Page 9 of Knot Excused
A man’s head popped up over the sill. He was a big man in his early 50s, with wild mad scientist hair and a handlebar moustache.
“My dear sister, I am afraid the Pie Saver 2000 was an utter failure.”
Then the kitten slipped on what looked like a little puddle of strawberry pie filling and went off the windowsill too.
But I was there, darting forward and catching the kitten in my arms.
The man blinked at me. “Clever girl,” he said. “Would you like a piece of pie?”
“I don’t know about that,” I said, looking at where it was upended onto a pile of dirt. “It doesn’t look in great shape.”
The man laughed, giddily, and it was unhinged but also appealing.
“I always make a backup,” he said. “Come on in.”
And that’s how I met Otis and Mary. Mary was the groundskeeper at the Palace, and Otis was her older brother. Mary was calm, competent and quiet, a short-haired woman in her 40s.
Otis, on the other hand, was talkative and outgoing, unemployed and living with his sister, but did all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry.
“I’m looking for work,” he said. “But in the field of Spirit Guidance and Mediation. I also dabble in inventions and competitive baking.”
I sat down for a cup of tea and a large slice of delicious strawberry and rhubarb pie, topped with a huge dollop of Otis’ homemade cream.
One hour turned into the next, and I left with three baby kittens and Otis’ assurances that the Spirits from Beyond were very friendly toward me.
The only thing that made life bearable that week was going through the gardens to visit Otis and Mary, which I did almost every day as Otis and I gossiped about everyone at the Palace and Mary whittled and shook her head affectionately at us.
Alphas got married fast. Omegas were supposed to want to get their nests ready fast. But I was not in the mood to do either, and the less my Alphas wanted anything to do with me, the more I dreaded my rapidly approaching wedding.
The first tiny glimmer of hope came when I went to the dress fitting.
Alpha and Omega weddings are big, star-studded events and the Skystone Pack wedding would kick off weeks of lengthy, impressive wedding ceremonies.
I didn’t like the idea of hundreds of other Alpha, Omegas, and high-ranking Betas I didn’t evenknowwatching me, but like everything else that’s happened to me since coming to the Capitol, I knew there was no way out.
However, when I went to the official Omega bridal shop, I relaxed a bit.
Most of the dresses looked designed for the more usual body type an Omega had: petite and slender.
But then I saw a dress I instantlyhadto try on.
It was perfect, long lacy white sleeves with forest-colored green ribbons, the bodice and side a riot of different colored leaves and flowers.
It looked nothing like the kind of boring wedding dress Omegas usually wore and I. . .loved it.
It reminded me of the mountains outside my home, of the woods that always surrounded us, and made me happy. And it was bold and eye-catching. Like me.
I was skeptical of this entire thing, the mates, the marriage, the ceremony, but trying on this dress was the first thing that gave me a tiny smidgen of hope.
Maybe everything would work out.
Maybe perfuming and going into heat would change everything.
I was twirling around and looking at myself, even though I’m not usually a twirler, when I heard a noise and saw Erain in the doorway.
He had his arms crossed, and I felt my stomach turn over. As usual, he looked cold and arrogant, disgustingly beautiful in the way Alphas were, an evolutionary holdover from the caveman days. Nothing more. I clamped my mouth against the cool snap of his wintry scent.
“We were thinking you’d wearthisdress,” Erain said, nodding to an assistant carrying an enormous cupcake-shaped bag. “It’s more suitable for an Omega.”
