Page 25 of Knot Happening

Hmm. I know she’s been buying suppressants from Declan, something we’ve always kept on hand in case there’s an emergency. I could switch them out. Sneak into her house while she’s out, and–

No! That's insane. And a bit excessive. Besides, her mother is always home. It wouldn’t be easy getting in unnoticed. I could always peek into her locker to see if they’re kept in there.

No! Jeez. I really am losing my fucking mind.

I’ll find another way. A less chaotic way. With fewer consequences.

Turns out that other way is to steal my Omega’s panties and stuff them under my brother's desk so he’s forced to face her slick all hours of the night, believing he’s hallucinating the scent of drunk blueberries.

I would say I’m not proud of my actions, but I actually thought it was super clever.

At least I didn’t drug him? Right…?

Chapter Twelve

Tatum

I groan loudly, throwing myself backward onto my bed when I get out of the shower. My feet ache. So much that even a shower was more than I could take.

Mental exhaustion makes dressing seem like an unnecessary chore, so the towel clinging to my body will have to do for now.

Today was my first day off in over a week, between the diner and the club, so I spent the earlier part of the day catching up on chores.

Mom was refusing to eat, and when I tried to force her, she puked. All over me. All over the blanket in her lap. The floor. Nothing was safe.

I stripped down to my underwear and cleaned her up and mopped up the living room floor. Once I’d finished, I had to decide if I wanted to save the blanket, or toss it out along with my clothes. No way was I going to try and salvage the outfit since it was just my raggedy chore shirt and shorts.

The blanket was old, and we could use a new one, so I tossed it in a trash bag and dragged it to the apartment dumpsters. Thankfully, Meg will be here soon to help with her.

Rolling over onto my stomach, I grab my brand-new phone, logging into my bank account, and confirm I am still broke as fuck. I let out an angry huff. The tips from the diner and the club the last few days made it possible for me to stock up the pantry and fridge. Then I paid the rent as well as caught up on three overdue bills.

My budget is tight until I can save enough to get Mom the care she needs, though. I have to play catch up, then I can start saving. One less bill to pay for is this phone, though. Which is great, actually.

In addition to the banging discount and allowance at Instinct Boutique, Declan provides all his employees with a cellphone if they want it, so I at least have this fancy new smartphone to distract me from the shit show that is my life.

I have a plan, though. I just need to make it to one month. One month at Haze Instincts, and then I can beg them for a promotion. Access to positions where I can make the kind of money in one night like Dream does.

Until then, I’ll keep grinding. Right now, however, I’m lonely and bored. A dangerous combination.

Declan hasn’t messaged me since orientation day, and I haven’t seen him since he sold me suppressants. Which means I now have enough to last me four more weeks since I took my last dose of Marco’s pack this morning.

A wildly unhinged side of me almost wishes he’d only sold me two weeks worth like Marco did, so I'd have an excuse to see him again. Which is fucking stupid, because what if he runs out… I could go back sooner and ask for another month's supply, though, since he charged so little. I should go tonight.

There’s no telling how many other Omega’s need them.

Seeing him is just a happy side bonus.

I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed his flirting before. Well, no, that's not quite right. I knew I enjoyed it. I think what I failed to realize is exactly how much I would miss it once he stopped. Or how lonely I’d been before him.

I knew I was lonely, but up until Declan, it was less obvious. Or maybe being forced to face Hayden for four days is what’s making that empty chasm in my chest ache.

I actually miss the feeling of his attention. Of knowing he was thinking of me. The buzzing tingle in my stomach when his name would pop up. The butterflies when he’d say something dirty. Something I never thought I’d enjoy hearing.

He’s my boss. He’s off limits. Officially. He made that clear. Right after he offered to bend me over his desk.

I pull up the app store on my phone, and without bothering to get dressed, I download three more dating apps. All of them cater to Omegas, but one of them has looser rules. I start with the one that has the highest ratings. I already have the highest rated app, but after that message from that random Alpha, I haven’t opened it again. Maybe that had more to do with Declan seeing my profile, though.

It takes me ten minutes to create a new profile, upload pictures, and show my ID to prove my identity and Omega status.

---