Page 1 of Knot All is Forgiven

Chapter one

Begging isn't something Iwant to get used to, but it feels like my only option in this situation. "Guys, please, you have to feel it too," I plead, reaching across the table toward my best friends.

Simon, Rafe, and Cyrus exchange a look with one another that I have come to know so well over the past decade. They are afraid to tell me something.

I met the guys in elementary school. We were all in the same third-grade class, Ms. Strider, and immediately latched onto one another. Since then, we have been nearly inseparable. When we turned sixteen and the boys presented as Alphas, theirpack connection immediately snapped into place, to no one's surprise.

But, to everyone's surprise, I did not present as an Omega.

Which was fine. I'm fine. I'm eighteen now and still haven't presented, but I know I will. In my gut, clear as day, is the feeling that my Omega is trapped somehow. I know that one day, I will present as one, and then I'll scent-match the guys and join their pack.

Pack Stargazer.

Yeah, the name is terrible. No one should allow sixteen-year-old boys to pick pack names.

"Jordan," Simon says gently. His hazel eyes are earnest behind his black-framed glasses. His blonde hair is nearly white, and he keeps it cut and styled in the way you'd expect to see on a preacher's son. His soft, kind face has talked me through many hurt feelings and scraped knees over the years. "At this point, we all need to accept that you're probably a Beta, peaches. I know it's not what we wanted, but it's going to be okay. We'll figure it out."

"I'm not a Beta!" I insist, crossing my arms over my chest. I realize I look like a petulant child, but I amrightabout this, no matter what anyone says. "I'm just a late presenter. I'm going to be an Omega. I know my body."

"Ninety-five percent of Omegas present before they're eighteen," Cyrus replies. His back is rigid, posture impeccable as always, curly brown hair brushing the tops of his ears. He's muscular, having spent most of high school playing on the hockey team, and his biceps flex as he crosses his arms over his chest. He is unfairly hot. He's also easily the most cynical of all of us. "This doesn't mean we care about you any less."

I shove back my chair from our table at Meg's, the diner down the road from our school. We're due to graduate in a few weeks, and then they're off to Lunarcrest City for university. "It justmeans you don't want to be with me," I spit. "It just means you're turning your back on me."

"Not on you." Cyrus's voice is pained, stretched thin as he tries to justify whatever bullshit is about to come out of his mouth. "But what happens if we meet our scent matched Omega, and they try to make us choose?"

"I'm your Omega!" I nearly shriek. "I don't know how you guys don't feel it! I know it in my soul, as much as I know I'm alive."

Rafe has been silent until now, his dark eyes downcast at the table. He's the quietest of the three, always has been, and his long legs, dark hair, and rich cinnamon-toned skin make him the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. His voice rumbles as he speaks. "We're sorry, Jordy, but that's not true. You're a Beta. It doesn't mean we love you any less, but it does mean you're not our Omega."

I slump back into my chair, defeated, and press my forehead on the table. My auburn hair falls into my eyes, the waves frizzy from today's rain. Simon slides into the chair next to me and tries to wrap his arm around my waist, and I jolt as if he had shocked me. When we make eye contact, his face is stricken. "I… peaches, I'm sorry. You know this isn't personal."

"Feels really fucking personal, Simon," I snap.

This is bullshit. I know who I am. I know I'm an Omega, and these three are my scent matches. I've got no doubts about that. And they're not listening to me. They don't believe me.

Just like my parents.

Just like the doctors.

"Just… give me another year, please?" I say quietly, unable to make eye contact with the boys I love. "Give me another year to present. Don't give up on me just yet."

"A year isn't going to change anything, Jordan," Cyrus says softly. "We're going to stay your friend regardless. It's notlike we're running away. We're just telling you were not your Alphas."

"Because you don't believe me when I say I'm an Omega," I snap bitterly.

No one ever believes. I may be late presenting, but I know I will one day, and they'll all have egg on their faces then.

"You know what?" I jump to my feet and throw a couple of dollars on the table to cover my milkshake and fries before tossing my backpack over my shoulder. "You lot do what you want. I know the truth, and you'll realize it soon, too. I love you all, and I'm not giving up on us. It breaks my heart that you would give up on me so easily." I scrub my hands down my face, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "I am not giving up on you. Try not to give up on me, either."

It's been a yearsince Pack Stargazer left our little town for Lunarcrest City, and I've been working as a waitress at Meg's, saving money in hopes of joining them.

I text with the boys often enough, asking them questions about people they've met, reminding them that I'm here, waiting for them until they realize that I am their Omega.

Of course, I haven't presented yet, and the doctor is adamant it won't happen. "You have no presentation symptoms," Dr. Roberts told me last month. "I know you believe you are an Omega, but it's time to admit that that may just be in your head, honey."

He's known me since I was in my mother's womb, so he feels comfortable being condescending. "It's not in my head, Dr.Roberts. I know it as much as I know that there is blood in my body. I don't know why I haven't presented yet, but I will."

"Well, maybe you should try losing weight. Typically, Omegas aren't as chubby as you."

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