Knot So Perfect Omega (Omega Match #1)(8)

I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was set to leave in two days, my sister hated me, and there was no backing out of going since I’d supposedly signed a contract when I submitted my online form.

There had to be a mistake because I was certain I checked the opt-out button and didn’t even pull up the pack names to select any.

Pushing the blankets off me, I jumped to my feet and grabbed a tote bag that was hanging on the back of my door. I shoved my hidden stash of emergency chocolates and tiny bottles of liquor into it. I was of legal drinking age, but alcohol was banned on campus. No one wanted to deal with a bunch of drunk omegas making bad decisions.

It was nearly midnight, which was our curfew to be in our rooms, but luckily, Kara’s room was right across the hall from mine. I knocked softly before using a copy of her key to go in.

The room was dark besides the faint glow of a nightlight she had plugged in under her bed. I could see her in her bed, a million blankets and pillows piled around her and on top of her.

“Care Bear, I brought chocolate and rum,” I whispered, not sure if she was asleep.

“Go away,” she said through a whimper.

Setting the bag on her nightstand, I pulled back the blankets and slid into bed next to her. She scooted over, making more room for me, but turned to give me her back.

“I swear to you, I didn’t put them or any pack. You have to believe me.” My voice caught in my throat, and I cleared it. “I’m certain I opted out, and even if I hadn’t, I didn’t even open the search to select any packs. I don’t know how this could have happened.”

I turned toward her and put my hand on her arm, hoping she wouldn’t lash out at me more than she already had. It could have been a lot worse; she could have smacked me or gone to my room and trashed it. Not that Kara had a bone in her body that would allow her to be violent or vindictive.

But maybe I’d changed that and set off a spiral.

A whimper escaped and tears sprung to my eyes. I rarely let that side of being an omega come out, but I couldn’t help the pain it was causing me to see my sister hurting because she thought I wronged her.

“They picked you.” I could hardly hear her because her face was buried in a pillow she was hugging. “They picked you and you picked them.”

“I didn’t. I swear on everything.” I moved closer to her and nuzzled my face into her back. She didn’t shrug me off, which was a win. “Ms. Monroe called the Omega Match office and they told her that there wasn’t an error, but there has to be.”

She turned over, and even though I couldn’t see her face, I knew it was red and puffy from crying. “Call them or message them on social media.”

“I don’t have their numbers. I did message them, but the last time I checked, they hadn’t seen them. They probably get thousands of messages.”

“Did you try their manager or whoever that guy was? Maybe he can get the message to them.” She pushed the blankets off of our heads and leaned over me to grab the bag I’d put on her nightstand. “But even if it was a mistake, it’s not like it changes the fact I didn’t match.”

I turned on the small bedside lamp and we both squinted as our eyes adjusted to the soft light. “They probably just got our names mixed up... but that doesn’t explain how I got a match.” I took a small bottle of coconut rum from her and opened it. “Are you still mad at me?”

She moved a few pillows against the headboard and sat against them, bringing her tiny bottle of alcohol to her lips and drinking it in one gulp. “No. I believe you.”

Relief flooded my system, and I scooted next to her, putting my head on her shoulder. “The fine for backing out of a match is too much for me to not go... I can’t stick our parents with that burden.”

Kara dug in the bag and pulled out a package of peanut butter cups. “And if you start to throw around accusations about the matching system being broken or wrong, the government is going to rain hell.”

“Fuck, Kara. I can’t join a pack. I feel like this is being forced on me. Do you think it’s karma for saying they had shrimp dicks?”

One of the many reasons the alphas that ran our government didn’t take lightly to omegas and packs backing out of matches was because then it might create a domino effect. If a pack matched with an omega who refused to go after already matching with them, that pack might become possessive anyway. It had happened in the early days of the matching system, so now there were financial penalties great enough to prevent it from happening.

We both were lost in our thoughts as we had our fill of chocolate and booze. I eventually pulled out my phone and pulled up one of Brian’s active social media accounts. He mostly posted pictures of the team during games and some behind-the-scenes pictures during practices and interviews.

Me: Hi. This is Kayla Sterling, and I was trying to contact one of the guys, but they don’t seem to check their messages. Can you have them check?

The message was read almost immediately. Did this guy not sleep?

Brian: What is this regarding?

“Seriously?” I showed my sister, and she rolled her eyes.

Me: I matched with them, and I thought they were going to put my sister. Neither of us put them on ours.

Brian: Are you rejecting the match? Have you notified the Omega Match offices?

Me: They said there wasn’t an error, but there has to be because I didn’t list them or any pack, for that matter.