He kisses her, and I wait as patiently as I can. When he goes to step off the stage, I stop him with a hand on his arm.
"And where do you think you're going? Did you forget there were two omegas here?"
I laugh when his jaw drops. "Yup, that's right. I also choose you and want to bond with you, if you'll have me."
Jace shakes his head, obviously shocked. "I don't know what I did in this life or the last to deserve two amazing omegas, but I'm thankful. Because of course I'll have you. The two of you are a dream come true."
I hand him a second red rose and press my lips to his. I practically swoon in his arms when he kisses me like I'm the most precious thing in the world. I'm smiling when he pulls away, and it doesn't leave my face as I watch him return to the other suitors.
"Once again, I don't want to draw this out." She pulls a single black rose and offers it to Quinn. "I'm so glad I got to know you outside of the actor I thought I knew. I think you should let a little more of the real you out for everyone to see. You're an amazing man, but you're just not my man."
He nods. "I'm not surprised, but I'm grateful for my time here, nonetheless. I know your pack is going to make you the happiest woman in the world. Hell, they'll make both of you the happiest omegas in the world. I think both of you have chosen well, and I can't wait until I find what you already have."
Then he's gone, and I can feel the nervousness from the other two. I understand because even I have no idea what she's going to do—what she's chosen. When Sophia turns her attention on them, she drops all of the roses except for two red ones.
"I'm about talked out at this point, and for that I'm sorry, but I want the two of you to be a part of my pack. Gage, I know we're still getting to know one another, but I know you're meant to be here alongside us. Ulf, I've known that you were since the night we watched the stars. That kiss was unlike any other. So... welcome to the pack?"
For a moment, they just stand there. I don't know if it’s because they're shocked or if they don't believe the words they just heard, but once they move, it's quickly. She’s pinned between the two of them as they smother her in kisses, murmuring words that I can't even hear and I'm right next to them.
Eventually, Sophia manages to break free of their hold. She just laughs and laughs until she's holding her sides. It takes her longer to calm down than it should, and I don't know what was so funny, but it's amazing to watch her laugh so uninhibitedly.
When she calms down, she turns back to where the suitors are. "Will you get your asses up here? That includes Quinn and Ezra if you'd like to join the celebration."
Reginald moves back to centerstage as we all crowd around Sophia. "And with that unexpected move, we're going to call it a night. I hope you enjoyed our very last rose ceremony. I'm sure you were just as shocked as we are, but I also know you're as happy for Sophia as we are. She's formed a very large pack, but with two omegas, are we really surprised? Thanks for joining us tonight, and we'll see you next week on Heated."
Sophia pushes out from between us to stare at Reginald's back until someone yells, "That's a wrap!"
There's a moment of silence as we all fall quiet. None of us knows what's going to happen next.
"Does someone want to tell me what the hell just happened?"
Sophia
I make my way to the edge of the stage at Bree's question, focusing my attention on Tessa. "Should I tell her or do you want to?"
I don't actually have any intention of letting her spin the story in her favor, but I want Bree to know that her best friend and business partner is the cause of what just went down. Or at least part of the cause.
"You knew about this?" Bree's hands land on her hips as she glares at Tessa.
She shakes her head. "Not exactly."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
When Tessa doesn't say anything, I shake my head. "I wanted to grab a snack before the ceremony. My hair and makeup were done, but I hadn't changed into my dress yet. I ducked out of my suite and headed for the kitchen. It was empty—or at least I thought it was.
"Tessa and some exec that I met at the gala were coming up the stairs and had just stepped into the room. They were talking loudly and didn't seem to be trying to hide their conversation. They didn't notice me at first, and when I was about to announce myself, I heard something that made me change my mind."
Bree frowns. "What did you hear?"
"The exec said there wasn't enough drama. That there should be more drama since we have an omega pair. He wanted Tessa to convince Chase that he didn't want me to have his pack. Or to figure out a way to make me reject them. He said it would be good television. Then Tessa agreed with him and said she'd do what she could."
"What the fuck?" I hear someone call out from behind me, but I don't turn back to see who it was. I'm too focused on the two women before me.
"I may have lost my head a little at that point and started screaming at them. The exec took off pretty quickly. Meanwhile, all Tessa seemed concerned about was quieting me. She told me it would be okay and to not worry about what I heard—"
"I was just agreeing with him to get him to leave," Tessa says, cutting me off. "I'd never force either of you to make a decision you didn't want to."
Bree shakes her head. "Then why didn't you tell me about it? Why is this the first time I'm hearing that there was an exec here? Why didn't I know that he was trying to force his agenda on us?"