Lights, Camera, Knot (Angel City Omegas #1)

Chapter 1 Iris

Chapter one

Iris

“What do you mean they can’t refill my suppressant prescription?” I shout to my assistant and friend, Sadie, as I pace the length of my Star Trailer, my usual sweet strawberry scent turning bitter.

“They wouldn’t let me, Iris. The pharmacist said it wasn’t approved by your doctor.”

“Oh no,” I groan. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m sorry. I tried. I even had them call the office but it didn’t work.”

The voice of my regular doctor last week saying, “You need to have a normal heat or your body will suffer serious consequences,” rings through my memory.

That’s why I went to a new one. A doctor who works at a very sought after “Omega only” clinic in Beverly Hills.

My agent assured me that if I went to an appointment there, I wouldn’t have a problem getting another round of suppressants prescribed to me.

Or at least enough to get me through the next month of shooting this big budget romantic comedy, Knotting Hill.

The role of a lifetime, one that every actor would kill to have.

“Did they call the new doctor’s office or my old one?”

“The one on the prescription.”

“Ugh, that’s the new one then!” I twirl a lock of my long dark brown hair as I continue to pace. “I don’t understand! That doctor assured me they’d fill it.”

“I don’t know, Iris. I’m so, so sorry. I tried everything, I swear.”

A high-pitched whine explodes out of me, my high-heeled feet wearing a hole into the expensive furry white rug I requested in my trailer.

It’s beautiful and soft. The kind of rug my Omega wants to faceplant in right now before covering herself in a million blankets, transforming the floor into a makeshift nest. But I can’t do that.

I won’t do that. I have a movie to shoot and today is my first day on set.

I can’t show up out of sorts; I need to get myself together and make a good first impression.

I stop pacing in front of her. “Do you still have the prescription?”

She shakes her head, her short black bob with peekaboo blue highlights brushing her round cheeks. “No, they took it from me.”

I blow out a breath as I observe her. Sadie’s a sweet Beta who's been my assistant and a good friend for a couple years now, and by the wide-eyed look on her face combined with her smell, I’ve terrified her.

Her light lavender scent that often calms me reeks of dying flowers.

My stomach flips and nausea bubbles up my throat.

“I’m sorry for yelling, I know it’s not your fault. I’m just stressed,” I say.

More than stressed. But I shouldn’t take it out on Sadie. If I should be upset at anyone it’s my agent and the doctor. I’m really pissed at him. Why did he deny my prescription when he wrote the damn thing in the first place? Fucking, fuck!

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sadie asks. “I was told there’s an entire department with nesting supplies. I could go and get some items for you if that would comfort you—”

“No!” My Omega tries to protest again but I cut her off.

She may want nesting supplies our nice Beta friend offered to get us, but I’m not going to cave.

Not only because I don’t want to hide and get all out of sorts then have to force myself out of comfort to go on set and work, but I don’t need to throw myself into a heat faster.

Nesting would for sure put my hormones out of whack more than they already are.

And if the supplies are from old movie and TV sets, the smells will be all over the place and that won’t do.

“Okay.” Sadie reaches out to place her hand on my shoulder. She squeezes it gently. “You remember that my sisters are Omegas, right?”

I nod. “Of course.”

“My mom used to make this natural tea to help curb pre-heat symptoms. I’ll see if I can get that. Are you feeling anything that would make you think your heat is coming soon?”

I close my eyes and tap into my instincts.

My Omega has been high-strung lately because I’ve been on suppressants for too long without a break.

She wants to go home to our condo, sit in her comfy nest with the twinkly lights on the ceiling above, and eat Rocky Road ice cream, maybe use our battery-operated friend with a silicone knot to ease the ache I’ve been ignoring between my thighs for months now.

However, none of those things are pre-heat symptoms, they’re natural Omega responses to stress and to being on suppressants long term.

I shouldn’t be showing any pre-heat signs yet.

I only took my last dose yesterday, and since I’ve been on them for a full year, it should take some time for them to clear my system.

The last time I came off, I’d been using them for six months and it took two weeks before symptoms like a low-grade fever appeared, and I had my first heat spike that I eased with said silicone knot.

Logically, after a year, it should take longer…

maybe a month. That’s what I’m hoping for.

Then again, last time I was isolated on vacation, with hardly any scents around me, no hot Alphas in sight, and none of the stress of work pressing down on me.

I swallow hard and squeeze my eyes shut. No, no. I can’t stress myself out more than I already am or think of sexy Alphas. I have to think positively.

It will take me longer to have pre-heat symptoms. I will be fine.

I can get through this month-long shoot without incident.

I need to make it through. There’s no other choice.

This is my absolute dream role and I’m lucky to even be here considering I’m a replacement.

The last Omega, Molly, an actor whose star has been on the rise the last year, had to pull out because she found out she was pregnant and was having horrible morning sickness that lasted most of the day.

When my agent called and said the role was mine if I wanted it, I said yes without a second thought.

Had I planned to take time off to safely go off suppressants, have my heat at a clinic with a scent-sensitive pack instead of alone, and then get a new prescription filled?

Yes. But like I said, my agent assured me I could get it refilled with her fancy Hollywood doctor.

“Iris?”

I take another large inhale and exhale before I open my eyes to Sadie’s worried green ones. I’ve been standing here with my eyes clamped shut and a death grip on the lock of hair I’d been twirling.

I drop my hair, scalp tingling, and hold my hands in front of me. “I’m not having any symptoms. At least not yet.”

My Omega tries to object but once again I shut her down.

Gods, what’s wrong with her? It’s got to be the stress that’s triggering this overreaction. Not having my suppressants is bad but I shouldn’t be whining at the idea of not having symptoms. Especially since I did take that last suppressant yesterday.

We’re fine, I assure her and myself. Another godforsaken whine rises in my throat and I swallow it.

Fuck! Like I said, my Omega has been high-strung, but in general she’s always been sensitive; it’s part of what makes me a great actor.

But I’m not going to let anything ruin this for me, especially my biology.

We can make it through this, and then I’ll let her—and let’s be honest, me—have what we want.

Time off. Touch. Big fat knots ruining us.

Maybe instead of a run-of-the-mill heat clinic, I’ll splurge and go to the fancy one in Malibu other Omega actors rave about with very experienced and attractive Alphas.

I’m getting a nice paycheck from this gig so I could afford it.

I heard they even have different themed nests with the best sheets money can buy.

“Do you want me to get the tea anyway?” Sadie asks.

I blink and clear my throat. My little train of thought there was very, very bad.

Another second thinking about knots and nests, and I would have been perfuming, or worse yet, making a mess of my underwear with slick.

Hair and makeup have already taken care of me, so I wouldn’t have been able to shower, and the last thing I need is to be smelling like ripe and ready to pick strawberry fields in front of everyone on set.

Including my very attractive Alpha costar, Jett Quinn, who the entire world has a crush on, me included.

“Yes, please,” I answer Sadie. I may not be in pre-heat but maybe the tea will calm my Omega.

“And no matter how much I ask for sweets, don’t get me any,” I say just before I request ice cream.

“Also, no caffeine. Those two things can bring on a heat faster.” Caffeine already isn’t great for an Omega’s sensitive system, adding it in plus the comfort of sugar would be not good.

“Do you want me to get you anything else?”

I wrack my brain for other ideas that could keep my system calm and ensure I make it through this shoot without incident.

“Oh! Get some of that extra strength de-scenting spray and deodorant. I’ll spray my clothes and layer it over my scent glands.”

“Okay.”

I snap my fingers. “Oh! And that neutralizer spray, the kind you can shoot up your nose.”

Sadie scrunches her nose at the same time I do.

That stuff is disgusting. Doctors use it because their jobs involve saving lives, they can’t risk their biology taking over when someone good-smelling walks in.

I don’t know any actors who use it. I never have.

But I’ve also never completely blocked my scent with sprays and deodorants before, either. It’s not a common thing to do.

“I know it’s gross, but I think it’s for the best. If my Omega even thinks one of those Alphas or Betas on set smells good, it could bring on my heat faster. That’s the last thing I need.”

Sadie agrees and makes notes on her phone before looking back up at me, her brow furrowed. “You said you just took your last suppressant yesterday, right?”