Page 117 of Knot Our Reality

I wouldn’t be surprised if every eye in the room was on the two of them. They’re a striking pair.

“I hate these things,” Dalton complains as he joins me, frowning. I can tell he’s annoyed because his Southern drawl is even more pronounced.

“What’s wrong?”

He wrinkles his nose. “Do you know how many women have grabbed my ass in the last ten minutes alone? It’s disgusting. They all know I’m one of Emilia’s suitors.”

Considering we were all announced at the beginning of the night, I know they do, but I’m not all that surprised.

“That’s rich people for you.” I roll my eyes.

Dalton makes a face. “Aren’t we rich?”

I scoff. “No, we’re well off. The people here? Some of them probably make in an hour what we make in six months by sitting on their asses.”

“I definitely don’t like rich people,” he decides, and I have to agree with him—to a point.

There’s feedback over the speaker system, and I wince along with the rest of the room as Reginald appears on the stage that’s been set up in front of a wall of windows. “Sorry about that, folks. For those of you who might not know me, I’m Reginald Williams, and I’m the host ofHeated. In just a few moments, we’ll be calling Emilia, her pack, and the remaining suitors to the stage for tonight’s rose ceremony.

“As per the NDA you were required to sign upon arrival, you are not to repeat the results of tonight’s ceremony. We also ask that you please remain silent during the ceremony. If you’ll all take a seat at the tables, we’ll get started.”

There’s some shuffling around the room as people find their way back to the tables where we’d eaten dinner at the beginning of the gala. There’s a bit of small talk, but for the most part, people remain silent as Dalton and I head for the stage.

It’s a little weird having this ceremony in front of all these strangers, but I don’t think Emilia would send any of us home with a live audience.

I really hope she doesn’t send us home at all.

I’ve fallen hard for her, and I’ll be devastated if she doesn’t choose Dalton and me. My pack mate might hide his worries behind his humor, but I know Dalton feels the same way. We’re beside ourselves with worry that she won’t choose us.

“Knock it off.” Dalton elbows me in the side as we reach the other suitors.

“Fuck,” I hiss, rubbing my side. “What the hell was that for?”

He waves his hand in front of my face. “For this. Stop freaking out, and if you can’t, at least stop broadcasting your feelings all over your face.”

I make a face. I may not like it, but he’s right. I don’t want these rich assholes to see how worried I am about being chosen.

“Thank you, everyone,” Reginald says as he steps on stage with Emilia, Bree, and Tessa.

Bree smiles as she takes the microphone from Reginald. “Before we get started with tonight’s rose ceremony, we want to take a moment to thank each of you for being here. You’ve all been generous with your donations on top of buying tickets to the gala.”

“We’re happy to announce that we’ve raised fifteen million dollars tonight,” Tessa announces as she leans down so the microphone will pick her up.

Applause breaks out across the room, and the three women wait for it to die down before Emilia speaks. “That means the Rancho Mirage Aid Fund will receive forty-five million dollars just from tonight’s gala. We couldn’t have done this without all of you. Thank you again.”

Reginald takes the microphone back as Emilia’s pack joins her onstage. Ian holds a bundle of roses wrapped in paper, obscuring what color roses are inside.

Camden moves to Emilia’s side, their fingers immediately intertwined. I’m not even sure if they realize it, but they can’t seem to help touching one another when they’re close. I can’t imagine the bond the two of them share.

“Suitors, if you will?”

The five of us walk up the stairs opposite where the others came onto the stage, lining up as we rehearsed earlier.

“Welcome to week six’s rose ceremony,” Reginald says. “Only five suitors remain vying for their spot in Emilia and Camden’s pack—which is currently at six members for those of you keeping track at home. Camden has also claimed Nikolai and Ian as his. What will these two omegas choose to do from here? Let’s hand the stage over to them, and I guess we’ll find out.”

“Thank you, Reginald.” Emilia offers him a smile before turning toward the five of us. “This week has been almost as hectic as last week. I feel like I’ve neglected the five of you. Yes, we went on our dates, but they felt rushed. With helping plan the gala, I don’t feel like I’ve given you the attention you deserve.”

I shake my head. “That’s not true.”

---