Page 7 of Knotty Pumpkin

“Would have preferred an invite.” It would have been nice to spend the morning rolling around in bed together, but we have bigger things to be concerned with. Noah can make it up to me later. A shiver of pleasure runs down myspine at the thought. “I heard Pumpkin moving around. I suspect she’ll be up any min—”

The shrill screech of the fire alarm interrupts me, my blood running ice cold as I realise I forgot the fucking waffles.

“Fuck,” I shout as I turn and sprint from the room. I can hear Noah behind me, cursing up a storm. How the fuck did I forget I put the waffles on? Too fucking distracted by the idea of properly meeting the pumpkin spice scented omega in the spare room and hot AF alpha beating himself off in the bathroom.

If there isn’t a chance our house is on fire, it might even be funny.

“Check on Pumpkin,” I shout over my shoulder to Noah as I slide into the kitchen. There’s enough smoke in the room to set the alarm off, but nothing is on fire. I quickly pull the plug from the socket before searching for an oven mitt. Clumsily, I unclasp the waffle iron and flip out the almost charcoal waffles.

“Corey,” Noah shouts from the down the hall, his growl all alpha. “You better have that shit under control because we’ve got another problem.”

Fuck, is Pumpkin okay?

Tossing the waffles in the sink, I turn the water on, hoping to douse the smoke. I leave it running as I race tojoin Noah, not even caring if the house floods in my haste to find out if our little omega is alright.

When I reach the room, Noah is by the open window, a fresh fall breeze quickly scattering the last of the omega’s pumpkin spice scent. Her costume is in a heap on the floor by the closet, but her boots are nowhere to be seen.

“She’s gone,” I breathe, my chest constricting. We know nothing about her, except for her scent and how bone deep it calls to us. How will we ever find her?

“Yeah, she’s gone,” Noah says, tossing something from one hand to the other before waving it in the air. It’s a mobile phone. “But maybe this is how we find her.”

Chapter Five

The buzz of students talking amongst each other and getting ready for their day blends with the hiss of the coffee machine as Izzy froths milk and prepares coffee orders.

“One latte, decaf, skim milk?” I confirm before ringing up the order and taking payment. I offer the customer a sweet from the skull head bowl at the register, grinning as they select a gummy eyeball.

Izzy and I have been working at Sip ‘n’ Study since our first year at Linnara University. It’s a flexible job, allowing students to fill shifts between their scheduled classes. I enjoy it so much—the people and the atmosphere—that I’ve worked my way up to shift manager.

No one else is waiting to place their order, so I jump in next to Izzy, filling another jug of skim milk and placing the steam wand inside, beginning to heat the milk.

“Half an hour to go, Izzy, and you're off on a tropical getaway. Why aren’t you excited?” I know my beta bestie almost as well as I know myself, and something is up. This getaway has been all she can talk about for months, so eager to chase the sunshine and warmth for longer now that fall is here, but suddenly she’s clamped up, her excitement all but gone.

I’ll never truly understand her desire to chase the sun. I freaking love fall. The cooler weather. The colours and the way the leaves change and fall, blanketing the ground. Just the vibe in general.

And come on, who doesn’t love Halloween? In charge of decorating this year, I made sure the cafe looks like a pumpkin, ghost, and spider threw up all over it.

Izzy worries her lip as she glances up at me, her baby blue eyes barely meeting mine from under the cafe branded cap before she refocuses on the coffee orders.

“It’s nothing, I—”

“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter Iz, what’s wrong?”

“It’s stupid,” she sniffles. No, it’s fucking not. I haven’t seen my best friend this toned down in a long time. She’s normally so bright, bubbly, the life of the party. My omega whines, the instinct to nurture her, taking hold. I have to hold myself back from tugging her into me and wrapping my arms around her while working with the hot milk.

She takes the jug of skim milk from me, making the decaf latte quickly and handing out the last coffee order with a forced smile before turning back to me. I couldn’t be more grateful for the lull that is 10am on a Monday morning.

“Please tell me, Iz, I’ll worry about you the whole time you’re gone if you don’t.”

“Fine,” she says, blowing out a breath, her eyes darting around to see who might be nearby. Sip ‘n’ Study is deserted, just the two of us remaining as those on campus start their first class of the week. “It’s Damon, the alpha I met at the Lion’s Halloween party. Fuck, Saylor, I really like him. We just met, and now I’m disappearing for a week. What if we lose our momentum?”

My brows shoot up at her admission. Izzy must have fallen hard and fast if she’s this invested already. She’s not usually one to worry about guys or relationships. We’re alot alike in that sense. Strong, independent woman who don’t need anyone to look after us.

Though I guess sometimes that might be nice.

“Izzy, babe. You’re a fucking catch. If this Damon can’t wait a week for you to return to get his dick wet, then he doesn’t deserve you. If the chemistry is as strong as you say it is, he’ll be waiting for you when you get back. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re right. Fuck, you’re so right,” she breathes in deeply, closing her eyes and collecting herself for a moment. “A week will be fine. I’ll be fine. I just need to enjoy myself and deal with this when I get back.”

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