Finding Their Omega (Knot Her Pack #1)

by Sadie Moss

My scent can still be detected by the animals, since their noses are simply far more sensitive than a human’s. But to everyone else? I’m a Beta, as far as they can tell. I have no intention of living in a cage. And if anyone finds out I’m an Omega, that’s exactly what’ll happen. They’ll force me to bond with an Alpha or Alpha pack, and I refuse to give up my freedom. I’m just lucky I presented as an Omega late enough that I could hop on the suppressants in time.

Nobody will ever control me. Especially not a damn Alpha. Or a pack of them.

This man smells like bourbon, spicy cloves, and honey. It reminds me of warming myself on a cold winter morning, and my heart starts to race in a way it never has before.

Holy fuck, what a woman. Betas don’t usually do it for me. I’m an Omega guy, through and through. Call me a typical Alpha but I know what I want and I don’t like to settle for anything. Yet that woman… that Beta… Her scent was enticing. Sweet lilac and warm vanilla, and something else that I couldn’t manage to name before she took off. I want to know what it is. I need to know what it is. It wasn’t just her scent either. She’s beautiful.

Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking Caleb is insecure because he’s so quiet. Garrett never has a problem speaking his mind, Ethan wouldn’t know how to keep a thought to himself if you paid him, and I’m pretty damn opinionated myself. But Caleb’s silence isn’t a lack of confidence. Far from it. He just knows the value of waiting for just the right thing to say.

“I’m going to pet you, okay?” I say, keeping my voice low and calm. I reach out and gently stroke my fingers through her hair. The Omega’s eyes slip closed and tears slide down her face. After a moment of petting, she tentatively pushes her head farther into my hand, and uncurls a bit from her ball. “That’s a good girl,” I praise. “Very good. It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re safe with me. I won’t hurt you.”

I feel a little drunk, like I’d promise her the moon if she wanted it and find a way to get it out of the sky.

I lost my parents young but I still remember how in love they were, and how safe and happy they made me feel. I’ve wanted an Omega for so damn long. That’s all this is. It’s just my stupid, silly, busted heart.

He smells like freshly baked pie, like wood burning in a fireplace, and like a glass of sweet apple cider to wash it all down. Like pure, homespun safety.

He blinks at me, then rubs at his eyes as if he’s not quite believing what he’s seeing. “Nope,” Ethan says cheerfully. “You’re not dreaming.” “Caleb, this is Ava,” Dante makes the introductions. “Ava, this is Caleb, the last member of our pack.” “Ava, hi.” Caleb sticks out his hand for me to shake. Oh my god. He’s so cute I can hardly stand it.

“Do you really have nowhere else to go?” Caleb asks me. I shake my head, swallowing hard. I could go back to my apartment, I guess, but I won’t. I’d be too afraid of one of my neighbors scenting me and reporting me to the ORD office. Caleb looks at Garrett. “Then I agree with Dante and Ethan. We should take care of her. We can’t kick her out on her own like this.” Garrett sighs. “You’re not registered with the ORD, are you?” I shake my head again. “Great. Just great. We’re practically breaking the law.” Garrett looks at the others, and then at me. “All right. Fine. You can stay.” He points at the others. “But no shenanigans.”

“I love to hold a good party,” Ethan admits with a grin. “But not as much as we’d really like. Work keeps us busy and then there’s the whole…” He trails off, and his eyes cut away like he’s guilty. “It’s okay.” I keep my voice gentle. “You can tell me.” “Well, it’s a little awkward, seeing as you’re an unmated Omega. But part of why we’ve been holding back a little on having people over is that we want to have an Omega for our pack.” He sounds incredibly earnest when he says it, and it startles me. The charming man who cracks jokes and seems to have a permanent smirk on his face isn’t the kind of man I would expect to be so open and sincere, but Ethan is exactly that.

“As long as you’re living here, I hope you’ll consider this your home too,” Ethan tells me, his voice soft. “Anything you’d like to use, seriously. If you want to read a book, or watch a movie in the theater, or take a swim, it’s all yours.” To my shock, tears spring into my eyes. I’m not usually this emotional. But then again, I’m also not normally flooded with Omega hormones after years of suppressing them. “Thank you. Really. It’s very sweet, what you all are doing.”

Ethan smiles, and it’s gentler than the playful smirks he’s been giving so far. “I know you can’t go back to your apartment, but in the morning just let us know what you want from there, and we’ll go over and get it for you. Clothes, books, that kind of thing.” That does it. The tears slip free and I wipe at my face. “I miss my nest,” I admit, a sob catching in my throat. It wasn’t much. I think my suppressants kept me from feeling the urge to nest as strongly as most Omegas do, but I still wanted to make my bed be full of lovely soft things that made me feel warm and safe. It was a place I could snuggle into at the end of the day and let the outside world fade away. A place that smelled like me, and was truly mine. Now I have to sleep in a strange bed. It looks comfy, for sure, and I appreciate all the pillows. It’s silly of me to cry over something like this. And yet, here I am. Missing my nest. Missing my home. “Oh, gorgeous. Hey, come here.” Ethan pulls me into him and hugs me tightly. I bury my face in his chest and inhale his scent, the toasted marshmallow undertone making me think of summer campfires and relaxed, happy times.

The shadows play on Ethan’s handsome face, but one of them seems darker than the rest. I reach up. “Did you get hurt?” Ethan winces slightly as my fingers brush against the bruise. “Nothing I can’t handle. And nothing that wasn’t worth it.” My breath catches in my throat and I find my hand cupping his face, feeling the shape of it against my palm. Ethan shudders, and I feel him hard against me again.

I thought I was dreaming when I first stumbled into the foyer and saw her, and I know that’s not just because I was half asleep. Ava smells amazing, like no other Omega I’ve ever scented before. I can already hear Dante telling me not to get my hopes up and Garrett storming away because he’d rather go brood than admit he wants a family, but… I can’t help but wonder if maybe this is fate.

Ethan’s already head over heels for her, I can tell. It’s sweet.

I cross to her and hand them over. “I’m sorry they’re just old clothes of mine.” “No, it’s okay.” She rubs her cheek against the fabric, burying her nose in them and inhaling deeply. My chest swells with pride at the way her lashes flutter. She likes my scent.

I gesture at the bed. “I see you’re trying to make a nest.” “I do have a nest at home. It just never felt so imperative before. Like I had to do it in order to feel safe and happy.” Ava’s face screws up but she can’t stop a few tears from slipping free. “Everything just feels so much stronger now. My emotions, my desires, but also my anxiety.”

Ava smiles at me. “You’re all very sweet.” “We’re just doing the best we can to help you out.” “I know. That’s why it’s sweet.” I’ve gotta get out of here before I do something stupid like actually run my fingers through her hair the way I want to.

I’ve got to get a grip on myself. I can’t go swooning over an Omega who clearly doesn’t want to be bonded. No matter how much I’d like to bond with her. It’s just our luck that the first Omega I feel such a pull to doesn’t want to be mated and is willing and ready to go against the law to ensure it.

“She deserves a safe place to figure out her next move. She’ll probably have to rearrange her entire life. Maybe even skip town. She’ll need to plan and we can’t turn her out.” Relief spreads through me to hear Dante’s words. I know that Garrett wouldn’t ever turn a desperate Omega out, but his crankiness masks it. He’s just asking the tough questions we need to be asked as we figure this out. Because this is a risk. It’s a big one, for all of us. But we’re Alphas. We protect Omegas. It’s what we do. We can’t betray our nature. Especially not for an Omega like Ava. I know I’d want to help no matter who the Omega was, but there’s something about her… something more.

I know that. I know we can’t really keep her. But that doesn’t mean I need the reminder.

I begin to identify the various scents: spicy clove, cinnamon, sweet apple cider, and smooth caramel. Dante, Ethan, Garrett, and Caleb. Their four scents mixing together into the perfect cocktail. It’s homey and intoxicating at the same time. I feel completely, utterly safe for the first time in years, possibly my entire life.

All four of them freeze as I enter, their heads shooting up to look at me. I can see their nostrils flaring and I know they’re smelling me. A sly look slides into Ethan’s eyes. Dante looks triumphant. Caleb’s blushing as he stares down resolutely at his food. Garrett’s not even looking at me, after that first quick instinctive glance. But I know he can smell it too, because just like all the others, he’s purring with satisfaction.

“I said I’m not…” “Hungry,” the other three men all say at once. “But you’ll feel better once you do,” Dante adds while Ethan simultaneously silently imitates exactly what he’s saying. I laugh. “I’m guessing this is an everyday kind of argument?” “It’s not an argument, it’s them being wrong.” “Sorry, so this is an everyday them being wrong?” Garrett points at me. “She thinks she’s funny.” “I know I’m funny. I’m hilarious.” I bat my eyes at him. Ethan and Caleb struggle to muffle their chuckles in their coffee.

Garrett’s at least consistent in his gruff manner. Ethan and Caleb seem happy to have me here. Dante feels… more hot and cold. I can’t get a read on him.

I dash to the bathroom and slam the door behind me. My knees give out, and I slide to the floor, my back pressed to the now closed door. I hide my face in my knees. My body is shaking, and each sob makes me heave. I don’t understand. I feel like I’m floating apart, like my body isn’t fully tied to the earth anymore. “Ava?” Ethan calls. “Are you okay?” Pounding starts on the door. “Ava.” Garrett’s voice is a low growl, but it doesn’t make me scared. He doesn’t sound angry, just concerned. “Ava, open up.” I should stay hidden in here. When I get upset, I just want to be left alone. At least usually. But right now, I have this unending need for a hug. I want to be held. I haven’t been held in a long, long time. “What’s wrong?” Ethan says. He sounds pleading. “Ava, please tell us what’s wrong.” “Ava, open the door.” Before I can even truly decide, I find myself standing and opening the door. I’m crying even harder as arms pull me in. I recognize it’s Ethan by his scent, and I burrow into him as I inhale his warm, loving campfire smell.

“Did we hurt you?” Garrett asks. He sounds stricken. I already suspected that Garrett’s not nearly as hard-hearted as he likes to act. He didn’t have to help me out just now with that orgasm and he wasn’t aggressive or possessive as he did it. He was truly helping me out. I worry most Alphas would’ve knotted me without a second thought, but Garrett made it all about me. Now, I have confirmation of his soft heart. He’s looking at me like he’s going to tear his own hand off if I say that he hurt me.

It’s a fear that I’ve lived with ever since, if I’m being honest with myself. To the point where I don’t remember what it’s like to live without it. “I never want to be trapped like that again. Not ever. I’m never going to let someone control me and my life that way. So I found someone who knew someone, and I went on suppressants and blockers, and I never told anybody the truth.” Someone passes me a tissue to blow my nose. I look up. Dante and Caleb now stand behind Garrett. Caleb’s the one with the tissues. All three of them look concerned. “I guess you two heard all of that?” I whisper.

“I know you’re not our Omega,” Dante says. “But that doesn’t matter. You’re still a person. We’ll protect you, bonded or not. We’re going to figure this out. As long as you’re with us, we’ll take care of you.”

I feel like they’re telling me the truth. I feel safe. They look at me with their eyes alight with earnestness, like they really would go to the ends of the earth to help me feel okay. I told my story. I told the truth about Marcus. And the world didn’t fall down. It’s kind of amazing, and mostly a relief.

His muscles gleam and his shirt sticks to him, showing off his toned body. I swallow hard. He really is a handsome man. But he’s also a man who I’m not sure has entirely warmed to me. At this point I feel like I know where I stand with all of the others, even Garrett, but Dante is still a mystery to me.

I get out a mat and start doing my yoga poses, keeping one eye on Dante. He sets the weights down, watching me as I move through them fluidly. I tell myself I’m imagining the gleam in his eye, but my heart races anyway. Out of all the men, Dante is the one I’m least sure about. Maybe he wants me, maybe he doesn’t. And my own heart and body are a mess. I need to hold on to my self-control.

“People mistake Ethan and I for brothers,” Dante says slowly. “But I don’t think it’s just a matter of… looking alike. I think people can feel how close all four of us are. They can tell. Honestly, I feel like they’re my brothers in every way that matters. “I was good at making friends growing up. I can be pretty damn charming.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “But I didn’t really know what friendship was. Or what family was, actually. Not until I bonded with these guys.”

I can’t be a registered Omega. I can’t. I’ll be trapped. I’ll be controlled by someone like Marcus. Caleb guides me into deep breathing. My vision clears a little, and I look over at Garrett. He looks like he’s literally ready to hold these agents off and tell me to run for it, and I can feel how tense Ethan is, like he’s going to do the same. Dante isn’t as obviously ready to fight as Garrett is, but I can tell he’s about to launch himself forward with his fists flying. He’s just more subtle about it.

“So you’re going to drag an unwilling Omega from her home.” Dante’s lips curl up into a parody of a smile. “Good to know. Fine, upstanding public servants, you are.” He calls this place my home. My heart swells with joy in the midst of my fear and despair. And I think that’s what makes me do it. That’s what decides it for me.

They’re ready to put it all on the line for me and I have to return the favor. I want to return the favor. They’re willing to protect me. I want to protect them too.

“You heard her,” Garrett adds. “She was pretty damn clear about not wanting to be in a pack or to have any Alpha in her life again.” “Can you blame her, after the last one?” Caleb says quietly. “She’s been hurt. I know that we all have in our own way. But she’s in the system now. Someone’s going to take her, if not us.” The idea of another Alpha having Ava makes me want to rip something to pieces. Preferably that other Alpha. “None of you like that idea. I can see it in your faces.”

“Nobody wants to see an Omega get hurt,” I add. “But you can’t tell me that what happened back there just now was just normal Alpha instincts. I was ready to run with her. And Garrett, I know you were ready to kill for her.”

“You can’t tell me it didn’t rip your heart in half to see her go earlier,” Caleb adds, still quiet. “I know it ripped mine. I didn’t want her to go.”

Dante looks back and forth from me to Caleb and back again, then groans and sinks back into the couch. “All right. All right. We’ll put a bid on her. Even though she’s probably going to break my damn heart.” I grin in triumph, then look over at Garrett. “It’s three to one, Garrett. What do you say?” Garrett looks over at me. I hold my breath, and wait for his answer. Hoping that he’ll choose to say yes. Please, please say yes.

Dante finally lets go of my hand. I flex my fingers, my skin feeling cold now that he’s no longer touching me. He’s still looking into my eyes, like he can’t look away. I feel caught, but for once, I don’t mind it.

Dante murmurs, stepping in a little closer so that he can talk to me without Cary overhearing. The other three are around me too, blocking anyone else from seeing me, keeping me in a little bubble. I should probably feel caged, but I don’t. I feel the opposite. I feel shielded. Safe.

“Perhaps we should finish meeting the other Alphas?” Cary says politely, cutting in. Garrett’s already staring at the others in the room like he’s going to eat them for breakfast. I don’t want to leave them. Even though we haven’t said much, just being in their presence calms me down.

The very fact that they’re here for me has my stomach erupting with the kind of butterflies I thought were just fake, the ones that I thought weren’t actually ever going to happen to me.

I can feel the men’s eyes on me as I leave them, and it kindles the warmth in my chest again. I know that they care about me and that they want me.

Cary walks over to me. “Have you made a decision?” She sounds a little knowing, like she already suspects what I’m going to say. “Do you know about how I got to the facility?” She nods. “Yes. And I know that’s who those Alphas were. I want you to know, I checked them out. I couldn’t stop them from applying for you, of course. But I wanted to make sure they hadn’t been holding you hostage in any way.”

I’m sure that your Alphas will take care of you. That’s what they’re there for, and it’ll be a good time to see if you’re as compatible as you all hope.” I hope that we are too. None of the other Alphas made me feel the way that Dante’s pack does. The way my body reacted, and how much I keep thinking about them… none of the others measured up.

They’re all waiting outside the facility. Ethan’s pacing and Garrett’s once again glaring into the distance. It reminds me of when I first saw them at breakfast, their unique energies and personalities so defined to me. Caleb sees me and smiles. “Ava!” he calls. Ethan stops pacing and Garrett looks over his shoulder at me, but Dante immediately moves to come up and take me by the hand. “You okay?” he asks again. As if something might have changed in the last few days. “I’m doing better now,” I tell him honestly, feeling a sense of safety and relief now that I can breathe in his scent again. “I’ll get the car,” Garrett says, sounding a little gruff. Like maybe he’s choked up.