Page 13 of Knot Gonna Lie
Quinn’s eyebrows drew together in sharp confusion. “What do you mean?”
“That registration belongs to my brother, Eli. I’m Luca—the delivery manager, not the product designer.” Each word felt like signing my own execution warrant. “I was never registered for anything.”
The tablet slipped from Quinn’s suddenly nervous fingers, clattering against the deck plating. Her face cycled through a spectrum of emotions—shock, frustration, and finally, crushing defeat. The gamma who had seemed so confident, so certain ofher mission, crumpled before my eyes like a flower touched by killing frost.
“You’re telling me,” she said, voice hollow with disbelief, “that my omega has spent the entire night pining for someone who can’t even enter the Den? That I came here—risked my professional reputation—for an alpha who isn’t even registered?”
The devastation in her tone cut deeper than any psyblade. Behind her professional facade, I glimpsed the gamma who genuinely cared for her charge, who had witnessed Elara’s desperate hope and promised to deliver the impossible.
“How long would it take to register me properly?” The question escaped before desperation could strangle it. “Emergency protocols, expedited processing—I’ll pay triple the standard fees.”
Quinn’s laugh held no humor, only the bitter edge of shattered expectations. “Weeks, Alpha Coco. The psychological evaluations alone require seven days of controlled testing. Medical clearances, background investigations, financial verification—even if I could push you to the front of every queue, we’re looking at minimum twenty-one days.”
Twenty-one days. Elara would have entered and exited the Den multiple times by then, chosen another alpha, begun the bonding process that would bind her to someone else forever.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Jaxom interrupted, concern creasing his features. “If he’s authorized on station, what prevents him from entering the Den?”
“They can’t permit alphas who become feral or unstable when separated from their clan and bombarded by omega pheromones,” Seth answered from behind us, his clinical precision cutting through the tension. “During the old wars, such alphas would rampage through omega sanctuaries, claiming and killing indiscriminately. The examinations ensurecandidates can maintain rational thought under extreme biological pressure.”
Bitter laughter escaped my throat, years of irony and professional dedication crystallizing into this single moment. “Passing wouldn’t present any difficulty. Coco Pharma has devoted extensive resources to developing products that help alphas and omegas manage their biological imperatives. I’ve served as test subject for our stabilization compounds alongside my brother. We have comprehensive data proving their efficacy.”
“I don’t doubt your results, Alpha Coco,” Quinn said evenly. “It’s about protocol. These things take time—more than we’ve got—to make sure the omegas end up with a proper alpha, in a safe, stable life.”
“There has to be another way.” The words emerged as a growl, my alpha nature rejecting the finality of defeat. “Some exception, some loophole—”
“Unless you’re suggesting identity fraud,” Quinn interrupted, her gamma intuition cutting straight to the heart of my desperation. “Which would be a felony punishable by permanent exile from all omega sanctuaries.”
The suggestion hung between us like a blade suspended over my future. Around me, my crew had gone statue-still, the weight of possibility and consequence crushing the air from our lungs.
Identity fraud. Assuming my brother’s registered position.
Eli wasn’t here—I was.
If ever there was a time to break station law, this was it.
“Technically,” I said, voice growing stronger as possibility crystallized into plan, “we’re both from the same family lineage, possess nearly identical physical appearances due to our close birth timing, command equal respect within the same corporation, and share identical alpha designations.”
I pressed my palm against the seemingly solid metal beside me, feeling the hidden scanner read my genetic patterns like a book written in DNA. Soft light swept across my face as biometric confirmation hummed through hidden circuits. The wall responded with whispered mechanics, revealing a cavity that existed between necessity and possibility.
“I could assume his registered position.” I held the identification cards where everyone could see them. “Station records would show Eli Coco entering the Den as scheduled. No protocols violated. No examinations required.”
Heavy silence settled over the bay. Everyone was calculating consequences, weighing futures against risks.
Xavier shifted restlessly, chocolate-scent sharp with anxiety as he avoided my gaze.
Seth stood motionless, arms crossed, head bowed in concentration. His lips moved faintly, already running scenarios and worst-case outcomes.
But Jaxom spoke first, his voice carrying the loyalty of someone who’d traveled dangerous routes beside me for years. “The risk—”
“Is mine to take,” I interrupted, gripping Eli’s identification tighter. “If this fails, if I’m discovered, consequences fall on me alone. But if it succeeds…”
Elara’s emerald eyes flashed in my mind—searching mine with desperate hope. I could still feel the phantom press of her against my back, seeking comfort. The trust she’d given so easily, to a stranger who chose to protect instead of exploit.
“If this works, maybe I finally become the kind of male who deserves something I never dared to want—just by answering her call.” I held up the IDs, eyes skimming the crew until they landed on Quinn. “But now that I’ve met an omega who somehow carved her way into my thoughts…I can’t imaginebeing with anyone else. And I won’t stand by and let someone else claim her—not when she’s reaching forme.”
Quinn met my gaze, her expression shifting from unreadable to something approaching respect. Her mouth twitched at the corners, not quite a smile, but something close to it—and that was enough for me. If Elara’s gamma came all this way and still signed off after learning the truth, I’d have to be a dimstar not to go for it—laws be damned.
“You understand,” she said softly, “that if you’re discovered after she’s chosen you, if the deception comes to light during your bonding ceremony, it could invalidate the entire selection. I need to remind you that if this goes wrong, she’s headed straight back to the Den—and you’ll be barred from every omega sanctuary in the galaxy.”
