Page 30 of The Knotheads Next Door
Avianna blows a kiss to her, grabbing the sandwich bag of candies and popping one in her mouth.
Lala puts away the offensive sandwiches, only leaving out the ones that are not tuna, I presume.
"So," she says, passing out plates, "are we going to talk about the fact that you smell different Rowan, or should we pretend not to notice?"
I freeze, sandwich halfway to my mouth. "What?"
Avianna nudges Lala with her elbow. "Subtle, La. Real subtle."
"Life's too short for subtlety," Lala shrugs, completely unrepentant. "Besides, we're friends. Friends notice things."
"We are friends," Billie confirms, her gentle linen scent a calming presence beside me. "Which is why we're concerned."
Friends. The word hits me harder than I expected. It's only been a month, and somehow these women have already claimed me as one of their own.
"I don't smell different," I mumble, even though I know it's a lie.
"Honey," Lala says kindly, "you smell like an omega about to present for the first time. It's faint, but it's there. And living with those three alphas?" She fans herself dramatically. "That's playing with fire."
"I'm not—" I start to deny it automatically, then stop. What's the point? These women have nothing to gain by lying to me."Okay, maybe something's happening. But I'm twenty-eight. That's way too old for a first presentation."
"Not necessarily," Avianna says, her former librarian instincts clearly kicking in. "There are documented cases of adults presenting as late as their mid-thirties. It's rare, but not unheard of. Often triggered by significant life changes or proximity to compatible potential mates."
"They're not potential mates," I say too quickly. "They're my roommates. Temporary roommates."
The three exchange glances.
"What?" I demand.
"Nothing," Billie says soothingly. "It's just... the three of them have always had a special bond. The whole town's been waiting for years to see if they'd ever formalize it into a proper pack. And now you show up, and suddenly Jasper's actually walking around town instead of hiding in his work shop. Sure he still looks like he wants to murder someone, but at least he’s emerged. Theo's buying special kitten formula at the pet store for a cat he doesn’t own, and Wells was actually spotted smiling in public."
"That was probably gas," Lala stage-whispers.
"My point is," Billie continues, "things are changing. And if you're experiencing physiological changes too, maybe it's all connected."
I take a bite of my sandwich to avoid responding, but my mind is racing. Could it be true? Am I finally presenting after all these years of medical uncertainty? And if so, why now? Is it really because of them?
"It's scary," I admit finally, my voice small. "I've spent my whole life being... in-between. Not really fitting anywhere. I don't know how to be an omega. I don't know if I really want to be."
Lala reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Being an omega isn't a death sentence, you know. It's just one part of who you are. Look at Mayor Tillie—she runs this entire town with an iron fist. Or Elma at the salon—she has three alpha mates who worship the ground she walks on. Being an omega means different things to different people."
“Or me,” Avianna leans back against the grass, meeting my eyes as she pulls off her stylish sunglasses. Her brown eyes meet mine as her lips curve into a half smile. “I have something called Cyclical Estrus Syndrome, or CES.” She takes a deep breath, her smile going a little wobbly. I reach forward and take her hand in mine, I can tell that whatever she’s about to tell me is hard for her.
“CES is a medical condition that causes me to have mini heats on a monthly basis-”
“Every month?” I try to keep the horror out of my voice, but the shock definitely sneaks through.
Avianna throws her head back and laughs, squeezing my hand in hers.
“Don’t worry, it’s really rare and totally genetic. And it’s mostly just annoying, I gotta spend more time with my knotted toys than your average omega. What I'm trying to say is that there is no one right way to be an omega.”
"And you have us," Lala adds. "Whatever happens, however this plays out, you're not alone."
"Exactly," Billie agrees. "We're your friends. We’ll even be your pack, if you need us to be."
Something tight in my chest loosens at their words. Friends. Pack. Belonging. Things I've been seeking out without even realizing it.
"Thank you," I say, meaning it more than they could know.
