Page 23 of The Knotty Omega

“Ugh. Yes.” I sigh, running a hand down my face. “Though at this point, I’m considering just taking the loss and saying fuck it. Who cares if I have to give up the job I worked so hard for…” My voice strangles, and tears sting my eyes.

“Why…why would you need to give up your job if you don’t find a pack?” Wren’s brow is furrowed, and I realize I’ve said too much.

But…something is telling me that I can trust the little omega in the koala onesie.

“Well…” I swallow, looking down. “Have you heard of the Knotty Omega advice column?”

“Of course I have. I love that piece! I get a notification every time a new response is posted…” She trails off, piecing things together. “Oh, fuck! Are you the Knotty Omega?!”

I nod grimly, and she squeals, before slapping her hands over her mouth. “But why…oh. It’s pack advice and you don’t have a pack. How did they not know you don’t have a pack?”

“I may or may not have let my coworkers believe my cat was actually my alpha when I spoke about him…” I trail off, shrugging. “His name is Reggie.”

Wren looks shocked for a moment, and then dissolves into a fit of giggles. A second later, Hannah joins in, laughing with a snort, which makes me laugh, and soon we’re all lying on the floor, giggling like a bunch of teenagers.

“Mrow!”I feel a small furry head bump against mine.

“Oh look, it’s your alpha!” Wren sits up, pointing and laughing.

Reggie settles on my chest, his tail whipping back forth as I wipe the tears from my eyes from laughing so hard.

“Oh, fuck, I needed that.” I sigh, staring at the ceiling. We all huff a breath and then silence takes over as we all stare at the ceiling.

“You should still go,” Hannah says quietly, reaching her hand under the coffee table to grab mine. “Pack Dickface…they aren’t the norm. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t go. Worst case scenario, they’re also dicks, then you go back to OMS and try again. I would know. I've done it enough times.”

“She’s right,” Wren agrees. “Not all packs are like that one. Most are perfectly decent guys.”

“I just…I don’t even know if I really want a pack. To be honest, I cut the deal with the Editor in Chief with the intention of finding a way out of it at some point.”

“I know, babe.” Hannah squeezes my hand. “But…I think a pack would be good for you. Like I said before, pack life doesn’t have to look like how you grew up.”

“I know, but—”

Before I can finish my sentence, a couple of things happen. Reggie, apparently bored of this conversation, decides that the best course of action is to jump onto the coffee table. He lands directly on top of one of the take-out containers, which we left open, and sprays foodeverywhere.We all shriek in surprise and then Brennan bursts into the apartment, looking for the source of the panic.

“Holy shit, Boo-Bear! You scared us!” Wren scolds, throwing a pillow at him.

“Iscaredyou? I thought someone broke in through the window with the way you three screamed!”

“Blame Reggie,” Hannah says, pointing at my cat who is sitting on the table, cleaning his paws.

“The cat?” He looks between us all incredulously.

“Excuse you, that’s Cady’s alpha you’re talking about.” Wren teases, and then we all collapse into a fit of laughter once again.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Okay, what about this one?” I hold the shirt up to the camera on my phone that I have propped up on my dresser.

“Too…country-western,” my sister, Allea says.

“What do you mean?” I frown at the white shirt on the hanger. Yeah, maybe the tassels are a little too much. “Nevermind, you’re right.”

I go back into my closet to search for a different shirt. “Ollie?” My mom's voice calls out from my phone.

I pop my head out. “Yeah?”

“Go simple, baby. This omega will want to see the real you. No need to go all flashy,” Mom says gently.

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