Page 19 of Knot Their Reality

"Do the two of you not have a working brain of your own? You don't need to look at Ramsey every time that I request something from you."

Ramsey clears his throat; the smirk on his face looks smarmy as hell. "Actually, that's the way our relationship, and our pack, works. I'm their alpha, and their Dom."

"Well, I'm happy for the three of you if that's what you want, but that's not the type of pack I want. So if this is how it will be with the three of you, then there's no point in me getting to know you any better. I have no issues with the Dom/sub relationship, but it’s not something that I will ever be a part of. I don’t want to waste either of our time seeking out a relationship that won’t work."

Ramsey's head snaps back, obviously surprised by my words. I don't even blame him. It probably seems like they've come from nowhere, but they haven't. They come from my own trauma—something I have no intention of sharing with them.

"Surely you can't mean that."

I laugh. "I assure you, I can. I'm not looking for a Dom, and as an omega, I don’t want to be a part of a pack that looks to someone else before they can answer a question I’ve asked or a request that I’ve made. I’m sure that there’s an omega out there that would fit into your dynamic well, but I’m not it."

Bree's still standing in the doorway, eyes wide as I turn back to her. "This is something I can request, correct?"

It takes Bree a moment as she tries to figure out what the hell is happening.

"Of course you can, Sophia. This show is about you and finding your pack. If you decide that someone or someones aren't a right fit, and you want to call it, that's at your discretion. But with that being said, I will want to check back with you in the morning to make sure that you feel the same about your decision. And the Duval pack will have to remain in the house until the rose ceremony, regardless."

"That's fine," I say as I stand. "You can check with me in the morning, but my answer will remain the same. Would it be alright if Brooks and I eat on the back deck? That way, Pack Duval can enjoy their dinner here.”

"Absolutely." Bree just nods her head, reminding me of one of those old bobblehead dolls from before the event—they're practically collector's items now.

I smile as I turn to Brooks, who's still sitting in his chair. "That is, if you'd like to join me for dinner? If not, I'd understand. I can always eat alone."

"Of course, I want to join you." He jumps to his feet, glancing at the pack once more. "You're sure, though?"

“I am. Come with me and I’ll explain it to you.” My chest tightens even as I say the words. I don’t really want to talk about it, but he’s just seen me go half-psycho. The least he deserves is to hear why I reacted the way I did—even if he thinks it’s an overreaction. I won’t even hold that against him, but it’s my trauma, and while I can somewhat control how I respond, there are some reactions that are instinctive.

When Brooks offers me his hand, I take it without question and allow him to lead me from the dining room.

Bree stops us in the doorway. "Are you okay?"

“I will be. But that?” I gesture behind me. “That isn’t something I can or will deal with. To each their own, and I would never poo poo on someone else’s kink. But this is a hard stop for me.”

"And I'm not asking you to. I'll have the staff make up plates for both of you and send them out." She hesitates for a moment. "And I'll come see you after you've finished so we can talk."

I'm also not looking forward to having that conversation, but I know it's inevitable. Even if I convince her I don't want to talk about it now, I know she'll keep at me until we have the conversation she needs to have with me. I give her a sharp nod before moving past her.

"Since you haven't had a tour yet, I'll lead us out there," I tell Brooks with a wink. We step down the couple of stairs into the living room and move over to the sliding glass doors. "This living room is one place we can hang out as a group or to get away from everyone. There's another one on the second floor, plus a theater. The third floor has a game room and more bedrooms, and wait until you see the basement. It's amazing."

"Cool," is all he says as we step out onto the deck. His eyes can't seem to stay looking at one spot, which I get. The back deck is probably my favorite place to be. It's surrounded by plantlife that seems to wall it off from the rest of the property. Plus, there's the fully stocked bar and table seating. Oh, and the pool and hot tub with plenty of lounge chairs around it.

Besides my suite, it's the place where I feel most comfortable.

"This is gorgeous." Brooks grins. "Spending eight weeks here isn't going to be a hardship at all, is it?"

"That's assuming you make it to the end." A smile lights up my face, giving me away.

He laughs. "I feel like being the only one standing from day two gives me a heads up. Not to mention the kiss."

"It was a nice kiss."

He holds his hands over his chest as if I've wounded him. "Nice? That's like the kiss of death."

"It most certainly is not, and we both know that kiss was mind-blowing. If only that asshole hadn't interrupted us." I wrinkle my nose, glaring back at the house as if he can see me.

"Yeah..." He waits until I turn my attention back to him. "I think we definitely need to talk about what happened back there. I don't want to force you to talk about something you're not ready to, but that was kind of a... I don’t know. An unexpected and slightly over the top reaction?”

"Yeah, that's one thing to call it." I sigh as the doors open and two staff members step out with trays for us. "Do you mind if we eat first? I'm likely to lose my appetite once I start talking about it."

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