Page 122 of Knot Their Reality

When he passes me to Liam, I find that he still wears his stoic face, but a single tear has fallen down his cheek. I kiss it away before kissing him, a kiss filled with love and not lust. It's perfect. They're perfect. I love them so much, but I have one additional rose to hand out before I take my place at Sophia's side.

I turn to my expanded pack, eyes zeroing in on Foster. The two of us have made it a point to have our own little dates over the last few weeks since Sophia chose him. We've also made sure that we haven't had sex together because my need to mark him has grown with each day. I flounce back onto the stage and over to him before offering him the rose.

"I think I've made both of us wait long enough. I don't have some long, drawn-out speech because you leave me speechless. I want you to be my beta, as well as Sophia's. If you would like to."

He grins, blushing. "I would like that very much. Thank you."

I blow him a kiss before returning to my omega's side. I can see that she's been crying, and I wonder if it's because of what I said to my pack.

"All done?" she asks with a wink.

I shrug my shoulders. "For now."

She laughs, and that makes me feel so much better. She's been so angry, and it's a side I've not seen from her often. In fact, the only time I've seen her madder than she is now is when Dylan put his hands on me.

She turns back to the suitors, the smile falling from her face. "Ezra, if you'll join us on the stage?"

Once he's standing in front of us, Sophia gives him a soft smile and uses her free hand to reach for his. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, and I'm so proud of how far you've come. Of how many times you've moved outside of your comfort zone. I'm hoping that helps you remember that you don't have to settle for what you're used to.

"I invited you to join me and my pack this week because I wanted to see if you could handle sharing with someone besides Chase. You were unable to even try, which is okay. I never would've wanted you to force yourself into a situation that you can't handle. The problem is that I'm putting together a pack, and while there will be one-on-one time, that will be limited—especially for my career.

"So, tonight, I'm going to be saying goodbye to you. But not forever, I hope. I want to hear about all the boundaries you're pushing out there in the world. I want to hear about the relationships that you find. I definitely recommend getting out there and trying. See who it is you're really attracted to and decide what type of relationship is right for you."

Ezra takes the black rose she offers him with a nod. "I understand your choice, and I agree with you. I am not what you are looking for, and that is okay. I would very much like to remain your friend. I will need someone to talk to when I discover new things about myself. Thank you for teaching me that I did not need to allow my autism to rule my life."

"You're a good guy, Ezra," I tell him. "I wish you the best of luck."

He kisses each of our cheeks before returning to the other suitors. I know he doesn't feel emotions in the same way we do, nor does he show them, but I catch the hint of a smile on his lips. He might not be the right fit for us, but I truly hope that he finds the people for him.

"Pack Lewitt, if you'll join us?"

I link my hands behind my back to keep myself from fidgeting as they make their way onto the stage. I have no idea what she's going to decide, and I might be freaking out a little bit. If she doesn't choose them, they're going to be devastated. But part of me still thinks that even if she doesn't choose them now, she will eventually. After all, they're going to be in her life whether she likes it or not. Because where I go, they go.

"Liam. Carson. Asher. The five of us had something special two years ago, and my dumbass ruined it. But then two years passed, time I spent both missing and hating all of you. When you showed up here... well, I passed out." She scoffs. "Not my finest moment. When you explained what happened, I was devastated and a little pissed off at myself.

"I allowed you to remain on the show but had no real intention of choosing any of you. But I couldn't stay away from Chase and even after that... It's like I couldn't stay away from you, even though I couldn't seem to get past whatever the hell was blocking me from claiming you.

"But my reaction to the idea that someone would force me to let you go? It told me that none of that matters. Just like Chase was meant for me, the three of you were meant for me. The five of us have always been meant to be together, and I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

She tries to pull out three red roses but ends up dropping them with how hard her hands are shaking. With tears sliding down her cheeks, she throws her hands in the air. "I choose you, all of you, to be mine if you'll still have me."

Carson lets out a whoop as Liam sweeps her into his arms, trampling the roses she dropped. Asher pulls me into his arms as tears stream down my face. I'm so happy I could burst.

Liam pulls back, cupping her face in his hands. "Of course we'll have you. You're ours."

No further words are needed as the four of us pass her between us for kisses until she pulls back with a nod. "Okay, okay. I have more suitors I need to speak to."

I scoop up the roses, handing them back to her. She plucks three red roses and passes them out before shooing them off the stage. When she reaches up to wipe away her tears, I knock her hand aside so I can do it for her. She shoots me a grateful smile before doing the same for me.

We turn back to the suitors, and this time she has a smile on her face. "Now, that just leaves four of you. Ulf, Gage, Jace, and Quinn will you join us on stage?"

All four shuffle to the stage somberly. They think she's intending to send them all home, but I don't think she is. Sure, our pack has grown to eight, but there's still room for more.

"As you can see, I'm building myself a very large pack," Sophia says with a laugh. "And I'm not done yet. Jace, I've done to you what I've done to the other alphas. I've held back from choosing you because I have a hard time moving past the fear of being hurt. I've placed that solely at the feet of alphas, and that's not fair—not just to the alphas on this show, but everywhere. Anyone can hurt me.

"But I know you won't, and I've known that since the day you drove me and Chase around on the motorcycle. I saw how gentle you were with both of us, and I knew you would be a part of my pack. I just kept putting it off because, well, trauma. But no more. I want you to be my safe space for the rest of our lives. Will you join my pack?"

Jace snatches the rose from her hand and pulls her into his arms. "Yes. Always yes."

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