Page 13 of A Very Knotty Halloween
Right. I don’t think any of us believe that, not anymore. Maybe we did believe it at first, but over the years his internet stalking turned into obsession. This isn’t about protecting his stepsister. This is about Cas finally claiming what he views ashis. Marnie already proved that she fits with me and Jack; we can only hope that she also fits just as well with him.
The masked alpha who put the collars on us claps her hands. For a female alpha, she has a commanding presence about her; I suppose that’s why she’s here, a part of this. “Now that you’re all collared up, please follow me.” She leads the way out of the room we’re in, and we head down a hall.
I stay close to Jack, who in turn stays close to Cas. Around us, the other alphas stick close to their packs. I don’t know that I see any single alphas around. Most are in packs of three or four, although there are some pairs dotted amongst us.
It’s easy for us to form packs. It happens growing up, in school. Oftentimes the pack you form during middle school ends up being your forever pack, but you don’t think about those things when you’re just a kid, barely coming into your alpha designation. You don’t really know what it means until you’re older, until you grow into it.
After a long walk, we end up in a narrow hall, where we’re placed by doors with our names etched on them. The alphas exchange looks. We’re all probably wondering the same thing: where are the scarves with our omega’s scent on them?
Coming here, I thought it would be a free-for-all, but after witnessing how perfect it all seemed to be—as in, during the party, there seemed to be hardly any overlap when it came to alphas vying for the same omega—I can’t help but wonder if it was all planned. If, perhaps, the guy running this whole thing magically knew who’d go for who.
“When I say go, you will enter the door marked with your names,” the masked female alpha says, holding her hands behind her back. “Mr. Holiday observed you all at the party, and he has given each of you the scarf of the omega you matched with best. Don’t worry—Mr. Holiday sees all. Trust in the process, and you will each have a fun, rewarding night. Inside yourdoors, you will be presented with the scarf of your omega. Take it. Memorize their scent. Use it to hunt them through the maze tonight. When you catch them, bring both them and the scarf back to us. In exchange for the scarf, you will be given a key to a private room where you and your omega can spend some quality time getting to know each other.”
I can smell the other alpha’s scents. Everyone’s excitement is palpable, to the point where they’re oozing testosterone. It’s not a fun place to be, surrounded by so many alphas all desperate for a night with an omega.
I wonder how many of them plan to have their omega for more than just one night. I know we do.
“Remember, tonight is about fun. This isn’t about your packs finding their forever omega. If that happens, great, but do not put more pressure on tonight or on the omegas. The safety of the omegas is Mr. Holiday’s top priority. Should they utter their safe word, your collars will go off, and within ten seconds, you will lose consciousness. Be on your best behaviors. Do not lose control. Mr. Holiday does not take kindly to alphas losing control.”
It’s a warning, and although it’s spoken from a female alpha, it’s one that every alpha in the room hears and takes to heart. No one argues with her, no one questions her. This Mr. Holiday guy seems like a control freak, but hey, I can’t complain. We’re here, aren’t we? We’re here for our omega.
“You will have two minutes to reacquaint yourselves with your omega’s scent before the door on the opposite end of the room buzzes open for you. Only then will you enter the maze and go on the hunt. Any questions?”
No one says a word. I think it’s safe to say we’re all dying to get this night started. The party was only the beginning, a small taste of what the night will hold, especially for us. Marnie will see that she belongs to us by the time the sun rises.
“Everyone,” the female alpha says, “face your door and get ready. Three, two, one… go.” The final word is barely out of her mouth when the other alphas rush through their doors.
Cas is the first to enter ours, while I’m second, and Jack is last. We step into a dimly-lit room, where a pink scarf sits, folded neatly on a square podium. He snatches the scarf up and brings it to his face, and as the door swings shut behind us, he inhales her scent. Just like that, things get more real. A growl radiates from him, a desperate sound laced with need and hunger. Our pack leader sounds absolutely feral, something I’m not used to.
Only when he’s satisfied does he offer the scarf to me, and I feel like I’m a dog about to be set loose on a hunting ground with the way I bury my nose in that fabric and inhale as deeply as my lungs allow.
Fuck. She smells so good, and she’s not even here. I can’t imagine how it was like for Jack, buried between her legs. A delicious fruity scent, laced with chocolate. God, her scent alone is enough to make me hard—it’s the only reason I offer the scarf to Jack so quickly. Don’t want to start the hunt with a hard dick.
No, the eternal boner will come later in the night, I have the feeling.
Jack practically hums as he sniffs the scarf, and just like that, all three of us are lost, though I bet Cas wouldn’t agree. I wonder how long it’ll be until he admits it to himself, to us, that this isn’t just about keeping Marnie away from other alphas, that this is about getting her for himself, for us.
We found our omega. Tonight we’re going to make sure she knows it, and by extension, Cas’ll face facts, too.
“All right,” Cas says, barking it out like an order, and Jack dutifully hands him the scarf, which he tucks into the pocket in his pants. And not too soon, because just as the scarf is safely out of sight, the door on the far side of the elongated room buzzesopen, swinging open on its own mechanism and revealing the dark outside world.
The hunt.
Cas is the first to rush out, and Jack is quick to stay on his heels, but I set a hand on his shoulder and stop him. He looks back at me, disappointed—and of course he is. Cas might’ve said he wanted her first, but that doesn’t change how Jack feels, nor I how feel.
“Let him have his own head start,” I whisper as Cas moves so quickly he’s immediately out of sight.
Jack’s shoulders slump somewhat. “Right. He wants to reach her first.” Then he sighs and turns to me. “I can’t wait to catch up to her, Damien. She tasted so good. And her scent—”
A hungry growl comes from my chest as I say, “Stop talking about her. You’re going to make me hard, and as much as I’d love to put that mouth of yours to use again, I don’t want to give Casthatmuch of a head-start.”
Waiting there for a bit longer is like pulling teeth without being numbed first. Painful and annoying. Things would be different if I was pack leader, but then again, if I was the head of the pack, we wouldn’t know Marnie existed, and that would be a tragedy.
Something about that omega is enough to drive me crazy, to make me feel feral. Such a strange thing, being driven out of my mind by a girl we just met. It’s almost like fate is rewarding us for coming out here with Cas, giving us a pat on the back along with a beautiful omega on a silver platter. Our omega. Our mate. Ours.
Only she doesn’t know it yet.
But she will. Come morning, she’ll know she belongs to us.
