Page 3 of Knot Alone

“I understand.”

“I can tell.” Iris gives me an indulgent grin, then offers the tablet for another signature to verify I’m satisfied with my answers. Next comes a box and button approving their submission into the system.

“Please remember that you can change anything in your questionnaire. However, changes require a follow-up meeting to re-sign and re-verify before we submit to the system.”

I can’t imagine anyone out there being vanilla enough to match me. Yes, I’d gotten hard when Graham leered dirty explanations for bondage and overstimulation in my ear and changed my 1 out of 5 to a 4. But that was about Graham, not the sex.

“Should your preferences match an Omega in our system, you will both come into the Center for biological match testing.”

I grimace.

“The process has gotten much less invasive than it was when we were in school.” Iris soothes.

Thank fuck. I have nightmares about standing naked in the school doctor’s office while they swabbed, measured, and scented me after I presented as an Alpha.

“You’ll do some moderate exercise to work up a sweat. We’ll collect a liquid sample for a scratch test and a scent sample on a test sheet. We will provide the Omega with your scent sample and provide you with theirs. If both parties find the scents agreeable, we’ll move on to the next round of biological testing. There, we’ll take saliva and semen samples.”

That can’t have gotten any less awkward than it was in school.

“I promise, we don’t need as large a sample as we would for genetic purposes. We need just enough pre-cum to do basic compatibility testing.”

I refuse to hunch. Making myself small won’t make the words go away. But I can’t do a damn thing about my blush. There’s no point in being embarrassed, I remind myself. I’m not going to get that far through the Center’s process. My picky nose has never found anyone but Graham attractive. I don’t need testing to know that.

“The Omega in question will provide the same samples and each of you will undergo a scratch test to see how your hormones react.”

I could’ve sworn I didn’t move, but Iris is excellent at her job and can tell I want to know what that means.

“People rarely have an out-and-out allergic reaction to one another’s fluids, but it’s important to rule out. Usually, we’re testing how strong the positive reaction is between the parties. For example, an Omega might have strenuous heats that could be soothed by three Alphas who trigger a decent hormonal reaction. Or, the Omega might prefer one Alpha who causes a strong hormonal reaction. This sort of matching is more art than science, but, as we prioritize Omegas in this Center, we like to give them the choice. An Omega might not love an Alpha’s scent or personality, but the excellent biological match would make end the heat in a day. Or, the Omega might consider three Alphas with delicious scents and agreeable personalities a fair trade for a heat that lasts four days. Hormonal matching provides the Omega with greater options.”

“I understand.” I do. I don’t need Iris to pinch her lips to hold back a smile at my awkwardness.

“Please sign and certify that you have understood this procedure as I have explained it to you.” Another sign and click.

“Next, if the Omega chooses you as a match, you will need to meet in person at least once before the heat. At least one of these meetings must be here in front of a caseworker to verify that your personalities match like your preferences and biology.”

If, by some unkind twist of fate, I’m someone’s biological match, I’m certainly not going to pass that trial.

Iris can’t stop her smile at my expression. “Should the parties agree, they can meet outside of the Center for subsequent encounters. We encourage further engagement to increase the parties’ comfort. Be aware that if you choose to enter a permanent arrangement with any Omega outside of this facility, we will not cancel your annual membership. Do you understand this procedure as I have explained it to you?” Another sign and click. As much as I like legalese, this is wearing on me.

“Finally, if you complete our procedures, you and I will meet again to review the heat specifics. I’m sure you’ve already read through them in the paperwork we provided, but I’ve found it’s better to cover those details when a heat is imminent.”

I nod. That makes sense, especially since it’s information I’m never going to need.

“So, now that I have your approval, step one is complete and your information is in our system. Step two will be to let the computer do its work and determine if you have any preference-based matches. It will take the system at least a day to sort through all the files. I’ll likely ask you to come back in and provide samples sometime next week. Two weeks at the latest. If I don’t ask you back within the month, we can schedule another meeting and review what about your questionnaire might be—”

The tablet beeps.

Iris blinks and taps the device open with her apologies. “It’s set to only beep when something is….” She trails off and her eyes go wide.

“Would you like me to step out?” I ask.

“No… uh.” This is the first time all meeting Iris hasn’t had the right word. “You have a match.”

“I have a what?” That’s not possible

Iris straightens and re-dons her professional air. “You have a match, Mr. Lockridge.” She zooms in on something on the screen. “An extremely high match. The notice interrupted our meeting because the Omega’s needs are… urgent.”

I gulp.

---