"I want to see the person who altered my mate bond rejection papers. If they don’t appear within ten minutes, I'll harm a person for every minute that ticks by."
"Four minutes have passed."
I watched the clock on the wall, the knife's edge tracing a delicate line on the clerk's neck, a bead of blood forming on the blade.
"Ah!!!"
Her breathing became ragged, and she let out an involuntary scream.
The cries in the pack hall suddenly hushed, and I heard the sound of dress shoes approaching from behind.
"Adeline Wheeler, put down the knife, and let's have a conversation."
I didn’t need to turn to know it was Beta Owen Lane—the deputy of the Red Moon Pack and one of Alpha Leonel Wheeler’s old allies.
The last eight times I applied for a mate bond rejection, he'd rejected me with excuses like "incomplete paperwork" or "invalid conditions."
"So, Beta Lane finally shows up, does he?"
I sneered, "Every rejection I submit turns into a reconciliation agreement by the time it passes through your hands. Quite the magic trick, isn’t it?"
Owen adjusted his tie, maintaining a professional smile: "It’s just procedural. Mate bonds are sacred, and we need a cooling-off period for both parties..."
"Cooling-off period?"
I cut him off, pulling my collar to reveal a burn scar on my collarbone, "This is from last week when he burned me with a cigarette! And this so-called cooling-off period has already dragged on for six months! How much longer until you're satisfied?"
Gamma Robin Harrison’s voice boomed from the loudspeaker: "Adeline, don’t do anything reckless! Alpha Leonel is downstairs. He says he’s ready to sign the mate bond rejection papers!"
My hands started to shake.
Leonel willing to reject me?
That’s about as likely as pigs flying.
Last time, he made all sorts of promises in front of a mediator and then tied me to the radiator that night, beating me until dawn.
"He’s lying!" I yelled.
"He’ll never let me go! He wants to drag me down until there's nothing left of me!"
At that moment, the clerk crouched by my feet whispered, "Maybe the security room... has what you're looking for."
I froze, looking down at her.
The woman who always dismissed me with "it can’t be done" was now showing a flicker of shared understanding in her eyes.
Owen seemed to catch on and barked sharply: "Remi, what are you saying?"
Remi visibly tensed.
She was under control too.
Owen tightened his grip on the briefcase at his side:
"Adeline, don't overreact. Remi might be mistaken. Alpha Leonel did sign the rejection papers himself, and they're certified at the pack registry."
He approached me, "Here, this is the original document."
I looked at the tidy signature of "Leonel Wheeler" and couldn’t help but laugh.
"Do you think I'm blind? Leonel’s handwriting looks worse than chicken scratch; this signature is as neat as if it were printed."
His smile wavered for a moment before he regained his composure.
But I was done watching him play his part.
"Gamma Harrison!" I yelled toward the door.
"I need to speak with someone from the Omega Advocacy Group! Immediately!"
After some commotion, a middle-aged woman in a beige suit appeared at the entrance.
I recognized her; three months ago, I asked for her help, but she told me "it’s difficult to judge mate bond disputes."
Janiyah Dean looked at me, immediately showing disdain.
