Page 13 of Knot Your Kismet

Nolan pushes his plate out of the way and bows his head, knocking it against the table.

“I’m sorry, Calista. I’m just tired. You’re throwing too much at me before I have my head gathered. I know you have a list full of questions, but can we please just get through the next few days first? The funeral will take place tomorrow and then the reading of the estate trust will happen after.”

How dare he blame me for his reaction. “All of this could have been avoided had you just called me. You dragged me from my life. You can’t expect that I will just sit here and wait it out. I know that there are plans in place for this type of situation. I know the rules. You have made it quite clear that you’re not going to spend all of your inheritance sponsoring me and helping me find my own pack. So what are you planning? I’m asking you this now. Not at the funeral. You can’t expect a whole day or more to go by. This is unfair.”

I huff out of breath and straighten my back, ignoring that Lucas still remains close. Surprisingly, Jensen keeps out of it, shoving another bite of potatoes into his mouth. He keeps his amber eyes on his plate, though I sense him watching from his periphery.

“You’re right.” Lucas pushes up. He grabs his chair and moves it to sit closer to me, his minty scent subtle but undeniable. “You need to tell her what’s happening right now, brother.”

“And give her unnecessary anxiety? No.” Nolan still doesn’t look at me with his dark eyes, resting his head on the table. I bet if I didn’t push, he’d fall back asleep right in front of us.

“You don’t think this gives me anxiety?” I ask, attempting to push my seat back. The leg of Lucas’s chair prevents me, and I try my best not to shove him out of the way. He’s standing up for me, and I don’t want to risk losing him as an ally now. Is that strange? Maybe. Because he’s still an alpha for Pack Kismet. The inheritance will be distributed to all three of them. There’s just something about him right now that makes me want to stay on good terms.

“Calista…” Jensen’s soft voice draws my attention to him. His features soften more, his jaw not as sharp as Nolan’s. “There are some complications with the transfer of power. Yes, Nolan is next in line with us to be right behind him as the official Pack Kismet leader, but there are still some outdated laws in play. At least in Poppy Cove. I don’t know how much you know about our parents’ marriage, but you should know that it wasn’t just out of love.”

“I know everything. My mom never kept secrets. She thought it was important that I know how the world works, considering I’m an omega. You know that while we’re treated like equals, we aren’t necessarily free. Our families control us, and now you control me.” I slide away from Lucas, trying to wiggle my way out from my seat. I’m just too close to the table to do anything, and I don’t want to ask him to move. “I’m the Kismet Omega.”

“Actually, you’re not. Your mom was the Kismet Omega. That doesn’t just automatically get passed down to you. It doesn’t work like that. It puts us in an awkward position, because only one of two things can happen with you. You can either agree to marry us for the title, or we will have to send you back to Pack Costa. That is your birthright. You were only allowed to come here because of your mother. But now that she’s…” Nolan doesn’t say the word. He doesn’t declare that she’s dead. I don’t think he truly believes it yet. “I’m sorry. You’re not the only one in this position.”

I cover my face with my hands, sucking in a deep breath. “Don’t act like this is hard for you. You’re not the one being forced into a life they don’t want.”

Nolan groans. “Calista, please. This is the most challenging thing—”

I smack the table, all my pent-up emotions threatening to break free at any second. How is it possible to go from grief to fear to rage just by looking at someone? “You have to be fucking serious. You have no idea—no fucking clue—about challenging things. You have it easy. You just have to deal with stepping up. You get your power and wealth just handed to you. You can do or live however you please. But me? I’ve lost my one chance to be in control of my future. You said it yourself—I have two options: marry you or return to the abusive pack my mom did everything she could to escape. So fuck off, Nolan. I won’t be doing either.”

Nolan sighs and glances at both his brothers, the three of them having a conversation with their unreadable eyes. “Calista, please. Is the idea of marrying us so repulsive that you’d rather face lawful interference? We need to find an omega to marry if we want to claim our inheritance. Pack Kismet will fall apart if we don’t.”

I open my mouth to tell him that’s not my problem. I don’t care how happy my mom was with Henry. I barely know his sons. They’re my stepbrothers. I’m not even sure that an arrangement between us is even legal. The United Alpha Democracy tries its best to prevent power plays like this.

“Brother, you forgot to tell her the third option.” Lucas draws my attention to him, his eyes locking on mine for a long moment before reverting to stare at Nolan.

Nolan glowers, the heat of his gaze relocating to Lucas, helping to cool down my heated anger. “There is no third option.”

“Yeah, there is. She could find an alpha of her choice to marry,” Lucas retorts.

Like that’s any better.

“What’s the point of that? This could be easy for all of us. An arrangement that benefits the whole pack. You don’t care because you’re selfish. You have nothing to lose. You threw us away.” Nolan shoves from the table, sending the chair clattering into the wall.

“That’s not true. I found my own path. It was that or do and be nothing. You wouldn’t understand, brother. I wasn’t going to just wait for Dad to die. He was supposed to live a long fucking life.” Lucas hunches forward in defeat, his comment commanding silence through the room. I can smell his scent more intensely as it breaks through whatever lotion he wears to dull it. It’s herbal and minty—fresh and calming. And it does something to me. I find myself leaning closer and wanting to touch him, to rub my fingers over the sensitive gland on his palm.

I clear my throat, forcing my attention from Nolan. I shouldn’t feel guilty that the Kismet brothers are fighting, especially over what happens to me. “I think we need to pause this conversation,” I finally say, gently pushing Lucas’s chair, giving me more space while he’s lost in his own head. “We need time to grieve. We need to put our parents to rest. It’s what you said we needed to do.” I look at Nolan. “My mind is set right now. I’m not picking any of those options. I’ll figure out how to get my independence.”

“I know this feels sudden, but we don’t have much time. Pack Kismet can only take a couple weeks off to grieve before everything must be signed and put into place.” Nolan meets my gaze, his expression sprinkled with the same annoyance that pours through me. So it’s not them forcing me to decide. It’s the law doing so.

And my choices suck. I can never go back to Pack Costa. Even though it was my father’s fault, I’m sure they blame me for the power they lost. They aren’t much better than my father. It’s why Mom fought to take me with her. Someone needs to fix the law when it comes to omega abuse. I’m going to need to talk to someone. There has to be something I can do. I don’t want marriage—even one of convenience.

“None of that matters right now. I’m not agreeing to anything until I get my finances together and speak to a lawyer. Understand?”

“Calista—”

“It’s Cali. I go by Cali,” I say, correcting Nolan. I haven’t gone by Calista with anyone apart from my mom since we moved away from Pack Costa, and even then, she still called me other names of affection. There was something about needing to change my name to make me feel better about our life and all of the sudden changes. New pack, new me. God, I hate this. I do wish that I could just mourn my mom. I wish that we could get through the funeral and figure out everything when it settles, but that’s not me. I need control. I can’t just let someone else take over my life. I must have other options. I must.

“Fine, omega, Cali. We will get you what you need. If you want to consult with a lawyer, we have one on staff.” Nolan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cell phone. “You can use my phone until I can pick up another.”

“I will find my own lawyer, thanks.” Practically yanking myself from the table where Lucas traps me with his chair, I stumble and catch myself on Jensen’s shoulder. He tenses under the bite of my fingers pinching him, but he doesn’t move. He remains just as silent as Lucas now, letting Nolan have the power.

It makes me wonder what kind of relationship they really have. I mean, I did catch them in the middle of fighting and they continue to do so. I could very well be the least of their problems.