Page 55 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)

“You don’t have to tell me that, omega.” Alpha Zeke let out a low growl. “I know what alphas and omegas want. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have my position.”

“While I can’t deny your success, I don’t understand what I’ve done to gain your attention.”

“You’re the omega of a powerful clan.” Sucking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and hummed in satisfaction at what he smelled.

“Not only do you have beauty that could capture a room, but your scent is also divine and brings others to their knees. I’m a powerful alpha in need of powerful allies, and I’m willing to do many things. ”

“What do you mean?”

Warning bells rang within me at his veiled threat.

This was a dangerous male, and we were guests in his territory.

Stories of alphas from the past swirled around me. They had lived by their own rules, not at the mercy of laws made by the gammas. Alphas in the time of the Great War would kidnap omegas—mated or not—if they thought they were of any use.

Some were tortured as bait to bring their alpha and clan out of hiding. Others were used and killed to make their enemies rage with insanity.

I prayed to the Stars that the past wouldn’t repeat itself.

I knew tensions surrounding the gammas who ran the station were running high, especially since the unbonded alpha to omega ratio was no longer even.

Alphas were starting to become desperate—and I might have placed a target on my neck.

Instincts kicked in as my hand flew to Luca’s claim, and I pressed my thumb hard against the skin, hoping our connection was strong enough for him to pick up my emotions.

I needed my pack. I had been on the station for far too long and had lost touch with how the world outside worked.

It had been a mistake to believe that I could spend the afternoon shopping in the bazaar with the ladies of my clan without a problem.

Our good time had come to an end. We were now at the mercy of Alpha Zeke.

Glancing between Alpha Zeke and my worried betas, I tried to gauge what I should do.

Stella was cursing and shouting, creating a scene as she continued to try to get through to me, but now four robed figures held her back.

Maia was trying to appear strong, fighting back her tears as she frantically typed on her wristband.

If I followed his directions without resistance, perhaps he would get whatever he wanted and let us go our own way without any harm done.

I needed to protect Stella, Maia, and the rest of my clan.

Everyone’s fate rested on my shoulders, and I couldn’t bring punishment upon them by making a wrong move now.

“Your alpha is one of Coco Pharma’s co-owners.” Alpha Zeke frowned as he lazily opened his eyes. “You see, I’ve been trying to find a way to build a business venture with them but have been met with some resistance. I’m hoping you’ll make them see it my way, so we can establish a connection.”

“What do I have to do with my clan’s business?” I challenged, jerking my head as I curled my hands into fists. “I have no say in what my alpha does with his brother. It’s not my fault they haven’t entertained your offer.”

“Let’s call it persuasion,” he purred, leaning close enough that our noses almost touched. “If I take you to my private villa, he will be forced to come and listen to what I have to say.”

Ice coursed through my veins.

He would use me as leverage to pressure Luca to fulfill his demands.

He couldn’t take Stella and Maia. They didn’t deserve to suffer. They had nothing to do with what Alpha Zeke wanted. His focus was on my connection to Luca—not them.

If I could convince him to allow my betas to leave, that would give Luca and the clan fewer people to worry about. Even though I knew my clan would fight for their return, I needed to negotiate their freedom, so they wouldn’t become casualties in this situation.

“If you release my betas, I will go willingly.”

“I can smell your fear, omega,” Alpha Zeke mocked with a deep chuckle. “It’s brave of you to grasp at any power in this situation, but I’ll entertain your wish since I’m not looking to make enemies.”

“You can’t, Elara,” Stella shouted, clawing at the nearest robed guard. Her face was as red as her hair as she struggled against the wall of bodies between us. “I won’t leave you!”

“It’s for your own good,” I replied, begging for her to understand. “If I can guarantee your safety, then I will. The clan will be in a better position.”

“I’ve promised our alpha that I would keep you safe—”

“She will be safe,” Alpha Zeke barked. “Omegas are treated like gods on my planet, pampered and worshipped. There’s no safer place in the galaxy—not even Syzygy Station. I promise, Beta, that your omega will be in good hands.”

The power of his voice washed over me, triggering the urge to submit to his wishes.

I had never experienced an alpha’s bark since I’d matured into an omega.

Now I understood its power. It was as if my body was helpless and Alpha Zeke’s order was the law.

I couldn’t resist. His voice held the implicit threat of severe punishment.

Glancing around, I noticed a crowd forming. Bazaar shoppers and nearby merchants were witnessing the commotion. No one had made any effort to aid us, perhaps afraid of crossing the planet’s ruler in our defense.

My betas stood still and watched me in distress as tears ran down their faces. Stella had lost her fight, and her chest heaved with sobs. I could tell she wanted to resist his bark and try to reach me, but I needed her to keep the clan safe.

“Stella, listen to him,” I pled. “It’s not like we have a choice. No matter what I do, he’ll get his way, so I might as well go willingly to make this as painless as possible. I hope that everything resolves swiftly so I can return to the villa soon.”

“We trust you.” Maia gripped Stella’s shoulder and stepped in front of her, glaring at Alpha Zeke. “But we don’t trust him. Alpha Luca is furious and has taken offense at your actions. I hope you’re prepared for the fallout.”

“Believe me; once I’m done, he will be thanking me.”

Alpha Zeke’s words slithered through the air like smoke from a dying fire, and something in his amber eyes shifted—calculation replacing charm.

The marketplace crowd had grown thicker, pressing closer with the morbid fascination of those who witness disaster from safe distances. None would intervene. Not against their planet’s lord.

He snapped his fingers.

The robed figures closed in, white-and-gold fabric rippling as they tightened their circle. Not the clumsy aggression of station alphas drunk on synthetic hormones—these gammas flowed like water around stone, each movement deliberate, trained, lethal.

“Walk with me, omega.” His hand found my elbow—gentle enough to appear courteous, firm enough to make refusal impossible. “My transport awaits.”

The parking structure loomed, shadows pooling between pillars like spilled ink. My heart hammered, ribs too fragile to cage it. Behind me, Stella’s curses had become wordless snarls, Maia’s wrist-comm tapping frantically—calling Luca, Seth, anyone—before—

“Your betas are fierce.” Alpha Zeke guided me between hovercrafts, deeper into the dark. “Loyalty like that is rare. You’ve chosen well.”

They chose me. The correction burned my tongue. I swallowed it.

Every step took us further from witnesses, from the illusion of safety that crowds provided. The air grew cooler, tasting of metal and ozone.

Movement exploded.

Stella broke through first, a streak of red hair and rage. Her fist cracked against a gamma’s jaw, sending him reeling. Maia ducked low, smaller frame slipping between hands, her fingers stabbing pressure points with clinical precision.

“Subdue them.” Alpha Zeke’s voice carried no heat, no anger—just the mild inconvenience of swatting flies. “Gently. They’re under my protection now.”

The gammas shifted from containment to assault. One caught Stella’s next strike, twisting her arm until she gasped. Another swept Maia’s legs, dropping her hard onto oil-stained concrete.

Rage ignited in my chest, hot and sudden as a solar flare.

Mine.

The word reverberated through bone and blood. My betas. My family.

These were my betas, my clan, my family.

Training from yesterday surfaced—weight distribution, momentum, the soft spots even trained fighters left exposed.

I wrenched against Zeke’s hold, twisting free, and drove my elbow into his stomach.

Not enough to cripple, but enough to earn a grunt and loosen his hold.

The nearest gamma turned toward me, reaching—

My teeth found his wrist.

Blood filled my mouth—copper, salt, wrongness. Not pack. Enemy. He howled, jerking back, and I spat red onto concrete. The taste lingered, coating my tongue with violence I’d never thought myself capable of.

“Magnificent.” Zeke’s laugh rolled like thunder. “They told me you were meek, broken by the station’s conditioning. They lied.”

Three gammas converged on me at once. I kicked, clawed, bit—feral in ways that would have horrified my station-trained sensibilities. My fist connected with a nose, sending blood cascading down white robes. Nails raked across another’s cheek, leaving parallel wounds that would scar.

But I was one omega against trained warriors.

A hand tangled in my hair, yanking my head back. Another caught my wrist mid-swing, pressure points screaming as fingers found nerve clusters. The ground rushed up to meet me, concrete scraping palms as they forced me down.

“No!” Stella’s voice splintered the air. She still fought, held by two men but still reaching. Maia stilled, a gamma’s hand at her throat—a silent threat.

“Enough.”

Alpha Zeke stepped into my line of sight, producing a silver device from his robes. Not quite weapon, not quite medical. Something worse. My instincts screamed. “You’ve proven your spirit, little omega. But this ends now.”

Cold metal touched my neck. Sweet-sick scent flooded my senses. Not chloroform—something engineered for our enhanced metabolisms, our resistant physiologies. The world blurred at the edges, colors bleeding together like watercolors in rain.

“Luca...” His name escaped as whisper, as prayer, as the last thread connecting me to consciousness. Through the bond I shoved everything—I pushed every ounce of terror, of rage, of location. Find me. Find me. Find—

“Sleep now.” Alpha Zeke’s voice crawled through my skull. “Your alpha will come for you. They always do.”

Darkness swallowed me whole, but not before I heard Stella’s scream—raw, promising vengeance.

And then Luca’s rage tore through the bond, like distant thunder, growing closer with every heartbeat that dragged me under.