Page 38 of Knot Your Kismet

I quickly check my phone, expecting the time to be way past our meeting time. I’m literally one minute late. I knew Ivy was controlling, but this is ridiculous.

I force my frown away and offer a smile, knowing better than to argue. It’s as if I’m back at the Omega Resort, wanting nothing more than to gain a good place with Ivy so I can get what I want. I don’t know if it’s her alpha attitude or the lingering fear of what she’s capable of, but the last thing I need is to end up on her bad side.

“I’m so sorry. We got stuck at a light.” I look over my shoulder even though I know Lucas didn’t follow me in.

“Where are the Kismet alphas? I’m surprised they even let you meet me here. If I were them, I’d…” Ivy lets her words trail off and turns to the man sitting on the loveseat. “It’s not important. I’m just happy to see you. Do you remember my brother, Will?”

I glance at Will, trying to retrieve a memory of him from the back of my mind, but he’s nonexistent in my head. He’s pretty ordinary and unremarkable, his long hair hanging in oily strings behind his ears. His dark beard grows in patches, and he seems unapproachable with his thin-lipped expression. I’m pretty sure I’ve never met him before, considering that I only left my apartment to work at the bar. Will probably only hangs around omegas who want to find a pack of their own without being influenced by their families.

“Of course she remembers me, Ivy. I’m the best male alpha Pack Daines has.” Will pats the seat next to him. “Come here. Let me check you over. Those entitled bastards have no idea what they’re up against. We’ll take care of things, sweetheart. Pack Daines has you now.”

I crinkle my nose and shift my gaze to Ivy. I knew this was too good to be true. Ivy doesn’t offer help without stipulations. I just wanted a lawyer that wasn’t involved with Pack Kismet, but I guess having one connected to Pack Daines might be worse.

“I’m not sure I’m following,” I say.

“You don’t have to be capable of following any of this legal jargon, sweetheart. That’s what I’m here for. I have the best options for you.” Will nods at the lawyer. “Isn’t that right, Ms. Galloway?”

“He means we, Cali, and we only hire the best, and Ms. Galloway has put everything together for you.” Ivy motions toward the quiet lawyer, who listens without interrupting us.

She takes Ivy’s introduction as permission and proffers her hand to me. “It’s lovely to finally meet you in person, Ms. Kismet, and please, call me Georgia.”

“Cali is fine for me too,” I say, focusing on the woman.

“Good, good. How is everything with Pack Kismet? I know Ivy mentioned the awkwardness of the situation with them being your stepbrothers. I hate seeing omegas put into these awful positions. It happens more than you’d think, and that’s why I specialize in Omega Bonding Contracts. We can have you out of Poppy Cove today if you follow through with one of these other contracts. Ivy narrowed down the selection to three alphas.”

Contracts? It’s now that I notice the three neat stacks of paper on the coffee table.

“Which was silly. You know I’m the best fit,” Will says, patting the seat beside him again. “Isn’t that right, Cali? You want a strong alpha. You want someone willing to do whatever it takes to have you. I fought with my brothers for this damn contract. It gives you the right to deny their share.”

What the hell is he even talking about?

“All you have to do is sign the contract, and we’ll take care of everything. You won’t have to worry about Pack Kismet. It’ll be as if you were never here. You’ll get to remain at the Omega Resort. I’ll come to you since Pack Daines owns residency at the facility.” Will reaches for me, and I turn my body so he can’t grab my hand.

“This was a mistake. I think there is some confusion here. I’m not looking for an alpha or pack at all. Ivy knows I want to be sterilized. Plus, I don’t think of the Kismet brothers as alphas with a familial relationship with me. We met when we were older. It’s not like that. I just don’t want to bond with anyone. If I have to bond, it would be them, anyway. Not someone from Pack Daines.” The words spill from my mouth so quickly that I’m not sure anyone understands me. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I don’t know what gave you the idea that I wanted a contract with Pack Daines. I was looking for legal guidance to keep my qualification for an Omega Sterilization.” I stare at Ivy, hoping she’ll say something to counter my thoughts about the situation. Maybe I misread things.

“This was no mistake, Cali. I did what you asked. You wanted options, so here they are. Don’t embarrass me. You haven’t even looked at our offers.” Ivy points to the stack of papers. “Now sit. You’ll give me your time since we came all the way out here.” She flicks her brunette tresses over her shoulder.

“You didn’t have to come. I wanted advice from my lawyer, not you.” I glance at Georgia, who still remains silent, drinking in the interaction between me and Ivy. She retrieves a pair of silver-framed glasses and slides them on her nose.

“Your lawyer?” Ivy asks, her voice rising in exasperation. “Cali, for you to have a lawyer, you must—”

“Must what, Ms. Daines? Pay the bill? It doesn’t matter who is paying the bill. I was hired to represent Cali Kismet. Now, if my client doesn’t want to look at these contracts, then she doesn’t have to. You told me she wanted out of Pack Kismet, and instead to bond with Pack Daines, which doesn’t sound like the truth. Can you confirm, Cali?” Georgia asks, her gray-blue eyes locking to mine. She’s also a female alpha, and her words surprise me. I thought she would take Ivy’s side and not mine. I don’t even know what to say or think.

“That’s correct. It’s not what I want. All I wanted was to find out if there was a way to proceed with an Omega Sterilization if another lawyer filed a bonding contract on my behalf for Pack Kismet. None of us knew the lawyer did it, and I don’t want to jeopardize getting sterilized because of this.” I try my best to ignore Ivy and Will as they seem to move closer, their scents mingling together, twisting my stomach.

Will groans in his throat, the sound vibrating like a growl. “A sterilization? That’s preposterous. You’re an omega. It’s your obligation to—”

“I have no obligations,” I snap, my anger getting the best of me. “This doesn’t involve you. It’s disgusting that you tried to take advantage of me.” I turn to Ivy, shaking my head, my anger drawing tears to my eyes. I blink them away. “You knew what I wanted, and you still tried to manipulate me into doing something else. What happened to our deal? You want your pack to claim me? For what? Easy money?”

“It’s not what you think. It’s the only way we can get you back to the Omega Resort legally. I wouldn’t seriously make you bond with my brother. It’ll just give you a chance to earn your freedom. Contracts can be broken, you know. There are always little clauses in them that create loopholes.” Ivy remains expressionless, her face completely unreadable. “What happened to trusting me? I know we have a deal. That deal benefits both of us. As for my brother… He’s not the pack leader. I am. He has the silly idea that you would ignore the loopholes. He’s always wanted an omega, but he can’t have one.”

“Ivy.” Will gets to his feet, trying to intimidate his sister. She stands taller than him though, her stilettos giving her an extra few inches of height.

“I knew it was a mistake to bring you. You fucking idiot. You just had to try to be a tough guy, thinking you would be able to convince Cali to do what you wanted. Now look. She’s questioning everything,” Ivy says.

“I think you two need to leave. Be mindful, though. You’re still responsible for the bill, and if you try to file a complaint, you’ll see me in court. What you have done here was completely unethical. I would’ve never agreed to writing these contracts had I known my client wasn’t completely on board with all these possibilities.” Georgia scoops up the contracts and shoves them into her satchel.

Ivy’s emotionless face twists into annoyance, her arched brows scrunching together. “Come on, Georgia. This was a little misunderstanding. Cali is a reasonable girl—”