Page 41 of Knot the Right Omega

“Are you sure this is going to work?” He asked as I smiled at them with confidence.

“It’s our best shot. We already showed her what it would be like taking her out to the best restaurants. Now, let's show her what a night in would feel like. Everyone needs to wear decent but comfortable clothes. No suits, except for you, Kian. You probably feel more comfortable in suits than in sweats, to be honest.” That got a laugh out of everyone except Kian, who rolled his eyes. “Remember, the idea is to make her feel at home. Like she belongs. No putting on a front. She already knows how we are. Now let’s show her how it could be.” I told them the idea and mapped out how I wanted our date to be. The pack seemed to be in agreement, although they had a bit of residual nerves. No one wanted to mess this up again. The very thought of losing her would devastate all of us.

“Alright, the car will pick her up tomorrow at seven. Let’s keep it positive until then.” We had a day before we saw her again, but every single minute would pass as slow as molasses until we were near her once more.

Chapter 65

Bella

I had spent months being angry at Pack Genovese. I’d cried, raged, mourned heavily and thought I had hated them. But seeing them at the ball made everything feel fresh again. My body, mind and heart were aching to be near them. I’d never say it out loud though, especially not to them. They could wait to see me. Lord knows I waited months to even hear from them again. I agreed to one date, and I made sure to push it back a few days from the ball to give them some time to think about how they had hurt me.

So, even though I was thinking of how good they looked and smelled every second, I tried my best to distract myself. I researched how I should invest my newfound funds, organized the gifts from other packs, and worked out at my home gym. But for the life of me, I could not stop thinking about how good they looked, how sorry they seemed, and how I hadn’t felt a single stir of interest for any other pack until they arrived. My feelings hit me like a freight train the moment I saw them in the back of the ballroom. And the rest of the night felt like a dream as they danced, laughed, and drank with me. I wanted this feeling more than anything, but my memories of how they had left me last time still burned deep within my soul. How could I trust them again?

Piper had come over for tea the very next day, rehashing what happened after the ball. I was happy to have someone to talk to about it - she was the only one who knew the truth. We sat on my balcony with our hands curled around our cups. “Bella, if you could see it from an outsider’s perspective, you would know that they are absolutely obsessed with you. Your chemistry is off the charts.” I took a sip and rolled my eyes.

“If you count seething anger as chemistry, then yeah.”

“Come on, you were only angry for a bit. When you all danced, it was like no one else existed. Trust me, I could see it on the faces of all the other packs. Everyone else there knew there was no point even trying to compete as soon as they saw you all interact.” She may have been right about that - as eager as all the packs had been to court me, they seemed to pick up that I was enamored with the pack I was dancing with. A few alphas had tried to approach me when I broke away for a drink or food, but they quickly ran off when one of the Pack Genovese members would calmly look over at them.

A gentle knock at the balcony sliding glass door interrupted us, and I looked over to see my mom as she smiled and walked closer. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies.” I shook my head and patted the seat next to me. “You’re never interrupting, mom. Come have a seat.” I could finally spend time with my parents, which was a luxury for me. They had worked so hard when I was growing up that we rarely had time to relax together. Now I had all the time in the world to spend with them. And my mom was looking healthy and happy. That’s what mattered the most to me.

“Well, I must say that Pack Genovese certainly stole the show!” She raised her eyebrows at me. Piper smiled over her cup and chimed in. “Why yes, they certainly are good at stealing things.” I kicked her under the table and shot her a glare while I cleared my throat.

“They were decent. Time will tell if I approve of them or not.” My mom nodded, but seemed like she was already planning for my future with them.

“They certainly are a polite group. They thanked me and your father for raising you so well.” I looked at my mom with surprise. With all the excitement and dancing that had happened, I never realized they had spoken to my parents. It was a thoughtful gesture. Now that I think back on it, most of the packs that tried to court me didn’t say much to my parents. My parents weren’t rich or famous - I was. I took a sip of my tea and thought about the upcoming date. What were they planning? Whatever it was, they better hope and pray that I leave thinking it’s the best date ever. As much as I was craving to be near them, I wasn’t in a forgiving mood.

“So, what will you be wearing for the date?” Piper asked as she raised her eyebrows in curiosity. I cleared my throat, pretending to be disinterested. I’d been wondering what to wear ever since they asked me for another chance, and for some reason I was so nervous about it.

“I haven’t thought about it much.” I studied my nails as Piper rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on, we need to get your outfit sorted! It’s tomorrow night!” She stood and reached for me, pulling on my wrist. “Mrs. Carter, would you like to come too? Bella has a whole new wardrobe, and I think it’s time for a fashion show!” I grumbled as my mom agreed with delight. The two of them practically dragged me into my room for me to try on outfits. I was secretly relieved, though. I needed someone to help me and tell me what looked good. My mind was too distracted to come up with the outfit idea on my own.

Two hours later, we had finally decided on my outfit - a cashmere wrap dress, soft and snug, which hit just a bit above the knee and showed my shoulders off. It wasn’t casual, but not too dressy either. Just enough to look sexy without being attention grabbing. Piper and my mom helped pick out the heels and some diamond earrings to dress it up. “You look stunning!” My mom looked so proud of me as she grabbed my shoulders, looking me up and down. “And I’ sure you’ll make the right choice for you. I know I come off excited for you to be courting, but I don’t want to rush you. I’m just glad that you are finally being recognized for how amazing you are.” My eyes started getting misty. This is how I always imagined courting would be - having my parents proud of me and packs courting me with respect and good intention. Well, better late than never.

The next evening came too soon. I tossed and turned the night before, my body a bundle of nerves when I thought about our first real, registered date. Pack Genovese had joined the registry just in time to attend my ball, and now we were going to be officially courting. I fiddled with my earrings as I looked in the mirror, wondering what they had planned. Kian had texted me earlier, telling me they were sending a car to pick me up.

“Sweetie! Your ride’s here!” My dad called from downstairs. Okay, it was time for me to make them grovel. I purposefully waited ten minutes before heading down for my ride. My dad smiled and held his arm out for me. “I’ll walk you out.” I smiled and wrapped my hand around his arm as he opened the front door. My eyes widened a bit when I saw what was waiting. It wasn’t just a ride - it was an SUV stretch limo. The driver held the door open for me and I stepped inside, only to be hit with the most amazing blend of scents. When my eyes adjusted, I saw that the whole pack was inside the limo waiting for me.

“You - you're all here!” I thought they’d be waiting for me at the destination. Kian, Maddox, Jameson and Cy all looked at me, their eyes looking at me with a mixture of awe and adoration.

“Of course. We had to make sure you arrived safely. And what’s safer than a pack at your side?” Cy grinned as he held out a hand to steady me as I took my seat. My father leaned in and waved at them.

“You boys make sure to get her home safely.” Jameson looked at him with sincerity and answered.

“I promise you on my life, we will be nothing but respectful to her and get her home safely. You have my word, Mr. Carter.” He sounded so serious and I suppressed a laugh. My father waved at me one more time before heading back to the house. The driver shut the door and I settled in, finally truly alone with them. Their eyes were on me and the entire pack was strangely quiet as they waited for me to react. My eyes scanned the limo, seeing all of them looking nervous for once. I wanted to jump on them, yell at them, kiss them, and a multitude of other things that all clashed in my head. But I kept my resolve and sat straight as I looked them each in the eyes, one by one. I needed to make them earn my respect.

“Where are we headed?” My voice came out cool and nonchalant despite my nerves. Jameson moved forward on his seat and smiled broadly as he answered.

“We’re taking you to see a movie.” That surprised me.

“A movie?” I had imagined plenty of date scenarios, but not a movie. Most courtship dates at the level I was at now were over the top and expensive. I was suddenly curious about how this would all pan out.

“Yes. I think you’re going to enjoy it. Champagne?” Jameson reached to the side of the limo and pulled out a bottle from an ice cooler. Maddox produced several champagne glasses as Jameson opened the bottle, the ‘pop’ sound muffled by his huge hand as he covered the top and twisted the cork off.

“Yes, please.” I waited as they poured me a glass, then one for each of the pack. Maddox handed me the glass and then they all raised theirs together.

“Cheers to a real, official date with the most incredible omega in the world.” Cy said, and I raised my glass hesitantly to clink against theirs. I had to admit, their flattery was working despite my resistance. And it didn’t hurt that they looked delicious. Memories of our heat together had replayed in my mind every night since I’d been away from them, not that I’d ever admit it. Maintaining an aloof attitude was going to be difficult.

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