Page 1 of Knot Her Reality

Chapter One

Evangeline

Stop stealing our women!

Even omegas aren’t allowed to be greedy.

Ban woman/woman love!

How can two women make a baby?

Blinking away tears, I set the tablet onto the table, sliding it away from me. I can’t keep looking at the signs of the assholes outside of these gates who are protesting not just this season of Heated but my existence.

“I told you to stop looking at them,” Bree says softly, taking the tablet and turning it off before setting it back onto the table. “Everything they have to say is hateful and meant to upset you.”

I scoff. “Then it’s working.”

There’s a moment of silence before Bree sighs. “Are you sure you want to do this, Evangeline?”

My initial reaction is to scream out yes because I don’t want bigoted people to tell me how to live my life. But this is about so much more than me. I’m not the only woman who will be on this season, and my decision affects all of us. I’ve been on site at the mansion for a month, and it’s been nothing but this—protests and riots. Cruel words and threats against not just my life but those of everyone involved in the show.

Who would’ve thought that being a bisexual omega would be such a big deal?

If this wasn’t such a serious situation, I would laugh. I knew when I agreed to come onto the third season of Heated that it would be hard. There’s nothing about being a bisexual woman that’s easy, but by throwing me into the spotlight, it’s brought out a lot of very loud opinions. I know that most of it comes from a place of fear and not hate, but that doesn’t really make it any easier.

We’ve all been affected by the low birth rates and the limited number of female children being born over the last however many years. I understand people want to have the best odds at reproduction, but this is my life. I don’t have control over who I’m attracted to. I was born this way. I’ve always loved men and women equally, if in their own ways. I tried to hide it for as long as I could while growing up, knowing that it would cause issues. And cause issues it had.

Having your mother walk in on you going down on a woman on your eighteenth birthday isn’t the way most people would want their parents to find out they were bisexual. Hell, I hadn’t wanted my parents to find out at all. I knew what their reaction would be. Though, I missed out on the initial outrage as the stress of the situation caused me to perfume, revealing my new omega designation.

My parents had kicked out my girlfriend and locked me in my room to deal with my first heat all on my own. That had been strike one.

As soon as the heat had cleared, my mother dragged me from my room to speak with her and my father. My body was still weak, so the moment she released me, I fell to the ground. That’s what happens when no one bothers to bring you food for a week, and you’re left to make do with the candy and snacks you have hidden in your room. They left me on the floor as they screamed at me about my deviant ways and that if I wished to remain in the family, then I would need to go through a program or therapy of some kind to “cure” me. That had been strike two.

I cried, not believing how cruel my parents were being. They had been a little absent from my life growing up, and I was mostly raised by a nanny, but I thought they loved me. They made sure I had the very best education, and I wanted for nothing. Considering I went to private school and all my friends’ parents were the same, I thought that’s just how it was. But when my father stared down at me with disgust in his eyes and spat on me, something inside of me broke open. That had been strike three.

I didn’t bother waiting for them to kick me out. I forced myself to my feet, ignoring their screams as I walked away from them and went straight to my room. I packed a single bag of the things I couldn’t do without and then walked out the door, never looking back. Losing the only family I’d ever known because of who I loved had broken me, but I’ve never been one to let anything keep me down.

So here I am at thirty-seven, the only successful omega fashion designer in the business, finally ready to find my pack and settle down. Heated had seemed like a godsend. I’d watched the first two seasons and knew that it was exactly what I needed. I just hadn’t been sure that they would be accepting of my sexuality. It turns out I had nothing to worry about. Bree called me the day after I submitted the application, begging me to be the third season’s omega.

Now, here we are, before the suitors have begun arriving, needing me to make a decision.

Am I going to be the strong, resilient, proud bisexual woman I’ve become, or am I going to bow down to the hate and prejudice of those like my parents?

When I put it like that, the answer is easy.

“Yes. I’m sure.” I take a deep breath and straighten my shoulders. “I won’t let them win. Let them spew their hate. It’s not the first time I’ve had to deal with it, and it’s unlikely to be the last. I’m ready to have a pack and fall in love. I won’t let the haters stop me from having that.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” Bree says with a laugh, pushing to her feet.

I do the same, straightening out the material of the navy blue dress I’m wearing. Luckily, its silky material is covered in waves of tulle, so even if it wrinkles, no one will be able to tell. “Remind me what the plan is?”

Bree nods. “Of course. We’ll be following the same format as last season, where you will meet four suitors at a time. You’ll have dinner together after the initial meeting and a quiet evening of whatever the five of you would like to do. In the morning, you’ll have breakfast and then your date will begin shortly after. Once you return, you’ll get ready to meet with your second group of suitors while I interview the day one suitors.

“Reginald will do your interview before you meet the day two suitors. Then rinse and repeat until you’ve met all the suitors and been on five group dates. From there, we’ll hold the first rose ceremony where you’ll be able to send suitors home if you desire. Or invite them to your pack—whatever your little heart fancies.”

I hum, nodding. “Are you finally going to tell me why you’re here running things on your own? Not that I know you can’t do it—you’re a badass, after all—but where is Tessa?”

“As I told you when you arrived, Tessa has been dealing with some personal issues since the end of the last season. She’ll be joining us when she feels ready.” Bree’s mouth flattens. “Why do you keep asking? Are you afraid that something like last season will happen? Because I can assure you, it will not. There’s a reason that all went down, and while I can’t share it with you, I can assure you that it won’t be an issue.”

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