Page 58 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

ELARA

Zeke's gammas scattered like leaves before a storm within the compound.

Smart. They recognized death walking among them, understood that no training could prepare them for alphas gone feral over a stolen omega.

Violence sang through my veins, each heartbeat a war drum demanding blood for the offense committed against what was mine.

"Where is she?" The demand ripped from me, primal and sharp.

A gamma pointed toward the central tower with a trembling hand before collapsing under Eli’s strike. The bond pulsed, fragile but alive, Elara’s fear and exhaustion threading through with a single unshakable truth.

She knew we were coming.

The elevator ride stretched eternal. Eli’s scent—winter pine and barely leashed fury—clashed with my own until the space stank of violence. Seth checked his kit again, pointless repetition that steadied his hands. Jaxom flexed his hands, each crack of knuckles a countdown.

Each floor we passed felt like another moment stolen from me.

The doors slid open.

The ornate double doors loomed at the end of the hall. Locked. Reinforced. Behind them, her scent bled through—vanilla thickened with fear and the shimmering fury. She was fuming—her anger matched my own through our bond, projecting to her pack.

She was calling to us…

I slammed my fist against the wood. Pain bloomed across my knuckles, nothing more.

“Move.” Tobias shouldered forward, pulling a device from his backpack.

“You brought explosives?” Seth’s voice pitched sharp with disbelief.

“Always do.” Tobias pressed the charge to the lock. “Thirty seconds. Back up.”

We cleared the hall. The detonation cracked like a thunderclap, precise and contained. The doors sagged inward, hinges twisted.

The scene beyond stopped my breath.

Elara stood beside a luxury bed that dominated the opulent room, silk robe clinging to her trembling form.

But it was Alpha Zeke who drew my focus—standing beside her with his arms clasped behind his back, a wild grin stretching across his face like he'd been expecting this exact moment.

Amber eyes held that particular combination of power and loneliness that marked alphas who'd lived too long without their match—on the edge of sanity—but now they blazed with something else. Satisfaction.

"Such passion." His voice held amusement rather than concern. As if we'd played directly into his hands. "Though I expected nothing less from the alpha who stole his brother's identity for love. Explosives, Luca? How delightfully primitive."

“Let them go.” My command came raw. “My omega. My betas. Now.”

Eli’s snarl could have stripped paint. “You touched what wasn’t yours.”

“I borrowed what you weren’t protecting.” Zeke's grin widened as he stepped away from Elara, gesturing grandly around the room. “They’re unharmed. I’ll have my medics prove it—”

"I’ll examine them." Seth stepped forward, medical authority radiating from his smaller frame. "No one else touches my clan."

Zeke’s expression shifted—surprise, even respect. “As you wish. Then let’s talk like men, not the animals the matrons want us to be.”

Three strides and she was in my arms. Elara collapsed against me, sob shaking through her chest. The bond surged—reunion, relief, need.

Her skin burned elevated, not yet fever-hot. We had time… but she should be in the safety of her nest, surrounded by her pack, living amongst her clan, waiting for her appending heat. Not here.

Behind us, more footsteps. Stella and Maia burst through another door, clearly having been kept in an adjacent room. They looked ready to commit murder with their bare hands, only Elara's presence keeping them from launching themselves at the offending alpha.

“The meeting room.” Zeke’s voice carried something almost like regret. “We have much to discuss.”

The chamber reeked of wealth—oversized furniture arranged around a table on top of polished stone. Gamma security flanked the doors, their faces carefully neutral. Zeke sat at the head of the table, king in his court.

I dropped into the nearest chair and pulled Elara onto my lap without hesitation. She curled into me instantly, face buried in my neck, drinking in my scent like it was the only anchor holding her steady.

Her weight, her warmth, the way she fit against me—every cell in my body screamed mine with violent satisfaction.

Seth and Jaxom claimed the loveseat's arms rather than the cushions, needing proximity to their omega.

Seth's fingers found her wrist, checking her pulse as his other hand tangled gently in her hair.

Jaxom's palm pressed against her knee, grounding her with touch.

Stella and Maia took positions behind us—a wall of beta fury protecting their omega's back.

Eli remained standing, violence radiating off him in waves.

“You could have called.” Rage cracked my voice into shards. “One message. We’re businessmen, not barbarians. This—” I gestured at the room, at Elara trembling in my arms “—this didn’t need to happen.”

“Standard channels failed.” Zeke leaned back, unruffled. “Months of proposals ignored. Requests declined. And recently, you were too busy playing with your stolen name to notice opportunity knocking.”

"So you kidnapped my omega?" I growled, my alpha bark coming through. "Traumatized innocent betas? For what—a business deal?"

"For hope."

The word hung in the air like a challenge. Zeke's amber eyes held mine, and for the first time, I saw past the power to the hollow ache beneath.

“Thirty years without an omega. Thirty years watching the lottery decide I was too dangerous, too much of what alphas once were.” His fingers tapped against the armrest. "I built this world for the omega I'll never have. Every law, every protection, every comfort—all for someone who'll never come."

Elara shifted in my lap, a small whimper escaping as another wave of heat rolled through her. I tightened my hold. Zeke’s eyes followed the movement, envy undisguised.

"Your company has connections. Channels. Influence. Legitimacy.” He leaned forward, gaze sharp.

“Legal channels to Syzygy Station's lottery board. Influence with the omega advocacy groups. The reputation to make someone like me seem... palatable.” He sighed and rolled his neck, the sharp crack echoing through the room.

"I don't want your omega—she's yours, claimed and bonded.

But what she represents? An omega who chose her alpha despite the rules? That's what I need access to."

"You could have asked." Eli’s words bled venom.

“ I did .” Zeke's laugh held no humor. "But now I have your attention. Give me hope for an omega—a legitimate chance through your company's channels—and you can take yours home. No debts. No obligations. Just business."

"You know about Nova." The accusation slipped out before I could stop it.

Zeke’s grin sharpened. "The omega on the station who hasn't chosen despite four ceremonies? Of course I know. Just as I know your brother here has been wanting to enter The Den himself for the last two years, but had placed your business first. Like you, until recently.”

Eli went perfectly still.

"Should I tell him, Eli? Or would you prefer to confess yourself?

" Zeke leaned back, savoring the moment.

"Your pharmaceutical connections weren't just for business expansion, were they?

All those inquiries to outer rim colonies, to planets beyond Federation jurisdiction where omega trafficking still operates in shadows.

You were looking for alternative sources. "

"Shut your mouth." Eli's voice came out lethal, soft.

"The mighty Eli Coco, so desperate for an omega he'd bypass every law he claims to respect.

Those encrypted communications with Helix Prime's black market dealers?

The transfer of funds to 'research facilities' that don't exist?

" Zeke's amber eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction.

"You were willing to buy what the lottery wouldn't give you.

An omega from the trafficking rings, cleaned up and presented as a business arrangement. "

My stomach turned to ice. I stared at my brother, searching for denial, for rage at false accusations. Found only rigid fury and something worse—shame.

"Interesting." Zeke's gaze moved between us. "The legendary Coco brothers, both rule-breakers when it comes to omega protocols. One steals identities, the other negotiates with slavers. Perhaps we have more in common than you'd like to admit."

"We're nothing alike." But even as I said it, I knew the lie for what it was. We were all alphas driven to desperate measures by a system that kept us from what our biology demanded. The only difference was the lines we'd cross.

Elara's fingers clutched at my shirt, her breathing shallow and quick. "Luca..." Her voice came out as barely a whisper. "Please..."

We needed to leave… Now.

“Terms.” The word snapped like a whip. “What do you want?”

“Simple. Coco Pharma sponsors my lottery application. Your reputation legitimizes my claim that I can provide proper omega care.” Zeke steepled his fingers. “In exchange, I handle your Owen problem.”

My gut turned cold. “What Owen problem?”

“Did you think he would remain silent?” His smile sharpened.

“Owen’s family have been spreading word of your fraud through back channels—quiet, careful, but effective.

Within a month, every dealer will know Luca Coco stole his brother’s identity to claim an omega.

” He spread his hands. “Unless someone with greater influence convinces them otherwise.”

Eli’s fists clenched. “You’re blackmailing us.”

“I’m offering solutions.” Zeke’s gaze slid to my brother. “Speaking of which—I know about Nova. The omega who refuses to choose because his heart belongs to someone the lottery board would never approve. A gamma, isn’t it? Tragic.”

The room went silent except for Elara’s labored breaths against my throat.

"I'd take her." Zeke’s words came out with a purr. "Nova and whatever baggage comes with her. The gamma too, if necessary. My planet has space for… unconventional bonds. In return, we create a partnership between our companies. A true alliance that strengthens both our positions."

“You want to buy Nova?” My voice came out steeped in disgust.

“I want to give her sanctuary. There’s a difference.” Zeke leaned forward, eyes glinting. “The board will never allow a gamma-omega bond. But a private sponsorship here? With my protection? That’s freedom.”

"And this partnership?" Eli's voice came out carefully controlled.

“Mutual benefit. Your pharmaceuticals need new markets—I control seven systems outside Federation oversight. You need protection from Owen’s family and whoever else who want to mess with your company and clans—I have contacts who make the station’s brokers look like children.

You get legitimacy where you lack it. I get access where I lack it.

” His smile cut like glass. “Call it evolution. Two companies becoming something greater. Something untouchable.”

The offer hung in the room full of silence. Every instinct screamed to refuse, to burn this place to ash for daring to touch what was mine. But Elara trembled in my arms, her heat surging faster, and everything about his offer sounded reasonable.

Sometimes victory meant knowing when to negotiate.

“Draft the agreement.” Each word scraped my throat raw. “But Seth examines them first. If I see one bruise—”

“There won’t be.” Zeke rose smoothly, power rippling through the gesture. “Omegas are sacred here. Even borrowed ones.”

Seth was already moving—hands gentle but clinical as he checked Stella, then Maia. Their whispered assurances that they were unharmed did nothing to quiet the fury boiling in me. When he reached Elara, his eyes told me everything: she was untouched, but the heat was coming fast.

We had hours at most.

"The documentation will take time," Zeke noted, watching Seth work. "Your omega needs her nest. I can provide—"

"No." The refusal came from Elara, muffled against my throat. "My nest. My pack. Please. "

"Then we draft quickly." Zeke moved to the wall console, fingers flying across the interface. "I assume you have a ship waiting?"

“Ready for departure,” Eli said flatly, though his gaze never left Zeke.

The next twenty minutes blurred—contracts, signatures, legal jargon laced with threat. Elara flushed hotter against me, sweet heat-scent thickening until every alpha in the room fought to keep control. Seth and Jaxom leaned close, steadying her, offering anchor while her biology screamed.

When Zeke slid the final contract across, I signed without reading. Eli pressed his stylus hard enough to crack it.

Nothing mattered except getting Elara somewhere safe.

"A pleasure doing business." Zeke's mockery followed us to the door. "Oh, and Jaxom? Your sister’s next ceremony is in three weeks. After our partnership finalizes, I’ll extend her an offer she won’t refuse. Sanctuary. Freedom. Whoever she chooses, gamma or not, in her pack. Planet Tera places no limits on love.”

Jaxom’s only response was a growl that promised future violence—or perhaps reluctant gratitude. “Don’t hurt my sister.”

“I would never,” Zeke replied, gesturing his arms wide. “She will be the queen of my empire, want for not. And allowed to do anything she please… her boundaries would be limitless once my claiming mark is upon her neck.”

The journey back to the ship became a test of control.

Elara barely remained conscious, heat consuming her from within while we ran through Tera's streets.

Stella and Maia flanked us, their beta instincts screaming to protect their omega even as they stumbled from exhaustion.

Seth managed her symptoms with hyposprays that bought us minutes, not hours.

By the time we reached the Serpent's Dream , Elara burned like a star in my arms.

"Direct course to the estate," I barked at Xavier as we boarded. "Maximum burn."

"Luca." Jaxom caught my arm before I could carry her to the nest. "What he said about Nova—about offering her sanctuary with her gamma—"

"Later." I shrugged him off, Elara's whimper cutting through everything else. "After my omega is safe. After my pack is whole. Then we'll deal with Zeke's partnership proposal."

Jaxom nod held something desperate. "If he can really give Nova freedom to be with who she loves—"

"I said later." I adjusted Elara in my arms as she pressed closer, seeking skin, scent, safety as I turned my attention to the brother who’d held his own secrets from me. "But Eli? We're both compromised now. He has leverage on us both. This alliance he wants won't be optional."

"I know." His voice came out hollow. "But if it means we can provide our own clans a bright future, while I may have a chance of an omega of my own soon. It’ll be worth it. We both know a war is coming. I don’t want to be unprepared and without an omega when it does."