Page 79 of Knot His Reality

Brooke bites her lip, finally glancing up at me once more. “I didn’t really think you would hurt them. I know it sounded like it, but I just couldn’t push past my panic.”

“If anyone understands that, it’s me. I promise.”

She nods, taking in a shaky breath as her eyes fall back to her fidgeting hands in her lap. “I have an older sister—I told Remy a little about her. She’s a year older than me, and she revealed as an omega. It came as a shock as we were expecting her to be a beta, just like everyone else in the family. After her reveal, everyone began to treat her differently. She was no longer expected to do anything around the house, leaving all the chores for me. I didn’t mind because omegas should be treasured, but she changed.

“Because we’re so close in age, we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. It’s always been us against the world, but then it was all about her. She no longer cared how I was doing or feeling. She looked at me as if I was beneath her. I’d been dating the same boy since our sophomore year. We graduated and life was great. His birthday was before mine, and he revealed as an alpha. He assured me it wouldn’t matter what my designation was. He loved me, and he wanted to be with me for the rest of our lives.

“I really think he believed it when he said those words, too. We knew my sister’s heat was coming—it was her third—and my parents had added on an entire section of the house for her so she’d have everything she needed. She was meant to stay over there until after her heat was over, but she didn’t. She came to my room, where my boyfriend and I were making out. It’s all kind of a blur, but he ended up leaving to help her with her heat.”

Her voice wavers for the first time. “She bit him—claimed him. Somehow, he managed to not return the bite. I was already heartbroken even before I saw the mate mark on his chest, but when I saw it, I knew I would lose him. She said she hadn’t meant to. She could smell him from her rooms and sought him out, needing an alpha. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from claiming him. She was so sorry, and of course, she’d never take him from me. We’d work it all out. I believed her.

“But I shouldn’t have. I should’ve just ended it then and there. It would’ve been better all around, but I loved him. And I loved my big sister. I was sure it would all work out. She’d bring me into her pack, maybe? I didn’t know how it would work, but I wanted it to.” She sighs. “A few weeks later, I revealed as a beta, and she lost her shit. She started spewing bullshit about how she wouldn’t share her alpha with a beta. That I wasn’t worthy of an alpha. She said a lot of hurtful things.”

“Damn, Brooke.” I tighten my arms around her, a soft rumble starting in my chest.

Holy shit. Am I purring?

Whatever the hell I’m doing has Brooke relaxing back into me.

“The worst part is my parents and my boyfriend took her side. Apparently, you can’t force an omega to be true to their word. They can change their mind at any time, and it doesn’t matter who they hurt. They’re always right. I left my house that day and never went back. Luckily, the university I was attending let me have access to my dorm a few weeks early. There were a few omegas who I went to school with, and they were all like my sister except one who became my best friend.

“Etta is the only reason I know all omegas aren’t the same. She’s the one who convinced me to come onHeated. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the show, but she’s obsessed with it. She showed me clips here and there, so it wasn’t too hard for her to convince me to give the show a chance.” She swipes at the tears now drying on her cheeks. “I saw the type of omegas who were seeking their packs, and they weren’t like my sister. You’re not like her, Remy. I know that. It’s just…hard sometimes.”

I nod slowly, never taking my eyes off her. “I can understand that. Thank you for telling me. I didn’t think it was something I did to set you off, but I wasn’t sure.”

“Brooke might not have even known she was reacting out of the norm,” Finn says quietly. “Trauma affects everyone differently, and yes, Brooke, this is a trauma you went through. It affected your entire life. That you were able to befriend an omega and come on the show is proof that you knew deep down not all omegas are the same. Even without knowing it, you’ve been trying to work through your trauma.”

“I have?”

Finn nods. “Our minds are always trying to take care of us. Whether that’s by forcing us to work through something or making sure we don’t think of the traumatic event. I assume you’ve never returned home?”

“No. I haven’t spoken to any of them since I left, either.”

“Is that something you want to do?”

Brooke considers him for a moment before inclining her head slightly.

Finn smiles. “I can help you with that, if you’d like. Obviously, you’re not allowed communication with the outside world while you’re on the show, but we can work together to figure out how to approach it once the show is over. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

“I think so. Yes.” Brooke offers him a half smile. “Does this mean I’ll need to meet with you regularly, too?”

“We’ll set up an appointment for this week and then go from there. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great. Thank you.” Brooke stands, turning to smile down at me. “Thank you, Remy. For taking care of me and for knowing I needed to talk. It’s been a long time since anyone but Etta has cared about me. I think I’m going to head up to my room for now. Will you let Camila know?”

“I’ll be happy to.”

She gives one last nod before leaving me alone with Finn, who’s watching me closely.

I roll my eyes, already knowing what he’s going to ask. “I’m fine, Finn. She wasn’t actually upset with me, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that. It’s also not the first time she’s made a comment about omegas like that. I knew there was a story there—even if that wasn’t quite what I was expecting the story to be.”

“I was actually just going to say thank you for bringing her here, lad,” he says with a laugh.

“Where else was I going to take her? I don’t spend enough time with people to know how to deal with someone’s trauma.” I shrug, ducking my head. “Although I should probably figure out how to deal with people being upset. I’m sure this isn’t the last time it’ll happen.”

Finn slaps his hand against the arm of his chair, grinning as he stands. “You’re right about that. Having this many people in a house together with limited access to the rest of the world can make it feel a bit like a powder keg. It could explode at any time. That’s why Bree and Tessa brought me on, so everyone has someone they can talk to. They take mental health seriously, as do I.”

“Well, thank you for helping Brooke. I can’t imagine going through what she did. I also have an older sister, and she never would’ve done something like that. I might have only gone through a handful of heats without suppressors, but I don’t think I would’ve bitten my sister’s boyfriend in the heat of the moment. Hell, I wouldn’t have sought him out in the first place.” I shake my head. “Even losing ourselves to our instincts…I just can’t see it happening.”

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