Page 16 of Knot Now Knot Ever

“Babe, you know you can always call me about anything. We’ve both agreed to disagree on this subject, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand where you’re coming from. Your fear is grounded in personal experience, one I’ve never gone through, so yeah, it makes sense we view it differently. All I want is for you to find peace and safety with someone who will love the shit out of you. There isn’t a person I know who’s more deserving of finding that happily ever after than you,” Elora expressed. “Here’s the tough truth, babe… you’ve met him, scented him, and kissed the man. There’s no going backward. You’ve already started the bonding process, whether you want to admit it or not. So your choices are to take the leap and give the man a chance or run and waste away because an Omega can’t survive if the bond, once started, isn’t completed.”

“What?” I gasped, quickly sitting up. “How do you know that?”

“I looked into it when I signed the agreement with my label. I made damn sure there was a loophole if I ever ran into my Omega,” Elora explained. “If I were to meet my Omega and we got this far, they’d have to let me complete the bond, or it would kill them if I didn’t.”

Shock, fear, and sadness churned in my chest. “Why… why haven’t I heard of this before? Shouldn’t that be on a warning label somewhere?”

“My guess is people don’t talk about it because ninety-nine percent of Omegas wouldn’t choose to walk away from their scent match,” Elora pointed out. “I’m sorry, yet I’m not sorry things happened this way. Lyra, fear has taken so much from you, and it’s time to take something back. Give him a chance, spend time with him, and let the man prove he’s worth risking the chance of pain to give you a life full of love.”

“Elora, hair and makeup are ready for you,” a man called.

“Yeah, one sec,” Elora yelled. “Babe, you okay? I’m not gonna hang up until I know you’re not going to spiral once I’m not there to talk you down.”

Looking around my room, I felt a little numb, still processing this revelation, but I didn’t think I was in any danger of falling into a negative headspace. “I’ll be okay. In fact, Eli’s mother sent me a care package with some bath bombs in it. So after I hang up with you, I’ll draw a bath and read a book.”

“All right, I’m trusting you,” Elora warned. “But text me if you need anything. This photo shoot shouldn’t take too long.”

“I promise. Now go be the star you are,” I urged before hanging up.

Slipping out of bed, I did just what I told Elora I’d do and got lost in a reread of one of my favorite books about a ballet dancer who got a second chance at love.

Monday morning rolled around, and I was awake at five, knowing Eli would pick me up at seven. Starting with a shower, I did all the things—sugar scrub, hair mask, face mask, shaved from pits to toes, and finished it off with my favorite body oil. Most of the time, Omegas went for things that were unscented, especially if you were an unmatched Omega. The goal was not to distract from our natural perfume, which attracted our scent-matched Alphas to us. This worked both ways, and I knew the moment Eli’s teakwood and bourbon scent hit me, he was my scent match.

Yes, other people could have appealing scents, but they didn’t live rent-free in your head. Families could have comforting or pleasurable scents to be around because of a familial bond. Yet if you found yourself around an Alpha who made you wrinkle your nose in distaste, they were not the Alpha for you. My previous pack and I found that the more time we spent with each other, the less our scents were even noticeable to each other. They became neutral to our brains and weren’t something we thought about after a while. Eli was an entirely different story. I couldn’t wait just to be near him so I could get a fresh hit of that rich Alpha cologne.

Hair and makeup complete, I started to go through all the clothes I had, feeling like nothing was quite right. Suddenly, I was craving more color in this sea of neutrals and blacks. Before my parents died, I always gravitated toward clothes that fell in the spring color wheel. It was almost as if I were seeing for the first time how my sadness reflected in other parts of my life. Why buy colorful clothes you have to live up to when you feel empty inside?

Frustrated, I made a mental note to look up some clothing stores in the area. If what Elora told me about the dangers of not bonding with Eli were true, then I needed to wrap my head around the idea of being courted and fast. Grabbing a few pieces I knew I looked good in, I laid them on the bed and picked out some shoes. Glancing at the clock, I had twenty minutes to dress and find something to eat before Eli arrived. I quickly pulled on the high-waisted, wide-legged black trousers and slipped on the cream silk tank top. Once it was tucked in, I grabbed the cropped light gray blazer along with my shoes and hurried to the coffee maker.

“No.” I groaned, seeing I’d forgotten to hit the program button last night before going to bed.

I would never consider myself a coffee addict, even though I enjoyed a good, strong cup in the morning. My rule was never more than two cups of coffee a day, and it can’t be had after noon. If I wanted something hot or for a pick-me-up, I would switch to tea. With my anxiety, I found too much coffee made it worse, but in moderation, it wouldn’t cause too much of an issue.

A knock sounded at the door, and I froze like a deer in the middle of the road. When I didn’t answer, there was another knock, a pause, then the door opened just a crack.

“Lyra, it’s me. I’m a little early, so take your time. I’ll be here in the hall when you’re ready.” With that announcement, the door closed.

Hearing his voice broke the hold my fear over seeing him again had trapped me in. Eli was willing to stand out in the hall, respecting my space instead of letting himself in like many men would. How was such a simple action on his part so swoonworthy? Was the bar I had for myself set that low? Shaking myself out of that downward spiral, I got my shoes on and pulled on my blazer. Taking a second, I double-checked I had my phone, keys, and wallet in my purse before slipping the strap over my shoulder. With one more deep breath, I shook out my hands and headed for the door.

There he stood in an elegant dark green suit with a black shirt, causing me to stop in my tracks. I hadn’t seen the polished side of Eli, and damn, was it a good look. Everything about him was neat and tidy but had an effortless feel instead of rigid air. He held a tray with four to-go cups labeled with the name of a café I didn’t know.

“Good morning, Lyra,” Eli greeted, his gaze fixated on me as if I were the only person in the world who mattered. “Did you have a restful weekend?”

“Hmm?” I asked, needing to pull myself back to reality instead of wondering how much work it would be to get his clothes off.

His whole face transformed into something achingly beautiful when he smiled. If I had thought I was speechless before, I’d have been mistaken because now I’m not sure what words even were anymore. Eli took two steps forward, closing the space between us, and cupped my jaw. With minimal effort, he urged me to tilt my face upward, and his lips met mine in a searing kiss that nearly made my legs give out. His tongue flicked over my lower lip, asking me to open, and I saw no reason to object. My hands gripped the lapels of his suit as I leaned against his body and moaned.

The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat had me jerking away, but Eli didn’t let me get far as he snaked an arm around my waist. “Good morning, sir. I apologize if we were blocking your way,” Eli calmly said to one of my neighbors, not at all flustered.

“This is an upscale residence with rules of conduct, not the slums where you can pick up a hooker in the hall,” the man snapped.

Eli’s relaxed demeanor melted away to be replaced with an icy rage. Carefully, he handed me the tray of drinks before turning his full attention to the man. “I beg your pardon, but did I just hear you refer to my Omega as a hooker?”

The man also noticed the change in Eli and tried to ignore the question while heading for the elevators. Unfortunately for him, Eli wasn’t going to let this slight go unchallenged and blocked the man’s exit with his hand.

“Let me through. I don’t owe you or anyone else an explanation when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“That is where you’re mistaken, sir. According to the rules of conduct you regard so highly, slander against a fellow resident is an offense that can have you removed from this building. Furthermore, if such a situation were to occur and be witnessed by someone on the board of directors of this building, there won’t need to be a vote about your eviction,” Eli informed the man whose face was turning redder by the second.