Page 70 of Knot His Reality

My eyes dart around the room, taking it in to see if they’ve made any changes since Evangeline’s season, but seeing none. The dark stage is still set up in the center of the room, with the suitors lined up in front of it. Fairy lights and LED candles spread throughout the room, adding to the ambiance as moonlight filters in from the open curtains.

I’m probably holding onto Reginald more firmly than necessary, but I take comfort in his heat, and he doesn’t seem to mind. He leads me up the stairs and onto the stage, and I jump when the lights come up. I snicker and shake my head at my ridiculousness.

As he leads us to the center of the stage, my eyes zero in on the table filled with vases of various colored roses. With just a few steps, we’ve reached our destination, and it really is showtime.

“Welcome back toHeated, viewers and suitors. We’ve assembled in the ballroom for this season’s first rose ceremony. Remington has met his twenty suitors, although Lorenzo had to leave because of a medical emergency, leaving him with just nineteen suitors to choose from. He’s also been on a group date with each of them, four at a time. Now, it’s time for him to decide what comes next for each of them. Remy has asked that I explain the significance of each rose before we begin.”

My eyes roam over the suitors as Reginald gestures to the roses. Once more, the men are dressed in tuxedos and the women in formal gowns. Everyone looks amazing, and I wish I was in the crowd with them instead of on the stage. Anything to not be the center of attention.

“There are six different colors of roses for Remington to choose from, and each has its own meaning. The black rose is given when the omega decides it’s time for them to head home. The red rose means you’ve been chosen for the omega’s pack. What happens from there is up to Remington. He’ll make the choice of whether he wants to bond immediately or if he wants to wait until he’s chosen his complete pack.

“The white rose is an invitation to join the omega in their room for the night. We can all guess what that might infer, but it could also just mean they want to cuddle. You can never tell with an omega.” Reginald laughs as he glances over his shoulder at me. “The peach roses are an invitation for a one-on-one date with the omega, and the lavender is an invitation for a group date. If you receive the lavender rose, you will not find out who will be going on the date with you until Remy is ready to make that announcement.”

He plucks a yellow rose and spins it between his fingers. “The yellow rose is one of the most common ones given—or at least it has been during past seasons. It means the omega wishes for you to remain on the show but isn’t inviting you on a date this week. The rose ceremonies happen each week on Saturday nights unless the omega asks for one sooner. The black, red, and yellow roses will only be handed out during the ceremony. The white, lavender, and peach can be handed out at any time during the week. Now that you know the basics, let’s get Remington up here, shall we?”

I’d rather we didn’t, but that doesn’t stop me from stepping forward with a smile. “Good evening, everyone. I’m so happy to see everyone’s faces here in one place. As Reginald explained, there are many ways these roses can be handed out. Because I deal with a lot of anxiety, I tend to be a planner. That means I’ll be handing out the roses for dates tonight. I already have a ton of date ideas, but this week, I think I’m going to allow my suitors to choose the dates.

“Because that will require some planning on your part, I’ll let you know tomorrow when our dates will be and who will be joining which group. Speaking of tomorrow, Sundays will be spent as a group. It’ll allow time for all of us to bond together. After all, I’m working on building a pack, and everyone will need to get along. There’s no way I’m going to put up with pack mates who can’t stand one another.”

“Thank you, Remington.” Reginald smiles as I reach out and grab the first rose and hide it behind my back. “I’d like to welcome alpha Daniel Kennedy to join us on the stage.”

My eyes find Daniel at the edge of the crowd, nodding as he straightens his suit before coming to join us.

“Hi, Daniel.”

He smiles. “Hi, Remy.”

“Look, I’m a little awkward at the best of times, but when I get stuck on a stage in front of a room full of people, it just gets worse. Rather than drag this out, I’d rather get it over with.” I pull out the peach rose and offer it to him. “I feel like the two of us didn’t get enough time together during the group date, so I’d like you to join me for a one-on-one date.”

“I’d love to.” He takes the rose before hugging me. “Thank you, Remy. I look forward to our date.”

He doesn’t wait for me to reciprocate, already hurrying off the stage as if he’s afraid I’m going to change my mind. I’m not, but I can understand the sentiment. I quickly grab the next roses and conceal them behind my back as Reginald announces the next group.

“Next, I’d like to welcome Pack Hawthorne to the stage.” He gives their names and designations as they join me on the stage.

“I really enjoyed getting to know all three of you during our group date. The three of you and Daniel made the first day a breeze. It’s probably the most comfortable I’ve felt around anyone after just a few hours since I became an adult.” I pull the lavender roses out and offer them to each of them. “Which is why I’d like you to join me on another group date this week.”

“Hell yes! I knew you liked us.” Milo jumps forward to grab his rose, kissing my cheek before returning to Victoria’s side. Both alphas take their roses with smiles before they leave the stage.

It’s a bit of a slow process, working our way through suitor after suitor, but I can see the reasoning behind doing it this way—even if I’m not a huge fan of it myself.

I pass out yellow roses to Brooke, Lee, Quinn, Camila, Aubrey, Nolan, and Ian. As much as I’d love to take everyone out on a date, I can’t get to know everyone all at once. The only other peach rose I give out is to Santiago. I need to spend some time with just him so I can get a better idea of the kind of man and alpha he is. I won’t hold the first night against him, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be cautious about him remaining on the show.

It was never my intention to send anyone home during this rose ceremony, so I don’t hand out any black roses. It’s also entirely too early to hand out any red or white roses, which leaves lavender roses for the twins, Rhys, Gracie, Pack Woods, and Taylor. I already have a plan on who I want to join me for each group date, so I can see how some of them interact with the others.

Besides Taylor, Pack Woods, and Ian, they’ve all had days to get to know one another. There’s no way they haven’t already started drifting toward others. It’s up to me to see if I like the direction they’re drifting or if it doesn’t work for me.

As the last of the suitors leaves the stage, Reginald steps forward once more. “And that concludes our first rose ceremony of season four. Remington hasn’t chosen to send anyone home during the ceremony—something completely unprecedented. On the first three seasons, each omega chose to send home at least one suitor during the first rose ceremony. While Lorenzo is unable to continue the season with us, he wasn’t sent home by Remington.

“This omega is going to shake things up, isn’t he? I can already tell. Are you surprised by these events? Are you glad all nineteen suitors still remain and have a chance at winning a spot in Remington’s pack? Let us know what you’re thinking on social media or on the forums. That’s it for us tonight onHeated. I’m Reginald Williams, and I hope you’ll join us next week as Remington and his suitors progress.”

I stand there, smiling like an idiot, until we’re given the signal that has Reginald relaxing as he turns to face me. “Are you still holding up, okay?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t as bad as I made it out in my head. I’m not sure I’ll ever enjoy it, but I think it’ll be easier next week.”

“Well, you did wonderfully. You didn’t fumble a word or drop a single rose.” He snickers when I wrinkle my nose. “Come on, Remy. I’m just trying to make you feel better.”

I scoff. “You’re not doing a very good job.”

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