Knot what you expected, p.1
Knot What You Expected, page 1
Copyright © 2026 by Holly Monroe
All rights reserved.
No part of this book was created by, or can be used to train AI.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the publisher’s prior written permission, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact authorhollymonroe@gmail.com
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, or products is intended or should be inferred.
Cover art by Mads @Linehouse.art
Headers and Page Break by Cat @bookishlymacabre
ISBN: 978-1-971820-01-9
Formatted with Vellum
Contents
Onion and Sax: The Origin Story
Introduction to the Omegaverse
For Your Consideration
Chapter 1
May, 2016
The Daily Beta
Chapter 2
Ten Years Later
Chapter 3
Three Months Later
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Audience Reactions
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Audience Reactions
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Knot What You Expected
Chapter 46
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Onion and Sax: The Origin Story
About the Author
Also by Holly Monroe
Onion and Sax: The Origin Story
Click here for a free download of Onion and Sax: The Origin Story for a peek into the past.
Introduction to the Omegaverse
Knot What You Expected is set within the Cirque de Mordu Omegaverse. If you read One for the Money and Two for the Show, you’re familiar with these mechanics, but if you’re a new Omegaverse reader or have only read my Lunarcrest novels, I highly recommend reading the below.
Omegaverse, also known as A/B/O, is a modern alternative universe that operates on principles commonly associated with wolf packs and shifters in the paranormal romance genre. The social structure includes Alphas, Betas, and Omegas, but none of the characters are shifters. The Reality TV Omegas series operates similarly to other A/B/O universes, but there are some slight differences.
Omegas are regarded as the most submissive designation and the rarest. They can receive an Alpha’s knot or lock and undergo a heat cycle roughly four times a year, depending on suppressant use. An Omega's heat is a period when they are exceptionally fertile and have an increased sex drive. During heat, an Omega falls into a haze that impairs their ability to care for themselves, and they rely on their pack for assistance to meet their needs and remain healthy. An Omega is the only designation that can initiate a bonding bite. Other designations can choose to reject the bond, which can cause pain for both parties, with the potential for severe harm, hospitalization, or potentially death, for the Omega, but there is no way to trap anyone with a claiming bite.
Omegas scent match with Alphas and Betas, which is a mechanism by which their pheromones attract a particularly compatible partner for them. There is no “one true” scent match, and theories suggest that an Omega could have a large number of matches out there. Omegas are fine without scent matches, but once identified, the draw to one another is powerful, and they struggle to separate from their matches. Both Omegas and Alphas can find that their “hindbrain”, the part of them ruled by instincts, can subconsciously mark another designation, indicating a desire to bond with them.
Omega Storm is a rare condition some Omegas can fall victim to, characterized by a fugue state an Omega can enter during pre-heat, often spurred by anger and fear. It can only be calmed by a scent matched Alpha, and has side effects that range from mild, in the form of panic attacks, to severe, in the form of psychosis.
Another health condition that can affect only Omegas is Foresaken Omega Syndrome. In this rare disease condition, an Omega who is not regularly exposed to compatible Alpha pheromones begins to waste away, eventually becoming hospitalized and dying. Omegas are at risk of this after prolonged suppressant use or isolation.
In all Cirque de Mordu Omegaverse books, reproduction does not follow human biological means.
All Omegas have uteruses, and male Omegas also produce sperm.
All Alphas produce sperm, and female Alphas do not have uteruses.
Male Betas produce sperm, and female Betas have uteruses.
Fertility is highest in Alpha-Omega and Beta-Beta pairings. Omega and Omega, Alpha and Beta, and Beta and Omega pairings are much less likely to reproduce, but it is possible.
Pregnancy will never be a storyline for the main characters of my books. Pregnancy or children may be mentioned, but only in the epilogues.
Alphas are considered the top of the food chain. They have possessive characteristics and strong personalities and are, on average, physically larger than the other designations. Male Alphas have a knot at the base of their penis, which inflates after sex to ‘lock’ the Alphas into their partner until it deflates. This aspect of anatomy is the main difference between an Alpha and a Beta. Female Alphas have a lock that can clamp down and trap a male Omega inside them. Alphas form packs around their Omegas, or through a familiarity with one another, similar to a fraternity. There is no magic or pheromone draw between Alphas. Their packs come together through necessity or chance. Packs serve as a means to share the responsibility of caring for an Omega. They have scents that are recognizable and attractive to all designations, a result of their pheromone composition, that can draw Omegas and Betas to them.
Some Alphas who are not bonded to an Omega begin to deteriorate physically. No one knows why this happens, and science believes it may be an inherited condition. The opposite of Omega Storm, which is aggressive and dangerous to others, Alpha Rot is only dangerous to the Alpha. The further it progresses, the weaker the Alpha becomes, eventually having so few pheromones that they can no longer scent match. This can be expedited by exposure to an Omega that lacks compatible pheromones. A scent match can stabilize the Rot, which may eventually reverse itself after enough time. However, research is unclear.
Betas are the 'normal people' of A/B/O universes. Betas have scents and can match with both Alphas and Omegas, but can only be bonded to an Alpha through an Omega.
For Your Consideration
Knot What You Expected is a high angst contemporary MMMF Omegaverse novel and the first book in the Reality TV Omegas series, set within the Cirque de Mordu Omegaverse.
Several of the elements below may be upsetting for some readers, so please review them carefully before proceeding. If you discover anything that needs to be added while reading this book, please email me at authorhollymonroe@gmail.com.
Your mental health matters.
Death of a sibling
Grief
Agoraphobia
Anxiety
Discussion of death with dignity
Explicit language and sexual content
Medical trauma
If you ever had an online partner who said they were one thing and turned out to be another, this one is for you.
I, too, was the victim of several catfish because I am gullible and had unrestricted internet access.
Chapter One
MAY, 2016
Movies would have you believe brothers and sisters either don’t get along or, if they do, that the sister still kind of hates her brother, because he is an asshole chasing off all of her romantic prospects.
That’s never been the case for Calvin and me. He may be nine years older than me, but he’s my best friend. Always has been, from the moment I was born. I know I can go to him with any problem, and he’ll drop everything to be there for me, even if it means getting on a plane.
Which he did.
He got a plane and flew from Holly wood, California, to Hollywood, Florida, because Pops called him and told him I presented as an Omega.
I’m not being dramatic when I say that it was, without a doubt, the worst presentation ever. There is literally no way that anyone else had a worse presentation. It was so bad that I am still red-faced with mortification.
It’s a good thing he got here as fast as he did, because my life is over with a capital O. I may as well change my name and move across the world.
“It can’t have been that bad.” Calvin strokes my hair from where it pokes out of the blue quilt I’ve buried myself in. “No one’s presentation is perfect, and everything feels like the end of the world when you’re sixteen.”
“That’s because it is the end of the world! Ugh, it’s not just that it was imperfect, Calvin.” Now I’m whining. Is that going to be a thing now that I’m an Omega? “I could handle imperfect. It was the fact that I presented in front of the entire school!”
His hand pauses mid-stroke. “The whole school?”
“Yes!” I moan, the memory of that day making me want to run away and join the circus. “It was during the sophomore debate.”
“Debate…” he echoes.
“Yeah, I was arguing against that asshole William about Omega registration. He was for, I was against.”
“Of course you were. Apt topic.” My brother pulls back the corner of my quilt and crawls under with me. “I’m sure you were winning.”
“Of course I was! I finished the debate and got the trophy. But let me paint you a picture. Me, on the stage. All eyes on me. Spotlights. I tried to rebut his stupid argument that registration is for Omegas’ protection, which it isn’t, and I started whining! Actual, honest-to-God whining, Calvin. My scent spiked, and everyone could smell me. It was mortifying. But the worst part is that I slicked through my pants!” I wail, burying my face in his chest. “My life is over. I can never go back.”
Calvin’s mint tea scent is muted, like it has been since his pack died, but still comforting in its familiarity as it surrounds me. “You can go back, and you will. There is nothing to be ashamed of about presenting as an Omega. Being one is a beautiful, wonderful thing.”
“It doesn’t feel wonderful. Feels sticky.”
He chuckles, my head bouncing as his slim chest moves. “Of course, it doesn’t seem great right now. But one day, when you meet your pack, you’ll realize that it is the best thing that could ever have happened to you. There is nothing like the love a pack can give you, little Onion. There are people out there made for you. It’s science and magic and wonderful. You have to hold strong until you find them. The wait will be worth it.”
His voice cracks, and my heart does, too. Calvin’s pack all died suddenly a few months ago in a helicopter accident on their way back from filming a movie. He’s been holding on surprisingly well, all things considered. Sure, he’s become a bit of a homebody, but grief can do that to a person.
“I’m not going back to school. I can never show my face there again. I’m going to do virtual school from now on.”
“You’d hate virtual school.” He pulls the blanket down and shifts so that we’re both sitting up. “And you’re not one to run and hide, Ariana Cooley. You’re too tough to let something like a little slick get you down.”
“It wasn’t a little slick!” I gesture aggressively toward my laundry basket. “Check for yourself if you don’t believe me. It looked like I pissed myself!”
He changes tactics. “At least you have a nice scent. Imagine if you smelled like… I don’t know, licorice or something?”
“I hate licorice.”
“Me too! See, luck is on your side, making you smell like oranges and cream.” He makes a dramatic sniffing noise. “Mmm, like summertime popsicles.”
“Ew! Don’t sniff me, you weirdo!” I shove him the way I used to when we were kids. “Of course, you’re going to say I smell good. You’re my brother. You have to.”
“Okay, so? I’m your brother. If anyone was going to tell you that you smelled like gym socks, it would be me. I would never let you live it down, honestly.” He slides out from under me and rips the blanket off me with all the flair of a magician’s assistant. “Now, come on, let’s go get some food.”
I sit up and swing my legs off the bed, allowing me to get my first good look at my brother since he got here. He came directly from the airport, and his disheveled appearance shows it, but the dark bags under his eyes seem too permanent to be from a single red-eye flight. His skin is sallow, and his usually impeccably manicured nails look brittle.
My brother looks sick. Like, really sick.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, pushing to my feet. “I’ve made this all about me. How are you holding up? You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
He waves me away. “I’m fine, Onion. I have good days and bad days, like anyone.”
This doesn’t seem like a bad day. Calvin wouldn’t keep something this big from me, would he?
“You’re not getting sick, are you?”
Omegas who meet their scent matches, then lose exposure to them, or have an adverse reaction to long-term heat suppressant use, are at risk of developing Foresaken Omega Syndrome, or FOS. We have a whole unit devoted to it in designation biology class. It’s a devastating illness, but a lot of Omegas can heal from it. Most Omegas are fortunate to often have several scent matches available to aid pheromone treatment.
Scent matching is not a one-and-done type of deal, despite what some fairy tales may suggest. Everyone has multiple scent matches somewhere out there. It’s all about whether you can find them. There are billions of people in the world. Of course, there isn’t only one person out there for everyone. That would be a statistical improbability.
Scientists have been trying for decades to determine what causes scent matching and whether there is a way to predict or root out its cause, but they’ve come up short. Honestly, it’s not a well-researched field from what I’ve been taught in school. There isn’t much money to be made in the study of scent matches, so the government isn’t funding it.
It’s estimated that most Alphas have three or four matches out there, and Omegas can have up to ten. Which sounds like a lot, but there are billions of people in the world. Running into one is so rare that most don’t wait to pack up.
But Calvin was lucky. He was scent matched to his whole pack—all five of them. It’s one of the reasons, aside from their moderate fame, that the media loved them.
Of course, the downside of finding scent matches is that if you lose them, FOS becomes a major risk.
“I’m not getting sick,” he insists, wrapping his elbow with mine. “I have a little cold. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Are you sure?” I let him lead me to the kitchen, where Dad is sitting down to breakfast. “You’d tell me, right?”
“You know I don’t keep secrets from you.” He ruffles my hair like I’m still a child. “Now, go eat. You have school.”
“I am not going to school!” I stop dead in my tracks and try to flee back to my room. “I can’t face everyone! Not yet!”
He puts his hands on my shoulders and shoves me into my seat. “If you don’t go, you’ll be showing them all that you’re ashamed of your designation, and you’re not going to do that. Female Omegas are so rare. You’ll be so popular now. I know this feels like the end of the world, but it’s not. All of the Alphas are going to want to talk to you, all of the unpresented girls are going to want to be you.”
I scowl into my cereal. “No, they’re not. No one wants to be an Omega.”
Dad pushes a glass of orange juice to me. “Then they’re stupid. Being an Omega is a blessing, not a curse.”
“Both of you? Ugh!” I roll my eyes, fully embracing the petulant teenager stereotype. “Seriously. It’s not that great. People think that you’re incapable of complex thought when they find out you’re an Omega.”
My Omega father stares at me with a straight face. “Not capable of complex thought? I’m a mathematician, Ariana.”
“Yeah, but you’re different.”
“It sounds like you have the prejudices against Omegas that you’re trying to claim everyone else has.” Calvin lowers himself beside me with a mug of creamy coffee. “Promise me you’ll give it a real chance, little Onion. Don’t let your fear keep you from living.”
