Page 57 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

The fact draws another whimper from me and I press into her some more, realizing she’s not the only one who has been touch-starved.

That makes some leaden part of me tug hard on my consciousness, sadness I only release at nights into these very pillows threatening to come to the fore.

“Rest,” I tell her softly. “You’re safe.”

Hailey nods, her soft hair brushing against my face. I try not to lean into it.

Gradually, her breathing evens out, body growing heavier against mine as sleep claims her. I shift slightly, careful not to disturb her, and reach for my phone on the edge of the nest.

The screen doesn’t show anything apart from a message in the pack group chat.

It’s Jax.

Finn, please don’t worry about dinner tonight. Can you order in something for yourself? We’ll eat here at the office.

Ren

He likes to cook.

Jax

I know that, but he doesn’t need to worry about us tonight.

My anger rises even as my heart clenches, but I ignore them. With a huff, I set the phone down.

The movement disturbs our mingled scents—hers and mine weaving through the familiar markers of my alphas—and I stop breathing. Her scent should be setting off alarm bells. Shouldn’t it be an intrusion in this space that I’ve carefully made? Every pillow, every blanket at its own special location? Instead, it feels like her scent…fits in. Another thread in the tapestry of comfort that makes upmy nest. The realization makes unease thread through me. That alone with something I can’t name.

My heart’s beating hard as I take up the phone again, heading straight to the search engine. My fingers hover over the keyboard for a moment before I type:

“What could be the reason some omega scents don’t bother other omegas”

I scroll through a few articles about pack disputes and omega rivalries. Nothing about what I’m feeling. I try again:

“Omegas sharing nest space”

More articles about fights over packs and territory. Warnings about keeping unbonded omegas separated. My frown deepens. This can’t be right. I glance down at Hailey, peaceful against my chest, her scent still mingling so naturally with mine.

“Can omegas be compatible”

The results are all about omega-alpha compatibility. I huff quietly in frustration. Scrolling down, there are auto-suggestions that I skip disinterestedly through. Until I spot a particular one.

“Can omegas imprint on other omegas”

The suggestion makes my heart skip a beat, though I’m not sure why. As I wait for the results to load, I breathe in our mixed scents again, trying to analyze what it is about her that feels so…different. Special.

Chapter 19

Stone

The journey home is silent, heavy with things unsaid. Jax is driving, hands gripping the steering wheel tight as he navigates the dark roads. In the rearview mirror, his gaze keeps flicking to me and Ren in the backseat, his face illuminated by the passing streetlights.

I let out a long breath. The day has been torture. I couldn’t think about anything else apart from that omega stuck in my cabin, the scent of her perfume, the fact that she’s ours and I have no idea how to tell the pack. And then there’s Finn. My worry has morphed from how I will break this news to how it will utterly destroy him.

Ren sits beside me, radiating tension. He hasn’t stopped fidgeting since we left the office, his fingers drumming against his thigh in an endless, restless rhythm.

“We should have called,” Jax says suddenly, breaking the silence. “To check if he ate.”

Ren’s scoff is sharp. “Because that would make up for everything else?”

---