leave, but my daughter will stay with me and—”

“So you can sell her?” I roared, and someone from security had to stop me from moving closer to him. “No, this ends. The disgusting cycle of this family is broken and you’re going to prison , you monster. You will never—”

“For what? ” he bellowed, security having to hold him back as well.

I wiggled the phone at him. “You knew she was sold.” I smirked when he stopped fighting.

“She wasn’t allowed to leave her house after she told her parents she wouldn’t marry you.

That’s false imprisonment and more. And you knew that .

She has you recorded saying you not only knew but that her parents would kill her if she didn’t mate you.

“You were an accessory to all of it. You didn’t report it like other honorable men have who freed their forced mates .

And there is no statute of limitations on this.

On any continent.” I beamed at him. “And how long has this been a law for? How many years?” I smiled even wider when he ground his jaw.

“Over fifty years, right? That’s your mating—sorry, marriage. ”

I waved at the police who had arrived, signaling that we were the ones who wanted them. I explained the situation, but apparently the younger rookie with them wasn’t well-versed in vampire everything.

“Wait, isn’t she a victim as well since they didn’t report she was sold as well?” he asked, glancing from me to the mother-in-law with worry in his eyes. He winced when the other officers gave him a look to shut up.

“He’s a warlock,” I reminded everyone there, deciding to explain it to the pup.

“She was. She was a victim up until the moment she became part of the cycle and abused her daughter-in-law. She had the ability to report her own sale and then the buying of her daughter-in-law, but she didn’t.

Instead, she abused the woman and her granddaughter. She’s not the victim.”

He nodded but then shot the woman a long look, swallowing loudly. “Villains really are made, not born.”

I nodded. “I mean, some evil is born or just born wrong but yes, monsters are made. But that was her choice and weakness. Lots get out and save others.” I met the woman’s irate gaze.

“I’ve met many who helped their daughters-in-law escape.

” I nodded when she couldn’t hide her shock.

“And those daughters-in-law went back for them when they could.”

My last parting words to the husband were to wish him luck on his time in prison and being trapped just like he’d let his wife be. That even criminals didn’t like vampires who bought women, so he would have fun there.

He finally looked more than mad or annoyed.

Good.

I knew the patriarch of the family would stick his head out and make trouble, but I really wouldn’t have guessed he’d do it in such a stupid way.

“Let’s have a chat, Ms. Reed,” a man said from the vehicle that pulled up next to me as I was walking across the hospital’s campus to the parking garage.

I snorted and didn’t even look over. “Go fuck yourself. There, good chat.”

The vehicle swerved in front of me to block my path and I looked at the man then, seeing the same rage-filled eyes I had earlier on the husband.

“Your father really needs to get you in line, girl,” he bit out.

I threw back my head and laughed. “I’m older than you, boy , and my father is a useless piece of shit who is as deluded as you are.

” I smirked at him. “But bully on you for doing your homework and learning I’m from that family.

At least you’re not a lazy adversary. Even the former board of directors didn’t do their due diligence. ”

He didn’t hide his surprise well and shook his head. “Laziness really comes at all levels.”

“Oh, I didn’t think there would be anything I agreed with you on, but I do that.” I still made it clear that I looked down on him. “Well, good chat. I’m too busy for this, and I believe you’re wanted by the police, yes?”

He adjusted his neck and opened the door, getting out of the vehicle. “We’re about to handle that, so get in the car and let’s have a pleasant chat before this gets ugly, Ms. Reed.”

The window of the passenger’s seat rolled down and I saw the gun before I heard it click.

I smirked at that guy. “Yeah, go ahead. Not only would I be fine, but cameras are all over here and security is absolutely on their way since they always watch my walk to the garage. So your threat is stupid and—”

“You are on my last nerve,” the patriarch snarled as he moved towards me.

I was ready to block him when he reached for me but gasped when he suddenly wasn’t there.

And instead, was on the ground being mauled by an extremely large wolf.

Oh shit.

The guy in the front seat opened the door to get out and help his boss, but I kicked the door hard. It bounced him into the car and he dropped the gun.

“It’s Dr. Clark!” someone yelled from my left.

I saw security coming out of the corner of my eye as the driver got out. He was armed too, but he saw that more help was arriving and flipped the gun in his hand so it wasn’t a threat.

“The wolf is Dr. Clark,” one of the guards I knew well said as he joined us.

Oh, right, the wolf.

“Makes sense,” I muttered, giving a half shrug when the wolf turned to me and huffed. “Hey, it’s not like I’ve seen your wolf, and I was kind of focused on all of this.” I gestured to the vehicle and people.

I took it as a good sign when the wolf just plopped down next to me.

“He’s alive,” a different guard said as he went to the now-mauled vampire. He glanced up at me. “We have to like help him, right?”

“Yes, we’re a hospital,” I drawled. I rubbed my hand over my face before looking down at the wolf. “You are really an enigma and just made a huge fucking headache for yourself.”

“We were alerting people we were leaving our posts because you had a problem and Dr. Clark blew by us,” the first guard explained. “I’ve never seen someone run that fast and then his stuff was on the ground and…” He gestured to the wolf.

Yeah, he shifted. Even I was caught up on that.

“Alright, let’s go handle the next headache for me instead of the salad in my fridge from that new place I’d been planning for my exciting night,” I drawled as I headed for the police who were pulling up.

Always, always something to deal with.