Page 2 of Knot Our Omega

Gods, I hated it here. If only I were brave enough to leave. But they’d hunt me down or, worse, they would hurt someone on my behalf. I was stuck here until they determined otherwise, and why would they? I did their bidding and showed the pack no one was immune to their power. I was invaluable to them—just, not in the way I wanted to be.

As the pack settled in with coffee and cupcakes, Lily manned coffee refills, and I started the dishes. There wasno room for a dishwashereven though there was. Most nights, it wasn’t too bad, but tonight, there were a ton, and the sooner I got started, the better the odds I’d get a few hours’ sleep tonight.

“You forgot one.”

I didn’t turn around. It was Tyler. Once upon a time, when he thought I was going to be the next alpha, thanks to being born three minutes before my sister, he wooed me like I was a treasure. And my dumb ass? I believed he wanted me for me, that he thought I was special, that he might even love me. Not once did I suspect him to be my mate, but that was fine. I was going to be alpha. I didn’t need a love match. I needed someone to rule by my side who didn’t try to usurp my power.

“Leave it on the counter.” I felt him come up behind me and add, “Please.” I didn’t get all the way through tonight to ruin everything by being rude to Tyler. I refused to give him that power over me.

“You know…” He scented me deeply, pressing his nose into the crook of my neck. His closeness caused my beast to press me for release. I had to force her down. Taking my fur in the kitchen would not end well. “I’m not opposed to you being a side piece—with discretion, obviously. Baby, we could be so good together. I remember the way you taste. I could never forget it.”

I twirled around, attempting to get some distance between us, and the glass in my hand crashed to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. And as my father walked in, Tyler whispered, “There’s no shame in it, kitten. No shame. We’ll make sure you are well kept. If you don’t, well, you might never see me again after tomorrow.”

There wasn’t even a second to ask him what that meant, my father calling for Lily to clean up my mess.

Chapter Two

Vargas

“Careful, Wilder.” I laughed, walking up on a scene where my bond brother and best friend was bent down talking to the chickens like they were our children instead of egg-makers. “That’s not really living up to our reputation.”

He turned around, one chicken under each arm. That was his way. He treated our animals like his babies. That was why they were so healthy and thriving. “Gods, if we lived up to the whispers and daggers of others, I’d be drinking her blood or something. How was the honey harvest?”

Penn, our other bond mate, had taken most of this season’s honey harvest to town, in glass jars with stickers on them that made sure no one knew where it came from. Otherwise, we wouldn’t make a dime off it.

“It was good. We had tons to sell with enough to stock our pantry as well.”

Wilder nodded and put the chickens down after a good talking to about fighting amongst themselves. I didn’t know if it was the predator in him, but they seemed to listen, which was weird. “That’s good. I’m done with chores. I’ll see you later.”

Wilder kept to himself a lot, but all of us knew where he spent his free time. One of the first things we’d done after we moved into the homestead was to make our future omega a nest. It was built into the room. It was a true nest, as far as we were concerned. A bedroom with an en suite. A giant bed in the middle. I had built the circular frame look like a bird’s nest. We’d had the mattress custom made.

It had stood empty since then, but I was building a dresser for the room.

Not that we had an omega.

Or even a fucking chance in hell of ever courting one.

Not our pack.

“Have fun,” I called and put my hands on my hips, looking out over our garden. The gods had blessed our season so far, and every day there were more things to pick.

I knelt on the ground and began pulling weeds. Snipping yellow crookneck squash from underneath their leaf umbrellas, I let out a breath. If I had my way, Wilder would give up on the pursuit of having an omega as I had years ago. Most packs courted and mated an omega early in life, as in their early twenties.

Then again, they weren’t referred to as the bastard pack.

We were.

I worked in the garden for hours, plucking fresh produce and putting it all into baskets Penn would deal with after he came back from town. He was the brave one in that respect.

Town meant looks of derision and disapproval, and while we all could take it and were used to it, that didn’t mean we volunteered for the meanness. That was why we chose our pack home here in the country, far away from prying eyes and the judgment.

I’d brought all the produce inside when I heard thecrunchof truck tires on the gravel driveway. I didn’t have to look through the window to know who it was. Penn was home and would have supplies with him that needed to be carried in.

We met him as he pulled in, but instead of getting to work, he emerged with a stern look on his face. Lines along his forehead. His shoulders tight.

“What happened?” I asked. Immediately, my thoughts went to the people in town, and I wondered if they’d heckled him. Damn it. I should’ve gone with him.

We knew better.

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