Page 54 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

ELARA

“I’m so glad you offered to take me here.” I beamed as I wrapped my arms around my two female betas. “I’m having so much fun.”

“We’ve been wanting to have a girl’s day trip,” Stella replied, glaring at a male attempting to get near. “We are all claimed. Back off.”

The male’s eyes shot up as he raised his hands in surrender and backed away.

“Stars, I’m sick and tired of everyone wanting to get a sniff.”

“Elara’s heat hasn’t started, but her omega scent is still sweet,” Maia warned, glancing over her shoulder. “Annoying as it may be, we will have to deal with it while in public.”

“I refuse to allow them to ruin our day,” I announced as I tugged my girls toward a nearby stall with samples of fabrics on display. “I need help decorating the villa.”

The bazaar put the Center to shame.

I had thought the station’s shopping center was the place to be, boasting a variety of goods from around the galaxy, but this outdoor bazaar was all that and more .

There was nothing quite like the feeling of walking in the open, with the gentle ocean breeze in my hair and the sun peeking through the large fabric umbrellas that protected us from its rays.

With my betas’ help, I was able to order enough rugs, blankets, and pillows for my pack’s dome. Even though I was told that it was in my rights to decorate the clan’s common main house, I preferred to make another trip with the whole clan and have us all take part in making the common area our own.

A jewelry booth caught my eye, and I halted our progression in the middle of the walkway.

“What is it?” Stella asked, pressing her body against mine as if she was about to protect me from some unknown enemy. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to check out this stall.” I jerked my head toward a pair of graying betas. “I want to get something.”

“Go ahead.” Stella jerked her head toward the booth, her wild red hair bouncing. “We’ll make sure you have the privacy you need.”

“Thank you.” I hugged them both and rubbed my cheeks against theirs, feeling the sudden urge to scent mark them as mine.

Stella gaped at me while she rubbed her cheek with her hand. “What was that for?”

“You’re my clan.” Biting my bottom lip, I shrugged as I tried to play off what I had done wasn’t a big deal. “I want to label you both as mine.”

“Which is perfectly normal.” Maia nodded as she grabbed my wrist. “You’re now comfortable enough around us to feel the need to include us.

Alphas do this to their clan members to let outsiders know what clan they belong to.

While we’re surrounded by so many strangers, you wanted to make sure those nearby know that we’re with you—”

“And that we are yours,” Stella added as she wiped a tear from her eye. “I never knew how it felt to have an omega’s mark. It feels more personal than when Luca does it. As if you’re trying to comfort us like a mother to a child.”

“We may not be related, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t family.” I smiled. “I was taken away from my family and isolated with only my gamma. Stars!”

“What?” Both betas said in unison as they glanced around, shielding me with their bodies.

“I’ve been so wrapped up with my heat and the newness of everything that I haven’t even contacted Quinn.” Groaning, I covered my face in shame. “I can’t believe I haven’t even had the decency to message her!”

“She will understand,” Maia soothed, rubbing my back. “You can do it when we get home.”

“You’re right.” I sighed, even though I still felt like a poor friend. “Let me take a look at this stall, and we can be on our way. I don’t want to waste any of your time when I know we have plans for the spa treatment later.”

“Sounds good.” Stella nodded and glanced at her wristband. “We are still making good time before our appointment, so you don’t have to worry about making us late.”

Gathering my braid, I pulled it in front of me and toyed with the ribbon Seth had placed at the end. He had found a gorgeous emerald color that matched my eyes, which he’d said made my hair radiate elegance.

Now that I’d spent my first day at the villa, I’d finally managed to hold a conversation without burning with embarrassment. They had acted as if my heat was as natural as the weather, and as if nothing had happened over the last week.

I wanted to find a way to include the entire clan and make them feel less like outsiders among my pack mates. I knew most clans were larger in numbers, so the division between pack- and clan members wasn’t as extreme as in ours.

It turned out my instincts had been right.

The way Maia and Stella had reacted to my scent marking their cheeks struck a chord in me, confirming that I needed to find a way to close the gap between us all.

“May I help you?” the shorter jeweler asked, straightening his posture as I neared. “We have some of the best exotic gemstones on the planet.”

“I’m looking for a collection,” I hedged as I scanned the portable display cases before me. There were many beautiful pieces, but nothing stood out to me. “I may have to custom order it.”

“How about you tell us what you’re looking for,” the taller jeweler replied, opening his tablet and preparing to jot down notes. “What we don’t have, we can make and deliver it to you at no extra charge as long as you’re a resident.”

“I am.” I nodded, unable to stop myself from grinning. “But I don’t know how long we’re staying, since our future is undetermined.”

“We can complete most orders within a week of payment,” the taller jeweler replied gently. “Sooner if we have all the materials on hand.”

“That sounds perfect.”

I shot a glance at my two clanmates, who stood a short distance away, saying something I couldn’t make out and paying no attention to me. Satisfied that I could do this in secret, I turned to the two jewelers, and my grin widened.

“I don’t know if you can make what I want, but I will explain it the best I can.

” I leaned forward to keep an eye on my clanmates.

“I’m hoping to have a set of rings made for my clan with the same design and assortment of gems in each, plus another unique color to represent each member’s position in the clan… does that make sense?”

“Makes perfect sense.” The two jewelers looked at each other and grinned wildly. “We can make sketches now and have everything set by the end of the week.”

“Thank the Stars.”

“What do we have here?” a deep bass rumbled behind me. His voice demanded my attention, even though it lacked any trace of a bark. “I didn’t think an alpha would allow their omega to roam outside their clan’s nest so soon after their heat.”

Stilling, I glanced between the two jewelers, whose focus jumped from our conversation to the male presence behind me. A shiver trailed up my spine as a dark shadow cast over me and the jewelry display. Both jewelers’ eyes widened as they tilted their heads in submission.

The gentle sea breeze carried the alpha’s scent, full of sweet and exotic spices with hints of wood.

If I hadn’t been claimed by Luca, his aroma would have had me panting with need. He smelled nice, but he wasn’t mine . I was only interested in the comforting scents of my pack—Luca’s tropical coconut, Jaxom’s beach waves, and Seth’s clean crisp citrus.

“I have my betas with me,” I replied, steeling myself as I turned toward the alpha towering behind me.

Forcing myself to remain calm, I kept my gaze averted, peering over his shoulder to spot my betas loosely surrounded by a group dressed in fancy white-and-gold robes. “But it seems you already know that.”

“Where’s your alpha, omega?” He let out a hum and bent down so our heads were level, locking his amber eyes with mine. “You must be a new arrival. I haven’t seen you around, and I know all omegas on my planet.”

My planet.

Alpha Zeke.

The owner of Planet Tera 9 and Head Alpha of the large, tiered clan that ruled it.

“You don’t have to tell him, Elara,” Stella growled as she tried to fight her way past two of the robed figures. “We haven’t done anything wrong!”

Licking my lips, I pulled my gaze from the nosey alpha and peered at my troubled betas, hoping for guidance from them. Maia was frantically working her wristband, and Stella kept trying to force her way to me. The fear in their eyes stunned me to the core.

What had I landed in here?

“May I help you?” The words felt weak upon my lips, but I couldn’t allow my nerves to get the best of me. “I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“Everyone knows who I am, Elara.” The suave alpha grabbed my hand and slowly brought it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on my knuckles. His amber eyes held mine as if daring me to resist his charm. “I’m Alpha Zeke, Head Alpha of this planet, and I want to know where your alpha is.”

“What do want with my alpha?”

I tried to pull my hand away, but he tightened his grasp, preventing me from escaping. The smirk on his face dared me to fight him, but I wouldn’t give in.

“Rumor has it that the two of you caused a lot of havoc on Syzygy Station, and now, they’re looking for ways to prevent a repeat.” He let out a deep chuckle and finally released my hand. “Tell me. What attracted you to him?”

“I admired how protective he was…” I licked my lips. “He respected me and attempted to correct the mistakes of another alpha.”

“It wasn’t his scent or his appearance that made you feel confident about choosing him?” His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head, studying me. “Or perhaps…did you know about his company and the fortune that came with it?”

“Fortune had nothing to do with it. I knew nothing about who he was or what he owned,” I countered, offended by his implication.

“No amount of money can make up for what an alpha lacks as a person. I knew it was my time to leave the station, and I wanted to be tied to a decent alpha. Luca came into my life at the right moment, and now, we are mated.”

“Every omega wants to be pampered—”

“And every alpha wants an omega.”