Page 15 of Knot Your Kismet

“Cali, may I please come in?” he finally asks, his voice low in defeat.

I almost tell him to fuck off again, but there’s just something…he’s as tired and frustrated as I am.

“Fine. Come in. But if you ever try to barge in without permission again, I’ll—”

“There’s no need to threaten me. It won’t happen again. You have my word.” Nolan stands in the doorway as if he’s afraid to fully enter. His arms remain at his sides, his hands curling into fists. Big baby alpha. They’re all show most of the time. Nolan isn’t any different. I’m sure most omegas play docile just to please their alpha’s egos. Not me.

“Your word means nothing to me right now.” I continue to glare at the ceiling over my bed. It would be too nice of me to physically acknowledge him with my gaze. It might be rude, but it’s more civil than if I tried to murder him with my eyes. He made this huge deal about grieving together—about celebrating our parents—yet he’s been too busy with supposed business. Bringing me home felt more like a power move and for show compared to anything else. “You haven’t kept it so far.”

Soft footsteps draw closer. His shadow blocks out my lamp in my periphery. From this distance, I can smell his scent. He does nothing to disguise the crisp apple fragrance. It digs at me. I can almost taste it on my palate. This is what I get for not trying to protect myself like I do at home. I shouldn’t be so enthralled by him. I know it’s my instincts as an omega, especially because I know he’s undeniably my scent match. I refuse to believe that means anything. I’ll not take the easy way out and agree to his legal nonsense.

“What do you mean I haven’t kept my word, omega?” Nolan moves even closer and leans over me, blocking my view of the ceiling. I have no choice but to look up at him. Now I can’t look away, his brown eyes capturing me. I can’t ignore him. There’s something in my nature preventing me.

I don’t answer him for a long while, hoping that my silence is enough to make him uncomfortable. Alphas don’t do well when they don’t feel their strongest. I’ve been around alphas long enough to know how to manipulate them. They think they’re so powerful. But they’re no better than their order for the most part. It takes a lot of training and perseverance to overcome innate behaviors. I should know.

“You can’t think of anything, can you?” he prods, his voice lifting with his question. Of course he would assume as much. Instead of taking my silence as a form of rebellion, he takes it as defeat. As if I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Hating the fact that he hovers over me, I sit up, forcing him to move. I stand on my bed to tower over him. It’s not by much, but at least I won’t have to look up at him. “I was trying to give you a chance to think about it. You told me that you wanted to grieve together as a family. You made a big deal about my arrival here. But where have you been? Grief isn’t a one-day thing. You were barely around me at the funeral. You only talk to me about the business aspect of our lives. You made it clear that you only want me around to get your inheritance with those awful choices. So no. You haven’t kept your word. Your word means nothing to me. Absolutely fucking nothing.”

I bounce off my bed, making sure there’s enough space that he couldn’t grab me if he wanted to. Nolan is the type to argue. He’s the type to try to spin things in a way that makes me out to be wrong. He would try to blame me. He’d say that I was the one who didn’t want to be around him. Even if that is partly true, he didn’t try.

“Where are you going? We need to talk about this, Calista—Cali.” Nolan remains standing by my bed, his thick brows pinching together. He actually expects me to stay here.

He’s going to learn quickly that I’m not going to just submit to him as an alpha. He can’t control me.

Grabbing my purse and phone from my desk, I stride toward the door, completely ignoring him.

“Cali, stop. I just want to talk things through. You’re acting like a child. You’re not a teenager anymore. Don’t make me chase you. I don’t want you leaving when you’re upset. I’m sorry.” Nolan sighs, still expecting me to turn around. It’s because I made the mistake of slowing down. Of hearing him out.

I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk to you when I’m upset. Now is not the time.”

“There’s no better time. Come on.” Nolan realizes that he’s getting nowhere with me. “Did you hear me when I said I was sorry, omega?”

This alpha.

I glance at him from over my shoulder. “I did hear you, but you were only saying it to stop me from leaving. You can’t do that now. I’m not running away or anything. I have a date. My lawyer recommended that I act like I’ve made my decision until she gets a chance to go over things. Shouldn’t you do the same? There’s a Bonding App I can recommend. You don’t need me for any of this.”

Do I actually have a date? No. But he doesn’t know that. I’m sure some alphas have reached out to me on the dumb Bonding App my lawyer helped set up for me. Alphas tend to drop everything when they get a chance to meet an omega. I’m counting on that now.

“A date with who?” he asks, stepping forward but not fast enough. “You can’t just go out with a stranger. It’s not safe. Please, let’s just discuss things. I want to know what your lawy—”

I slam my door behind me.

He yells my name.

I don’t respond to him.

I don’t look back.

10

Mistake

Calista

Iguess there are a lot of desperate alphas around here. Well, not in Poppy Cove, but the nearby city of San Francisco. I kind of wish it was closer, so I could go explore, but now I just have to wait for my suitors to come to me. Not that it’ll take the first one long to get here. He left ten minutes ago and is supposed to meet me at the cute Mom and Pop restaurant, Mama’s Cooking, on Main Street within the hour.

At least I don’t have to wait forever. No one’s going to stand up an omega. Especially one with political ties and a strong pack.