Page 50 of Knot Their Reality

And to see them clearly because as soon as I'd laid eyes on Chase, my body had locked up and my vision blurred. That must be my fear response or something. Fuck if I know. I guess I know what I'll be talking to Finnegan about next.

"Then I'll be there to help you put back the pieces," he says softly. "If you don't hear them out, a part of you will always wonder what they had to say, and I don't believe you'll be able to move on the way you want to."

Shit. He's right, isn't he? There's no way to avoid doing this.

And I shouldn't try to avoid it because I need to hear them out—to see them with my own two eyes while they try to convince me I didn't hear what I think I did. There's no other explanation for what they want to tell me. The rest of the trip was perfect, and it only fell apart after I woke up from my heat.

"Fine," I murmur so softly they have to lean closer to make out my words. "When is this happening?"

"When you're ready," Tessa assures me.

I snort. "That would be never, and I know that's not an option. Let's just get it over with, yeah?"

"Are you sure, Sophia?" Finnegan asks again. "Bree can have your dinner sent to you here in your room. You can take the night and think it over. Your group date can literally be them explaining it to you, if that's what you want. No one here is going to rush you."

Bree reaches out for my hand once more,. and I let her take it. "We really won't, Sophia. We just want to make sure you have the pack that you want, and once upon a time, they were what you wanted, weren't they? If it was all a misunderstanding, wouldn't you want to know?"

"I get it. I need to listen to them and I'm willing to do that." My eyes move to Finnegan. "But it has to be now. If I don't do it now, it'll keep me up all night as I try to figure out what they're going to say to me. It'll be worse if I wait, trust me."

He nods. "I do. That's why I asked. If you believe speaking to them right now is the correct course of action, then you should talk to them now."

Bree and Tessa step back as I pull myself from the bed, glancing down at my dress and all the wrinkles that now crease it. "Damn it."

"That's an easy fix," Tessa says, already pulling out her phone. "We'll get Hector to bring up the steamer, and we'll get it right as rain. Hector? I'm in need of your assistance."

I laugh as she spins away and starts semi-barking orders to the man on the other end.

"She's such an alpha sometimes," Bree says with a laugh.

I snort. "That's because she is an alpha."

"I feel like I should take offense to this conversation, but I think I'm just going to leave. Sophia, if you need me, you have my number. My pack and I are staying in one of the cabins out back. We can speak over the phone or if you want to meet face to face, I can be here in less than ten minutes.

"It doesn't matter what time of day it is, either. If it's the middle of the night, I will roll out of bed to help you. You're my most important client when I'm here. I'll speak with the alphas and betas along the way, as I think everyone deserves to have someone to talk to that's an impartial party, but I believe that you're the one who needs it the most. This can quickly become overwhelming for you, and I want to do everything in my power to keep that from happening. My pack knows why we're here, and they agree that you deserve as much attention as you need from me."

His words bring a smile to my face. I guess I have four people who care about what I'm going through right now. It would seem I'm collecting them.

"Thank you, Finnegan. I haven't always had people in my corner—okay, I've never had anyone in my corner before I came on Heated. I appreciate that each and every one of you cares about the omega on your show. Hell, I know you all care about all of the contestants, and that's amazing. I promise that if I need anything, I will call you. I won't hold it in, and I won't let it eat away at me."

Now it's his turn to smile. "And that's all I can ask of you. You've got this, Sophia."

I watch him head back into the sitting room, and once I hear the door of my suite shut behind him, I turn to Bree. Guilt is written all over her face.

"I know that you meant well, but for future reference, I wouldn't say this is a good surprise." I shake my head. "But I'm sure it'll make for great TV."

"I really was trying to help. I will keep that in mind for future seasons. Don't surprise the omega with the pack of her dreams with no warning."

I frown at her choice of words. "They're not the pack of my dreams."

"Oh?" She cocks an eyebrow, telling me that she can totally tell that I'm lying to her.

I just shrug, turning my back to her. "Can you unzip me?"

After that, none of us bring it up again. Hector delivers the steam machine along with Allison, the makeup artist. Within twenty minutes, I look good as new.

It's too bad I don't feel good as new. I really don't want to do this.

"You've got this, Sophia," Tessa says close to my ear as she wraps an arm around my waist. I'm sure it would make some omegas nervous for her to be this close—with her being an alpha and all—but I've never felt anything but comfortable when she's around. I don't care that she's into men and women. I don't care that she's an alpha. I just care that she's my friend.

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