Page 9 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

A strange feeling washed over me, and my omega hormones began flooding my system. Almost as if in slow motion, I felt myself become euphoric as my scent glands ached to perfume, fighting against my suppressants. My legs became weak as I touched Liam’s warm hand. My stomach clenched, and I realized as I locked eyes with him that the worst thing possible had just occurred. My knees buckled, and I almost fell. Liam’s other hand grabbed my arm, and while the intelligent part of my mind wanted to pull away, my omega side was screaming at me to lean into him and curl up into his arms.

“Awe, it’s not that bad princess. I promise we won’t bite.” Dante’s words broke through the haze of my feelings with a gloating laugh as the entire pack watched my show of weakness. I was nearly frozen in place as Liam helped me to steady myself. In everyone else’s eyes, it appeared that I was devastated, an emotional display that showed my frail omega nature.

The only thought racing through my mind was how thankful I was that I’d taken my suppressants that morning and doused myself in the strongest descenter on the market. But it wasn’t the weight of their blackmail that brought me to my knees.

It was what I realized the moment I stepped close enough to feel it - a truth so dangerous, so unthinkable, it stole the breath from my lungs.

Because it wasn’t my devastation at their blackmail deal that caused me to fall. It was the realization I had once I was close enough to them to know something that no one could ever, ever find out.

Their pack, who wanted nothing more than my utter humiliation and demise, was my scent match.

Chapter 6

Liam

Today would go down as the ultimate turning point for our pack. We’d finally scored a win against Harringday Industries, an absolutely diabolical organization, and their even more diabolical CEO, Celeste Harringday. It had been an absolute miracle that we’d gotten the tip about Tedena. This bit of information was small compared to what Harringday was really up to, though. Releasing it would only cause Celeste and her company to close ranks and take care of any leaks they had. No, we weren’t going to release the story about Tedena and Harringday’s part in it. We had much bigger plans in place.

Celeste was an absolute monster. She and her company needed to be put in their place. And now, we finally had the opportunity to come out ahead. Ever since the Darlington Ball, our lives had unraveled. Our reputations and our business were dragged through the mud. Celeste hadn’t had proof that we were behind the kidnapping of the omega who ended up in her room that night. But she didn’t need proof. All it took was one press conference, and she pointed the world’s outrage at us.

The fallout was catastrophic.

As one of the most prominent figures in the country, she was a force to be reckoned with. A famous heiress with a captivating story and commanding presence, she was already a media darling. Add to it that she was insanely gorgeous and a rare omega in charge of one of the biggest companies in the world, and you have a once-in-a-generation star. She was all over social media and the tabloids, with everyone wanting to know more about her every move. When she broke the story of the kidnapping, it captured the attention of the entire nation. And when she pointed the finger at us, we became poisonous.

Our reputation was so bad that no omega would have anything to do with us. We were blacklisted from every omega matching organization. The media tore us apart, putting a microscope on our lives and our business, releasing hit pieces tearing us apart in the public eye. Our social life, which had been packed with events and invitations before, was now barren. No omega wanted to be associated with us. Even other packs didn’t want to be seen with us publicly to avoid dampening their reputations as well. Celeste’s network included some of the most important people in the world, and this was starting to affect our business relationships. It was a nightmare. We spent months doing PR, but being damned by Celeste was a curse.

Even worse, it all came at a time when we were actively looking for an omega. Our success with Manticore Tech was secured, even though Harringday Industries had tried to thwart us at every turn. We had money, a home, and a nesting room ready. The only thing we were missing was an omega.

Now, our nesting room sat empty, and we wondered if we would be an omega-less pack forever. It pained us more than anyone wanted to admit. The three of us were already a small pack, and we’d struggled to make our way to success in a place where being ethical was a handicap. I could feel the ache of a missing piece - an omega - throughout our bond, even though none of us spoke about it too much.

Despite scraping our way up in this world, each of us had a soft spot for the idea of true love. We decided as a pack that we didn’t want an omega to just be an accessory or use her for her heats like so many other packs. We wanted true love. Someone who would be our true match, our soulmate, someone who we could all love and cherish. We had hopes and dreams about her, desperately wishing to find someone who shared our goal of making the Eastern Province a safe place where people could work hard and make a good living. We wanted someone who we could have a family with, who believed the place we lived could someday be safe for our kids no matter their designation. Naively, we thought we could find her somewhere out there, even though we ran in circles where most people were not playing fair and only bonded for status and power.

Now, we couldn’t find anyone. No omega would want to be with a pack with our reputation. Until now.

We’d found the perfect way to get back at Celeste and fix our image at the same time. We came here to her family’s compound with a proposal and a time limit, and she’d agreed. I halfway thought she’d say no to spite us, but we’d planned this carefully. The image of her company was paramount to her and to her continued business contracts in the Western Province. She couldn’t afford to have any reports of unethical business dealings right now. And after today, she’d begin the process of clearing our names. Not only that, but the fake courtship would make us one of the most in-demand packs in the world. After all, only a handful of packs had ever publicly courted Celeste. Anyone associated with her would be skyrocketed into the upper echelon of society.

As we waited in the room for them to finalize the paperwork, I looked at my packmates. Dante and Vigo had dedicated their entire lives to getting where we were today, and we weren’t going to give up now. With Celeste on our compound, we were sure we’d get to therealthing we wanted - proof of what her company was secretly doing. Proof to take her, and Harringday Industries, down for good.

I looked out over the rolling green hills of the vast estate. People like her had generations of wealth that they used to stay on top of everyone else. She had everything - so why was she so ungrateful? I shook my head. A vapid socialite like her was a waste. She could have done so much good in her position, but instead, she ran her business just like any other crime lord, spent her personal time partying too much, and generally made a fool of herself in the tabloids.

My thoughts were interrupted by the doors to the hall opening. We turned to face them, and my breath caught in my throat. My eyes were immediately drawn to her - her face was sullen, but her eyes were defiant. And as she glared at us, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that, in person, she was even more devastatingly beautiful. As we continued negotiations, I wondered if it would be difficult for any of us to have her around the house. The contract stipulated she’d be on suppressants and descenter the entire time, which was paramount for the safety of everyone involved. Having an omega on the premises would be a first for us, but one as despicable as her should theoretically be easy to ignore, if her very presence wasn’t already a damn distraction.

I tried to shake the thought of having her living in our guesthouse out of my head. We would go on the fake dates, have the publicity run, and keep our end of the bargain while we searched for proof of what her company was doing. And at this moment, I finally had confidence that we would succeed. Even now, looking at her before us, I already felt like we had won. She was defeated and she knew it. All the pain and turmoil we’d dealt with for years made seeing her like this worth it. Her delicate features held no warmth, only barely concealed hatred as she waited for the contract binding handshake. I shook her uncle’s hand, releasing it quickly. I had no respect for him either, but he wasn’t the real prize of today’s victory. Celeste was.

I turned toward her, looking at her with satisfaction as she reached out to take my hand. Despite every rational part of me screaming about what a terrible person she was, something about her pulled at me in ways I hated to admit. It was infuriating - a flaw in my nature. I was a sucker for anyone who my alpha side deemed in need of protection, and my biology couldn’t tell the difference that my mind could.

She looked so small, so defeated despite the fire in her eyes. I smirked as I took her hand, the closest I’d ever been to her. Her skin was warm and surprisingly soft, a stark contrast to the icy image she projected. She looked up at me, and her eyes changed, conveying an expression I couldn't interpret. Suddenly, her knees buckled, and I quickly reached out to steady her. For a moment, my thoughts went out the window and all I wanted was to scoop her up, hold her to me and make sure she was okay. My alpha instincts surged at her apparent distress, overriding every logical reason I had to despise her.

For just a heartbeat, I found myself wishing things had unfolded differently - that in some other life, she could have been just another omega, and I could have known her without all the chaos and venom between us.

“Awe, it’s not that bad princess. I promise we won’t bite.” Dante’s words cut through my alpha day-dreaming and I straightened my back. She was the enemy, and her being an omega didn’t change that. No matter how much she affected me, it was all a ruse. We already knew who she really was deep down.

Celeste shot him a look of disgust. “A bite? You wish. I’d never let a single one of you get the absolute privilege to bite me, or get close to me in any other circumstance other than this forced hell of a situation. And I’d never, ever want any of you to touch me. You disgust me, you pathetic excuse for a pack of alphas!” Her words rang out in the massive room, and the three of us stood there stunned. As much as I was expecting her to react in this way, it still gave me a visceral sting of pain that she rejected us. I struggled to push the feeling away. Why would I care that she rejected us? We hated her!

“Pack your bags. We expect you at our residence by nightfall.” Vigo’s merciless tone caused Celeste’s uncle to sneer, but he was a mere beta. No matter how much money or power he had, he was in a room with three alphas. He knew better than to challenge us outright. Celeste quickly pulled her hand away from mine, and I watched her retreat with the men flanked on either side of her. Finally, I turned to my pack.

“We’ve done it.” I said, almost giddy at the power move we had pulled off.

“Don’t get too comfortable yet. This is just the beginning.” Dante replied, running a hand through his dark locks. He, more than anyone, considered this not just business but personal.

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