Page 157 of Knot Their Omega

Every single eye is on our little Omega as the realization finally settles in.

I don’t need to see her face to imagine the sly grin forming on those smooth, taunting lips.

“You know what? That would be a brilliant idea. I’ll set up a meeting with them for an hour. I’m sure they’re in the studio we booked for their usage at their tour spot, so it won’t be difficult to reach them, seeing as I’m in the area. I’ll handle it, but getting those contracts sorted would be much appreciated.”

“Yes, Miss Soleil. I’ll do this straight away. Should I inform the seller of the change?”

“Not necessary,” she assures her assistant. “He’ll find out sooner or later.”

“Very well. I’ll get to it.”

“Excellent. We will stay in touch.”

When she hangs up, no one can utter a word. Echoed silence drills the realization that Astraea isn’t simply an Omega working as someone who aids artists to create.

“You…” Nate Jr. struggles to find words. “You lied to us!”

“In what way?”

“You never said you owned a fucking music company.”

“You never asked,” she acknowledged. “I told you my name was Astraea. That I worked with artists and helped specifically in connecting with the right people who can further create and excel in the music industry.”

She purposely pauses, as if to emphasize her statement.

“You never once asked to know about me. More about my career or regular daily tasks. I don’t remember you requesting my last name, assuming it doesn’t matter because I’m probably some nobody Omega who needs Alphas for financial benefit. You made that assumption very clear by emphasizing my stay at the Haven like some homeless waste of space.”

I realize none of us asked about her family background. Sure, she expressed what went down between her mom and her dad and his pack, but it never dawned on me to ask something as simple as her surname. Stalking and retrieving that information was a priority, and I did my initial research, but being this successful independently as an Omega—and even hiding her true identity as Blair Vesper—is a huge achievement.

“So, I’ll make it clear so this assumption of yours doesn’t nest in your head and convenience you otherwise,” she concludes. “My name is Astraea Soleil. Daughter of Mr. Soleil, one of the CEOs of the multi-billionaire Stock Market Institute. He’s a founding member with the rest of his pack, creating opportunities for various Alphas around the world in finance. He has plenty of other gigs, but you’re not worth explaining that to.”

“Meaning you’re rich…” James quietly acknowledges.

“I’m already a multi-billionaire by myself,” she declares. “I have multiple businesses and roles on my own. I started my first when I was eight because my mother said I could never make a successful lemonade stand.”

There’s something about the way she says it that has the corner of my lips lifting in amusement. A quick glance at the others proves they’re having similar thoughts.

A little girl with pouting lips, looking defiantly at her mom, vowing to prove her wrong.

“Besides, I didn’t think it was necessary to reveal when you wanted nothing to do with me,” she acknowledges. “You despising me didn’t hurt. I don’t know. Omega senses never really reacted to you, but now that I understand your pack’s dynamic and how you intentionally made it, so you’d have a way out of any situation, it confirms how weak your bond is with your fellow friends.”

“Weak?” Nate Jr. accentuates the word. “Their resilience in accepting me as a leader is the problem!”

“No.” She shakes her head. “No matter Omegas or Alphas, our instincts react first before our brains catch up. It’s in our genetic makeup to have those warning signals because that’s what protects us in a society that has a primitive side to its existence.” She speaks as if she knows all the details of how Alpha and Omegas work.

“I believe your pack knew long ago that you weren’t good for the pack. That the bond you’re supposed to share wasn’t strong enough, but they wanted to give you a chance. To allow time to be the best medicine and hope you’d grow into the leader you could be. However, I guess time proved you were never meant to lead this pack.”

“You don’t know shit,” he discards with an added flick of his hand. “Your input doesn’t even matter. None of this matters anymore. I don’t need any of you fuckers. Blooming Salvation isruined with me leading the way. I’m the beacon of light in this music world, and no replacement is going to overshadow my talent and success.”

He has to be delusional to dare think so highly of his contribution to this band. It makes whatever layers of anger remain in me fade because I no longer see the point or value in wasting my effort on someone so lost in their own delusion of pride and success.

“Then feel free to leave and find out,” Astraea declares. “Like you said, you can find another pack so easily who acknowledges your talent and success. Heck, you can go to the pack you helped save from financial doom.” She shrugs. “But I do want to say one thing.”

“And what’s that?” Nate Jr. snaps back at her, getting far too close to her face for my comfort. It takes everything for me to stand my ground while my arm snakes around Astraea’s waist, reminding her that I’m present. Her body is still relaxed despite the closeness of Nate’s overpowering demeanor.

“When you walk out this door, that’s it,” she simply puts it. “There’s no going back. No fixing this. The relationship you have with the people in this room who’ve supported and loved you will become nonexistent. That damage will be irreversible.”

She lets her words shimmer in the air while she stares directly into Nate Jr.’s eyes.

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