Page 18 of Knot Happening

It marks her as a widowed Omega. The gray only appears if the Omega chooses not to break the bond after their mate's death. She could have severed the connection. Leaving her end of the bond a broken, withered thing. Her mark would have disappeared. Instead, she held onto it. It looks like an infection taking hold.

“Everything will be okay, Mom. I’ll make sure of it. You don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

It’s an easy vow to make. She’s my mom. She needs me, and even though I know I’m carrying a lot of trauma and baggage, that doesn’t change anything.

She held out as long as she could, and in the end, she got me to adulthood. Now, I’ll do whatever I can to get her help.

I place her hand back down on the bed and get up, heading to my room so I can change into cozy pajamas.

My mind is running a thousand miles a minute. I need to call Bernie and Meg. Declan wants me to start working tomorrow so I can train with some of the other girls, before I jump right into my first shift. Orientation was already set for tomorrow afternoon.

I’m grateful for that. I was also given my uniform and three spares that I left behind in my new locker, so I don’t have to wash it after every shift if I don’t want to. Which is perfect because I have to use a laundromat for all our clothes, and I hate it.

Not for any reason other than I get so bored sitting there, waiting for my clothes to finish. The one I go to is within walking distance, and they use powerful scent killers in their machines.

No one wants to wash their clothes, spend hours sitting there, only to get home smelling like some random Omega. Or, in my case, Alpha.

Omega scents don’t really trigger my territorial instincts, probably because of my heat suppressants. Or possibly my lack of interest in Alphas.

The club and the boutique, I learned, are owned by Declan and his brothers.

There’s a basement in the boutique where you can exercise or do laundry. There’s also a discount for employees at any of the businesses owned by the Hayes brothers. The name Hayes had tickled some memory from years ago, but I couldn’t fully place it. It was familiar, but not.

Declan also provided me with three additional outfits for special occasions. They’re unique.

I left most of them in my new locker at the club. I’m curious about the Greek goddess fae maiden vibe one. When would I wear that?

I didn’t get to meet anyone yet either, but Declan said I’ll get the chance tomorrow at training.

Tatum: I got the job at Haze.

Bernie: Oh my! Well, I’d offer to go in and support you, but let's be honest, Linda and I would stand out like a sore thumb. When do you start?

Tatum: Lol! You would fit right in. You’re both welcome to visit me any time. In fact, I would love it, but I will warn you, my uniform is…minimal. And I start tomorrow.

Bernie: Haha! If you say so. Okay, I’ll adjust the schedule. My daughter will be thrilled. We’ll keep you on the schedule, you just tell me what hours you want to work. Love you kid.

Tatum: Love you, Bernie.

Chapter Nine

Tatum

I’m nervous as all hell, as I walk into Haze. The club doesn’t officially open until ten thirty in the evening, so I don’t expect to see many people here at noon, but there are actually a crap ton of employees already walking around when I arrive.

Inside the club, different areas are sectioned off with shiny red tape, and I have to stare for a long moment to figure out what I’m seeing.

“New hires to the south stage with Bubblegum. Experts, you know what to do!” a tall, cherry scented Omega male shouts.

I don’t know who the heck Bubblegum is.

Thankfully, there’s a sign on a stage that says, “New hires-south stage,” beside a pink haired Alpha female. I duck under the red tape and approach the stage.

Appearance wise, she looks rather Omega-like. She’s taller than I am by maybe three inches, has pink hair that flows around her down to her waist, and light brown eyes. And she looks giddy.

Alphas, even the women, tend to be more stoic.

On the floor in front of me, I place my small, ragged gym bag that I’ve had since freshman year of high school and glance around me. There only seem to be ten or so new hires, while there are… I don’t even know. Maybe forty or fifty experts.

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