Page 81 of Knot Her Beta

My brows shoot up in surprise. “What? She was serious about that?”

Dominic waves a hand. “Don’t be so surprised. You’re the most important person in the world to her outside of her bondmates. You can share the honor with Emily as the godmother, if Blake gets his way.”

A warmth fills me that has nothing to do with the afternoon sun slanting through the windows. “I’m honored, and I accept.”

“Good.” He lets the word sit between us for a beat. “Have you given any more thought to joining the pack?”

There it is. The question I’ve been dodging since Chloe first mentioned it.

“I’ve thought about it.” I roll my cane between my palms. “But I don’t understand what it means for me, or for all of you.”

Dominic doesn’t appear surprised. “It means family. You’d fall under our insurance, which offers excellent coverage, by the way. Nathaniel made sure of that. You’d have a home on the island. Unlimited meals from Holden, which is worth it all on its own. Legal protection if you ever needed it. The Wright name on permits, contracts, anything that requires a signature from a pack that’s established and solvent.”

He ticks each point off on his fingers. “At the most basic level, we’d be adopting you into our family.”

I absorb this, turning the cane in my hands. “And what do the Wrights get out of the arrangement?”

Dominic arches one dark eyebrow. “Besides ensuring Chloe’s happiness?”

“Yes, besides that.” I tap my finger on the handle of my cane. “What’s the ROI on adopting a Beta with a busted knee and nothing else to bring to the table?”

“Your skills,” Dominic says without hesitation. “Your eye for contract negotiation. Your ability to see the gap in a market that everyone else is overlooking. We’re investing in your future, because we believe in what you can build.”

I blink. “That sounds a lot like a business merger.”

He chuckles. “It is like a business merger. Welcome to pack dynamics, Grady. We’re a business with a family attached.”

The honesty is refreshing, even as it confirms my worst fear, that my value, here as everywhere, is tied to what I can do for other people. Not who I am. What I produce.

I check on Chloe’s location. She’s emerged from between the bookshelves with a small wooden bookend clutched to her chest, arguing with the clerk about something I can’t hear. Far enough away.

I lower my voice. “If the Wrights are hoping to gain access to the Finch family through me, you’re wasting your time.” The words come out with a bitter edge. “When I left Connecticut, my dad kicked me out of the family.”

Dominic goes very still. “I see.”

“So you knew about my connection.”

Dominic doesn’t pretend otherwise. “Of course, I looked into your background before we extended the invitation.”

The admission should sting, but it doesn’t. At least someone here is being straight with me.

“I would’ve done the same,” I admit.

“I know.” He shifts, one hand coming to rest on the display table beside mine. “That’s part of why we want you. You understand due diligence.”

A rusty laugh escapes me. “Due diligence. Is that what we’re calling stalking someone’s family tree now?”

“Background check,” he corrects, and the corner of his mouth lifts. “Stalking implies I didn’t use legal channels.”

“Of course you did.” I rub my thumb along the edge of my cane. “Finch Holdings isn’t private about its board members.”

“No.” His jaw sets. “But the trust fund is.”

I flinch. “Well, you can kiss that goodbye.”

“Did the visit home really go that badly?” he asks with genuine concern.

I focus on the harbor, where a fishing boat is coming in, its nets draped over the stern. “I turned down an arranged marriage worth several fortunes, which lost my place in the family and the trust fund I’d always considered my backup plan if life ever went to shit.”