Page 7 of Knot Happening

Felix looks up from his architectural sketches and asks, "How many confirmations came in yesterday?"

I pull out my tablet and scroll through the responses, my jaw clenching as I process the numbers. "Forty-three RSVPs since Monday. We're at two hundred and twelve confirmed attendees." I pause, noting familiar names that make my alpha instincts prick with interest. "Including Adam Chen and Belle Hartwell."

"The librarians," Theo notes with interest.

"Belle's... she's intriguing," Felix says quietly, tapping his pencil against his sketch pad. "Sweet, intelligent, but that woman can talk your ear off when she gets going about books or library programs." He pauses, his voice softening. "But those curves, that smile when she gets excited about something, those expressive eyes... She's beautiful in a way that makes you forget she's supposed to be off limits."

"That's why I invited her," I say, setting down my tablet with deliberate precision. Both my packmates look at me sharply, and I can see the questions forming before they voice them. "Belle Hartwell never applied for an invitation. I sent her one specifically."

"You did what?" Theo nearly jumps out of his seat.

"We've talked about getting to know her better," Felix says slowly. "Maybe checking out a book, starting conversations..."

I laugh. "We always end up walking by the library, but we never actually go inside to borrow anything." All three of us look away when I say it.

"Yeah, that's because if we step in there when it's busy, half the town bolts like the place is on fire," Felix points out. "We clear the room faster than a fire alarm."

"Exactly. But here's what you don't know…I’ve been tracking Belle Hartwell for three months. Not as some random omega, but as a potential mate for our pack," I say, pulling out a leather portfolio from the drawer beside me. "You want to know how our screening process actually works? We don't just assess compatibility through questionnaires. We investigate."

Both my packmates lean forward, their full attention focused on me now.

"Belle's file is the most comprehensive one we have," I continue, opening the portfolio to reveal detailed reports, photographs, and behavioral analyses. "Because something about her has been triggering my alpha instincts since the first time I caught her scent."

"When was that?" Felix asks.

"Four months ago. I was picking up permits at city hall when she walked past me in the hallway." I pull out the first page of documentation. "Even through her suppressants, even with her clearly trying to mask her scent, something about her made every alpha instinct I have stand at attention. Not just attraction, but recognition."

"Recognition?" Theo's voice sharpens with interest.

"The kind that says 'this omega belongs to us,'" I explain. "So I started investigating whether that instinct was right."

I flip through several pages of detailed observations. "First, I had to understand why an intelligent, beautiful omega like Belle is still unmated at twenty-six. That's unusual enough to warrant investigation."

"What did you find?" Felix asks.

"Belle Hartwell has turned down fourteen different alphas over the past three years," I say, producing a list of names. "Notjust casual dates, but serious courtship attempts. Alphas with good jobs, stable finances, excellent reputations. She's rejected every single one."

"Why?" Theo asks.

"Because she's not compatible with single-alpha relationships," I reply. "Watch this." I pull out a series of behavioral analysis reports. "I hired discrete surveillance to track her interactions at community events where multiple alphas were present. Every time she's around a single alpha showing interest, she becomes tense, withdrawn, clearly uncomfortable. But when she's in environments with multiple alphas who aren't competing for her attention?"

I show them photographs taken at various town events. "She relaxes completely. Her scent shifts to something warmer, more inviting. Her body language opens up. She gravitates toward spaces where she can observe pack dynamics rather than individual courtship."

"Pack-oriented omega," Felix breathes, understanding immediately.

"Exactly. Belle's biological wiring is designed for multiple alpha bonds, not traditional pairing. That's why she's been unconsciously rejecting every single alpha who has ever approached her, they can't satisfy what she actually needs."

I flip to another section. "But here's the interesting part. I tested her response to our specific alpha signatures."

"How?" Theo asks, his professional curiosity engaged.

"Over the past two months, I've arranged for each of us to be in her vicinity at different times, projecting our natural scents," I explain. “I had Felix browse the architecture section while she was re-shelfing books."

"Her pupils dilated, her scent sweetened despite the suppressants, and she spent an extra twenty minutes organizingthat section after you left," I continue, reading from my notes. "Classic omega response to compatible alpha pheromones."

"Then Theo. I had him ask for directions to the police station while she was having lunch outside."

"She answered your question, but her voice got softer, more submissive. Her scent spiked with interest even though she was clearly trying to suppress it. And she watched you walk away for a full thirty seconds before remembering her sandwich."

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