Page 121 of Knot Their Reality

"What the hell is that?" Sophia asks, eyes wide as she glances up at Foster, who looks just as shocked as the two of us.

"I have no idea," he whispers, interrupting the purr momentarily. "I've never... This is new. Betas don't..."

Brooks's hand comes down on Foster's shoulder. "It doesn't matter right now. You've calmed our omegas, and that's all that matters. Don't start freaking out or we'll have to start the whole process all over again."

He has a point. I press a kiss to Foster's lips, and Sophia quickly follows suit.

"Thank you, Foster. I needed that." I grab Sophia's hand and squeeze while she echoes my sentiments.

Foster ducks his head, cheeks flushing. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Is everything okay?" I don't know when Tessa walked over, but she's standing behind us with her eyebrows cocked.

Sophia pulls away, straightening her shoulders as she turns to face Tessa. "No, I just needed a moment to speak with my pack."

I frown at the animosity in her voice but quickly take her arm and lead her onto the stage. The others follow closely behind. Tessa looks shocked at how Sophia's acting but says nothing as she moves back toward the cameras with a frown. She whispers something to Bree, and they both turn to look at Sophia, their confusion clear.

At least it's not just us who are confused.

"I'm so glad you could join us, Sophia," Reginald drawls as we walk past him, but Sophia doesn't rise to the bait.

There are a few moments of silence as we settle in our spot beside the table holding the roses. But eventually, Reginald turns to the cameras and waits for his signal.

"Welcome back to Heated. It's that time again when Sophia makes life-changing choices. We're down to just eight suitors with three weeks remaining until Sophia's heat. This week, she and Chase took both Jace and Carson on individual dates. Then the entire pack went on a group date with Ulf, Gage, and Quinn. Ezra's white rose invitation wasn't used. Then there's Asher and Liam, who have made it known where they stand. Could one of these suitors find their happily ever after today? Or will it be the end of their journey? Let's turn it over to Sophia and find out, shall we?"

"Thank you, Reginald," Sophia says. Before Reginald can say anything or move, she turns to the cameras. "Last week, I hadn't intended on sending Jackson home because I wanted to wait until we returned to the mansion. I didn't want him to be embarrassed, but he handled it better than most people would. I respect him for that. But I don't like being told what to do when it comes to my pack. That's what Heated is supposed to be about, but I'm beginning to question that."

"What the hell, Sophia? Cut the cameras." Tessa's yells fill the room.

"If you cut the cameras now and force me to stop, you'll be in breach of your contract. I will walk off this stage, and you'll have nothing to film for the rest of the time because I damn well will take every last one of the suitors with me." Sophia is so angry her entire face and chest are flushed red. "In the contract, it says you cannot stop filming because you don't like the decisions I'm making. You have the ability to cut what I just said out, but what are you going to do when we walk?"

Bree is glancing between Sophia and Tessa, knowing that she's missing something but not knowing what. Don't worry Bree, none of us know what the hell is going on either. "She's right, Tessa. We can't stop filming. Just like we're not supposed to dictate what roses she must hand out during the ceremony—something we did last week. We're already in breach of contract, so let's not make this any worse."

Tessa looks like she wants to argue, but she doesn't. She drops into a chair while Bree kneels next to her, speaking quietly.

Sophia lifts her head as she turns her attention back to the camera. "I won't allow anyone to dictate my timeline or who I choose. Tonight, I will be announcing my final pack, whether it's what anyone wants or not."

She turns away from the camera to face the remaining suitors, her face softening. "I want to thank all of you for coming on Heated and getting to know me—letting me get to know you. Every single one of us has shared something over the course of the show, and I know this seems sudden... But it just hit me, and I knew. I knew who I wanted for the rest of my life."

"Chase, I know I didn't give you any warning, but there wasn't enough time." She gives me a tight smile. "Do you think you can make your final decisions tonight as well?"

I'm nodding before she finishes speaking. "Yes."

And I can. The moment that she said this was it, I knew exactly who I couldn't live without as well. Would I have liked more time? Absolutely, but something obviously happened, and Sophia is over it. I will support her just like I told her I would.

With a nod, the two of us head for the table holding the vases. First, I pluck out three red roses for my pack. They've been through so much this season, and they've accepted that I'm expanding our pack. They deserve to be reminded that I will always choose them. Then I pluck two more red roses for the choices that I've made.

Turning to Sophia, I'm surprised to find her holding more than eight roses. I think she doesn't want anyone to figure out who she's choosing. The apologetic look she shoots me just confirms that so I grab a few more for the same reason. We walk to the center of the stage together. I can see my pack's confusion at the number of roses I hold, and I have to hide my smile.

"I know that you're technically the omega of the season," I tell her before she can say anything, "but do you mind if I do a few of mine first."

She looks intrigued and a little confused as she nods, but I just smile as I climb down the stairs and move toward Carson, Asher, and Liam.

"I love the three of you so much that it almost hurts at times. We've been through good times and bad, and I know there are more to come as we spend forever together. You didn't hesitate when I came to you asking to expand our pack because you know how much I love you. You know that having more people to love doesn't mean I love you any less. No matter what happens between you and Sophia, you'll always be mine. So I wanted to give you these roses so you know that I will always choose you—forever."

At this point, there are tears streaming down my face as I hand them each a red rose.

Carson grins at me with tears in his eyes, pulling me in for a kiss that probably shouldn't have been for public consumption before passing me to Asher. Tears stream down his face because unlike these other idiots, he doesn't have a problem wearing his heart on his sleeve. His kiss is breathtaking, reminding me what it was like to fall in love with him.

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