Chapter 13
Harper
Two days later…
"Dr. Graves, please sit," Richards said, gesturing to the chair across from them. The power dynamic wasn't subtle.
I remained standing. "I prefer to stand."
Richards' jaw tightened. "Very well. I'll be direct. Your... involvement with Knox Maddox has created an untenable situation."
"My medical treatment of a player?" I asked innocently.
One of the lawyers, a Beta woman with sharp eyes, leaned forward. "We have multiple witnesses who heard evidence of sexual contact between you and Mr. Maddox."
"Witnesses who heard sounds through hotel walls," I corrected. "Hardly conclusive."
"Dr. Graves," Richards said, his tone patronizing, "we're trying to help you here. This situation reflects poorly on everyone, but especially on you."
"How so?" I asked.
"An unmated Omega, alone with a volatile Alpha during a storm..." The lawyer let the implication hang.
"Are you suggesting I provoked him?" My voice was steady, but rage simmered underneath.
"We're suggesting that the situation was... complicated," Richards said carefully. "Knox has a history of violence. You were in heat. Perhaps judgment was impaired on both sides."
"My judgment was fine," I stated.
Sullivan finally spoke. "Harper, he claimed you. That's not something that happens between a doctor and patient with good judgment."
"No, it's something that happens between compatible adults," I shot back.
"Adults in a professional relationship," the female lawyer interjected. "Dr. Graves, the medical board takes these violations seriously. Your license could be under review."
There it was.
The threat.
"For what? Being claimed? That's not illegal," I said.
"For engaging in sexual contact with a patient under your care. For compromising medical objectivity. For creating a hostile work environment," she listed.
"Hostile for whom?" I demanded.
"For the other players who now have to wonder if their medical care is compromised. For the staff who have to work around this... situation," Richards said.
"You mean for the Alphas who now know I'm claimed and off-limits," I translated.
"That's not..." Richards started.
"That's exactly what this is," I cut him off, my voice rising. "I did my job. I treated Knox's injury. What happened after was between two consenting adults."
"During your heat," the male lawyer spoke for the first time. "Some might argue you couldn't truly consent."
The rage exploded. "Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare suggest I was some helpless Omega who couldn't make her own choices."
"Dr. Graves," Richards said, trying to regain control, "we're prepared to offer a generous severance package. Sign an NDA, resign quietly, and we'll ensure the medical board doesn't pursue any action."
"And if I refuse?" I asked.
"Then we'll have to report the situation formally. Every detail. Every witness account. Every violation of professional conduct," the female lawyer said smoothly. "Your career would be over."
"It already is, according to you," I pointed out.
"This way, you could practice again. Somewhere else, eventually. Otherwise..." Richards shrugged.
I looked at each of them. These people who thought they could threaten me into disappearing quietly. Who thought being an Omega meant I'd submit to their authority.
"No," I said simply.
"No?" Richards repeated.
"No. I won't resign. I won't sign anything. And if you want to go to the medical board, go ahead," I said, my voice stronger with each word. "Explain to them how you fired a doctor for being claimed. How you discriminated against an Omega for her biology. See how that plays out."
"You're making a mistake," the female lawyer warned.
"The only mistake I made was thinking this organization valued competence over politics," I said, heading for the door.
"Dr. Graves," Richards called out. "Knox's violence, his lack of control, it's only going to get worse. Do you really want to tie yourself to that?"
I turned back. "Knox's violence comes from protecting what he cares about. Maybe if this organization actually supported its players instead of treating them like assets, you'd understand that."
I left before they could respond, my hands shaking but my head high.
Knox was waiting in the hallway. Of course he was. I could feel him through the bond, his rage barely contained.
"How much did you hear?" I asked.
"Enough," he growled. "They threatened you."
"They tried," I corrected, moving past him toward my room.
He followed. "Harper, wait."
"I need a minute, Knox," I said, but my body was already responding to his proximity. The bond had grown stronger overnight, and being near him was like standing next to a live wire.
"You stood up to them," he said, something like awe in his voice.
"I'm not some weak Omega who needs protecting," I said, fumbling with my key card.
"I know," he said softly. "But you protected me in there. Protected us."
I turned to face him. "They wanted me to say you took advantage of me. That I was some victim."
"Maybe you were," he said quietly.
"Stop," I said firmly. "Stop making me a victim in your story. I chose this. I chose you."
The words hung between us, and suddenly the air felt charged. The bond pulsed, and I could feel his emotions as clearly as my own. Pride, fear, want, and something deeper.
"You chose me," he repeated, wonder in his voice.
"God help me, but yes," I admitted.
He moved closer, and this time I didn't back away. His hand cupped my face, thumb tracing my jaw.
"I can feel you," he said quietly. "Not just your emotions. Everything. Your strength when you stood up to them. Your anger at their threats. Your..."
"What?" I asked when he trailed off.
"Your certainty. About us," he finished.
I could feel it too, the bond syncing deeper. His emotions, his thoughts almost, bleeding into mine. It should have been terrifying. Instead, it felt like coming home.
"This is dangerous," I whispered.
"Everything about us is dangerous," he agreed, pressing his forehead to mine.
"They're going to come after us. My license, your career," I warned.
"Let them try," he said, and through the bond, I felt his absolute certainty. His willingness to burn everything down for me.
"Knox," I breathed.
"I know," he said. "I feel it too."
The bond pulsed between us, deeper than before. Not just physical anymore, but something more. Something that made Richards' threats seem insignificant.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
"Now?" Knox pulled me closer. "Now we show them that threatening what's mine was the worst mistake they ever made."
The dangerous promise in his voice should have scared me. Instead, through the bond, I felt my own responding fierce protectiveness.
They wanted me to be a weak Omega, a victim, a problem to be managed.
They were about to learn how wrong they were.