Page 12 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)
CHAPTER SEVEN
LUCA
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Xavier muttered, pacing back and forth in my waiting room like a caged predator. “Let’s say her handler is telling the truth, and Elara does want you there; what happens if she doesn’t choose you?”
“We leave tonight as planned.” I raised an eyebrow at my pilot as I buttoned the cuffs on my suit sleeves. The agitation rolling off him made his chocolate-covered berries scent turn sour, bitter as burnt coffee. “I don’t see what the problem is.”
“The problem is everyone believes you’re your brother, Eli, not Luca,” he spat, spinning to face me.
Xavier refused to meet my eyes, initiating a challenge as his gaze fixed over my shoulder.
“What happens when your brother finds out? That you used his profile to enter The Den…Stars, what happens when the station discovers your fraudulent activity?”
“If I’m not chosen, then he doesn’t need to find out,” I pointed out, straightening my jacket with deliberate calm. “And if he does discover I used his identity to enter Elara’s roster, then I’ll explain it was mistaken identity—that I thought they’d used my profile.”
“But you weren’t registered—”
“No, but I will be before my brother returns to the station. I don’t know when he managed to register himself. He hardly leaves the company’s property, much less his villa, so there’s no reason for alarm.”
“And if she picks you?” Seth asked from his seat across from Jaxom in the corner. They were always the observant ones in my crew, watching and commenting only when something was important.
If it weren’t for his citrusy scent and quiet demeanor, I would’ve forgotten he was here.
I’d asked the crew’s medic to attend in case Elara needed assistance if she chose me.
I knew nothing about her medical history, and if she required pharmaceutical products, it would be essential for both Seth and me to know immediately, ensuring we could provide whatever she needed as soon as possible.
Jaxom was inventory manager and accountant when it came to the clan’s funds.
I had final approval regarding purchases from the shared account, but he handled placing orders and ensuring they arrived.
I didn’t want to be overly optimistic, but if she chose me, she would need all her necessities taken care of—from my personal account, of course.
Once I’d claimed her, I would be required to provide everything she needed for her new nest before her heat.
Even though I was the clan’s alpha, I was only one man and knew I would need my crew’s assistance.
An omega near her heat cycle would be demanding, requiring my attention to ease her burning desire—and as her alpha, I wouldn’t be able to resist her siren’s call.
“What if she doesn’t want us here?” Seth flicked his gaze to Jaxom, who nodded in reply. “The three of us may overwhelm her when it comes to getting to know her potential new clan.”
“I don’t believe you have anything to worry about,” I replied, attempting to comfort my betas.
“There are seven of us and one of her. Starting introductions as soon as possible would only make the transition easier. But we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.
I haven’t been chosen, and even if she does choose me, I’ll need to court her until she permits me to mark her. ”
“And what about her caretaker, Quinn?” Jaxom asked, crossing his arms. “Is she going to require us to allow her to supervise until she has a mark on her omega’s skin?”
“That I don’t know,” I confessed, scanning the waiting room for any indication of when Elara’s session would begin.
The vidscreen on the wall displayed a live feed of The Den’s arena, with all the alphas who had signed up for the current omega’s session lined up and ready.
Other than the two-seat table and drink dispenser along the wall, there was nothing else within the room outside of its three doors—one to enter, one to exit, and the restroom.
“There doesn’t seem to be a clock in here, perhaps to prevent alphas from getting restless. ”
“Are you nervous?” Xavier’s head snapped to the vidscreen as the male omega entered the arena. “We can leave if you want to.”
“I appreciate the offer, but there’s no need.
” I stepped beside him and gripped his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
His face turned toward me, eyes flicking from my hand to my face with a questioning stare.
“I needed to enter the arena sooner or later, to cast my hand for a chance at being worthy of an omega. She just gave me the push I needed.”
“Have you thought about what happens when you claim an omega?” Seth stood up and grabbed a drink from the dispenser, holding it up and gesturing to the three of us in the room, silently asking if we wanted drinks.
“While there’s fluidity when it comes to sexual attraction regarding alphas and omegas, we have two female betas in relationships with the two other males in the crew, who aren’t here.
How are you going to handle an omega claiming one and not the other in a relationship? ”
“What an omega wants, they get.” Releasing my grip on Xavier, who rolled his shoulders in reply, I shook my head and refused Seth’s offering. “I can bark all I want, but if they’re resilient enough, they can do what they want.”
“Yeah, but do you think our women are going to like it?” Jaxom asked, pointing to the vidscreen.
“I’m sitting here nervous about what’s coming.
If she does pick you and is attracted to my scent, what happens when she goes into full heat without even having a chance to get to know me?
Her needy pheromones will make it almost impossible for me to resist. What are we supposed to do when that happens? ”
“I’m planning on taking it day by day,” I replied, watching the male omega move from alpha to alpha—smelling them, touching them, speaking with them before moving to the next one.
“If I’m chosen, as soon as I mark her and we get her nest situated, providing her with all the necessities she needs, we can select what exotic planet we want to visit.
I’ve checked our shipping schedule, and we have a few weeks before we’re needed next.
After that, I can tell my brother we’re taking a vacation and we’ll be back in time for the next delivery.
Once we’re settled at a resort, I’ll find a property with two residential buildings—anyone who doesn’t want to be part of her pack can stay in one while Elara, myself, and whoever is interested in joining us can stay in the other. ”
“Are you really planning on taking a vacation?” Jaxom drawled, staring at me in disbelief.
“The crew voiced their opinion, wanting to spend the clan’s money on a vacation home,” I pointed out. “I thought over what was said and figured that even if I wasn’t chosen, we could still take the opportunity to try to find the perfect place for us.”
“Finally, we can bask in the sun instead of being stuck between metal walls breathing filtered air,” Xavier exclaimed, clapping my shoulders before he went over to the other two, throwing up his hands in joy.
“Did you hear? We’re going on vacation after this.
Hopefully, we can pick something that has a pool, if not a beach, because I’ve been dying to swim for a long time. ”
“We have to get through today first,” Seth countered as he took a sip of his drink. “We probably should let the others help pick out something.”
“I was going to make it a surprise for everyone, but you insisted on knowing more information.” I paused as I watched a female gamma walk out to her male omega and witness him picking out five alphas—two female and three male—from the lineup.
“Another selection has been made. I’m that much closer to my turn to enter The Den. ”
The room fell silent as we all watched the rejected alphas leave through their own exits directly behind them.
The station was designed to prevent any alpha from engaging with each other before, during, or after the event.
Each alpha was placed on a different floor, depending on what omega’s session they’d signed up for, and they were taken to and from the arena via an elevator shaft.
The station didn’t want to deal with nervous alphas crossing paths with those who were rejected. No matter the outcome, I would wait until the green light on top of my elevator told me to enter before going to the arena or leaving The Den’s waiting area.
As much as I wanted to calm my clan’s nerves, the number of questions they had for me was starting to make me feel agitated.
I was about to do something that would change my life forever, binding myself to another for eternity to prevent myself from spiraling into insanity, and they wanted every detail of the big picture when I had no clue what was going to happen.
I risked getting in trouble for stealing my brother’s identity to register for her session, and if she ended up rejecting me, I’d risked not only my reputation but my clan’s and my company’s.
My clan would lose faith in me and may start questioning my future decisions because of what I’d put them through.
I would look like a fool going through all of this for a female omega I’d happened to help yesterday.
Instantly, a ding rang through the room, alerting me that my turn was about to start. I walked up to the full-body mirror beside the glowing green elevator door and straightened out my tie before turning around to my three betas.
“Wish me luck.”
Stepping in front of the double doors, they slid open, revealing a freshly sanitized elevator capsule. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into my awaiting future.
The fifty of us stood on our designated spots that formed a circle around the room. The metallic floor was covered with a ventilation system that surrounded each green lit-up square, designed to ensure no trace of an alpha’s scent lingered within the room.
We were required to stand within our assigned locations and wait for the omega to approach our area if they were interested. They would have to be within the green lighting on the floor to smell our unique aroma, ensuring that each alpha wouldn’t have their scent tainted by those beside them.
But appearances were essential for some of the alphas within this session, and I wouldn’t put it past them to blame their neighbors for why they weren’t chosen.
There were quite a few mature males and one mature female standing within the ranks.
Most appeared the same age as me or freshly out of the academy.
How a newly graduated alpha could afford the sponsorship and pass the vetting system was beyond me.
But part of the approval was proving that the alpha applicant could provide a lavish lifestyle if the omega demanded it, so the twenty-one-year-olds had to be from wealthy families or were lucky enough to make it big with some discovery.
Clenching my fists, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.
None of that mattered to me. Elara had sent her caretaker to request that I find a way to get here.
I had done so. The only thing that mattered was keeping my cool and not repulsing her somehow.
The one thing I didn’t want to do was blow my shot with her.
That was the last thing I ever wanted to do.
I’d promised myself never to get attached to an omega, not before I’d met her on The Den’s floor, because I knew until she had a mark on her neck from me, she wasn’t mine. It only hurt in the long run if I became obsessed with someone I could never have.
That was why I’d refused to allow my fantasies to run wild in my mind. If I did, and she rejected me, it would only crush me after all I’d done.
Yet part of me already claimed her as mine.
I wasn’t like the others in the room who had no idea who she was outside of the profile in the system.
I’d met her. I’d helped her. She requested me to be here.
Even though logically they had a right to be here, deep down inside, I couldn’t allow it to be.
They were determined to have any omega select them, whereas I only wanted her.
The whooshing noise that radiated from the sliding doors pierced the deafening silence within the arena.
Snapping my eyes open, I jerked my head toward the source of the sound, only to drop my jaw in awe.
Elara stood in the doorway in an emerald dress that hugged her figure as if it were her own skin.
The top bodice was see-through, with elegant emerald and crystal swirls to tease any who dared to stare upon her.
Her blonde hair was braided tighter than yesterday to display the very thing I had given her.
Around her neck was the diamond and pearl choker necklace that I’d bought her and suggested she wear—a bold display in front of hungry and desperate alphas wanting nothing more than an omega to mark and share their bed with.
Glancing around, I gauged what the others thought. The female alphas were practically salivating as they fixed their outfits and tried to put on a show. A few appeared jealous of Elara as if they hadn’t thought she would dress up the way she had.
But the male alphas?
The other desperate males within the den gazed at her with the same fierce desire as my own. Yet, as I looked upon the omega who had somehow put me in this place, she stared at me as if I were the only one standing before her.