Page 141 of Knot Their Arrangement

"M-Me? What did I do?"

"It's not about what you did," I explain, noting how both Alphas in the room have taken interest in this gossip. "They're the problem. The guitarist...what's his name again...James? I think that's what it was. He's in a pack already. The Omega is very picky and a bit of a bitch honestly. She's the daughter of a big clothing firm so she's financially well off compared to James. I'm sure she's not going to be too thrilled with the idea of him traveling on a tiny tour bus with half of the member's Omega on board."

"Well..." Astraea hesitates on the line. "And Rex?"

"Packless, but if you want my honest opinion, I think he wanted to leave the band a long time ago." I notice both Ezekiel and Kieran exchanging glances at this information, clearly finding it relevant to something I'm not privy to.

"Why is that?" Astraea asks. "They seemed pretty distant when I try to even make convo with either of them."

I lower my voice, though I know it's pointless with Alpha hearing.

"Rex is gay, which is fine, but I guess he wants a male Omega." The silence in the room grows heavier at this revelation. "Not too sure if it's true. I haven't kept up with the gossip and revelations in the forums like I used to, but when you go down the grapevine, Rex had met a male omega in the past and they had a one-night fling. Since then, he's craved those connections, I guess, but has never been able to find that male Omega since."

"That's kind of sad," Astraea says softly.

"Mhmm." I glance over to see Kieran is gone and we’re back to being just me and Ezekiel. "It was a bit heartbreaking since male Omegas are extremely rare but if discovered the government kind of captures them."

"C-Captures them?" The shock in Astraea's voice mirrors what mine had been when I first learned this information.

"I only know about this cause the pack I'm with was just talking about it." I shoot a meaningful look at Ezekiel, remembering our earlier conversation about trafficking. "Feels like an underground black market if you ask me, but there are Omega hunters who trek across the world, trying to find male Omegas they can sell underground. They easily go for millions."

My voice drops even lower, though the tension in the room rises with each word.

"I stopped searching about more when one of the forums said the male Rex had been interested in had been captured and was a slave for some rich pack that gets off on that. Really dark shit."

"That's...depressing." Astraea's voice carries the weight of this new understanding.

"So imagine being in Rex's position," I continue, watching how intently both Alphas are listening now. "Finding out your 'fans' are searching for the whereabouts of someone you had a one-time fling with but secretly carries feelings for? They may have thought they were doing him a favor by trying to find this mysterious male Omega, only for them to find out he may be a captive slave to a group of rich tycoons who will probably use and abuse him until he's dead."

"Resentment," I whisper into the phone. "Would build every time you hear whispers in the crowd of your fans or scroll on social media and see their commentary. At the end of the day, you wouldn't want their pity, but that can't be erased from the internet or the fans' minds."

"Then are they paying attention to your talent or the sad story attached to you?" I ponder, watching Ezekiel's subtle reaction to my words. "The thing is, some people speculate Rex wanted to do his own thing ages ago but held back because of Nate."

"Held back?" Astraea sounds genuinely curious.

"Yeah. Rex is a strong singer honestly. Sometimes even stronger than Nate." I lean against the wall, getting comfortable as I explain. "A few people noticed they were having a bit of a dispute when they would sing certain songs. Not one that is necessarily obvious, but unless you know the melody and riffs of the song, you'll tell if one singer is overpowering the other at certain bridges and key change chorus."

"You've helped me a bunch, Kamari," Astraea says warmly. "Thank you, bestie."

"Hmm? I did? I'm super glad I can help," I smile, catching Ezekiel's amused glance at my enthusiasm. "Are things okay there?"

"Yeah. Just don't know what will happen with the band, you know?" She sounds worried.

"I'm sure if they don't work it out, they'll just find replacements," I suggest, trying to sound optimistic.

"But that's going to be difficult with the tour already delayed," she mumbles. "Guitarist may not be hard, but a second lead singer? That would be tedious. Plus, if they try to reveal it publicly, things could get messy."

"Well, why don't you go check on the progress?" I shift my position, noting how Ezekiel's attention keeps drifting to me despite his pretense of cleaning his gun. "I know us trying to think of the possibilities won't get us anywhere, but I'm sure if you're there with the pack, maybe it can ease any tension?"

After she agrees to try, I add.

"Okay. You can text this number, though it's one of the guy's phones so nothing crazy."

"No drunk photos at 3 AM with me trying to twerk. Got it," she declares.

"Astraea," I groan, catching Ezekiel's raised eyebrow at our exchange. "Your ass can't get drunk without ME!"

"Yes, yes, yes," she dismisses me. "Though no promises cause I am on a tour bus and I can't stop myself from having a shot or two to get in the mood."

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