Page 11 of Knot Gonna Lie
The omega’s gamma from the jewelry store—Quinn, if I remembered correctly.
“Greetings, Coco Pharma. I believe I met one of your co-owners earlier this evening. I’m Quinn, representing my omega Elara. Would you permit me to board your vessel?”
My heart stuttered. Elara. The emerald-eyed beauty who’d pressed against my back, seeking comfort from a stranger—me.
“What’s this regarding?” I forced my voice to stay calm, even as my chest tightened. A squeeze to my pilot’s shoulder sent him stepping aside. Quinn’s eyebrows shot up when she saw me, but her nod gave nothing away. “We didn’t break any of the station’s laws.”
“I didn’t say you have.” She waved me off with a gentle smile. “This pertains to more personal matters that I would like to discuss with you.” She glanced around where she was standing before leaning closer to her tablet as if she were about to tell me a secret. “Privately, if I may.” She flicked her gaze to those next to me before adding, “Your crew may be present since this could affect their futures as well.”
“I see…” I caught Jaxom’s eye. He nodded once, understanding immediately. If we were hosting a gamma representing an omega, proper hospitality demanded refreshments impressive enough to leave lasting impressions. Seth and Maia caught our interaction and followed Jaxom’s lead as they entered the walk-in pantry as I readdressed Quinn with the most diplomatic grin I could muster. “We’d be honored to welcome you aboard. When should we expect you?”
“Now.” Quinn’s tablet shifted, revealing the sleek silver and black design of my clan’s luxury merchant ship behind her as she stood beside our docking ramp. “I took the liberty of assuming you wouldn’t refuse.”
“What a bitch,” Stella muttered, just loud enough for me to catch.
“Silence.” The bark escaped before I could stop it. Stella flinched, genuine fear flickering across her features. If lookscould kill, my glare would’ve had her ejected from the airlock. Fortunately for her, we were docked, and from the lack of retort from Quinn, she hadn’t picked up what was said. Letting out a deep breath, I forced my expression into diplomatic neutrality and faced the screen again. “Of course. Give us a moment to prepare proper greetings.”
“Excellent.” She nodded. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
The connection died, leaving us in charged silence.
Sighing, I ran both hands through my hair, mind racing. Why would an omega’s gamma want anything to do with me? If this concerned the jewelry store incident, Quinn could have handled it through official channels. But she’d mentioned personal matters. Futures being affected.
I wasn’t registered and was only vetted—along with my crew—to sell pharmaceuticals to the station’s medical team and merchants who owned beauty and health shops.
Behind me, Stella’s scent had gone sour with fear, her usual cinnamon and sweet pineapple aroma curdling into something unpleasant. Sylas wrapped protective arms around her, shooting me a look that mixed wariness with silent pleading—waiting for me to voice my displeasure at his fiery mate.
“Take her to your cabin,” I suggested, not looking for resistance. “I don’t like gammas any more than either of you, but she hasn’t earned the disrespect you just showed. If we’re ever fortunate enough to have an omega join our ranks, gamma visits will become routine.”
“She didn’t mean any harm—”
I raised my hand for silence. I wasn’t in the mood to hear an excuse for her sass, nor did I have the time to hash this out as we had Quinn standing just outside our ship. “We can discuss this once our guest leaves. But, for now, you aren’t needed for this meeting.”
Sylas helped Stella to her feet. “We understand.” He squeezed Stella’s shoulder. “We’ll be available if you need us.”
As they disappeared toward the sleeping quarters, their combined scents—Sylas’s cedar mingling with Stella’s cinnamon—created an intoxicating blend that reminded me of exotic spices over an open flame. Yet beneath it all, that faint trace of lavender-vanilla clung to my senses—soft and persistent —stirring something deeper and far more complicated than I wanted to admit.
I shook my head, trying to banish thoughts of emerald eyes and cascading blonde silk. The memory of her hair had tormented me since we’d parted—how I’d longed to wind those golden strands around my fingers, to bury my face in that elegant cascade and breathe her in until nothing else existed.
From the moment she’d entered Toasty’s store, every soul within those walls had fallen under her spell. Stella’s jealous sneers hadn’t escaped my notice, nor Seth’s telltale blush whenever his gaze drifted to the omega-gamma pair. Even Tobias had fallen unusually quiet, lingering in the shadows against the wall—whether out of awe or self-preservation, I couldn’t tell.
My own reaction had been the most damning of all. I should have introduced myself properly, should have found some excuse to prolong our interaction. Instead, I’d stood transfixed by her otherworldly beauty, drunk on her cosmic scent—that rare lavender-vanilla combination that spoke of old Earth gardens and expensive tastes. Most could only achieve such perfection through costly perfumes, the kind betas purchased to attract alpha attention or establishments used to mask crowd-control pheromones.
She’d been utterly unaware of her power. The station’s ventilation system had failed against the sweet desperation rolling off her as she’d pressed against my back, seeking comfortfrom a virtual stranger. Every instinct had screamed at me to turn, to gather her close and promise protection. Instead, I’d remained frozen, afraid that any movement might shatter the moment and send her fleeing back to her gamma’s protective embrace.
The memory of her reluctant withdrawal still ached like a phantom wound. I’d watched Quinn’s interactions with her charge, noted how the omega hadn’t demanded Toasty’s entire inventory despite clearly having the means. My original purpose—selecting a birthday gift for Maia—had evaporated the moment I’d witnessed Owen’s predatory advance. Purchasing those jewelry pieces had been instinct, pure and simple. Some primal need to leave my mark on her memory, even if she could never be mine.
Now her gamma waited outside my vessel, requesting private audience about matters that could affect my crew’s future. Pride warred with caution in my chest.
Had my intervention truly meant something to her, or was I constructing castles from cosmic dust?
Trusting my crew to transform the mess hall into a suitable reception space, I headed toward the storage bay with Jaxom’s footsteps echoing behind me. His unique seafoam scent—crisp and clean as morning tides—confirmed his presence without need for visual confirmation. He probably wanted to provide backup in case tensions escalated, or perhaps curiosity had finally overcome his usual professional reserve.
The omega who’d created such upheaval among my clan deserved whatever support I could muster.
I didn’t see any issue with him tagging along. We’d earned a respectable standing with the station—never caused trouble, always handled our transactions cleanly. In fact, they’d consistently allowed us to dock and refuel during long trade routes, giving my betas the freedom to shop freely in The Center.
I slammed my palm against the scanner. The storage bay doors whispered open, revealing Quinn standing at parade rest at the bottom of our ramp. She appeared exactly as we’d left her—uniform pristine, station badge gleaming, that peculiar air of gamma authority wrapped around her like armor.
