Page 54 of Knot for Me
“Yeah, well, maybe the family should pay more attention. Going fifteen in a forty is a good way to cause a crash.” She passes the car the first chance she gets, scowling in its direction. Sure enough, a little old man is sitting too close to the wheel and squinting like he’s having a hard time seeing the road.
“Look at how cute he looks,” I say, putting my hand on my chest. “Maybe he’s going to visit his wife. She could be in a home and this is his day to go visit her.”
“Now I feel like a jerk,” she mumbles to herself.
I sit back and nod. “As you should. He’s trying to visit his one true love.”
She snorts. “I didn’t expect you to be a romantic with all theI’m not an omegatalk.”
“I love love. I just don’t love babies and being an omega.” I shrug.
“I’m sure you don’t have to have babies, right?”
“Please. You know the Omega and Royal Council expect us to.” I take a deep breath and recite something Camila once said, “Omegas are meant to keep the home, provide a warm place for their pack, and raise new generations that will make the alphas proud.”
“Bleh. What sort of propaganda are they shoving at you?”
“A bunch of bullshit.”
“Sometimes I hate our society,” she murmurs.
I stare at my phone to avoid more conversation about what omegas should and shouldn’t do. I open my favorite social media app, but the first thing I see is a video of some low pack alpha ranting about how unjust some of the laws are. Can’t say I disagree, but I’m not in the mood to dive down into how fucked up our system is, so I switch to my text messages.
“I hope you like rock.” She cranks up the music, drowning the silence out so we don’t have to talk.
I tap out a quick hello to my sister.
Reagan: Hope you’re living your best life.
Megan: Mom is so grumpy. You should call her again.
Reagan: Seriously? I talked to her this week.
Megan: She’s cranky.
Reagan: Fine, I’ll call tomorrow. How are you?
Megan: Good. I met up with Tasha and Angela. They said you were bought by some super rich alphas?
I hesitate. If I tell her they’re royal, she’ll flip.
Reagan: Tasha and Angela can suck a stick.
Megan: Sounds painful and unnecessary.
I send a laughing emoji and lock the phone. I’ll tell her about them eventually, but I don’t have enough energy to deal with all the questions she’ll have. Up ahead, a small cafe sits amidst fields. Amelie pulls into the gravel parking lot, which is nearly full, and shoots me a grin.
“This place is the best. Hopefully we don’t have to wait in line to get a table.”
We climb out and head inside. There’s no line, but it takes a minute for them to clear off a table so we can sit. Once the waitress gives us our menus, I glance around, trying to figure out who Karris might be. The restaurant is full of people wearing nice suits and pretty business attire. Amelie is wearing jeans and a T-shirt, so I don’t feel so alone in my less than formal outfit. I don’t notice anyone who might be standing guard for Pack Bullet. Karris, whoever he is, has skills.
“Everyone is so…” I trail off, looking across the table at Amelie. “Fancy.”
“Oh, yeah. All the local residents come here, and since most of the houses out here are mansions, they like to dress up.”
I nod and look down at the menu. “I feel a little out of place.”
“Eh, you’ll get used to it. The key is to act like you’re unimpressed. Don’t let them sense your weaknesses. They’re sharks.”
