Page 83 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

“Not everyone wants the same things,” I continued. “And that’s okay. I think everyone has their own path. I never thought I’d end up where I am now, but…”

“But now you’re disgustingly happy and in love?” Julia supplied with a teasing smile.

I smirked even as a flush crept up my neck. “Yeah. I really am.” I glanced at the other woman at the table with us. “What about you, Adeline?” I asked, wanting to include her in the conversation. She’d been quietly sipping her coffee, seeming content to let Julia and I do most of the talking.

Something flickered across her face—vulnerability, perhaps—before she composed herself. “I’ve always wanted a pack of my own,” she admitted. “A family. Children…” Her voice was so soft, I had to lean forward to hear her.

Julia reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand. There was history there, something unspoken passing between them. I didn’t want to pry, but I was endlessly curious about her story.

“Hey, your pack is out there,” Julia assured her. “Scent matches are rare, but they happen. Just look at Demi and Kit.”

Adeline smiled faintly, leaning into Julia’s side to bump her shoulder with hers in a companionable way that spoke to their close friendship. “That sounded almost conformist. And here I thought you were determined to rewrite the entire system.”

“Someone has to,” Julia insisted. “And it might as well be me. I’m not saying I don’t want love or a pack. I’m just saying I want to choose it on my terms. Not be forced into it, or be stuck at the OMA forever. I want a pack who doesn’t expect me to conform to some ‘ideal’ of what an Omega should be. I want to live life. Explore things I’m interested in. Find my own path in life.”

The way she spoke was so inspiring. So many of us felt the same way, and while I loved the domestic life I’d carved out for myself, one devoted to my pack and some day starting a family, I felt everything Julia was saying. Wasn’t I just longing for the possibility of owning my own café just the other day? Dreams like that weren’t possible for Omegas like us, and Julia was right. It wasn’t fair.

“I can’t change my designation, but I’m not gonna be some Omega baby factory. I swear, if one more Alpha asks about mydamn ‘breeding potential,’ I’m gonna bare my teeth—andnotin a fun way.”

Adeline nearly choked on her coffee. “I’d pay money to see that.”

“Come to my next pack interview and you’ll probably get the show for free. I swear, I wouldn’t even go, but my heat is coming soon and I don’t think I can stomach another one alone.”

“Suppressed heats are their own special kind of misery,” Adeline explained at my furrowed brows and confused expression. “And they get worse each time.” She winced like she’d survived her fair share of heats alone.

My stomach twisted at the thought. I couldn’t imagine the pain, even with medicine to help.

“Zero out of ten do not recommend,” Julia agreed in solidarity. “The hot flashes, the mood swings, the cramps, the—”

“The constant feeling that something’s missing,” Adeline murmured, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup. “Like there’s an empty space inside you that nothing can fill.”

The raw honesty in her voice made my heart ache. I reached across the table on instinct, covering her hand with mine. “Keep the faith. I know you’ll find your pack. Don’t give up.”

Adeline forced a smile, but there was a shadow behind it. “Look at us, being such downers when we should be celebrating. Matches like yours give the rest of us hope.”

“It does.” Julia agreed, then wrinkled her nose. “But I’ll be honest, my standards are dropping. At this point, I’d settle for an Alpha whose scent doesn’t make me want to vomit.”

“Julia!” Adeline scolded.

“What?” She shrugged unapologetically. “You know I speak the truth. Have you smelled some of the scents in those scent binders? Yesterday, I sniffed one that smelled like burnt popcorn and I couldn’t get the stench out of my nose for an hour.”

Snickers burst from all three of us, and it was like a dam broke. Suddenly, we were caught in the throes of laughter, sharp and sudden—cathartic.

“They’re out there,” I promised when we finally reined ourselves in. I couldn’t help but think about how each of my Alphas had their own unique scent that blended so perfectly with mine. “When you find the right match, everything changes. You can’t get enough of their scent and you want to be close to them all the time. It’s like... feeling truly at home for the first time.”

“That’s beautiful,” Adeline whispered, and the longing in her voice was unmistakable.

I squeezed her hand again. “What about you? Have you been to any pack interviews lately?”

Her gaze dropped to the table. “A few. None of them... worked out.”

“Because they’re idiots,” Julia said fiercely, protective anger flashing in her eyes.

I wanted to ask more, to understand how any Alpha could turn away someone as clearly sweet and kind as Adeline. But her carefully composed expression was fragile at best, and I didn’t want to pry. I understood better than most that some wounds were too fresh to touch.

Julia cleared her throat. “Enough about our tragically dull love lives. I want to hear about my brothers. Are they treating you right? Because if not, I’ll kick their collective asses. I may be smaller, but I fight dirty.”

“Why don’t I doubt that?” I said, picturing a young Julia keeping her four older brothers in line. You had become tough to hold your own as the only girl in a family of men. Now, it was my turn. “They’re better than I ever knew to hope for. It’s like the universe overcorrected after everything I’ve been through. I swear, they’d set the world on fire if it meant keeping me safe and happy, and the feeling is mutual.”

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