Page 32 of Knot Gonna Lie
“I believe it’s fine.” Elara lightly tapped on the mark on her neck and let out a slight hiss. “It seems to be healing nicely.”
“I’m glad to hear.” The gamma scanned my omega once over and nodded. “Has your alpha treated you well?”
“Very.” Elara grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers together. Then, squeezing it, she placed them on her stomachand gave me a wink. “I had to convince him it was okay to mark me, but I had no complaints once he did.”
“I have a final request that I would like you to follow.”
From the tune of her voice and the serious look on her face, an uneasy feeling fell upon me. Elara let out a sigh as if she were unconcerned about what her old caretaker was about to say.
“Have at it.”
“Unfortunately, due to what happened during your session in The Den, there have been multiple complaints about what occurred and how to prevent such things in the future.”
“I’ve marked her,” I growled, squeezing Elara’s hand for reassurance. “What are they going to do about it?”
“Demand a refund.” Quinn raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. “Demand for your company to pay what you stole.”
“I didn’t steal anything!”
“Tell that to your peers,” Quinn snapped. “You aren’t the one trying to clean up the mess. I am. While you two were too busy bonding, I’ve been up all night, neck-deep in vidcalls.”
“Luca hasn’t done anything wrong,” Elara countered. “They are just poor sports about everything, and after a week or so, I will become old news.”
Quinn’s eyes sharpened, focusing on Elara with laser intensity. “Luca?” she repeated slowly. “You used his real name.”
The blood drained from my face as I watched understanding dawn across Quinn’s features.
“You told her already?” Quinn’s voice carried both surprise and something that might have been respect. “Most alphas would have waited until after the heat, when the bond was irrevocably sealed.”
“I couldn’t live aliewith her,” I said, my voice rougher than intended. The words scraped my throat like broken glass. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t tell her the truthbefore claiming her. She deserved to know who she was really choosing.”
Quinn didn’t say anything at first. Her gaze pinned me, steady and sharp, giving nothing away. Then her eyes narrowed. Shoulders squared. When she finally spoke, her voice came low and tight, each word precise—like a threat wrapped in restraint.
“It would be wise if you gathered everything you needed for Elara—clothing, nesting supplies, everything—and left today.”
“There shouldn’t be a rush,” I protested, straightening against the headboard. “I have rights to purchase anything Elara needs at The Center.”
“That would be the case if it wasn’t for your deception.” Quinn’s words cut like a blade through my confidence. “These complaints are only the beginning. What’s going to happen when your brother—the true Eli—finds out? Or when the Matron discovers what you’ve done?
“And how am I supposed to explain this to the Matron?” Quinn demanded. The intensity of her voice would’ve been equivalent to an alpha’s bark if she weren’t a gamma. “Oh, by the way, my omega has just bound herself to an imposter on top of all of the complaints.”
“I was hoping you would keep it our little secret,” I explained. “I am sure you have connections with the records department. If I send you the funds now, under my name, would you be able to find someone to smudge our files?”
“You know it doesn’t work like that—”
“No,” I countered. “I know there are a lot of things behind the public’s eye that happen on the station that most of the population ignore. For example, there are about the same number of alphas as there are omegas, and yet, The Den’s arena continues to fill up with more and more alphas needing a mate, but the number of omegas has stayed steady this whole time.”
“What are you getting at?”
“No matter the fact that alphas have to travel here from all over the galaxy, shouldn’t there be an omega roster in equivalent size needing a mate?”
“That is a matter beyond you,” Quinn replied, shooting a glance at Elara. “All you need to worry about is taking good care of your omega and getting as far away from here as possible until things cool down.”
“And my records?”
“I require double my normal fee,” Quinn huffed. “No need to come in. Your face alone will anger many of the alphas who are still lingering around, hoping to get lucky today.”
“I’ll pay triple if you can guarantee my brother will never know.”
