Knot The One They Want

Lorali Pov

The continuous scrape of my silver blades against the cold, smooth sheet of the Falcons Ice Rink is the only sound echoing through the cavernous arena. A crisp chill clings to the air, biting at my cheeks and filling my lungs with every deep breath.

I glide forward, pushing off the outer edge of my skate, feeling the rhythm of the ice beneath me. I cannot help but reminisce about the absolute disaster of the last time I stood on this very rink. That day had ended in total humiliation, suffocated by the crushing weight of everything falling apart around me. The memory threatens to pull me under, but I force my eyes open, ground my feet, and push the past back down into the dark where it belongs.

Today is different. Today, I am moving.

I pick up momentum, crossing my right skate over my left as I round the far bend of the rink. I am no seasoned professional, and my technique is far from flawless. I am still a beginner, finding my balance and building muscle memory from the ground up, but every stroke feels like a quiet reclamation of my own body.

Reaching the center circle, I bend my knees, leaning into a gentle two-footed spin. The world around me blurs into streaks of blue arena walls and high steel rafters. As the spin slows down, I transition smoothly into my final position.

I drop low into a soft, bent-knee dip, extending my left leg straight out behind me while extending my right arm gracefully toward the ceiling, my chin tilted up toward the rafters. It is a simple, balanced pose, easy to hold and hold clean, but it feels elegant. It feels like something that could belong entirely to me. It will be my signature pose.

Out of breath, my chest heaving beneath my thin black top, I hold the stance for three long seconds before relaxing. I turn toward the elevated bleachers surrounding the ice, expecting at least a small polite nod or a light sprinkle of applause from my coach. Instead, Scarlet is sitting on the bottom row of the bleachers, completely glued to her phone screen. Her thumb swipes furiously across the glass, her eyes wide and fixed on whatever she is reading.

I hit the pose perfectly, and she did not even look up. Frustration bubbling up in my chest, I dig my blades into the ice and glide smoothly over to the edge of the rink, resting my gloved hands against the cold wooden barrier.

"Why on earth are you staring at your phone?" I ask, my voice laced with mild annoyance. "Did you not just see me out there? That was a full performance." Scarlet does not answer. She does not even blink. Her face remains illuminated by the harsh glow of her screen, her eyebrows knitted tightly together in absolute disbelief.

"Scarlet!" I shout, louder this time.

The sharp bark of her name finally snaps her out of her trance. She flinches, her head jerking up to look at me. Before I can even open my mouth to complain about her utter lack of coaching attention, she stares at me with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Lorali," she stammers, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you... are you the second omega of the Spade Pack? Is that really you?"~

A sudden, cold wave of shock hits me right in the pit of my stomach. My breath hitches. How on earth could she possibly know that?

"Why... why are you asking me that?" I ask cautiously, a tiny tremble slipping into my voice despite my best efforts to keep my composure steady. Without saying another word, Scarlet turns her phone around and shoves the bright screen right in front of my face. Bold, black letters stare back at me from a newly published news article breaking across every major media outlet:

TORIN SPADE CONFIRMS ALLEGED SECOND OMEGA IS FORMER ALMA ACADEMY STUDENT, LORALI ALMA (21-22)

My eyes drift rapidly down the article, skimming through the brief, punchy paragraphs detailing Torin’s live press conference. My heart hammers against my ribs, but as the initial shock wears off, a strange, unexpected sensation settles over me.

No way, I think to myself. There is no fucking way that bastard actually went out there and announced this to the entire world.

Yet, as I stare at the headline, waiting for the surge of blinding rage or deep annoyance that usually follows Torin’s reckless decisions, nothing comes. I am not angry. I am not even particularly annoyed. In fact, a quiet, almost surreal sense of calm washes over me.

I swear you don’t even need to try with this pack, even without me doing much they somehow manage to break themeselves. Torin just sacrificed his pack for his company all while Walters is in heat. Oril is not going to like this.

I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back a bitter chuckle. I look back up at Scarlet, tilting my head slightly with a tiny, slow nod. A faint, knowing smile touches my lips. "Yep," I say softly. "That is me. I am in fact Spade’s second omega."

Scarlet’s jaw literally drops open. She gasps out loud, clutching her phone tightly to her chest. "No way!"

"Yes way," I reply, leaning my elbows onto the top of the rink wall. "Why do you think I was coming around here all the time carrying a lunchbox in the past? I was bringing meals to Augi."

Scarlet holds her head in her hands, letting out a long, disbelieving groan as she pieced the memory together. "Oh my gosh... I cannot believe I missed all the obvious signs! I honestly thought you were just the hired help!"

I raise an eyebrow at her, amused despite the ridiculousness of the conversation. "Seriously? You thought I was the help? What omega is ever just the hired?"

"Well," Scarlet says defensively, waving a hand vaguely toward my face. "You looked kind of crappy, depressed, and like you were actively dying half the time, so yeah! I naturally assumed you were part of the domestic staff!"

I roll my eyes at her bluntness, though I cannot exactly argue with her assessment of my past mental state.

Scarlet leans closer, lowering her voice slightly as her eyes scan my face for any sign of distress. "Is Walter really okay with this? He does not strike me as the kind of high-profile omega who would appreciate sharing his pack or his spotlight with anyone."

I pause for a fraction of a second, my mind working fast.

The temptation to spill the absolute truth is right there on the tip of my tongue. I could easily tell her that Walter is the incarnation of the devil and that the entire pack is a ticking time bomb of toxicity. It would wreck his precious reputation in an instant.

No, I tell myself, quickly shutting the thought down. If a leak like that gets out into the public eye right now, it will only bring a mountain of unwanted media trouble straight to my own doorstep. Walter’s fans are crazy and they will accuse me of lying and I’ll lose my mind because of that.

I force a bright, serene smile onto my face and look Scarlet dead in the eye.

"Nope, he is an absolute angel about it," I say smoothly, lying through my teeth without a single tremor in my voice. "In fact, he is the main one who wanted me there in the first place. We are both fated, you see. So this entire arrangement is truly one ordained by the Moon Goddess herself."

The moment the words Moon Goddess pass through my lips, a sharp wave of nausea hits my throat. The sheer hypocrisy of the statement makes me want to vomit right then and there on the ice, but I swallow it down hard, keeping my pleasant smile locked firmly in place.

Scarlet looks at me for a long moment before slowly nodding her head. She slides her phone into her coat pocket, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Okay then," Scarlet says, adjusting her scarf. "If that is the case, I do not think we have anything to worry about on that front. The Spade Pack does not strike me as the type of people who will try to stop you from working or pursuing skating, especially when Walter was already actively working in the public eye."

I maintain my forced smile, nodding along to her words like a obedient doll.

Just smile and nod, Lorali. Just smile and nod.

Scarlet taps her clipboard against the wooden rail, her entire tone shifting right back into strict coach mode. "Anyway, we need to get you completely ready. There is a local competition coming up in about a week, and if you are ever going to put your name on the figure skating map, you are going to have to participate in these smaller events before we can even think about regional qualifiers."

"Yeah," I say, my posture straightening as my focus locks back onto the sport. "I can do that."

"Listen to me carefully, Lorali," Scarlet says, her expression darkening with dead seriousness. "Even in these tiny local competitions, the standard is high. You are going to have to be exceptional. Your current skill level is nowhere near good enough yet. I am telling you right now, these local betas, alphas, and deltas competing are really, really good."

She steps closer to the edge of the ice, pointing a finger directly at my chest.

"I took my own daughter to several of these local events back in the day. She was talented, she was fast, and she worked hard, but there was always someone better than her on the ice. Always. So if you are truly planning to make your mark out here and build a real

career, your performance needs to be nothing short of spectacular. We are going to work. I am going to push you as if your very life depends on it."

I look her straight in the eyes, feeling the cold air surrounding us and the solid, unyielding strength of the ice beneath my blades.

"I have been fighting and working my entire life, Scarlet," I say, my voice steady, calm, and completely devoid of fear. "I can handle anything you throw at me."

Would you like to move directly into Lorali’s intense training regimen over the next few days, or shift back to Torin as he deals with the legal aftermath of breaking Oracle out of jail?

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!