Page 3 of Knot Our Omega

"Alpha." Mrs. Harriet breathed deep. "We've already discussed that what you wished for is no longer an option. Sydney was not up for mating this season, but she is what we have left."

A stockier man stepped forward, his eyes burning into me even as I tried not to make eye contact. Subtly I sniffed, collecting the scent, storing it to memory. My inner omega sighed contentedly, even as I took a step back. She liked these men, but I was uncertain. When he stopped in front of me, his thick body looming over my frame, he offered his greeting. "Omega."

"D-delta." My voice came out meekly, fear and worry over what I had done wrong to wind up here coiling in my stomach. Was this punishment? Get tossed out like scraps the second the organization deemed me useless?

His fingers came up, coiling and pulling gently on one of my curls. He released it, letting it bounce into place. "Tell me, omega. What's wrong with you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mrs. Harriet cut in. "She's not exactly prime omega. Her composition makes her undesirable, nearly impossible to match."

Ouch. She wasn’t exactly in her prime either.

I closed my eyes tight until the burn that threatened to bring tears passed.Undesirable. As if I hadn't been told that most of my life. But I didn't care if I was desirable. I couldn't help that my hips were too wide. My body too short. My eyes a little too weak to be considered perfection in an alpha's eyes. All I ever wanted was to exist peacefully, but with the repeated reminder of how flawed I was, I couldn't even find peace within myself. Had I thought I might have been able to prepare for their arrival if given time? I was wrong. Even at my best, alphas want what alphas want, and I was not the object of their desires.

The delta’s fingers found my chin, tipping it up so that I was forced to stare into the hazel eyes that seemed to see too much already. "What's wrong with you?"

He asked the question again, and again, Mrs. Harriet tried to answer. "She's?—"

"Quiet!" The alpha barked, and instantly, Mrs. Harriet's mouth snapped shut. I glanced down, my body automatically trying to make itself smaller under the wrath of an alpha, while my omega got a secret thrill at her reprimand. "I believe he is asking the omega a question."

I was afraid to look up, afraid to see anger in the alpha's eyes that I heard so often is directed at omegas for misbehaving. When I didn't look up, the delta's thumb brushed softly against my cheek. "Answer me, little omega. Why weren't you a part of the draw this year? What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with her." The deep voice of their beta filled the room.

The lashes of the delta batted as he eyed my lips for a moment. "I couldn't agree more. But humor us."

A rumble escaped the alpha as he watched us, and still, I didn't dare to look at him, even from the distance between us. The power radiating off him was too strong, his scent too thick. I licked my lips. "I-I think I am b-b-broken."

I admitted it because it was true. Iwasbroken. I may be written off as an undesirable omega because I wasn't slender and tall. Because my hair was too curly and my features not nearly as symmetrical as the desired traits of most claimed omegas. But the truth was I was broken. I was an omega who, in twenty years of life, never entered my heat cycle.

It will come.

You have time.

You can't rush these things.

So many lies I had been told over the years, but none of them were strong enough to cover the truth. I am an omega, in mind and soul, but my body refuses to participate. Without my heat, I'd never provide them with children. If children weren’t their goal, they wouldn't bother seeking out an omega to join them.

"You look whole to me." The large man leaned forward, as if to sniff me without making it so obvious.

Mrs. Harriet cleared her throat as she shifted from foot to foot. "Do you want this omega, or not?"

"She's not what we requested." The alpha's voice made me flinch.

"She's what we have available. I know she's less desirable, and her appearance is well... lacking." The delta made a warning rumble and Mrs. Harriet stepped back. "Maybe you can work on her shortcomings together, turn her into exactly what you want her to be."

Or maybe you could leave me and my omega just as we are and work on your own shortcomings.

I didn't want to be someone else. I liked who I am, even if the world rejected me. But I kept my mouth closed, not willing to anger the alpha whose eyes bored into me like lasers, his disappointment clear as he spoke. "It is not my job to mold my omega into what I want. It's your job to provide an omega that fits my needs. Am I correct?"

"Yes, but?—"

"This mix up is inexcusable. You expect us to leave here with an omega who is not even ready to be placed all to keep face for the company?"

"Sir. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I understand how frustrating this may be."

"Do you?" The alpha cut in. "Because the sheer amount of unacceptable behavior that has come out of this reputable company is astounding. Look at her, Ma'am. Not a single part of her body meets our requirements. Her height is shockingly low, her hair — not even the shade of black which I was clear I preferred. Her?—"

Shockingly low? That was rude.

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