Page 1 of Knot Convenient

Chapter 1

Summer

The advertisement was taunting me.

Sitting there on my kitchen counter, next to the dirty dishes I was woefully behind on.

Milo was at the stage of eating where he got more food all over himself and the kitchen than in his mouth, and as a result, my tiny little studio kitchenette was a mess most of the time.

Still, the newspaper was taking up space on my counter. It had caught my eye, and despite my exhaustion, my eyes kept drifting to that damn advertisement.

Elite Matchmaking Services.

Closing the kitchen cabinet a little harder than I intended, I picked up the newspaper, reading through the information for probably the hundredth time.

“Guaranteed match, multiple success stories.”

It sounded too good to be true.

The bills were piling up, and if one more late notice arrived in the mail, I was going to have a breakdown.

Exhaustion was tugging at me constantly. Between the baby making a mess and the multiple part-time jobs that were running me ragged, I would have done anything for one day of rest.

All my omega classmates had met alphas, settled down, and joined packs. They were spoiled and doted on, especially the ones who had babies. Only, those were the babies the pack made together. Not a single mother, like me.

No matter how much I wanted that, it just hadn’t happened for me. Most alphas didn’t want to date a single mother with a baby who already demanded a lot of her time.

Surely there was someone out there who wanted someone like me?

Maybe a pack of someones?

Sighing, I walked over to the little desk I had shoved into the corner of my run-down apartment, the water-damaged wall reminding me just how dire my situation was. My laptop was scarily old and creaked every time I opened it and took years to load anything. It was mine from high school, from… before.

From when I didn’t have so many responsibilities and the weight of the entire world wasn’t weighing down on me.

There was no denying that I was drowning and I needed help desperately. I couldn’t keep going the way I was. I would physically and mentally break before the year was over. While I’d been determined to do it on my own, it simply wasn’t possible anymore.

Opening the laptop, I waited an age for it to boot up.

I had an email to write.

That was how I found myself sitting in an office four days later, speaking to a sweet, older blonde omega wearing a perfectly pressed skirt and blouse that probably cost more than I made in a year.

One good thing about living in California was that everything was fairly central. The matchmaker offices had only been a twenty-minute walk away from my campus in the fancy part of town.

“We are so happy you could join us!” she greeted warmly, shaking my hand and gesturing for me to sit in the corner of the office that had comfy chairs and a small table for drinks. “My name is Callie, and you must be Summer! Such a pretty name,” she said in a perky voice, with the dazzling smile to match.

Everything about her was perfectly polished, while I had done my best by wearing my least ripped jeans and a sweater that didn’t look like it had been through the wash thirty million times.

“Th-thank you,” I stammered, taking a seat.

Callie sat gracefully, her smile never faltering. Her scent of lilac and baby powder was sweet, but not overpoweringly so. The entire office was coated in it; she clearly spent a lot of time in this room.

“Tea?” Callie asked.

“Please,” I said, my answer short, thanks to my throat tightening with anxiety.

As I sat, she fussed with a tea set that was decorated with little hand-painted roses. A cup full of rich, hot tea was placed in front of me, and I took a grateful sip.