Page 1 of A Very Knotty Halloween
Chapter One – Marnie
The Halloween Hunt: an over-the-top party meant to help alphas and omegas mingle before an omega turns twenty-one and has her first heat. Run by an enigmatic person no one knows the real identity of; everyone calls him Mr. Holiday—although we don’t know if it’s Mr. or Ms. Could be either. Mr. Holiday is that mysterious.
I never thought I’d actually go to one of these things, but considering my best friend has been dying to check out the hunts ever since we turned eighteen, it was only a matter of time.
Sabrina and I are driving in the middle of nowhere. Well, she’s driving while I stare out the window and wonder just what the heck I got myself into. She’s playing something loud on the radio, something to get us in the mood.
What mood? The mood to hook up with alphas we’ll never see again. Tonight’s about no strings attached fun. Some omegas might save themselves for their future packs, but not all do. Sabrina is from a family with a bit more money than mine, so she’ll probably meet her pack at the Omega Garden. Me? I don’t know what I’m doing yet. My dad doesn’t like talking about the fact that I’m an omega. I think, even now, he wishes I was born a beta like him and Mom.
And Mom… well, she died when I was seven, so she never saw me present as an omega. Dad got remarried when I was thirteen, and by that time it was too late. I presented as an omega, and my stepmom, an omega herself, never really taught me what to expect.
School did, of course, but learning about things in such a sterile, educational environment just isn’t the same.
I’m twenty, though, so my time is running short. Sooner or later we’ll have to figure something out. Sabrina said I couldcrash the Omega Garden with her, but… I’m from a regular family. We don’t have vacation homes or anything like that. I don’t think I’m the kind of omega they want at a place like that. Just a nobody.
“God, I’m so pumped for this,” Sabrina says, glancing at me as she grins ear to ear. My friend is beautiful, just like most omegas are. We share the same height at a resoundingly short five feet and the curves to match, but when it comes to hair and eyes, I’ve always been jealous of her. She has gorgeous bright red hair that borders on orange if the sun hits it just right, along with light eyes that seem to change color depending on the light, while my hair is a boring black color and my eyes are just as dark.
“Are you sure we can’t turn back?” I ask, mostly joking, although a part of me is serious. Sabrina’s more outgoing; she never takes no for an answer. Me? I’m a wallflower. I don’t take risks. Tonight will be the riskiest thing I’ve ever done.
“Hell no, girl,” she says. “We’re almost there. No turning back now.”
From what I understand, there are three phases to tonight. The first is a costume party—tonight is Halloween, after all. The second is the actual hunt, where us omegas get a head start before the alphas give chase. The third is the afterparty, where the alphas, assuming the omega agrees, take their prize to a private room and spend the rest of the night together.
Crazy, right? It’s based on a reality TV show that first came out fifteen years ago, where omegas are dumped on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere and packs of alphas search them out. The alpha packs have the opportunity to chase whichever omega they want and only stop when they feel they’ve caught the one.
I watched it once. It all felt very staged, but maybe that’s because Sabrina made me watch the very first episode. Things have obviously changed since then.
“I wonder how many packs will be formed tonight,” I mumble, mostly to myself as I watch the scenery fly by: trees. Lots and lots of thick, old trees. We really are in the middle of nowhere.
“Tonight isn’t about packs. Tonight’s about fun.”
“Yeah, I know, but come on. There’s no way no packs get formed tonight.” I’m not stupid. When alphas and omegas mix, you never know what’ll happen. Meeting a pack of alphas at a place like this? My dad would kill me.
“You’re probably right, but still, I swear to God, if you come out of this with a pack, I’m going to be pissed. Tonight’s about fun. F-U-N. I know you and fun are strangers, but tonight’s about letting loose while not thinking about the future.” Sabrina tosses me a quick glance before she adds, “I know we’re supposed to be baby-making machines, but shit. Sometimes you just need to let off some steam, you know?”
I wouldn’t know anything about that, so I keep quiet. Since we haven’t had our first heat yet, it means it’s near-impossible to get pregnant—for certain people, it means it’s a free-for-all when it comes to sex. I’ve never crossed that line with anybody. Never wanted to. Doubt a little party and a hunt will change my mind.
Eventually, we pull up to a building in the middle of nowhere—a rather large building, too, with ample parking all around. We’re far from the first ones here, and we get out of the car and wander to the trunk. Sabrina pops it open and pulls out her bag, and I grab mine, slinging it over my shoulder.
Ah, yeah. The nerves are setting in. I feel like I want to throw up.
A scanner is situated outside the main door, and Sabrina and I pull out our IDs. Once they’re scanned, we’re let inside, wherewe are greeted by a woman wearing a simple, all-black mask. An alpha, by the smell of her.
“Welcome, welcome,” she says, her voice muffled by the mask. “I will need to collect your phones before we continue.” She holds out her hands, one toward either of us. With how top-secret this whole thing is, I can’t blame Mr. Holiday for the no phone rule.
I hand over my phone without a second thought, but Sabrina takes a little while longer to give it up. Compared to me, she’s attached to her phone constantly. She’s pretty big on certain platforms, basically an influencer.
Once the masked alpha has our phones, she turns around and begins to walk. “Follow me, ladies. I’ll take you to the dressing room. You have—” The masked alpha checks her wrist, where a slender watch sits. “—two hours until the party begins.”
Two hours? And here Sabrina was complaining we were going to be late. Two hours is plenty of time to throw on a costume and apply a bit of makeup.
The alpha takes us through a long hall. The light is dim, the hall having no windows, but my eyes quickly get used to it. She brings us to the dressing room, where the other omegas are already changing and getting ready for tonight. Directly inside the door to the hall sits a small end table with a box of various-colored scarves made of sheer, thin fabric.
“Take one,” the masked alpha says. “Wear it during the party over your scent gland. At the end of the party, all omegas will be asked for their scarves. While you are busy with a two-minute head-start, the alphas will be given your scarves. Should they find you during the hunt and return your scarf to you, it means you are theirs for the night. Please remember the safe word you forwarded to Mr. Holiday. Every alpha will be wearing a collar, and if you utter your safe word, they will be forced to stop what they are doing. Your safety is Mr. Holiday’s top priority. His onlyrule for you omegas is to enjoy yourselves tonight.” The masked alpha bows and then slips back into the hallway.
Sabrina grabs us two scarves, one purple and one pink, and she hands me the pink one. I follow her through the dressing room, trying not to focus on the assault on my nose—so many omegas in such a small space. All the pheromones, the different scents; it’s so much. Too much. Sad to say we need some alpha musk to tamper it down.
We find an empty mirror station and claim it for ourselves. Sabrina sets her bag down and starts pulling out her things, while I pull out the costume I brought—a vampire costume. Nothing too ridiculous. It’s a bit long on me, but it fits, mostly. There’s a dip in the chest, one that reveals a little too much, but it’s damn near impossible to find a costume that fits an omega that isn’t slutty in one way or another.
