23. Gray #2
I think of Mara, of the fierce, independent spirit I've seen flashes of. And then I picture her as a teenager, trapped in that gilded cage, being paraded around like a prize filly. The thought makes me want to punch something.
"This is insane. What kind of antiquated nonsense is this?"
"It's the world we live in," Daniel says grimly.
"And it gets more complicated. All bonded packs have to register with the National Registry of Bonds.
It's a government database that handles inheritance, custody, and legal recognition.
Once you're in that system, you're in. Unbonded Omegas are legally protected from forced contracts on paper, but powerful packs like Jonathan's find loopholes.
The Academy's placement fees are one of them. "
He goes on, painting a picture of a world I've always known existed but never truly understood.
A world where bonded Omegas have almost no power, where dissolving a bond is a legal nightmare skewed in favor of the Alphas, where abuse laws are on the books but rarely enforced.
He talks about elite packs controlling everything, about Omegas being treated like valuable resources, and Betas being the neutral, often ignored, mediators.
"Jonathan's pack… they paid for Mara," Daniel says, his voice dropping even lower. "They paid to court her and then paid extra to make sure she didn't receive any offers from any other pack. They booked her, essentially."
"Booked her?" I repeat, the word foreign and ugly in my mouth. "Like a hotel room?"
"Exactly. And there's a bond contract. But here's the thing, Gray. Here's the only reason she's not already legally chained to them." He leans forward, his elbows on his knees, his voice intense. "The contract hasn't been filed yet."
I risk a glance away from the road, my heart pounding. "Why not? What's stopping them?"
"A clause. An archaic, ridiculous clause that's probably the only thing that saved her.
For a bond contract to be finalized and filed with the Registry, a member of the Omega's family has to sign as a witness.
A parent, a sibling, a legal guardian. It's a vestige of old pack law, a way to ensure the family approves of the match. "
The pieces click into place with a sickening finality. "Mara's an orphan."
"Exactly," Daniel says. "Her parents died.
My parents took her in, but they never formally adopted her.
We're her family in every way that matters, but not on paper.
So Jonathan's pack has been waiting. They've been trying to find a way around it, maybe pressuring Mara to sign something else, to get a legal guardian appointed.
They've been in a holding pattern, and that's the only reason she was able to run. "
A wave of relief so powerful it makes me dizzy washes over me, followed quickly by a surge of anger. "So she's not… she's not legally theirs?"
"No. She's technically engaged to them. The contract is drawn up, the fee is paid, but it's not legally binding. Not yet."
"Then we get her out of it," I say, my voice firm. "We tell them to fuck off. What can they do?"
"It's not that simple," Daniel says, running a hand through his hair.
"They have a lot of power, a lot of money.
They could make her life a living hell, drag her through court, try to ruin her reputation.
But… I think I have a way. I'm becoming increasingly convinced they were abusing her, Gray.
Her running, her fear… it all points to it.
If she can file a formal complaint, if we can get even a shred of evidence of emotional or physical abuse, she can file to have the contract dissolved on grounds of misconduct.
The Academy would have to refund the placement fee, which they won't be happy about, but it's better than the scandal of an abusive pack being associated with them. "
I process this, my mind racing. It's a gamble, a dangerous one. But it's a chance. A real, tangible chance. "How do we prove it? She won't talk about it. She shuts down every time someone gets close."
"I don't know yet," Daniel admits, his voice heavy with the weight of it. "But we have to try. We can't let her go back to that. We can't let them win."
We're pulling into Sweet Creek Falls now, the town's quiet streets a welcome sight after the sterile cold of the hospital.
The lights of the lodge glow in the darkness, a beacon of warmth and safety.
I park the truck, cutting the engine. The silence that follows is heavy, filled with everything we've just discussed, with the long, difficult road ahead.
"She's safe for now," I say, more to myself than to him. "She's here with us."
"Yeah," Daniel agrees, his gaze fixed on the windows. "For now." And in that simple phrase, I hear the same vow I feel in my own heart. We will protect her. No matter what it takes.
"I think we need to at least tell Leo what's going on," I say.
The walk from the truck to the lodge door is a journey through a frozen world. The snow crunches under our boots, each step a loud crack.
I can feel the storm brewing inside Daniel, a tempest of frustration and fury that's about to break.
We say hello to Mrs. Lacey and then head up to Leo's room. He opens the door in nothing but a pair of boxers.
"Where are your clothes?" I ask.
Leo has a relaxed set to his shoulders, a softness around his eyes that wasn't there the last time I saw him. He looks… content. And that one small detail is like a lit match thrown into a powder keg.