Page 2 of Knotty Lessons

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” I throw myself on the ground, scooping up all the scattered papers that I can and shove them into my jacket because opening my bag will take too long. “I have to go. I’m so sorry again. I have to go.” I sound like a dumbass, stumbling over my words, repeating the same two phrases over and over. My embarrassment turns my brain into mush, and all I can think about is getting the fuck away.

“You dropped one, miss,” the guy calls, waving one of the sketches.

I can’t get my body to move any closer to him in fear of meeting his eyes. Facing his judgment. My mom would murder me if she found out. Omegas are supposed to be good girls, well-rounded, and ready to give their alphas what they need. I shouldn’t have such an obsession with how fascinating I find the human body.

“You can just trash it. It’s not important,” I yell, peering at him one more time from over my shoulder.

He mumbles something that I can’t hear, and I rush forward, clutching onto my drawings for dear life, terrified that my secret will scatter across campus. This is what I get for being idle-handed in class with a professor I find attractive. I can’t help that I’ve already studied world literature at Omega Prep. That’s why I wanted to go to an art school, so I didn’t have to take a bunch of General Ed.

My side aches from running the near mile it takes to get back to my dorm. My mom refused to pay for an apartment, claiming that if I wanted to be pampered, then I needed to be home. I just wanted space away from my pack, so here I am, sharing a room with a beta who won’t say even one word to me that isn’t a complaint. It was quite the awakening when I moved in, and she realized I was an omega. After I told her why I decided to attend her university, she called me an entitled brat who should just be appreciative of the life I have been blessed with. Her reaction to learning that I was Scarlett Steele of the Steele sisters, our sort of famous family of all omega girls, made me immediately take on an alias. Scarlett Carlisle is now the one who attends Clearwater University of San Diego, founded by the Clearwater Pack.

I shove the thought away as I rush through the glass door of the dorm building. A man in a black suit with a red tie and shiny dress shoes stands near the Resident Advisor, and they both look at me. The RA frowns, confusion lining her face. My phone rings again from my bag, and I give up on my art stuff and drop it into one of the chairs in the commons area.

“Sorry, Mom. I was in class,” I say, eyeing as the man in the suit and the RA continue to stare at me. It weirds me out, and I turn my back on them.

“You could’ve left. You know how important my calls are, and this one is what you’ve been waiting for. I found you a pack! We’ve been presented an offer for your hand in marriage. There should be a driver at your dorm shortly. They’ve already paid the dowry, and you’re to leave campus immediately. We can’t afford you wasting time.” My mom spits out the words in one breath. “Don’t bother packing any of your things. We will send for them later. You just need to move.”

I eye the man in the suit again. Shit. That’s probably why the RA looks completely confused. She hasn’t been the Resident Advisor for more than two months, and I introduced myself by my alias. I sign everything as Scarlett Carlisle, and the driver must’ve asked for Scarlett Steele.

“Scarlett? Are you there?” Mom raises her voice. “I can hear you breathing. Say something.”

What do I say? I can’t believe this is happening. This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is the moment I didn’t think would happen. I thought I just had nothing good to offer on paper, which is why I hadn’t received a single proposal. Until now. But why don’t I feel as happy as I know I should be?

“I’m sorry, Mama. I’m in shock. I need a second to wrap my mind around it.” I haven’t called her Mama since I was a kid, and I suddenly feel as if I know nothing. What if I turn out to be a disappointment? What if this pack realizes that they don’t want me after all?

I shouldn’t care. My sisters would tell me I’m ridiculous.

“Well, knock it off. We don’t have time for this. You should be happy. You finally found someone to take care of you. Better late than never. Now you can give up that college nonsense and proudly show your face at home again.” Because I was supposed to be married already. And it’s only a few weeks until my twenty-second birthday. My mom will lose her entitled life if I’m not.

“You’re right. I see the driver now. Thank you for everything you’ve done to make this happen. I love you.” The words feel fake as fuck coming from my mouth, but my mom would yell at me otherwise. It is my duty to be the daughter she dreamed of. I refuse to let my pack down. If only it didn’t mean I had to let myself down in the process.

“The driver should have the dress I picked out for you, so be presentable. Don’t forget to show them what a fitting woman and omega you are. Be friendly yet reserved. Don’t talk unless they do. If they want to immediately welcome you with their affection, do not deny them. They are your alphas. This is your moment to show off how incredible an omega from Pack Steele is. It’ll help your younger sisters. Do not mess it up. I’ve already had enough embarrassment and disappointment with your older sisters.” Mom doesn’t wait for me to respond before she hangs up, leaving me in a hurricane of mixed emotions.

Squaring my shoulders, I summon my nerve and turn back to the silent RA and the driver waiting for me. “I’m assuming you’re my driver?” I ask, wishing with everything in me that he tells me no. “I just need a couple minutes to grab a few things.”

“I have strict orders to take you immediately. Your mother said you will not need any of your belongings. I have a privacy shield in my vehicle and the outfit chosen for you.” The driver frowns with his words, probably expecting me to lash out and argue. Or maybe he feels bad. Whatever.

“I have already been assigned to gather and ship your belongings. Good luck with your pack, ScarlettSteele.” The RA bites out my last name, her expression just as heated as her voice. If I made any connections with the other students in the dorm, I’m sure they are now destroyed. People don’t like discovering that someone isn’t who they thought they were, and I can’t blame them.

I blink my eyes and turn my back on the two of them, returning to my chair to organize my artwork to put back in my bag. At least I took it with me today. Because right now, it feels like it’s all I have left.

Why can’t my brain just accept that I’m about to get more? My life will finally be complete. At least, I hope. There’s one thing I know for certain. My happily ever after will never be guaranteed.

2

Scarlett

Clearwater Manor

Thiscan’tberight.

This can’t be fucking right.

I had expected a far longer car ride. Maybe even a trip to the airport. But the wrought iron gate to the Clearwater Manor looms on the hill just outside of campus and close enough to walk to Clearwater University. There has to be a mistake.

Pack Clearwater founded my university a century ago, and the newest pack leader was recently elected as Mayor of San Diego, the city just south of this university beach town. I knew that I’d end up with a strong, wealthy pack because of my birth into privilege, but to be chosen by Pack Clearwater? What the hell?

Creaking open, the automatic gate sweeps forward, allowing the driver access to the winding road leading uphill. I scoot across the long seat of the limo, unable to resist knocking on the tinted partition.

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