Bound By Legend

CHAPTER ELEVEN: MERCY HAS LIMITS

REVERIE

The door burst open and I jumped.

Uma walked in with a handful of documents.

“Goddess. I liked it better when you were sneaking up on me.”

“Can't win for losing. You’re too quiet, you’re too loud. Make up your mind, woman!”

Uma’s long black hair bounced with her exaggerated movements as she adopted a weird accent. I laughed.

“Was the pirate accent necessary?”

“Of course Matey.”

I laughed. “It’s hard to imagine my life before you.”

She perched on the edge of my desk like a cat as she inspected her bedazzled black nails, a predatory glint in her eyes. “That’s because there was no life before me.”

I smirked in reply. “You aren’t wrong.”

She slammed some paperwork in front of me.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“The paperwork you asked for.”

“I didn’t ask for anything–” My gaze skimmed the documents, Termination of Parental Rights.

“Did your super-secret-lawyers draw this up?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, also, you haven’t asked for this yet. Figured Kieran Solvane is such an unpredictable nightmare, we might want to cover our bases.”

“True. I already have some of these completed though, are those not good enough?”

“The fresher, the better. I’d rather we double-check and get it filed now before you leave instead of trying to do it retroactively to correct a mess.”

I mulled over her words for a moment. “That makes sense.”

Stared at the stack of documents on the corner of my desk that needed his signature anyway, then sighed while I climbed to my feet. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. Now go. I'll be waiting.” She yawned and stretched before she leaned back onto my desk. I looked down as she laid back and kicked her legs. “I do have a sofa, over there.”

“Don't forget these!” She said in another yawn as she passed me the stack from the corner. Out of habit, I looked through everything, double-checked the numbers, and placed the sign here sticker arrows in all the pertinent areas. The actions felt so normal, nostalgic even, so routine. It almost felt like I was lost in a dream, it was odd to think that this was one of the last times I would be in this office, doing this work.

“Getting cold feet?” Uma teased from her spot on my desk–without even opening her eyes.

I laughed. “Hardly. Why did you put a dissolution of marriage in here too? I already have the automatic termination clause in the original marriage contract?”

“Like I said, I’d rather we cover all our bases.”

I nodded as I placed the last sign here sticker arrow.

“You make his life so easy, and he has no idea. Can’t wait to watch it all fall apart when you leave.”

My mouth twitched in a smile. “Let’s bring popcorn while we watch his world burn, yeah?”

Uma laughed and looked at me with a twinkle in her green eyes. “I’d love to, but you might find it difficult to eat popcorn while you are holding the matches.”

“I’ll manage.” We chuckled before I opened the heavy soundproof door and wandered down to the Alpha office suite. I shuffled the paperwork and knocked on the office door before I pushed it open.

Delilah’s scent mixed with his bombarded me as soon as I entered. She had a stack of books in her hand as she recategorized the bookshelves of Kieran’s office. Kieran sat hunched over his desk.

“Oh! Hello, you…” Delilah said brightly as she watched me enter.

I stared at her for a moment. “Hi. What are you doing?”

“Re-cataloguing the books.”

“Why?”

“They were a mess. They needed to be reorganized by color so we don’t look like a disheveled mess. Honestly, Reverie, to let your husband’s office go in such a state, I am terrified to know what the rest of your house and pack management skills might be…”

I chuckled. “Did you even consider why they were all different colors? Or that they were cataloged the way they were for a reason. Did you even look before you moved them?”

“She’s fine. What do you want?” Kieran said flatly without even giving me a glance.

Delilah’s head snapped at him.

“I have documents for you to sign,” I mentioned and held them up.

“Me too actually!” she exclaimed. She pulled a stack off of the coffee table, as she sashayed by me. She snatched the stack of papers from my hands and placed both stacks next to each other in front of him.

My stomach dropped as she flipped through the documents.

Don’t read it, don’t read it. Goddess help me.

Without either of them reading, Delilah pointed out the sign here arrows.

“Look how easy she made this for you,” Delilah commented. Kieran stopped for a moment and his gaze cut over to me. My heart lurched as I stepped forward and folded my hands in front of me. I suppressed my emotions through our bond so he wouldn’t be suspicious.

“Seems you found the error of your ways,” Kieran noted.

“Sure, if that helps you sleep at night. Are you done signing? The pack needs the budget approved for the new playground at the school as soon as possible so they can break ground,” I replied.

He raised a brow. He knew that had been a project we’d been working towards–a project he had been no help on. “Finally got it all sorted?”

I offered a tight smile, the longer we sat here awkwardly, the more exposed I felt. Luckily, I hadn’t lied. “Yes. Thank you for your assistance. Just need your signature, since, you know, I don't have signature authority.” Kamari snorted inside of me at my obvious barb of never being given a Luna Seal. Kieran’s gaze narrowed and I shrugged.

“It takes literally two seconds to sign,” I mentioned.

Delilah massaged his shoulders. “Let’s sign these and then go have fun.” She looked at me. “I’d like a change of scenery.”

Kieran smiled at her. “Fine.” She squealed excitedly.

He scrawled his signature along all lines on all pages without even looking.

One.

By.

One.

He rose to his feet, combined the stacks and walked over to me. He stared down at me, a strange flicker in his eye. As if he knew something was off, but it quickly disappeared when Delilah grabbed his free arm. He remained in eye contact as he passed the documents to me. “You can handle these, right?”

“Of course, Alpha.” My reply was quick, obedient and even included a slight bow of my head after I hugged everything to my chest. Kieran stared into my face. “This behavior is much more becoming of you, Wife.”

The irony was too great. In seven years, he'd barely acknowledged me as a wife outside his bed. Now, the closer to the end of our ninety days left, the closer he tried to pull me. Delilah glared at me over his shoulder.

“Just doing my job Alpha. The Pups deserve a safe place to play. Our people deserve supplies and resources. Jobs and support. I refuse to let our pack suffer as collateral damage for our issues,” I replied and turned on my heel calmly, professionally and with dignity. I hated the thought of leaving the pack in their care soon, but I had to choose my daughter–and more importantly, myself.

The best way to help Solvane Frost, was to take my proper place in this world. The only person that deserved to suffer in this brewing storm–was Kieran Solvane–and every single person who forced me to suffer in silence. Before. During. After.

Even the merciful have limits. They were about to discover how far they’d pushed mine.