Chapter 185: Permission

Lorali

I marched up the grand spiral staircase to the top floor, heading straight for Torin’s private office.

I didn’t bother knocking. I reached out, turned the heavy brass handle, and threw the double doors wide open with a loud BANG.

Torin was sitting behind his massive desk, a fountain pen in hand, surrounded by stacks of financial ledgers. He didn’t even jump. He just slowly lifted his head, looking at me over the rim of his glasses.

"Wow," Torin purred, his voice dripping with dry, insufferable sarcasm. "Manners are top-tier, utterly unrivaled. Good evening to you too, my sweet sugar plum."

I shuddered in pure disgust, my lip curling up. "Seriously, do not call me that. I want to go to Tinam."

Torin paused, his fountain pen hovering half an inch above the paper. "Tinam? Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I’m not!" I snapped, marching right across the thick rug and stopping directly in front of his desk, crossing my arms over my chest. "I want to go to Tinam on a vacation. To celebrate my national championship win and relax!"

Torin set his pen down, leaning back in his leather swivel chair and taking off his glasses. He looked at me with a heavy, patronizing sigh.

"Look, Lorali... as much as I would love to allow you to go on this vacation—in fact, the whole pack desperately needs a vacation right now—I simply can’t," Torin said smoothly. "I have a massive, critically important corporate project I have to oversee this month. Seriously, our pack’s lives depend on this deal. Well... maybe your life. I don’t think your friend will allow for you to get killed but anyway I’m rambling. The point is, I just don’t have the time to take you to Tinam right now."

I glared at him, a cold smirk touching my lips. "Oh, you don’t need to come. It’s just going to be me and Oracle."

I stepped around the edge of his desk, grabbed a blank state clearance form from his paper tray, and slapped it down right in front of his face, thrusting a pen into his hand.

"Just write right here that you approve the international travel," I commanded. "Then you can go back to whatever boring corporate project you’re obsessing over."

Torin stared at the paper, then looked up at me, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. "Yeah, no. I’m not doing that."

My temper flared instantly. "Oh, come on! What is your problem now?!"

"I can’t just let you go to Tinam alone with Oracle, Lorali!" Torin stated, his tone turning strict and controlling. "I mean, Oracle is... look, he may be the most trustworthy in this house, but in a completely different country? He is useless. What if you get lost in the mountains? What if you try to run away again? I can’t take that gamble with you."

Goddess above, a violent fantasy flashed behind my eyes. I want to shove this thick state clearance form down your throat and choke you with it, you little arrogant, controlling prick!

I took a deep, forced breath, closing my eyes for two seconds to lock the rage back in its cage. Think, Lorali. What does this idiot actually want? What is the one thing he’s been obsessing over for months?

I opened my eyes, smoothing down my sweater, putting on my most reasonable, calm expression.

"Okay," I said softly, stepping closer to his chair. "How about this? If you let me go to Tinam... we will all have some space from each other, you know? Things will be peaceful here, you can focus on your deal, and when I come back, things will be good between us."

Torin didn’t budge. He just looked at me with an unreadable, deadpan expression. "No. That’s not changing my mind."

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening as a sudden wave of deep dread washed over me. I was going to have to pull out the nuclear option. I hated even letting the words form in my throat, but I was desperate.

"Okay, fine," I muttered, my voice dropping into a tight, quiet murmur. "How about this...?"

Torin raised an eyebrow, waiting.

I mentally gagged, hating every single syllable I was about to utter. "If you sign that form and let me go to Tinam... I will marry you without a single hitch."

Torin froze. His entire body went rigid. He slowly leaned forward in his chair, his dark eyes wide, locked onto my face as if searching for a lie.

"Are you serious?" Torin asked softly, his voice laced with genuine disbelief. "No complaints? No throwing shoes at me or the therapist every time I bring up the wedding date? No public scenes?"

I swallowed down my disgust, nodding firmly. "Yep. None of that. If you just sign this form right now and do everything required for me to go to Tinam... then I will marry you on February fourteenth. And I won’t embarrass you on a public scale."

As much as I would rather leap off a cliff than actually marry this man, I have no choice but to say this so I can get to Tinam and find my real parents! And besides... I am ninety-nine percent sure I won’t stay true to my word anyway! Let me just feed his delusional Alpha ego right now so he signs the paper. I am so damn smart.

Torin stared at me for three long, suffocating seconds. A slow, victorious smirk began to spread across his face.

"Yeah... okay," Torin said, reaching out and picking up his fountain pen. "I will let you go to Tinam. But... you must be with Oracle at all times. And you will call me every single hour on the hour to check in."

He leaned in, his dark eyes narrowing with a sharp, lethal warning. "And you must stay true to your part of the deal, Lorali. Because if you double-cross me on this wedding... I promise you, I will make sure you never step foot on a figure skating rink ever again."

Shoot, my mind winced, a cold prickle hitting the back of my neck.

I kept my face entirely impassive, offering a quick nod. "Okay, fine."

"All right," Torin smiled, pulling the clearance document toward him and signing his name in smooth, elegant cursive across the official seal. "I’ll officially submit the other paperwork with the Omega Council board tonight. You can go."

My heart did a happy, triumphant flip. "Really?! Oh, thanks!"

I snatched the signed document off his desk and turned on my heel, ready to sprint out of his office before he changed his mind.

"You do realize you’re going to need this, right?" Torin called out smoothly from behind me.

I paused, turning my head. He was leaning down, reaching into the bottom locked drawer of his cabinet, and pulling out a glossy, gold-embossed leather booklet.

"Oh... what’s that?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"It’s a international Omega diplomatic travel permit," Torin explained, tossing the leather booklet across the desk. "You need it if you’re going to board a international flight without getting flagged at customs. I usually keep one on me at all times for Walter since his always traveling for shoots. Take it."

I picked up the leather booklet, slipping it into my coat pocket. "Oh... well, thank you."

Torin leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach, looking at me with mild curiosity. "So... when are you actually leaving?"

"Tomorrow," I chirped brightly, turning back toward the door.

Torin blinked, surprised. "So soon?"

"I just can’t wait to have the warm Tinam sun on my face and be walking along the beach!" I pretend to gush, practically bouncing on my fluffy slippers.

Torin raised an eyebrow, looking at me like I was an idiot. "Lorali... Tinam is a completely landlocked, mountainous territory. It doesn’t have any beaches."

I paused at the doorway, waving a dismissive hand over my shoulder as I pulled the door open. "Mountains, beaches... same thing!"

I ducked out of his office, slamming the door shut behind me, a victorious laugh bubbling up in my chest as I sprinted down the hallway to pack my bags.