Page 42 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)

“Right. Standard.” I created a new private category in our supplies, labeling it discreetly. “I’ll handle that procurement personally.”

“Probably best.” Seth’s relief was palpable. “Their shops would have better selection than our usual suppliers.”

I pulled out my vidtablet, forcing myself to focus on practical matters.

Numbers and logistics—safer territory than yearning for things that might never be mine.

Our shopping trip at the station had been cut short by everything with Elara.

The emergency extraction, the claiming, the sudden shift in our clan’s entire dynamic.

We’d need supplies ready by the time we reached the villa on Planet Tera. And after that, I had to prep for our next supply run—couldn’t afford to be caught unprepared, especially if Eli demanded for us to cut our vacation short.

The inventory lists grew as Seth returned to his cooking, the rhythmic sound of his knife against the board filling the comfortable silence.

His apron—the ridiculous one Tobias had bought him as a joke that proclaimed “Kiss the Cook” in neon letters—seemed less absurd now that he actually had someone who might take the suggestion.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor. The rest of the clan filtered in, drawn by the smell of actual food instead of protein rations. Tobias entered first, already grinning at the sight of his brother in domestic mode.

“Smells good in here.” Maia followed, her engineering vidtablet tucked under one arm. “Please tell me you’re making that spiced pasta supreme thing.”

“Only if you fixed the temperature regulator in my med bay.” Seth didn’t look up from his prep work.

“Fixed it yesterday.” She slid into her usual spot at the central display table. “Though I don’t know why you need it so precise. It’s not like you’re growing cultures in there.”

“Medical supplies have storage requirements.” The defensive edge in Seth’s voice made Tobias snort. “I don’t allow preventable mistakes—not when I can help it.”

“Sure they do.” Tobias dropped into the chair beside Maia, his arm automatically going around her shoulders. “Nothing to do with you being particular about everything.”

Seth’s knife thunked harder into the cutting board. “At least my quarters don’t look like they’ve been through an atmospheric breach.”

“That’s organized chaos.” Tobias shrugged, his grin widening. “Very different thing.”

Stella and Sylas arrived together, her hand tucked into his back pocket with casual possession.

Their movements synced like orbiting bodies—close, precise, always aware of each other’s pull.

Five years together had worn grooves into their patterns—she’d reach for something, he’d already be handing it to her.

He’d start to speak, she’d finish his sentence.

The only ones missing were our alpha and omega. Xavier’s voice crackled through the comm system from the pilot’s deck, complaining about missing another meal for navigation duty.

“Someone should take him a plate later,” Maia said, but we all knew it would be Seth. He always remembered the details the rest of us forgot.

“So.” Tobias leaned back in his chair, that troublemaker gleam in his eyes. “My baby brother got claimed first. Who would’ve predicted that?”

Seth’s shoulders tensed. The knife stilled.

“Wonder what our omega saw in you?” Tobias continued, his tone deceptively light. “Quiet, shy Seth who buries himself in his work, using it as a shield—”

Maia’s palm connected with Tobias’s shoulder hard enough to rock him sideways. “Let your brother have his moment.” Her voice carried the kind of authority that came from dealing with stubborn machinery and stubborner mates. “She saw something in him. They’re scent-matched, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Stella agreed, though her fingers drummed against the table. “Makes you wonder though...”

“Wonder what?” I asked, already knowing where this headed.

“Who else she’ll claim.” Stella’s gaze drifted across the table—then locked on me. “Only you and Xavier left unmated in the clan.”

Silence fell upon the room as everyone suddenly found the table fascinating.

“You interested, Jaxom?” Stella’s question cut straight through the pretense.

I set down my tablet, meeting her stare directly. “She smells good to me.” The admission came easier than expected. “And I’m attracted to her. But ultimately?” I shrugged, trying for casual despite the hope clawing at my ribs. “It’s her call. Always is.”

“Smart man.” Maia nodded approval. “Better odds than Xavier anyway. He’s too—”

The mess hall doors slid open. Elara appeared tucked against Luca’s side, her small frame dwarfed by his height.

Their combined scent flooded the space—tropical sunshine and lavender fields creating something entirely new.

Something that made every instinct in the room orient toward them like flowers following the sun.

“That smells amazing.” Elara’s voice carried genuine delight. “Are we late?”

“Perfect timing.” Seth turned from the stove, a genuine smile softening his features. “Just finished.”

She moved into the room with growing confidence, no longer the uncertain omega we’d first met at the station. Luca’s hand rested possessively on her lower back, guiding without controlling. But instead of heading directly to their seats, she steered them toward Seth at the stove.

Rising on her toes, she pressed a soft kiss to Seth’s cheek. The simple gesture froze the entire room. “Thank you,” she murmured, touching his arm. “Not just for me—for all of them.”

Seth’s composed mask cracked completely, raw emotion flooding his face before he managed a small nod. His hand covered hers, just for a moment.

“I love taking care of people,” he said, voice low. “It’s… what I do. It just comes naturally.”

He glanced away, shy, like he wished he could swallow the words back.

Elara caught his hand before he could retreat.

“Just because it comes naturally doesn’t mean I shouldn’t appreciate it.

Or you.” She tilted her head, searching his face, holding him there with nothing but her gaze.

“I knew you were perfect for me the moment I realized how much you give without asking anything back.”

The air seemed to thrum with her words. Seth’s ears went scarlet, his fingers twitching under hers, and still he sat there frozen.

She had him pinned in place with nothing more than honesty, and for a moment, it was like the rest of us didn’t exist. Something inside me twisted at the sight—envy, sharp and sudden—but it was buried under the heavier pull of protectiveness.

He needed to hear her, to trust it. To finally believe he was wanted.

Luca watched the exchange with quiet satisfaction before stepping forward to clasp Seth’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Seth. For everything.” His deep voice carried both alpha warmth and genuine gratitude. “Elara’s right—we’ve been together so long we’ve started to take each other for granted, stopped saying the words out loud.”

Then his hand returned to Elara’s back, gentle but certain, his touch more guiding than commanding. “Come, love,” he said softly. “Let’s not keep our cook from finishing. You know how cranky the clan gets when they’re hungry.”

“Especially Tobias,” Seth managed, voice rough but steadying as he returned to his familiar role.

“I heard that,” Tobias called out, though his grin took any sting from the words.

They moved as a unit now toward their seats at the head of the table—the alpha’s traditional place, with his omega beside him.

Our clan’s leaders sat on the oversized couch—though it looked more like a loveseat—nested in front of the viewport that framed our journey through space. Elara’s vibrancy outshone even the cosmos beyond the glass.

Seth began serving, distributing bowls of fragrant noodles and vegetables. The domesticity of it struck me—how quickly we’d adapted to having an omega among us. How natural it felt, as if we’d been incomplete before and only now recognized the missing piece.

“This is incredible.” Elara took her first bite, eyes widening, as she covered her mouth. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

“Medical school, actually.” Seth settled into his own seat, still wearing that ridiculous apron.

“Nutrition courses led to experimenting with actual food instead of just supplements. As the one responsible for our clan’s health, it falls on me to make the most of whatever ingredients we have—especially whenever we are on missions. ”

“He used us as test subjects,” Tobias added, already halfway through his bowl. “Some experiments were more successful than others.”

“You survived.” Seth rolled his eyes, his dry response earned chuckles around the table.

“Barely,” Stella muttered, though she was smiling. “Remember the protein cube incident?”

“We agreed never to speak of that again.” Seth’s ears turned red, turning toward the kitchen.

“What protein cube incident?” Elara leaned forward, genuinely curious, as her concerned gaze followed Seth’s retreat.

“Seth tried to make protein cubes taste like actual food,” Sylas explained, his deep voice carrying amusement. “Added flavor compounds he’d synthesized in the med bay.”

“It was theoretically sound,” Seth defended. “It could work… if the clan just trusted the process.”

“It turned Tobias purple,” Jaxom clipped, raising an eyebrow. “For three days!”

“Purple’s not a bad color on me.” Tobias preened, making Maia roll her eyes.

“You looked like an eggplant,” she informed him. “And you wouldn’t let it go—calling it an ad for—”

“Spare us the details of your quarters,” Luca interrupted, tugging Elara against him and brushing a kiss over her hair. “Breakfast first. Save the rest for later.”

The banter continued, stories flowing as naturally as breath. Elara laughed at Stella’s description of Tobias’s purple phase, gasped when Sylas recounted the time Maia’s engineering experiment nearly vented half the ship, and added her own observations that showed she was learning our rhythms.

“You’re all insane,” she declared, but fondness colored every word. “I’m surprised you’re all still in one piece.”

“Maybe we are,” Luca agreed, his arm draped across the back of her chair. “But we’re your insane clan now.”

“Mine.” She said it quietly, testing the word. Then stronger: “Mine.”

The possessive claim sent something warm through my chest. That she saw us as hers, all of us, not just the alpha who’d claimed her or the beta she’d marked.

We were becoming something new. Not just a crew anymore, not just a clan. Something more integrated, more complete.

Was this the power of having an omega?

I watched Seth clear the bowls, Elara’s gaze following him with quiet satisfaction.

Luca looked over the clan, amusement glinting in his eyes.

Tobias and Maia bickered about whose turn it was to check the engine coolant, their voices overlapping.

Across from them, Stella absently sharpened her psyblade while Sylas worked his thumbs into her shoulders, murmuring something that made her lips twitch.

Xavier kept to himself at the helm, piloting Paradise from the captain’s chair… making sure we’d safely arrive at our destination.

This was family. Messy and loud and imperfect.

And maybe, if I was lucky, I’d find my own place in this new configuration. Not just as the clan’s logistics manager, but as something more. Someone chosen.

Seth returned with dessert—something chocolate that made Elara’s eyes light up.

“You’re spoiling her,” Luca said, but his tone held only warmth.

“That’s the point.” Seth placed the plate in front of Elara with particular care. “Happy omega. Happy clan.”

“Convenient,” Tobias observed.

“Practical,” Seth countered with a sly grin.

The argument might have continued, but Elara reached out and touched Seth’s hand—a simple gesture that silenced the entire table.

“Thank you,” she said simply. “For making me feel special.”

Seth’s composure faltered, raw honesty flickering through as he nodded, whispering, “Always.”