Knot The One They Want

LORALI POV

The sheer ridiculousness of it all made me feel lowkey special. Special enough to embarrass myself "Fine!" I yelled, clasping my hands together. "But if I die, Astrid I am going to haunt you!" I just know I am going to regret this.

I climbed over the barrier and swung my leg over the leather saddle. The machine hummed beneath me, a mechanical beast waiting to tear my balance apart. I tightened my grip on the leather rope, tucked my heels in, and glanced up at the operator.

"Give me everything you’ve got!" I shouted.

The bull dropped violently. I leaned back instantly, using the core strength and absurd balance I’d spent years cultivating during the spine breaking pilates Alma used to make us do to stay in shape.

The machine spun right, then violently bucked backward, but I movede with it, my pants whipping through the air as the metallic fringe on my hat danced across my face.

The crowd went wild. Shouts, whistles, and the heavy thumping of boots against the floor filled the air.

"She’s not falling!" Astrid screamed near the boundary. "Look at her go!"

The operator grinned, ramping up the speed dial. The bull whipped in a tight, fast circle, trying to throw me off balance, but I held on, laughing out loud under the spinning laser lights. For ten, fifteen, twenty seconds, I rode the mechanical beast until the operator finally slowed it down, throwing his hands up in defeat as the crowd erupted into loud, stomping applause.

I slid down off the saddle, my heart pounding a fast, exhilarating rhythm against my ribs. I bowed dramatically to the room, snatching my suede cowboy hat off my head and waving it to the shouting crowd before vaulting back over the barrier. I felt proud.

Astrid threw her arms around me, jumping up and down so hard her platform boots nearly took us both out. "You absolute legend! That was incredible! I fell on my first try!"

"I think my core strength just saved my life," I gasped, flushing with warmth and adrenaline. We wandered over to the high wooden bar back in the house, grabbing two tall glasses of ice water to cool down as the DJ shifted into an upbeat, heavy-bass dance track. We sat on the tall wooden barstools, catching our breath while watching the wild, glowing sea of people dancing beneath the rafters.

"You know," Astrid said, slumping happily against my shoulder, her metallic fringe ticking against my arm, "this is roughly one thousand times better than sitting in that creepy penthouse surrounded by alpha’s you hate."

I took a slow sip of my water, looking out over the crowded, joyful room. The phantom pain in my shoulder blade was completely gone, replaced by the sweet, satisfying burn of muscles that had actually been used for fun instead of survival.

"Yeah," I murmured, a genuine, quiet smile settling onto my lips as I clinked my water glass against hers. "It really, truly is."

Erin Pov

I lay flat on my back on the mattress, staring up at the plain plaster ceiling of my bedroom. The silence in the house was heavy, suffocating, broken only by the quiet hum of the air conditioner, but inside my head, it was deafening.

"Lorali Alma."

Torin’s voice from the press conference echoed on a relentless, tormenting loop through my mind, every syllable sharp enough to draw blood. Lorali Alma. He had declared it to the entire world, putting the Spade pack’s full weight behind her name. The words carried a finality that hit me like a solid wall.

It was ridiculous, really. I was in complete, flat-out denial. My mind kept trying to find a loophole, a mistake, some twisted misunderstanding, but the brutal reality remained unchanged: the girl I liked—the girl I had let myself foolishly, quietly yearn for—was my best friend’s Omega.

She was his fated mate.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing the heel of my palm against my forehead. What right did I have to look at Lorali the way I did? What right did I have to feel that sharp, aching squeeze in my chest every time she smiled or glanced my way? None. Absolutely none. She belonged to a world, a destiny, and a bond that was completely out of my reach.

And even if Torin hadn’t claimed her, even if the universe hadn’t tied her to him, I always knew deep down that it was impossible. A pipe dream. A completely selfish fantasy.

I turned my head toward the side table, staring at the small, half-empty strip of daily medication sitting beside a glass of stale water. Because of what I had inside me because of the volatile, broken nature of my own biology and the constant risk I carried. After my pack died I was diagnosed with Brugada Syndrome, it basically means I have a weak heart, something my mother had. It’s what killed her and will kill me. The funny thing is that it was that day at the hospital when I met Lorali face to face was the day I was diagnosed. From the moment I met her I knew I could never be hers hence I was ecstatic to be her friend instead, it would have been the ultimate act of selfishness to ever drag her into my life, especially now that I have no pack, an omega must always be in a pack.

It’s fine, I told myself, tracing the familiar crack in the ceiling plaster that my pack member said he’d fix. It’s better this way. It was just a dream anyway. A stupid, harmless crush.

At least we were friends. At least I was allowed to stand near her, to hear her laugh, to be someone she trusted. Nothing was ever going to happen between us regardless. Knowing she was Torin’s fated didn’t change the reality of what I was; it just slapped a lock on a door that was already bolted shut.

The harsh, violent buzz of my phone vibrating on the wooden nightstand shattered the quiet, making me jump. I reached out blindly, grabbing the device and pressing it to my ear without even checking the screen. "Hello?"

"Erin! Are you watching him?"

Keion’s voice blasted through the speaker, raspy and completely out of breath. "Is... is everything going well?" Keion panted, as if he just ran a marathon. Probably did, helping an omega in heat feels like running a marathon or so I’ve heard. "I don’t have much time to talk, I have to get back to Walter before he notices, I’m gone. Tell me, is everything fine with Torin? I see you guys aren’t here."

My blood ran cold. I sat straight up on the bed, my heart instantly dropping into my stomach.

Torin.

I had completely, totally forgotten. I was supposed to be watching Torin, making sure the giant lunatic didn’t go off the deep end or do something reckless in his misery. I had been so utterly consumed by my own pathetic self-pity over Lorali that my assignment had slipped my mind entirely.

"Yeah!" I blurted out, my voice cracking slightly as panic surged through me. I scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over my own sneakers cluttering the floor. "Yeah, of course! I’m... I’m right here with Torin right now!"

"You are?" Keion breathed out a heavy, relieved sigh on the other end of the line. "Thank God. How is he holding up?"

"He’s... great!" I lied through my teeth, jamming the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I frantically pulled open my closet doors. "We’re actually at my house by now we are about to head out. We’re going to get... ice cream. Yeah! Ice cream. I wanted to cheer the big guy up, you know? Get his mind off the whole Lorali mess."

In my head, I was screaming at myself. Ice cream? Really, Erin? Torin looks like he eats wagyu for breakfast and you told Keion you’re taking him for ice cream?

"Ice cream? Really?" Keion sounded thoroughly bewildered, but too exhausted to question it. "Well... whatever works. If it keeps him from tearing a building down, feed him five scoops. I gotta go, Augi is calling. Thanks for holding down the fort, Erin!"

"No problem, have fun!" I squeaked, hanging up the phone before he could spot the panic in my voice.

The moment the call disconnected, I tossed the phone onto the bed and moved into overdrive. I grabbed a soft, oversized purple hoodie off a hanger and kicked off my sweatpants, throwing on a pair of dark jeans and pulling a matching purple beanie over my messy hair. Purple was my comfort color, my protective armor when my anxiety threatened to choke me out, and right now, I needed all the armor I could get.

I crammed my feet into my worn-out high-tops, grabbed my keys from the dresser, and practically sprinted out the front door, slamming it shut behind me.