Page 18 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)
CHAPTER TWELVE
ELARA
“This is all mine?”
Wonder cascaded through me like starlight breaking through storm clouds. I couldn’t believe it, yet I should have anticipated such magnificence from the sleek elegance of their vessel—both exterior grandeur and interior sanctuary.
They’d transformed this ship into their home, their refuge—their Paradise .
“Yes,” he purred, brushing loose strands away from my temples. “We’ve kept this nest room prepared, waiting for the moment I’d have the honor of being chosen by an omega.”
“Is this common?” I’d never heard whispers of nest rooms until meeting him, yet here stretched a vast chamber dominated by the most enormous bed I’d ever witnessed, claiming an entire corner like a throne of comfort.
Two sliding doors promised private bathroom and closet sanctuaries.
The remaining space bloomed with oversized cushioned chairs beside a window spanning the entire wall like a portal to infinity—into the vastness of open space.
“I thought omegas typically shared their alpha’s chambers. ”
“If the clan lacks resources,” he replied, turning me to face a wall-length mirror that captured us both in its silvered embrace. “But if someone in my position hadn’t provided this for you, it would insult not only your worth but my character as well.”
He leaned closer, pressing his nose against my crown. I watched through the mirror as he closed his eyes and drew a reverent breath. Satisfaction rumbled from his chest as his calming essence—coconut and sunshine—wrapped around me like the warmest embrace.
“I doubt someone like you could ever damage his reputation.”
“Are you certain?”
His icy blue eyes snapped open, locking with mine in the mirror’s reflection. If not for the regret etched deep into his face, I might’ve found our position purely erotic. But the defeat threading his voice pierced straight through to my heart like a blade seeking its mark.
Had I made the wrong choice? Was his kindness merely performance?
“What do you mean?”
“How much does my name matter to you?” He pulled away as if my touch might burn him. “What if I was the wrong brother?”
“You aren’t Eli, the Coco Pharma product designer?” Confusion furrowed my brow as I searched my memory for fragments of conversations—both witnessed and overheard. “But Luca, the Coco Pharma delivery manager?”
“You’re correct,” he breathed, lifting hands toward me before halting mid-reach.
His face contorted with pain, needing to offer comfort but refusing out of respect that I might no longer want his touch.
“Unfortunately, my mother birthed me shortly after Eli, and we’re often mistaken for twins due to our similar appearance.
When your caretaker approached me about your desire for my presence in the arena, the only way I could attend was by assuming my brother’s registered position.
I reasoned if you didn’t choose me, no harm would be done—I could continue with business, never mentioning it to him.
But since you did choose me, I’ve placed us both in this predicament.
I needed to confess before anything between us progressed further. ”
Shock held me motionless as I watched him through the mirror—watching me. His breathing came heavy and labored, awaiting my verdict to see if I’d change my mind. Yet how could I?
The alpha behind me already cared deeply enough about my feelings to confess before claiming me—binding me to his lie—knowing he couldn’t hide his true identity or prevent me from discovering the truth independently.
If anything, this revelation only deepened my respect for him as a person, especially given the circumstances.
I would have likely done the same in his position.
I couldn’t have continued living knowing I might have been with an omega who wanted me desperately enough to send her gamma in pursuit.
“What is a name?” I whispered, clutching a handful of my emerald dress just to keep from reaching for him. If I touched him now, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from kissing him. And I needed to say this—clearly, completely—before we crossed that line.
“If I were you, I would’ve done the same.
” I lifted my gaze to meet his in full. “You may have used someone else’s name, but it wasn’t like you stole a stranger’s identity.
Eli is your brother. You’re co-owners of the same company.
You look enough alike that no one questioned you, and you’re the one who actually comes here for deliveries. It’s not far from the truth.”
I exhaled slowly, voice steady. “Honestly? That should’ve been caught by the gammas—not you.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it. “Does Quinn know?”
His silence gave me the answer before he did, but he nodded anyway.
“She does.” A beat passed. “I warned her what I planned to do—and the risk it meant for both of us. She didn’t report it.
” His voice dropped, full of quiet conviction.
“She knew the consequences. But she also knew I wouldn’t survive hearing your name written in the stars… bound to another alpha. Another clan.”
He looked away, jaw tight. “I had one chance. One. And if I lost it—if I lost you —because I played by the rules…” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with that.”
My heart cracked wide open at the truth laid bare between us.
“If Quinn knew and still didn’t report it,” I said gently, “then she must’ve supported it. She knows how much I’ve wanted you—how long I would’ve fought that wanting. She wouldn’t have let us get this far if she didn’t believe you were right for me.”
His gaze snapped back to mine, and the relief there nearly undid me.
“After you claim me,” I said quietly, “you need to tell me everything. No more lies. No more secrets. If we’re doing this, it has to be real.”
He tensed, then stepped toward me like he couldn’t help himself. “You’re not going to reject me?” he asked, voice low. “Not going back to Quinn? Not entering the Den again?”
I shook my head. “I’m not foolish. I know there’ll be consequences. But I want you . I want to leave this place. I want my freedom.”
His lips parted, searching my face like he couldn’t believe I meant it.
“You’re…honestly not upset?”
“Not over this.” I shrugged, warmth blooming low in my belly.
My body already ached for him, and there was no use pretending otherwise.
“I still choose you. Just promise me you’ll make it right with your brother—as soon as you can.
” A smile ghosted across my lips. “You’re still the same man I want.
I don’t care if your name is Eli, Luca, or Frank. ”
“Not Frank.” He frowned, shuddering as he stepped forward and ran the back of his hand against the choker around my neck. “That old name has not aged well, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“Not even our enemies?”
He sent me a brilliant smile through the mirror and placed his lips near my ear. “Not even them.”
Leaning back, I pressed myself against him and savored how we appeared standing together in the mirror’s reflection. We radiated elegance—power—and hunger, burning with yearning.
“When are you going to help me out of this dress?” I peered over my shoulder and rubbed against his hardness. “Or am I going to have to ask Maia or Stella for assistance?”
“Don’t say such things,” Luca growled, his words carrying a hint of commanding bark. “You know I’d be more than willing to do it for you.”
Part of me wanted to test his limits, to see what he’d do if I pushed further. But I resisted that impulse. I’d play with him another day. Right now, I craved the mark I’d been dreaming about all this time.
“Then do it, Alpha Luca ,” I whined, unable to wait any longer. I could feel my body heating with arousal as wetness bloomed between my thighs. “Claim me as yours.”
“Stand still,” he purred, eyes darkening as his tropical aroma engulfed me, setting my body ablaze with desperate need. “I don’t want to damage this beautiful dress of yours.”
I nodded, rendered speechless, as I watched him pull away and unbutton his tuxedo jacket. One by one, his nimble fingers worked each button until none remained, then he smoothly removed the garment with enough elegance to prove he’d been dressing formally his entire life.
He tossed jacket, vest, and tie onto a nearby chair and kicked off his shoes. Then, slowly, he unfastened the upper portion of his white dress shirt and rolled the sleeves to his forearms before returning behind me.
“This choker,” he purred, running both hands lightly along its edges. “Do you remember what I told you?”
“To wear the choker to show the other alphas what they’d need to earn,” I murmured, closing my eyes and savoring the electric shocks his touch sent straight to my core. “It would be poetic if you were the one to remove it.”
“Are you ready?”
The commanding tone in his voice demanded I open my eyes to meet his gaze.
“I am more than ready.”
Slowly, his hands unclasped my choker, freeing my throat from its beautiful constraints. It felt like a weight lifting from me, allowing me to breathe deeply again. I watched as he placed the expensive jewelry on the table beside us with reverent care, as if afraid of breaking something precious.
Without words, he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around my body. His hands pressed against me—one holding my stomach, the other cupping my breast. He placed featherlight kisses against the juncture of my neck as his heavy breathing tickled my sensitized skin.
I watched him through the mirror as he squeezed my breast, feeling the familiar warm tingle of arousal shooting up my spine like lightning.
My mind reeled as my body responded to his ministrations.
Whether it was his aroma wrapped tightly around me, flooding my senses with promises of pleasure, or the thunderous purr radiating from him wherever we touched, I couldn’t move.