Page 6 of Knot Gonna Lie (Syzygy Omegaverse #1)

CHAPTER FOUR

ELARA

“I want him,” I whined, pacing into my room, restless and burning—frustration curling in my chest like something spoiled and aching.

Not even the comfort of my own nest could ease the burning need to return to Glamorous Gems, to discover if Mr. Coco still lingered there with his clan like some beautiful mirage I’d conjured from desperation.

I cursed myself for being so enthralled by his scent that I’d failed to summon the courage to ask why he graced the station with his presence—and for whom.

I should have been bold enough to request his attendance before me tomorrow, to have him stand among the possibilities in The Den’s arena.

After all, who possessed enough madness to refuse an invitation to stand on The Den floor?

There were no love marks upon his visible skin. No trace of foreign scent or resistance when I’d touched him.

“It’s your approaching heat talking,” Quinn scoffed, settling into the chair beside my window with the weariness of someone who’d navigated this conversation countless times before.

“You don’t want him. You just want what his scent promises.

Once you enter The Den tomorrow, you’ll be overwhelmed by the symphony of aromas calling to you—Mr. Coco will be just a whisper in the grand scheme of possibilities. ”

“How can you be so certain?”

Sighing, I fell backward onto my nest and sank into its layers of cushions with a soft thump, the familiar embrace offering little solace.

There was nothing like being surrounded by comfort, cradled by warmth as security washed over me, yet something about the entire encounter in the jewelry store felt fundamentally wrong.

Not even my sanctuary could ease the ache blooming in my chest like a flower of longing.

I reached for the nearest pillow, pulling it against me and wrapping my arms around its circular softness. Glancing toward my wide window, I watched the vastness of space, wishing I could be anywhere but here, trapped between wanting and waiting.

My skin felt restless—itchy—and the lack of companionship was finally overwhelming me with its weight.

I didn’t have an alpha or a pack to call my own. Instead, I was being tended by a gamma who could never fill the void expanding in my heart like a black hole consuming light.

Quinn was a temporary foundation, keeping me grounded until my time to choose arrived.

Now that I was ready for The Den, her pull on me was dimming like stars at dawn.

That was probably why her scent hadn’t calmed me as it used to.

She’d needed to cover my nose with her wrist to override the magnetic draw Mr. Coco held over me.

“Tell me what’s troubling you, Elara.” She sounded tired, as if she were pleading for answers to riddles written in languages she couldn’t read.

“We have everything you need for tomorrow. The only remaining task is ensuring you rest well for your meeting with the Matron early in the morning. Then we’ll wait in our assigned suite at The Den until you’re called to the arena around midday.

What happens next rests entirely with you.

So tell me, what must I do to brighten your evening before your momentous day? ”

“Tell me Mr. Coco will be there,” I muttered, forcing myself not to get my hopes up. “I need to know whether I should prepare for disappointment or possibility.”

“Are you so fixated on him that you’re willing to overlook other perfectly eligible alphas?”

“His scent isn’t the only thing drawing me to him,” I explained, rolling onto my stomach and kicking off my boots as I faced her.

Swaying my feet in the air, I hugged my pillow and watched my gamma regard me with pursed lips and calculating eyes like a strategist studying a complex battlefield.

“There was something about how he stood against Owen, how he didn’t retreat from my touch.

With his own credits, he took time to ensure my wellbeing, that my experience at the shop wasn’t ruined.

How could I not be attracted to such kindness? ”

“There’s nothing wrong with his actions,” Quinn said, tilting her head as she approached my nest. Stopping just before my pile of blankets and pillows, she drew a deep breath and shook her head like someone dispelling unwelcome thoughts.

“Are you certain you want me to examine the roster of alphas registered for your arena and tell you if his name appears?”

“Yes, please.” I nodded, biting my bottom lip with barely contained excitement. “Let me know if he’s on the general list or specifically mine.”

“Fine.” Quinn huffed as she retrieved her tablet from her belt, pressing her hand onto its screen to unlock the device with practiced efficiency. “Don’t be devastated if his name isn’t listed.”

“It has to,” I mumbled. Then, returning my gaze to the vast space just outside my window, I took in a quick breath and prayed to whatever almighty deities governed love and fate that were popular these days. “Why else would he be here?”

“Not every visiting alpha is here for a chance at The Den,” Quinn pointed out as her calming scent thickened in the air, covering me like one of my own blankets woven from morning mist and hope.

“Some are here for business, trading, or managing their taxes. He could’ve been here to pay his sponsor dues, being an alpha co-owning a business. ”

“Is that how this station maintains itself?” I asked, watching space traffic glide past my window like dancers performing an intricate ballet.

The high-tech designs moved with fluid precision, sleek merchant ships zigging and zagging around bulky cargo vessels with the grace of children playing among their elders.

The older cargo vessels could easily dock multiple merchant ships, yet their size made them appear lesser somehow.

I suspected the owners of cargo vessels possessed equal or greater wealth than those who chose to display their success through flashy merchant ships.

Most alphas loved showcasing their wealth to peers through fancy possessions—ships, seasonal houses, clothing, and jewelry. This made some successful betas attempt the same, hoping to prove they could match alphas regardless of their sub-gender class.

I’d encountered a few such individuals over the years.

They tended to splurge on unnecessary items while making theatrical displays of their purchases.

While some omegas were impressed by such exhibitions, I found them gaudy.

Why waste credits on superficial things when they would never truly become alphas?

Furthermore, there existed clear divisions between each sub-gender class that couldn’t be altered regardless of suppressants or hormones consumed.

Scientists hadn’t been able to change this fundamental truth—and due to our past, most resisted such attempts.

People didn’t want history repeating itself, allowing alphas to claim the first omega they encountered and gather armies of betas beneath them.

The universe already existed in fragile balance as society settled into our new structure.

I wouldn’t want to experience an uprising if something went catastrophically wrong.

Who would resist a super alpha? Or a super omega?

Gammas would probably retain their resistance, but their numbers only equaled current alphas and omegas combined. They wouldn’t be able to protect all the betas who comprised most of the population.

It would fall to them to eliminate whoever tried to tip the scales.

“Unfortunately, it seems I was correct,” Quinn announced, instantly drawing my attention to her.

The frown on her face was enough to crush my hope for tomorrow.

“Mr. Coco isn’t on either your roster or the universal one.

” She pressed several buttons on her vidscreen, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“But it appears your mystery man has been approved as eligible to enter The Den. He simply hasn’t registered himself. ”

“Are you saying there’s still a chance he might after today?

” I shot upright and climbed from my nest like a woman possessed.

Grabbing my caretaker’s hand, I locked eyes with my dearest friend and released a whine that seemed to rise from my very soul.

“Can you please find him and tell him I want him on my roster?”

“And yours alone?” Her mouth curved into a teasing smirk.

“Yes!” I pleaded, shaking her arm and making her tablet dance in her grip. “I don’t want any other omega stealing him from me .”

“But what if there’s someone else who smells better? Whose appearance steals your breath away? Who promises you a mansion filled with servants to command?”

“ I don’t care! ” My eye caught a glimpse of him on her tablet, and instantly I stopped shaking her, pointing at the alpha whose scent still lingered in a ghost of memory of my last summer on Earth—like sunlight breaking through a cold, forgotten season.

“I want him . And I don’t want to live with ‘what-ifs’ if I don’t have a chance with him inside The Den. ”

“The things you make me do, Elara.” Quinn sighed as she waved her hand over her screen and powered down the tablet, securing it to her belt like a sword sheathed after battle.

“Since I wasn’t able to give you a gift because he paid for your jewelry, I suppose I’ll have to locate this alpha before tomorrow and convince him to register for your roster. ”

“Exclusively.”

“Yes, exclusively for yours.” She combed back my hair from my face, tucking it behind my ears before cupping my cheek.

Her brown eyes searched mine as early morning fog flooded my senses like a benediction.

“I’ll attempt to convince him, knowing it will bring you happiness.

If you end up choosing him and you both succeed, it will be the greatest gift a gamma can offer their omega. An alpha they approve of.”