Page 3 of Knot Their Reality

"Welcome, Sophia," he says as he faces me once more.

I return his smile with ease. "Hi, Reginald, and thank you. I'm very happy to be here."

"We do love enthusiastic participants." Reginald laughs. "If you watched last season, there was one alpha who had absolutely no desire to be on the show. Which would be why he left so quickly and won't be asked back. We like it when people want to be here."

I nod. "I absolutely watched last season. How could I not? The first season was absolutely addicting. It was definitely a guilty pleasure of mine, and watching what Bree went through on her season was both exhilarating and terrifying.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because, as omegas, even if we choose to focus on something else like school or our career instead of looking for a pack young, we still crave having our pack. So watching a woman who is close to my age, who chose to build her career before her pack—a woman like me—find love and a pack that appreciates her and loves her in return? It’s what I want.” I pause. “It’s what I always thought I couldn’t have, and now I have the chance to get just that. But what if I don’t? That’s scary.”

Reginald laughs. “Yeah, I can see how that would be scary. But I love that you watched the show before you came on it. I’m going to ask you about that in a bit, but before we go any further, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”

“Absolutely. I’m Sophia, and I’m thirty-four years old. I work as a lawyer in a prestigious law firm in Los Angeles, where I’m currently working toward becoming a partner.” Before I can continue, I see Reginald raise a finger from where his hand rests on his knee—the signal that he wants to interject with a question.

“An omega partner?” His voice sounds curious. “I don’t think I’ve ever met an omega lawyer before you. Will they allow you to become a partner? I know there are laws that prevent companies from holding your designation against you so they’d never come right out and say it’s because you’re an omega, but… we all know it happens.”

I nod, trying to figure out how to answer this. It’s true that a lot of companies will choose to promote alphas or betas over an omega because of our heats—even though it’s illegal. I also need to watch my words because I am trying to move up at the law firm. I can’t let them hold this against me in any way.

“I always wanted to be a lawyer. I don’t know much about my family; they all died when I was very young. But the one thing I always remember is that one of my dads was a lawyer. I think I was four when one of my other dads brought me to the courthouse to see my dad in action. I fell in love with the law. Hard to believe a four-year-old with those kinds of interests, I’m sure, but for the next year I demanded that my parents teach me everything they could about it.

“Then the four of them died in an accident just before my sixth birthday. I was shuffled from foster home to foster home before ending up in a group home as a teenager. I’d been teaching myself about the law since I had no one else to teach me. But then, during my freshman year, one of my teachers saw me reading a LSAT prep book and asked me what I was doing.

“It turned out her husband was a lawyer, and when she found out how passionate I was about becoming a lawyer, she introduced us. He mentored me throughout high school. When I turned eighteen and revealed as an omega, I thought that was the end of my dreams. Omegas don’t become lawyers, but Greg came to me and told me to not let my designation hold me back. Yes, I’d have to work three times as hard as anyone else, and there would be more hurdles for me than a beta or alpha, but if I wanted to be a lawyer, then I could be.” I smile at the memory. “Without him, I don’t know that I would’ve continued down my path. But he and his wife, Sylvia, supported me when I had no one else. They were always there to cheer me on.”

I laugh again. “I’m honestly not sure who was more excited when I graduated from law school and then passed the bar—them or me. And I have had to work harder to prove myself. I have had to be more efficient and prove over and over again that my emotions don’t rule me just because I’m an omega. Has it been difficult? At times, but it’s been totally worth it.”

“I’ve proven myself to the partners at the law firm, and they’re in agreement that just because I’m an omega doesn’t mean I can’t do the job, and do it well. They’ve all been very supportive, and I have no doubt that I will be made partner once I’ve paid my dues—just like every other lawyer who wants to be made a partner.”

Reginald nods. “It certainly seems like you’ve put in the work. Now, let’s circle back to you discussing how you watched the first season. I like to ask why you’ve chosen to come on Heated, but also did watching the first season have an influence on coming on the show.”

I make a face. “When I first heard about the show, I was curious but didn’t know how it could possibly work. That’s when I decided to watch it. I needed to know if it could work. I needed to know if I had options. From the first episode, I knew that this was exactly what I needed in my life. I needed to force myself to take time off work so that I could focus on finding my pack. So here I am.”

“Yes, here you are. Obviously, you’re here to find your pack and, as you’ve stated, you had to put in extra work for your career, but has there never been anyone before? A person or pack that made you think about focusing on this instead of your career?”

Well, damn. I guess we’re going there. I was hoping to not have to discuss this—at least not so soon. I tap my nails against the arms of the chairs, knowing that it’s abundantly clear to everyone just how uncomfortable I am with this conversation.

“I had a bad experience with some alphas when I was eighteen that I don’t want to go into, but it put me off of alphas and men in general for many years. Eventually, I went on a few dates, but it never went anywhere.” I hesitate, not wanting to mention the real reason I’d chosen to apply to Heated. “Then, about two years ago, I met a pack that I thought could be my pack. It was very fast and definitely influenced by my heat, but it turned out that what I was feeling wasn’t the same as what they were. So I’ve had a bit of bad luck when it comes to finding my pack.”

Reginald reaches over to squeeze my hand. “I’m sure that was difficult, but I think you being here today, on Heated, just goes to show how strong you are. And how much you deserve this chance.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, head ducking as I feel tears beginning to build.

“Was there anything else you’d like to add?”

I just shake my head, giving him a timid smile as I lift my head, and he nods.

“Well, Sophia, I think that means it’s time for you to meet your first suitor.”

Chapter Two

Sophia

“You did great,” Bree assures me as she leads me and Reginald over to the spot they have set up for the first meetings. “You were honest, and you were genuine. That’s all the viewers want to see.”

“There’s our omega,” Tessa calls out, a smile on her face as she turns to find the three of us walking toward her. “How was the first interview?”

“Weird,” I respond.

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