Page 4 of Knot Now Knot Ever

“I’ll make sure to hand it to him personally, ensuring he gets the note,” I said, taping it to the corner of my screen so I would see it Monday.

“My thanks to you, Lyra, and I’m sure we’ll be speaking again soon,” Jonathan said and hung up.

With a sigh, I walked over to my electric kettle and flipped on the switch. I was going to need a killer cup of tea before diving into the world of customs forms.

The flash of light was quickly followed by the rattling boom of thunder that shook the windows behind me. I had hoped to be done with work by now, but the customs people were giving me the runaround, and this order was far too important not to deal with right away.

“No, do not put me on hold again,” I snapped. “Look, I have the documents loaded into an email. Just tell me where to send it.”

“Miss, as I’ve been trying to tell you, they needed to be sen—” The line suddenly went dead as the power went out.

Slamming the phone down in its cradle, I let out a frustrated scream. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This is not happening right now.”

I stood, shoved my chair out of the way, and walked over to the windows. It was only five o’clock, but with the clouds and rain, all sunlight was blocked out, leaving only a dark grayness. Water poured out of the sky, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the city around me. I could see a dim glow from car headlights as they slowly tried to make it back home. Why anyone would want to even attempt it at this point was beyond me. Then the bright blue and red lights of an emergency vehicle appeared, and the faint sound of its siren pierced through the thundering of the rain.

Flashes of old memories darted before my eyes, forcing me to turn away. I couldn’t allow myself to think about that right now. Most of my time in therapy had been to overcome the triggers I had of that awful night. No matter how hard I worked, some things I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to be free from. Raking my fingers through my hair, I stepped out of my office and over to the couch in the sitting room. There were no windows in here, and the sound of the storm wasn’t quite so loud.

Kicking off my shoes, I stretched out on the leather sofa, preferring to wait for the power to come back on so I didn’t need to walk down twenty-four flights of stairs. Besides, it wasn’t like I’d be making a run for the train or bus in this weather. The underground station was close, but it was still a solid five-minute walk, and one I didn’t relish.

Deciding to make the most of it, I grabbed one of the accent pillows and tucked it under my head. A faint scent lingered from whoever sat here last—a heady aroma of teakwood with a hint of bourbon. It was a refined combination of notes that made me curious as to who the person was. Then again, if they were sitting in this office, they had to be in the upper echelon of society, which made sense. Strange that the scent would linger after a week since I knew no one had been using this space but Alvin and myself.

I drifted in that space between wakefulness and sleeping, allowing my mind to wander. In an odd turn, my subconscious decided to build the man who might be behind this scent. Was he tall, dashing with dark hair and brooding eyes?

Laughing at my imagination, it was clear my melancholy indulgence in watching the eight-hour version of Pride and Prejudice after work was showing. It was a perfect escape, though, to be pulled into a world of balls, gowns, courtship, and love found in the most unexpected people. Elizabeth Bennet was a woman I could understand who wanted to marry for love and choose who to spend the rest of her life with, society be damned. Her sharp tongue and wit always made me smile, especially when she went toe to toe with Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Lizzy got her happy ending, but I wasn’t sure I’d get mine.

For a moment, I thought my pack and I had broken the mold. We’d chosen to love each other after building a solid foundation of friendship, working through hard times, and finding we really did complement each other. Then out of the blue, she appeared, and my life as I knew it was over, blown to smithereens all because of biology. With a snap of the fingers, the love that had been mine was taken away, and I was nothing.

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I brushed it away, only for another to fall. Wait! That wasn’t a tear—it had landed on my cheek. Tears don’t land, they roll. My eyes snapped open, and I came face-to-face with a man kneeling beside the couch, his intense blue eyes watching me. His dark hair was drenched and hanging in his face, slowly dripping water. My first thought was to panic, but then he reached out and gently wiped the water from my cheek. Having him so close, I couldn’t help but drown in his scent, the same scent as the pillow I was cuddling. He was the man who’d sat on this couch and left his teakwood and bourbon scent behind, but why was he here now?

“Hello there,” he said, his voice deep, silky, and at the same time textured like velvet brushing along my skin.

Still unable to get my brain to understand what was happening, I took hold of his arm and pulled his wrist to my nose, needing another hit of his scent. The rumble of a purr as this stranger cupped my cheek had me singing in relief, unlocking something in me I’d never experienced before. He shifted and tried to pull his hand away, making me protest and let out a whine. Not just any whine, a whine only an Omega could produce in the presence of an Alpha.

“Shh, there’s no need to get upset, my sweet Omega,” he murmured, his gaze softening. “I just wanted to get out of this jacket, so I stop dripping water on you.”

Hearing him call me his Omega cut through the scent-induced high. Instantly, I released him and sat up, staring at him with wide eyes. Thinking clearly, I remembered the photo of him and his family on his desk. Recognition slammed into me—this man was my new boss, but he was also my scent-matched Alpha.

“No, no, this can’t be happening,” I gasped, scrambling off the sofa. “I’m so sorry, sir. I had no idea you’d be back in the office today. They told me you’d be back to work Monday.”

Eli looked utterly confused by my reaction and the words coming out of my mouth. Any Omega in their right mind would be flinging themselves at their scent match, not slowly backing away. Terror flooded me, and all I knew was I had to get away and couldn’t stay here with him. Bolting from the room, I raced to the elevators since the power had come back on at some point.

“Wait, please, I think there’s been some misunderstanding,” Eli called as he followed after me.

Thankfully, the elevator was still there from him having used it, so I dove in, swiped my card, and stabbed the lobby button, begging the doors to close in time. With an inch to spare, I was safely locked away in the metal box as it began its descent. Sliding down the wall, I sat on the floor, hands in my hair, desperately trying to figure out what to do about this.

If Eli was my scent match, there’s no way I could continue to work here.

What am I going to do? I have a two-year contract with Infinery, so I can’t just leave.

Why not? I could leave everything and make a run for it.

No, that’s just crazy.

The doors to the elevator opened, and I jumped to my feet and hurried through the lobby. There wasn’t anyone there but the building receptionist and two security guards since most everyone had gone home because of the storm. Just as I reached the revolving door, I heard someone shout. “Wait, don’t go out there. It’s too dangerous.”

Looking over my shoulder, I found Eli sprinting across the lobby with a determined look. This only spurred me forward, and the next thing I knew, I was being pelted by rain without a jacket or shoes. My need to get away was so overwhelming I’d forgotten all about them. It didn’t matter. I just needed to head down the way to the underground station, and then I’d be able to get home.

In a matter of seconds, I was drenched, and the rain was going fucking sideways with how strong the wind was blowing. Continuing forward, I made slow but steady progress until I was all but knocked off my feet and slammed into a news rack that appeared out of nowhere. Stunned by the blow, I stumbled back and lost my balance as my heel fell off the back of a curb, landing me in the street. The back of my head smacked into the pavement, causing me to see stars. Just when I didn’t think matters could get worse, flashing emergency lights appeared through the haze, followed by the shrill pitch of the siren.