Epilogue -
one month later
This is it, Cady.
After tonight, everyone will know who you are.
I had nearly passed out when Grady unveiled all the new marketing materials plastered with my face and huge text that says, “Cady De Lucca is…The Knotty Omega” that would be plastered all over Starbrook City come morning.
That’s right, Cady Jackman is no more, and I’m more than happy to leave my family name behind. We all changed our last names, actually. We are now Cady, Simon, Ollie, Titus, Archie and Mattie De Lucca. The males of Pack De Lucca are looking dapper as hell tonight with their black-tie formal-wear, their ties and pocket squares matching the glittering gold of my dress.
I’ve checked myself in the mirror six times since we got here to make sure I don’t have a hair out of place. My satin gold gown with the corset-boned bodice shows off my curves, the straplessness of the dress showing off all my bond marks except for Simons, which, realistically, is for the best. My hair is swept up in a swooping updo, my makeup smoky and sultry. The PR girls tried to get me to cover up my tattoo, but I refused. Now, I’m just trying to come to grips with the fact that I'm about to become a minor celebrity.
Especially once people realize the same Cady De Lucca that wrote the viral OMS love story article is the same Cady De Lucca that's been the Knotty Omega this whole time.
We’re all currently waiting backstage at the hotel where the event is being held, the owners on stage droning on and on about how The Knotty Omega started with a dream, and now look where it is blah blah blah. One of the younger owners, a beta named Killian Roberts, is currently talking about how this role takes someone with the courage to give advice from their hearts, no matter how others will react. That’s my cue that I have thirty seconds before they call my name.
“You got this, kid,” Grady smiles next to me, his arm around his omega, Sandy. Grady couldn’t have felt worse when it came out what role Laura had played in everything. Instead of keeping her mouth shut like I’m sure Pack Sheffield had hoped she would, she confessed everything they did, but said that they forced her to do it. She’ll be facing a trial soon. Pack Sheffield was re-arrested and will be facing trial as well, except for Brody, and the DA disbarred for blackmailing a judge and posting bail for a family member.
“I’m so proud of you, babe!” Hannah wraps me in a hug, her pink hair done up beautifully.
“Me too!” Wren joins our hug before they both leave and join the crowd.
Then Titus is in front of me. “Time to blow their minds, angel.” he murmurs against my lips, his classic black suit pulling tight across his chest.
“Work your magic, Tink.” Ollie’s navy blue suit makes his eyes pop, and he brings a hand to my cheek before giving me a panty-melting kiss.
“You’re going to ruin her make-up, you heathen!” Archie chides before sliding in front of Ollie and gripping me by my hips. “We are all so proud of you, blossom.”
Mattie’s caramel bourbon scent swirls behind me.
“What a beautiful and clever mate we have.” Mattie nips at my ear.
“You’re gonna blow everyone away,” Simon says softly, gripping my fingers and kissing my cheek.
Then, Killian Roberts says the magic words, “...now reveal to you all the identity of the Knotty Omega!” Ear drum bursting cheers fill the room as I walk onto the stage, followed by a quick round of gasps, undoubtedly my coworkers, before the cheering grows twice as loud as before. I stare out at the crowd as I walk up to the podium, though the stage lights make it near impossible to see anyone.
I give a smile and a small nod to the three owners now standing off to the side, before taking a deep breath and looking out to where I know the crowd is. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest I’m surprised the microphone isn’t picking it up. “Hello everyone,” I give a small smile. “I really appreciate everyone coming out tonight. In fact, I’m pretty overwhelmed. As some of you know, but most of you don’t, my name is Cady De Lucca.”
“HI CADY!” Someone shouts from the back, and the rest of the crowd chuckles.
“Hi there,” I laugh, feeling a little more at ease. “As you all know, The Knotty Omega started about a year ago. Originally, I had asked to be kept anonymous, because I knew a lot of alphas wouldn’t like the advice I had to give.” Murmurs go throughout the crowd and I wait for them to settle before I continue. “Now that I have my pack, though, I am no longer afraid to shout what I want to say from the rooftops of Starbrook City.” A small applause erupts and I can’t help but smile so hard my face hurts. “The Knotty Omega advice column would not be the success it has been without all of you,” I motion to the crowd, and a bigger cheer goes up, “so thank you, everyone, for your support. I’m glad to reveal myself to you finally, a year later.”
The entire room erupts in applause and wolf whistles and I smile and wave, but when I turn to exit the stage, like we practiced, my pack is standing at the edge of the stage, blocking my way.
“Before you head out, Cady,” Killian has the microphone and is speaking to both me and the crowd. What is happening right now? . “Your alphas approached me with an amazing idea about a month ago, and it took a lot of hard work and diligence, but we managed to pull it off. Let us know what you think.”
At that, the lights dim, and behind me, a screen rolls down. I turn my back to the crowd as the video starts playing and I feel my pack gather around me.
“The Knotty Omega made me realize I was putting my pack first, but nobody was putting me first,” a woman, about twenty, sits on a couch and the video is cell-phone quality. Below, a graphic with a screenshot of an advice submission is displayed. My jaw drops, it’s the omega from Pack Sheffield. “You helped me take control of my life. Thank you, Knotty Omega.”
A woman, walking in the park, holding her phone up to her face as she records, her pack close around her. “The Knotty Omega helped me learn how to effectively communicate with my pack, and our relationship has never been healthier. Thank you Knotty Omega!”
The screen fades from her huge smile to a man in the front seat of his parked car. “The Knotty Omega gave my pack and I the courage to tell the woman we love how we really feel, and we’ve been officially courting for a month now. I’ll never be able to thank you enough, but I’ll start here. Thank you Knotty Omega!”
Tears sting my eye with each new face, some alphas, mostly omegas, and even a few betas thrown in. I know that I’ve answered a lot of emails over the last year but I never thought I’d actually helped so many people.
“The Knotty Omega…”
“The Knotty Omega…”
“The Knotty Omega…”
Nearly five minutes, face after face, voice after voice, telling me how I changed their lives. At the end of the video, the crowd cheers so loudly my ears ring, and I turn around to see my pack, Ollie, Titus, Mattie on my left, and Simon and Archie on my right, facing the crowd. Now, Mattie has the microphone, “Hello everyone. My name is Matteo De Lucca. Due to the overwhelming number of lives changed for the better as a result of this woman’s words and fearless heart, this year, it is my honor to present the National Humanitarian Award to my lovely mate.”
The…National Humanitarian Award? Killian walks up the stage, holding a large golden trophy with the three figures, an alpha, a beta, and omega, all holding hands. My voice catches in my throat as tears sting my eyes. This never even crossed my mind as a possibility. I don’t think an omega has ever won this award.
He passes it to Mattie, who looks at me with shining eyes as he passes it to me. “Did you do this?” I choke out, and he gives a small smile, shaking his head.
“No, tesoro mio . You know as well as I do that the recipient of this award needs to be nominated by the people.”
Accepting the award from his hands, I’m surrounded by my pack, feathered with kisses and wrapped in hugs, before Killian is in front of me, holding the microphone up to my mouth and a smirk pulling at his lips. “Anything you want to say before we wrap this up?”
Holding the award in my left hand, and taking the microphone in my right, I take a deep breath before I speak. “I want to thank you all for nominating me for this award, and I will never again hide the fact that…my name is Cady De Lucca, and I am the Knotty Omega.”