Page 16 of The Knotty Omega

My face flushes as I shake my head. Why didn’t I think about this? “No, um. I take an experimental drug called TruBond. It masks my scent so I only smell bonded.”

“Why would you need to take that?” Carl asks. I try not to bristle at the question, it’s only natural that they would ask why an omega would need to smell like they were already bonded.

“I…I can’t do scent blockers. They…irritate my skin.” I explain, my cheeks heating further. “TruBond is the next best thing because unbonded alphas are less likely to go after an omega if they think sheisbonded.”

“Are you adverse to alphas?” Henry inquires, raising a brow. Instead of telling him that if I was, I certainly wouldn’t be meeting with pack, I shake my head.

“Not at all. But Iaman unbonded omega living on my own, so I’ve done what I’d had to do.”

Tom, who has been quiet until now, nods his head. “Smart move. A creative, if somewhat unconventional solution to an issue none of us thought about.” He shoots a look to the rest of the table, and with that, they all smile and relax a little.

It’s at this point the waitress comes over and takes our orders, and after requesting an iced caramel latte, I look on unsurprised as each of the alphas order a black coffee.

“So, Cady.” Louis tents his fingers in front of him. “Tell us a little bit about yourself. Do you work?”

I nod, “Yes, I’m a writer for ABO Magazine, the omega edition. I have a bachelor's degree in English and a master's in journalism. What about you guys?”

Carl answers. “We all work in finance at the same hedge fund.”

I eye all their equally…underwhelming suits. That checks out.

“That sounds interesting.” I lie, and then our drinks arrive. I immediately sip some of my latte, briefly closing my eyes as a little moan escaping from me.

I’m definitely coming back here for coffee at some point.

My eyes flutter open and I see four sets of heated eyes staring at me, their cups halfway to their mouths.

“I...” Clearing my throat, I set my cup down. “What do you guys do for fun?”

And that’s how I get bored for the next two minutes about the many nuances of fishing, playing golf on the weekends, as well as a monthly poker game they attend.

My brain is buzzing from boredom when Louis finally chuckles. “I’m sorry, we’ve gone on for a bit. Tell us more about you.”

These men are perfectly fine. They’ve been nothing but respectful to me, but if the last conversation is any indication of what courting life looks like, I think I need to shake things up a little.

Might as well tell the truth.

“I spend most of my free time reading or sometimes I like to play video games.” I tell them, taking a sip of the latte and mindfully not letting slip any noise of satisfaction.

They pointedly ignore the gaming part, Tom asking, “What do you like to read? I just picked up this fascinating autobiography—”

“Mostly fantasy romance.” I smile wide. “Or monster smut.”

I swear I hear Brennan snort behind me, and Carl chokes on his drink, “Monster…?”

“Oh, it’s a huge market.” I nod enthusiastically. “My favorite is ‘Taken by the Kraken King.’”

“Oh.” Henry’s eyes are bugging out of his head. “That’s—”

“Fascinating.” Louis interrupts, giving him a pointed glare.

Interesting.

“Though you can’t go wrong with the classic ‘Knotted by the Werewolf Prince.’”

“Cady, do you…want children?” Louis asks, quickly changing the subject.

“Maybe in…five to ten years?” I shrug. “I’m only twenty-eight, and I’m really focused on my career right now.”

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