Page 6 of Knot My Band: Part One
ALPHA TEA GOSSIP COLUMN
AFTER YEARS OF BAD PRESS FOR THE EDGE, IS MAY’S ARREST THE END OF THIS BAND?
March 18th
Leaning against the cool concrete wall outside the practice room, I tap a rhythm with my fingers. Trevor pulled Jack, Dax, Aiden, and me out in the hallway, and I’m pretty sure we are about to get our asses chewed out.
“Enough!” The sharp bark of Trevor’s voice slices through the hall. His frown is etched deep. “This isn’t a damn game,” he snaps, jabbing a finger at each one of us. “You need to get your heads straight and start acting like professionals.”
He’s a beta, but he’s been dealing with artists for years, and he’s got a backbone even I respect.
I can tell by the set of his jaw and the fire in his eyes that Trevor’s about at the end of his rope.
“Oli’s not just some replacement,” he continues, his tone sharpening with every word. “She’s the fresh start you’ve been handed on a silver platter. And if you blow this because you’re too busy playing alpha male games, you’ll have no one to blame but yourselves.”
There’s a collective shift, a tension that coils tightly in the air as the weight of his words sinks in.
“So you better go in and put your best effort into making Oliwantto work with you. She can say no, you can’t.” The threat is clear.
The way we’ve treated Oli since we got here was unfair, and she was only nice to us. We didn’t deserve her kindness, and she didn’t deserve our scorn. Plus, the moment I saw her, I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her puffy lips. That won’t happen if I keep being a dick. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.
“Alright, you’re right,” I say, pushing off the wall and clapping a hand on Trevor’s shoulder, a half-grin tugging at my lips. “Let’s go make some music. Just give us a moment.”
Trevor nods and then heads inside the room, stopping at the door. “Since you don’t seem to know anything about her, you should also know she’s an omega.”
After that bomb, he turns and leaves the four of us alone.
Dax slams his fist on the wall. “This is bullshit!” he growls, his voice a deep rumble. His dark brown hair falls over his forehead in a way that would be considered broodingly handsome on anyone else, but right now, it just underscores his grumpy aura.
“Working with another woman? An omega! That’s the ‘brilliant’ plan?” Dax is practically snarling, his intense hazel eyes narrowing into slits as he stands there, towering over us all with his solid frame. “We don’t need some delicate flower swooning over mic stands. We need a singer who can handle our music and not turn it into some bubble gum pop!”
I watch him, trying to gauge whether he’s more pissed about the tour or the omega situation. Knowing Dax, it’s a heady mixof both, seasoned with his usual stubbornness.
“We all know she’s not like that. She’s more famous than us and it’s time we treat her with the respect she deserves,” I say firmly.
“Chase is right. We don’t have to be happy about this, but let’s not take it out on the omega,” Jack adds.
Aiden speaks up, “She seems really nice, and May is the one who got us to this point. We can only be mad at her and ourselves.”
“So, we treat Oli better and give this a shot?” Jack asks.
“Absolutely.”
“I’m not being nice to her,” Dax complains, but we all ignore him. We file into the practice room, the air charged with a new sense of purpose. It’s game time, and I’m ready to play.
I take a seat on the drum stool, fiddling with a loose thread on my jeans, the cool metal barely registering against my skin. My mind’s buzzing, static noise from the clash of guilt gnawing at my gut.
“Chase, you with us, man?” Jack’s voice cuts through the fog in my head, and I nod, even though my thoughts are trailing back to when we met Oli. Her determined eyes, that firecracker energy, how we snuffed it without a second thought.
“Listen up,” Trevor’s voice slices through the room, sharp as a blade. The beta stands there, arms crossed, his stern expression etched into the lines of his face like he’s carved out of stone. “May’s screw-up put you in hot water, but this—Oli—it’s your shot at redemption. And if you think I’ll let any of you jeopardize this, you’re sorely mistaken.”
His gaze pins each of us in turn, a silent dare to defy him. I can feel his disapproval, a tangible thing, pressing down like the heat before a storm. It makes me want to act out, but Ipush it aside.
“Understood, Trevor,” I say, finally. Somehow, the words feel like a pledge, one I intend to keep. Because deep down, where pride doesn’t cloud judgment, I know he’s right. Oli deserves better from us, from me. And damn it, I’m going to give it to her.
I pull out my drumsticks and prepare to start our song off.
“Hey, Oli,” I call out, the words slipping into the charged silence. “Can’t wait to hear your beautiful voice on this song.”
