Page 6 of Knot Our Reality

Reginald’s focus turns from the cameras to me. “Welcome, Emilia. Viewers, new and old, I’m so happy you’re joining us for this monumental season. We’re so happy to have you as this season’s omega—even if we wish the circumstances were different. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and why you’re onHeated?”

Thank goodness my job has helped me get over my fear of public speaking, or this would’ve ended up a lot worse than even Remington’s opening interview—not that he didn’t do great once he started speaking.

“Thank you, Reginald. Some of you may recognize me—either my face or my name. My brother, Remington, was the season four omega. I’m also the CEO of Reinhardt Inc., the company my prior pack built from the ground up.” I pause, taking a deep breath before letting it out. “I wasn’t born with the name Reinhardt. I was born a Montgomery like Remington, but I met my pack in college.”

“So this isn’t your first time with a pack?”

“Yes, that’s right. I already had a pack, and I loved them more than words can say. They were my everything until they were ripped from my sons and my lives a little over two years ago. They were in Europe on a business trip, but something went wrong on the flighthome. The plane went down in the mountains, killing all but one of my pack mates instantly. Davis, one of my alphas, managed to hold on long enough for search and rescue to find them. He was badly injured, but somehow he held on until I could make it to the hospital with my boys in tow.”

I don’t know how I thought I’d be able to get through this without crying, but thank goodness for Allison and the waterproof mascara.

Swiping at the tears on my face, I sniffle as I try to rein in my tears, but it’s a losing battle. “He told us how much he loved us, and that he was sorry it had to be like this. He promised that he and the others would be watching over us from wherever we go when we die. That they’d always love us. He told me to find happiness again, no matter how hard it would be for me to get over their deaths, and he reminded me I had two boys who were depending on me.”

Reginald pushes a tissue into my hand, and I give him a grateful smile as I lift it to my face. It allows me a moment to settle myself the best I can.

“That was the last thing he ever said to me as they rushed him off to surgery, where he coded on the table.” I shake my head. “And just like that, I was a single mother—an omega without a pack. But what I did have were two young boys who just lost their dads and a family who were willing to help me find my feet after I grieved everything I lost. I don’t know what I would’ve done without my parents and brother. I know I couldn’t have done it on my own.”

Reginald hums. “That’s what family is meant to do. I’m glad you had someone to lean on.”

I nod slowly. “I won’t lie. Those first few months, I was a mess. I couldn’t take care of myself, let alone my boys. Hawk is my oldest, and he was four when they passed. My youngest, Jasper, was only a year old. He doesn’t remember his dads, but Hawk tells him the stories he remembers all the time. The one thing I hate most about losing them is it forced Hawk to grow up too quickly. He’s always worried about me and his brother. I wish he could’ve had more time to just be a kid.

“Maybe if I’d handled things better back then, he could have. I try not to focus on that because there’s nothing I can do to change it. I’mnot even sure I could’ve handled it differently. I felt when each of them died—our bond ripped from me. No one can imagine what it feels like to have a bond ripped from your soul. The pain is…unbearable. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Almost worse than the pain is the overwhelming exhaustion that weighs you down. Between that and the grief of losing my mates? I wasn’t in a good place. My boys are the only thing that saved me.

“I’ve heard people bash omegas who just give up and follow their mates into death, but it’s because they can’t imagine what it feels like. Especially if you’ve lived with those bonds for as long as I did. I bonded with my pack the night of my graduation. They refused to bond with me before then, saying that my education was more important. As we know, not all alphas are that kind. Not that my pack was all alphas. No, I was lucky enough to find three alphas and a beta who loved one another just as much as they loved me. But that meant I’d lived with a piece of them inside of me for fourteen years before they died.

“It was like I lost a piece of myself. No, four parts of my soul were missing, and I didn’t know how to exist without them. It was knowing that my boys—the last piece of my pack I had left—needed me that allowed me to piece my broken parts back together. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. Because I knew it’s what my pack would’ve wanted and because I love those little boys with all of my heart. I couldn’t leave them parentless. I was still alive, and I needed to be there for them.”

I take another deep breath, tapping the tissue against my eyes to catch the last of my tears. “So I did, and shortly after, I found out they left me Reinhardt Inc. in its entirety. I worked there with them because I liked being a part of their business. But I didn’t know a damn thing about running a business on that level. The board of directors never doubted me, though. They made sure I had the help I needed, and I’ve managed to not only keep the company afloat but to help it grow.

“Once I had a handle on everything, I added a new subsidiary to the company—Reinhardt Press. It’s what I always wanted to do, and before my pack died, we were already looking into it.Pack It Uphas become one of the biggest magazines in the world, and I know my pack wouldbe proud of what I accomplished, of how I made my dreams come true.” I laugh. “Not that I could’ve done it on my own. I have the best teams in place. The company practically runs itself at this point.”

“Yes, my household is a big fan ofPack It Up,” Reginald says with a smile before turning his attention to one of the cameras. “As we said, season five is a big change from the first four seasons. Not only do we have an omega who already knows what being part of a pack is really like, but is also a single mother. Something you might not have noticed is that Emilia is also pregnant, which is the real reason she’s onHeated. Emilia, why don’t you tell us about the situation that led you to become this season’s omega?”

While talking about my pack is hard, talking about this is even harder. If I could, I would never talk about it again, but that’s not really an option.

I clear my throat, keeping my eyes on my hands instead of the camera or Reginald. “I’m sure it seems odd that a single omega is pregnant when her pack died over two years ago. Sadly, getting pregnant wasn’t on my bingo card. Almost exactly two years after losing my pack, one of the worst things that can happen to a woman happened to me. I’ve been on heat suppressants since the death of my pack, but because long-term use can be bad for my body, I always use a low dosage. It means that while I won’t have a full-blown heat, I still have to deal with heat spikes.

“It’s not a problem usually. I take off a week every quarter so I can be at home. Unfortunately, in May of this year, there was an emergency that required me to come into the office. Or so I was led to believe. I waited until the workday was over before heading in. I have a nanny that’s been with us since Hawk was born, and she always stays with us during the week of my heat. She tried to convince me not to go in, but I wouldn’t listen. That’s one thing everyone will learn about me. I’m a little stubborn.”

Finally, I lift my head and speak directly to the camera now. “I did nothing wrong. I did everything an omega is supposed to do. I took a shower, using the descenting products I always keep on hand. I took an extra suppressant an hour before I left the house. I wore one of myalpha’s shirts over my clothes. His scent is gone now, but I found an amazing business that makes scents. The owner, Lola Gallagher, is an older omega who has a nose for scents. I went to her a year after my pack died with some of their clothes I’d packed into vacuum-sealed bags, knowing I would need their scents at some point. She was able to make a spray that mimicked their combined scent. Some days, it’s the only thing that gets me through the day.

“So, as I usually do, I sprayed myself with their scents and set out. The only person who should’ve been in the building was security. I know every single security guard who works in our building because they help keep me safe. They assured me the building was empty and that all they could smell on me were my pack’s scents. I went upstairs to my office, going through the papers my COO said needed my personal touch, only to find out they weren’t anything that I needed to come in for.

“I was pissed because I didn’t want to be outside of my nest. Simon worked with my pack for years and upon their death, I promoted him to COO. I trusted him with my pack’s company. I was writing out a quick note to him, intending to leave it with the files in his office before heading home. The note wasn’t exactly nice, but even on suppressants, no one wants to mess with an omega in heat. He should’ve known better. He should’vebeenbetter.

“Before I finished the note, Simon appeared in my doorway. He scared me because I’d been assured there was no one else in the building. He ignored me when I asked him why he’d called me in when it was something he could handle. I didn’t realize anything was amiss until he stalked further into my office. I could barely smell him over the scent of booze pouring off him.” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat. “He assaulted me that night, all the while, telling me he knew I wanted him. That I’ve been flirting with him. That I’ve been tempting him with my scent. That only a whore omega would show up at their place of work while in heat. That he couldn’t control himself, and that what was happening was my fault.

“Itwasn’tmy fault. I never once flirted with this man. I wasn’t interested in anyone, let alone him. Everything he said to me…I don’t know if he was just flat-out lying or if he was that delusional that he really believed his words. What I do know is that once he was done with me, he staggered out of my office and left me on the floor. I don’t know how long I laid there, crying and wondering how this could’ve happened to me. Eventually, I dragged myself off the floor and alerted security before calling the police. There was no way I was going to let him get away with what he did to me—to give him the chance to do it to someone else.”

Reginald reaches over and squeezes my hand. At least I’m not crying anymore. What Simon did to me doesn’t make me sad—it makes me angry. “But that’s not the end of the story, is it?”

I shake my head. “Of course it’s not. Simon was found guilty, but do you know what the judge sentenced him to? Two months in an alpha rehabilitation center followed by six months in jail. For assaulting me, he’s only losing eight months of his life. And his job, because clearly he won’t be working for Reinhardt Inc. anymore. I wasn’t happy with the sentence, but what could I really do about it? I decided to move on with my life—except I couldn’t.

“In August, I found out I was pregnant. I was already a single mom and now I was pregnant by a man who assaulted me. I started to spiral. I didn’t know if I could raise a child born from one of the worst nights of my life. I considered terminating the pregnancy—as is my right, or so I thought—but decided it wasn’t the baby’s fault that his father was an asshole. Plus, I was already falling in love with him. He was mine to protect, just like Hawk and Jasper. I didn’t feel the need to inform Simon of the pregnancy because there was no way I was going to let him into my baby’s life.

“Which is why I was so surprised to receive a court order informing me I legally could not end the pregnancy. Even worse? He was suing me for custody of my unborn child.” I scoff. “The man is in jail and suing me for custody of my child. Obviously, the first thing I did was to speak with a lawyer. I didn’t like what he told me, so I called Remington. He called Tessa and Bree, and theHeatedfamily rallied around me. Unfortunately, the first lawyer I spoke to had been correct.

“The way our laws are written, a single omega mother cannot be considered a fit parent. The only way an omega can be considered fit to parent is if they have a pack. Because we go through heats, we can’t be trusted to make sure that our children are cared for. You can bet that drew a lot of attention from a lot of people who are actively working on getting that particular law overturned. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen overnight, so it won’t help me.

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