Knot So Perfect Omega (Omega Match #1)(7)

The administration building loomed ahead, three stories tall with red brick and windows reflecting the gray sky. A security guard opened the door for us, sympathy on his face as he nodded to me, assuming we were there for me. There was only one reason you’d come to the administrative building on match day; if you didn’t match.

“What if this isn’t a mistake?” Kara whispered as we took the elevator to the third floor.

I took her hand in mine. “Like I said, maybe there was a reason you didn’t match.”

“I should have put down Beckett Thomas’s pack.” She sniffled and froze in place when the door dinged and slid open. “I don’t know if I can handle this.”

“I’m here for you Care Bear.” I squeezed her hand and led her out of the elevator into the reception area.

There was a lot of activity with phones ringing and people rushing around, no doubt fielding phone calls from students, parents, and packs. The academy had nothing to do with the match results, but they were responsible for arranging moving to our new pack houses. Those who didn’t match would stay a few more weeks before moving to an omega compound of their choice.

“Ah, the Sterling twins. What can I help you with?” The secretary was simultaneously writing something on a sticky note, typing something on her computer, and looking at us with a smile as we approached the reception desk.

“Can we please speak to the dean? I know she’s probably swamped right now, but we really need to speak to her about Kara’s match results.” Kara was shaking, and I held her hand tighter. “We’ll wait if we have to.”

“Let me check here...” She finished her two tasks and then picked up her phone. “Kara Sterling would like to speak to you if you’re available... perfect! Go right on back, ladies.”

My phone buzzed in my back pocket as we walked down the long hallway to the dean’s office, and I pulled it out. My mom was calling, no doubt to see what packs we had matched to.

“She’s probably freaking out because I didn’t call her right when the match results were sent. I left my phone in my room.” Kara knocked on the partially opened office door before entering. “Ms.

Monroe, thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice.”

The dean smiled at us, although the smiles she gave never quite reached her eyes. Ella Monroe was the youngest dean in the history of the academy system, being thirty years of age. None of us really knew her story, but judging by the sadness in her eyes, it wasn’t good.

“Not a problem at all.” She folded her hands on her desk, giving my sister a knowing look. “I’m sorry the match didn’t work out for you this time around. There’s always the fall or waiting until next spring. Sometimes the timing is just not right. It doesn’t mean you’re any less of a wonderful person and a perfect omega for a pack.” She spoke with sincerity, as if she wasn’t just saying the words to pacify my sister.

“But...” My sister cleared her throat and wiped at a wayward tear. “It has to be a mistake.”

“I looked over all the match results before they went out. While I was a little surprised, you have to remember that it’s not just our academy vying for the packs, but all omegas who are looking for a pack. Meeting the packs isn’t required, so a given pack might have over a hundred omegas with that pack in their top spot and if they put even one of them before you, they’d match.”

Basically, the system calculated scores based on where you ranked a pack. So, if Kara put a pack third and they put her fourth, that would be a score of seven. If another omega put that same pack second and they put her fifth, that would also be a seven and then the highest omega score would match to the pack.

“What about the Thomas pack? They said they were going to list me at the top of their selections and I... I must have forgotten to put them.” Kara sat up taller, scooting to the edge of her chair. She reminded me of a golden retriever begging for a treat.

We both knew she didn’t put them at all because I talked her out of it. There was a slight twinge of guilt in my stomach, but I shook it off. She deserved a pack that wanted an omega, not just one that was doing it for a gain or to tick off a box for their manager.

The dean looked over at me with a frown, and I squirmed in my seat under her stare. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. They matched with Kayla.”

“What?!” Kara and I both screeched at the same time.

I jumped to my feet, my heart thudding so hard that I wondered if I was about to have a heart attack. Looking back and forth between Kara and Ms. Monroe, I tried to find my words, but they were stuck in a lump in my throat.

Kara found her words, though. “You lied to me! You told me they were assholes, and I trusted you!”

“Kara, I swear to you, I opted out!” I tried to reach for her as she stood and headed for the door.

“You’re dead to me.” The door slammed shut behind her, my heart shattering at her words.

What the fuck had just happened?

I STARED up at my ceiling through a small gap in my blankets so I could breathe, my phone lying on my chest. There were twenty missed calls from my mom and dads, and texts asking me to call them.

They’d undoubtedly heard about what had happened and wanted to rip me a new asshole for deceiving my sister.

Only I hadn’t deceived her.