Page 23 of Knot Now Knot Ever

A deep rumbling purr vibrated through Eli and almost sent me over the edge, but instead of pushing my limits, he left a gossamer kiss on my neck and pulled back. “As much as I enjoy seeing my effect on you, this is not the time or place for that type of activity. If I’ve made Lyra wait, then I must do the same for you.”

I almost whined in desperation as he let his fingers glide down my neck and across my exposed collarbone as my sweatshirt fell off one shoulder. I subtly shifted, trying to find a way to sit that didn’t have my cock trying to burst through the seams of my skinny jeans. Why did I have to pick jeans? They are so goddamn restrictive.

“How is this possible?” Lyra asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “No pack has two Omegas, and I’ve never heard about there being such a thing as scent-matched Omegas.”

“It’s unbelievably rare, but there have been a handful of them throughout history,” Eli said. “After I met you, Lyra, I looked into the matter since I knew I’d been matched to a pack with an Omega.”

Lyra’s brow creased as she looked at Eli in disbelief. “You told me you didn’t have a pack.”

“I didn’t. This is the first time I’ve even met them. It wasn’t until about two weeks ago I even knew they existed,” Eli explained. “Honestly, if I thought there was a chance you’d be scent-matched to them as well, I would have told you. In every instance I’ve found, the Omega is only matched with one, maybe two Alphas in the pack. Of all the known occurrences, only one of them was matched to the other Omega. I truly didn’t intend to blindside you with this.”

The way I could see the physical difference in Lyra as she shut down was alarming. Slowly, she rose from the couch and backed up a few steps. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. Finding one of my scent matches was hard enough, but five of you? No, I need some time to deal with this.”

Turning on her heel, she left the room and slammed what I assumed was her office door, followed by the snick of the lock being set. Bewildered, I started to get up, but Eli placed a hand on my thigh, stopping me in my tracks. I looked at him and tried to understand where this went wrong. “Did I do this? Is she mad because I hugged her without her permission?”

“No, Fawn, it’s not you,” Eli assured me, slid a hand around my neck, and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “Lyra has been through a lot and doesn’t handle surprises like this well. Believe it or not, this is a better reaction than when I met her for the first time.”

My shoulders slumped as everything in me wanted to charge into her office and smother her in love. I knew what it felt like to feel alone in a sea of people who didn’t see you for who you were. Then I met my Alphas, and little by little, they helped to heal my emotional wounds. I still struggled with many things, but the person I am today is a million times happier than when we met a year ago.

“Without going into too much detail, can you tell us what we’re dealing with?” Tanner asked.

If anyone knew about having struggles to overcome, it was Tanner. He’d been on the fast track to be the next star in the skateboarding world. Then it all ended when he landed on his feet and broke them along with his ankles. The doctors had to put metal screws in his ankles to keep them together so they’d heal right. In the blink of an eye, everything he’d been working toward was ripped away from him.

Eli leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “She lost her parents at a young age and basically raised herself. I think, along the way, she somehow came to the conclusion that to save herself more pain, she would do all she could to avoid meeting her scent matches. When I discovered my new assistant was my scent-matched Omega, I was thrilled, but her first reaction was to drop everything and run.”

Zachary nodded as he listened, running a hand over his thick, black beard. “I can see why her first reaction would be to get mad if you knew how she felt and didn’t tell her about us.”

“We have to be careful. Lyra has already started the bonding process with Eli, meaning there’s no turning back,” Pascal pointed out. “I don’t want to pressure Lyra into anything she’s not ready to handle, but I won’t stand aside and let her harm herself by trying to run from this.”

“Passie, what do you mean she’d harm herself?” I asked, not following his logic.

He adjusted his round, gold-rimmed glasses that I helped him to pick out. They were a beautiful contrast to his rich, dark brown skin and black hair, making them an accessory to his appearance. My logic was if you needed to wear glasses every day, you should make them work for you instead of trying to hide them.

“I don’t know how commonly this is talked about amongst Omegas, but as Alphas, we’re made aware. Once the bonding between an Alpha and an Omega has begun, there’s no stopping it. On a scientific level, it changes the chemistry in the Omega, preparing them for the bond created once the pair marks each other. If the mark doesn’t happen and the Omega isn’t around their scent match, it can make them sick or in the worst case… die,” Pascal explained.

My mouth popped open in surprise. “Seriously?”

All the Alphas nodded with a somber look on their faces.

“Okay, so what are you guys going to do about it?” I demanded because, like hell, was anything like that going to happen to our angel.

“First, we need to reach out to the Scent Matchers,” Tanner said. “Specifically, the three of us since Pascal and Zachary will need to be approved for additional time off for courting and bonding leave. I own my own business so that makes it easier on my end.”

“Right, if we applied for it without some kind of note from the Scent Matchers, I think my boss would laugh at me,” Pascal muttered.

Eli seemed to tense at this suggestion but didn’t speak up. I’m sure I only noticed because I was sitting next to him. Although the reaction made me curious, most people didn’t have an issue with the Scent Matchers.

“I think getting everything set on our end will give Lyra a few days to adjust to the shock, and maybe we can try again. Perhaps starting with one-on-one interactions might help.” Eli suggested. “She warmed up to me once she calmed down, and I was able to find ways for it just to be the two of us in a neutral setting.”

“Oh,” I exclaimed, bouncing slightly in my seat. “Lyra and I could have a spa day or a sleepover. Maybe both, you know, like a day filled with all things Omegas love and finish the night off snuggled up together.”

The smile Eli gave me nearly made my heart stop at the sight of it. How could a man who was already a ten on the hotness scale suddenly become a twelve with the simple act of smiling?

“I think that is an excellent idea, and it might be best for you to be the first one to initiate getting to know the pack. I’m sure she’ll feel more relaxed with you being an Omega. My little sister once told me there was a special bond all Omegas have with each other,” Eli shared.

“You have a little sister?” I asked.

Eli nodded and pulled out his phone, flipping to his photos, where I was greeted with the most adorable sight. A woman who looked like she might be my pastel soul sister was hugging a giant dog with a flower crown on his head.