Page 67 of Knot His Reality

Now, I’m determined to be a better man. A better alpha.

I like to think I’ve been doing pretty well. No, I know I have been because Carter learned a thing or two about himself during the show as well. He’s much more assertive when letting me know if he doesn’t agree with a decision I’ve made or am making.

He makes me a better man by expecting more from me than anyone ever has before, and I want to be the best man I can be for him.

“You know I do, but so do you,” I finally respond, and he nods with a grin.

“I really do. I like that he has a job that he cares about as much as I care about mine. He’s hot as hell, and he’s easy to get along with. I know the information said he deals with anxiety, but I haven’t really seen that since we met him.”

I hum. “Anxiety isn’t always visible. He might just be very good at hiding it. I’m glad it was mentioned, though, so we can keep an eye out for it.”

I pause as we reach the third floor, hearing sounds coming from the game room as Taylor and Ian step inside. Carter and I ran into one guy last night when we were heading into our suite, but we didn’t speak to him. Bree told us we’d be doing our interview in an hour so everyone could get dinner before the rose ceremony and still leave us with enough time to get ready.

“Do you want to stick our heads in there now and meet whoever’s in there? Or do you want to wait?” I ask Carter. I’ll leave it up to him because if I have my choice, I’ll just head back to our suite.

It’s not that I don’t like people, I just prefer for it to be me and Carter most of the time. But as he’s pointed out on more than one occasion, we can’t find the rest of our pack from the comfort of our living room—no matter how much I wish we could.

“We’re already out here,” he says, and I sigh. I guess we’re meeting the other suitors now.

Intertwining my fingers with Carter’s, I pull him into the game room to find what I’m guessing is all the other suitors. There are so many people inside the room. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by eighteen strangers.

I do approve of the changes they’ve put into place since the first season. Having the omega only meet four suitors at a time and then going on a date has allowed us to get to know Remy much better than we initially got to know Bree.

“Oh, good, you’re all here.” An entirely too attractive beta male pops up in front of us with a smile, causing us to come to a stop. “I just introduced myself to Taylor and Ian. I’m Milo.”

What is it with the betas on this show? I swear, there’s always a beta who takes the lead and introduces themselves to everyone. During the first season, it was Emmett. He’s a good guy and perfect for Bree.

“Hi, I’m Riley,” I tell him, offering him my hand as his orange, cedar, and clove scent settles around me and Carter. “This is my beta, Carter.”

Milo’s smile grows wider. “Oh, I know. You were both on the first season. This is exciting.” His eyes zero in on the bond mark on Carter’s neck. “Oh, you’re bonded as well? Me too!”

He pulls his tee to the side, revealing a mark on his neck and another on his chest. “I have two alphas. I can introduce you to them if you’d like. I guess you need to meet everyone, really.”

“We do,” I agree. “But why don’t we start with your alphas? We need somewhere to start, anyway.”

My eyes trail across the room as we follow Milo, seeing Taylor and Ian chatting with two women, a man, and a set of twins. At least, I think they’re twins. They look way too much like one another to not be, right?

“Alphas,” Milo sing-songs. “I have a pack for you to meet. This is Riley and Carter. You might recognize them from Bree’s season. These are my alphas, Victoria and Eric Hawthorne.”

As soon as my eyes land on the female alpha, I lose myself in her forest-green eyes. She’s fucking gorgeous—like mind-blowingly and breathtakingly beautiful.

Damn.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Carter says, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the woman in front of me. At least not until Carter’s elbow digs into my side harder than necessary.

“Owww.” I frown, rubbing at my side as I glare at him.

“As Carter said, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I shake Eric’s hand first and then Victoria’s. “I’m sorry for staring.”

Milo snorts. “We’re used to it. We can’t take her anywhere without people staring at her.”

Victoria waves him off. “Stop it. This was the face and body I was born with. It’s just luck of the draw.”

“Like you don’t work to keep yourself in shape. Don’t go acting like it’s all genetics,” Eric argues, shaking his head. “It’s always like this with her. You can’t tell her she’s beautiful or how nice she looks without her reminding us that she had nothing to do with it.”

“Oh, so this is how it’s going to be? I see you two, and I’ll remember this later.” Victoria laughs. “Since you want to give me so much shit, I think I’ll take Carter and Riley around to meet the others. No, Milo, you’re not invited.”

The beta pouts and I’ll admit he looks adorable. Overall, the Hawthorne pack is one good looking pack. I offer her my arm, and she takes it with a small smile. We walk around from group to group, meeting each of the suitors.

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