Knot A Trace: Part One

1 Week Later

“When’s the last time you slept?” Devyn asks me as I finish another order. My hands are shaky as I prepare a custom Valentine’s box for a customer, my fingers struggling as I try to tie the fancy ribbon.

“I slept just fine,” I murmur, setting that order aside and arranging another box. “I’m fine.”

But judging by the obscene number of macarons around me, I am definitely not fine.

“You stayed here all night, didn’t you?” Devyn accuses as I drop a raspberry macaron. “That’s why all the orders are done already.”

“Maybe. I can’t sleep,” I grumble, refusing to look at her. Instead, I focus on the batches of new flavors I crafted in the middle of the night, wondering what the hell to do with all of them.

“You need to sleep, Skye. Please, go home and rest, and I can—”

“Fundraiser!” I blurt, staring too long at an apricot cookie.

“What?”

“A fundraiser.” I turn to Devyn, meeting her confused eyes. “For reward money. That’s what we’ll do.”

“Skylar, what—”

“For April,” I insist, half delirious. “To find her. We’ll sell macarons.”

Devyn says something else, but I’m so sleep deprived that I don’t pay attention.

April’s been gone for a week.

Her face is plastered all over our tiny town, in every single business building that would allow me to do it.

And the ones that didn’t, I just showed up later in the night after they closed and taped up a poster, anyway.

No one has reached out. Customers have offered their condolences and kind words, but it’s not enough.

But now an idea brews in my head.

“Special edition flavors,” I murmur. “Only available for the fundraiser.”

“Skylar, what—” Devyn tries, but I continue.

“April’s Apricots.”

“What—”

“Omega Orange.”

“Skye—”

“Vanishing Red Velvet.”

“Skylar! Please!” Devyn slams her hand on the counter and snaps me out of my stupor. “Please, please go home and rest. We’ve got this.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “We don’t have anything until we find her,” I snap. “And you should be more concerned about this than you are.”

The words slip from my mouth before I can stop them, and Devyn’s eyes widen and turn glassy.

Oh, no.

“I am concerned about her,” she says, her cheeks turning pink. “How can you say that? I’ve been posting on social media. I’ve been telling every customer!” she chokes out. “She’s been the nicest to me here, so you’re not the only one that’s hurting!”

And when tears start to roll down her cheeks, I realize it’s time for me to go home and sleep.

Devyn doesn’t deserve my misplaced cruelty and bitterness.

She never has.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as Devyn wipes away a tear. “You’re right.”

I clean up and leave the store to Devyn for the second time.

I watch as the local news runs a story on April. It’s barely thirty seconds, but they mention the café, and it gives me a bit of hope.

Every possible surface of Isleton is plastered with her face. The Isle Times plans to run a story about her in their Sunday edition and advertise the grid search that night.

But it still feels like I’m not doing enough.

My best friend is missing.

It plays on a loop in my brain over and over.

April is the smartest person I know. She’s sensible, practical, and stunning. If there’s ever something I have a question about, I run to her first, because she most likely has the answer. And if she doesn’t, her mother will.

Watching Tammy hold it together while her daughter is missing stabs at my heart. And I know part of the reason she’s being strong is because of me.

I’m doing my best not to fall apart, but it’s hard.

I was a shitty friend to April the last time we spoke.

I was bitter about Valentine’s Day. I was feeling sorry for myself instead of just enjoying the time I had with my friend and appreciating a job most people would love to have.

We bake pastries for a living, and instead of being grateful, I’d been piping buttercream between almond flour cookies with a scowl on my face.

I was insufferable to her for no reason.

That can’t be the last time I see her.

We have to find her.

I could swear the entire town shows up on Sunday evening to help look for April.

The overwhelming support from strangers makes a lump form in my throat.

Customers I’ve seen once or twice in the café show up outside the store as we close, waiting with flashlights and other search gear to help find her. They give me gentle, sympathetic smiles, and I do my best to not fall apart.

Soon, the area is filled with overwhelming scents of Alpha.

Mixed all together, their aromas range from pine and cedar all the way to smoke and bitters. I’m thankful for my suppressants, because without them, I would feel physically ill.

My inner Omegas is still stored away, unable to come out of her cage.

There is, however, a familiar face that I didn’t expect. He waves at me with a sheepish expression, and I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“Hey!” I approach the officer who took my statement and suddenly realize I don’t know his name. “Uh—officer—”

“Ben.” He smiles. “Just Ben.” Without his uniform, he looks like the cute boy next door with his close cropped dark brown hair and slight stubble. There’s a backpack slung over his shoulder, and he’s wearing a simple light grey sweatshirt, black pants, and hiking boots.

“Ben.” I smile back. “Thank you for helping.”

“It’s not a problem,” he says. “I meant what I said. I hope you find her. We just don’t have enough officers, Skylar. And the county hasn’t had any missing persons cases in a while.”

I nod. “It means a lot that you’re here.”

He gives me another smile, then turns to people around us and calls out orders.

“Everyone, separate into groups of ten each! There’s enough of us to hit each park within the town. Who here needs a map?”

“Who’s that?” Devyn asks. “Do you know him?”

“That’s Ben. He’s the officer that took April’s report,” I say, watching as Ben takes over. It lifts a weight off my shoulders, and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief as I realize Tammy must have coordinated with him.

“Do you really think April is in a park?” Devyn murmurs.

I hear the unspoken question.

Do you think she’s dead?

I watch Ben interact with everyone, pointing them in different directions and handing out maps.

A surge of hope blossoms in my chest.

“I don’t, Devyn,” I say quietly. “I don’t think she’s in there.”

April has to be alive. The other option is unfathomable.

Devyn nods at the same time Ben turns back to us. He smiles when he sees Devyn, and I can see her blush out of the corner of my eye.

Oh God, I think.

Well, Devyn did say she wanted a giant pack. There’s no reason she can’t have a Beta as a part of it.

I’m sure April would get a kick out of her search party being used as a matchmaking session.

We join Ben’s group and head out into the park closest to the café.

My anxiety takes over as I walk with Ben and Devyn past the children’s playground and into a grove of tall oak trees, struggling to keep my breath calm.

On top of it all, my senses are all over the place due to the overwhelming stench of Alpha.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” I ask Devyn quietly as we continue down the path.

“What?” she asks.

“All the Alpha scents at once?”

It takes her a moment to realize what I’m referring to. “Oh. No, it doesn’t—it just kind of all blends together. Does it bother you?”

I regret the conversation as soon as I’ve started it. I’ve always been highly sensitive to anything Alpha related, which my past partner made sure I knew.

Too delicate.

Too sensitive.

Too needy during your Heat.

“I was just curious, since you’re so young,” I blurt, knowing I sound ridiculous. “It was a silly question.”

“Maybe you haven’t been around Alphas in a while,” Devyn murmurs as we head further down the trail.

My face flames.

She’s right.

I trip on a rock, but thankfully catch myself in time, only adding to my embarrassment.

I’ve never felt more useless as a friend or an Omega in my life.

I’m feeling sorry for myself, when all my attention should be focused on April instead.

Ben clicks on his flashlight as we head deeper into the trees, and I swallow the lump in my throat.

Please don’t be here, April. Please.

“I don’t think I asked you this, Skylar,” Ben says as I trail behind him and Devyn. “When was April’s last relationship?”

“Uh, nothing serious. It was about two years ago. She never had a pack.”

“Were they on good terms?”

I rack my brain, trying to remember the last time April even mentioned Will or Darien.

“I think so,” I say slowly.

Will and Darien both wanted to take things further with April, but she took a step back. Despite being an Omega, she’s always been fiercely independent, and she wasn’t ready or willing to be mated just yet.

“It might not be a bad idea to reach out to them, if you haven’t already,” Ben says. “Just to see if they’ve heard anything.”

I nod, making a mental note.

By the time it’s dark, we’ve covered the entirety of Isle Park with nothing to show for our efforts. Everyone else meets back at the café with the same results.

No sign of April.

It keeps the flicker of hope alive in me.

That is, until someone casually mentions the possibility of finding her.

“It’s been a week, so it’s most likely a case of bringing the body back for closure.”

I don’t know who says it, but it’s enough to knock the wind out of me and cause me to lean against the wall of the café. I don’t see Tammy anywhere near me; I’m hoping she didn’t hear it.

But Ben hears it as well, and he gives me a sorrowful look as he notices my reaction. “There are still a lot of possibilities,” he says quietly. “And you’re doing everything you can.”

“There’s got to be more we can do,” I breathe. “She needs national news coverage. Every single person in the country should be looking for her!”

Everyone falls silent as I raise my voice in frustration. “It’s ridiculous!” I exclaim. “If only she were famous, or in politics, then maybe something would happen, right?”

“Skylar.” Tammy’s soft voice snaps me out of my stupor, and I meet her weary expression guiltily. “Please,” she says gently.

People have gathered around us, most of them glancing my way sympathetically. I was louder than I intended to be, and tears of embarrassment prick at my eyes.

But it doesn’t make what I said to Ben any less true. There must be more I can do. If national news stations don’t want to pick it up, maybe I could—

“Detectives,” I say, staring at Ben with wide eyes. “You have detectives on your force, right?”

“We have one detective and he’s tied up in other cases,” Ben replies, frowning. “Which is why I came out here.”

I sigh, defeated. “So…how do I get a detective to help me? I can hire one, right?”

Ben nods. “You can hire a private investigator. One that doesn’t work for the police force.”

“Do you know any?” I ask. “Any you could recommend?”

He runs his hand through his hair and nods. “Actually, there’s a group of Alphas that run a detective bureau. They’re the best in the state. Probably even the country,” he says.

A flicker of hope sparks in my chest at the information.

“How do I get them to help us? They could find her, right?” I ask excitedly.

This could work. Just keep hanging on, April.

“They work with high-profile cases, Skylar. Murders, trafficking, political cases—I shouldn’t have even mentioned it,” Ben says, shaking his head. “The only reason I know about them is because my cousin works for them.”

“They’re a group of Alphas?” Devyn asks. “Like, the whole department?”

“Yeah.” Ben turns his attention to Devyn, and his gaze softens. “Their cases involve anything Omega related. And obviously, they’re more attuned to that stuff.” His cheeks redden as he regards her. “I’m still learning about Omegas,” he chuckles nervously, and Devyn beams at him.

He’s smitten with her. Any other time, it would be adorable.

“Okay. Ben.” He turns his attention back to me. “How have I never heard about them? An entire bureau of just Alpha detectives?”

“They usually work behind the scenes,” he replies. “The average person doesn’t know about them. Confidential government contracts, classified information, that sort of thing. They’re never mentioned in the news.”

My mind processes the new information.

“You said your cousin is one, right?” Devyn asks, her blue eyes wide. “Could you ask him to help?”

Ben shuffles his feet and runs a hand through his hair. “He kind of hates me,” he says sheepishly.

I frown. I haven’t known Ben long, but I can’t imagine anyone hating him. Annoyed, sure. But hating?

“He’s kind of a dick,” he adds at my confused expression. “But he’s good at what he does.”

“Could you ask him?” I plead. “Just ask him to help us?”

“We don’t talk much, and even if I could, he wouldn’t,” Ben says, regret on his face. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I’m sorry, Skylar. They just wouldn’t work with something like this.” His gaze turns back to Devyn, who looks like she’s about to cry. “But I’ll do what I can to help in the meantime. I promise.”

Despite Ben’s pessimism, my hope doesn’t fade.

“Do you have their address?” I ask him.

“Skylar, they won’t—”

“I don’t care. Just give me their address.”