Page 93 of Knot Their Reality

She grins. "The way you call me darlin'. I like it."

I nod. "Then I'll keep using it."

The SUV comes to a stop then and I lift my head, realizing we're at a steakhouse. "Steak. Hell, yes."

"I figured you'd be a fan. I'm also a huge fan of steak. Really, I'm a fan of good food. I usually just grab whatever's quickest when I'm working."

"That'll never do, Sophia," I tell her as I help her from the vehicle. "But you'll have a pack to make sure you're taking care of yourself after this. It makes me worry less about you and your survival odds."

"My survival odds?" She laughs, slapping her hand against my chest. "I take care of myself just fine."

I roll my eyes. "I guess survival odds aren't the right words. You are definitely capable enough to do what you need to do to survive. Your pack will make sure you're doing more than just surviving."

I wrap my arm around her, leading her into the steakhouse. She sighs and leans into me. "I like the sound of that. It would be nice to not just be surviving."

I hate to hear her speaking like this. She should've never been just surviving. It's not what omegas are meant for, but I know she sacrificed a lot so that she could move along on her career path. But it makes me feel better to know that she intends to slow down some after she chooses her pack. Even if I'm not lucky enough to end up as one of the lucky assholes, at least I know she'll be taken care of.

Asher, Liam, and Carson will take care of her even if she doesn't choose them. Which she's definitely going to do. I don't know who she's punishing more by denying them—herself, Chase, or the rest of his pack. I know it's only a matter of time before she realizes just how much they love her and how much she loves them.

Liam and I have grown close. He's a good guy to those that deserve it. I haven't spent as much time with Asher or Carson—the latter I've definitely been avoiding because of his exuberance—but I've seen the way they look at her. They're head over heels, and I don't think they're ever going to give up on pursuing her. Liam had practically admitted as much to me.

Since they're Chase's pack, and Chase is her's, she'll never get rid of them. Even if she doesn't choose them for her pack on the show, she will one day. I hope it's while they're on the show because I want to see the little omega admit that she's head over heels for them and that she's been denying herself the pleasure of being with them.

"Ulf?" Sophia's soft voice pulls me from my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

I nod, realizing that the host is trying to lead us to our private room. "Sorry, I was just thinking. For me to do that, I can't be doing anything else or it won't work."

Sophia frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't say that. I won't let you talk down about yourself."

Oh, this sweet omega. Gods, I hope she chooses me. I might not be in love with her yet, but it's coming. She cares so much about others, and I love that about her.

"Yes, ma'am. Now, how about we go eat?"

I take her hand, and we follow the host. Throughout dinner, we talk about our hopes and dreams. What we want from a pack, and what we'd like our lives to look like down the road. I'm not surprised that we want a lot of the same things.

Once we've finished eating, I'm so not ready for the night to end. I take her hand in mine as the SUV takes off toward the mansion. "How do you feel about stargazing?"

Her eyes light up. "I love it. Why? Do you want to watch the stars before we call it a night?"

"If you'll join me, then yes, I would like that very much."

She nods. "I'd love nothing more."

When we pull up to the mansion, the driver hops out of the car and goes to the back door while I help Sophia out. When we both turn, we find the driver offering a blanket to me. "For your stargazing. We wouldn't want the omega messing up her clothes."

"Thank you." Sophia's smile lights up her face before she's leading me toward the side of the house. "We need to walk slow so the camera crew has time to get their shit out and follow us."

I roll my eyes at that, but we walk at a glacial pace before they catch up to us and we're finally able to head to our destination.

"How's this?" she asks when we're a sufficient distance from the mansion, and I splay the blanket on the grass. I help her sit before following her down. She pulls off her boots before lying back. I pull off my shoes and loosen the buttons on my shirt before laying back with her.

I take her hand in mine as we stare up at the night sky. We're far enough away from the lights of the city that we have a clear view of the stars.

"It's breathtaking, isn't it?" Sophia's voice is soft as if to not disturb the moment.

I turn my head to look at her, a smile forming. "Not nearly as breathtaking as you are."

She rolls onto her side until she's looking at me instead of the stars. "You're sweet, Ulf. It's not something I thought I'd say about you when we first met."

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