Page 42 of Knot Our Reality (Heated #5)

Wilder

“ C amden, I’m going to need you to calm down,” I tell my omega with a chuckle.

He stops bouncing, turning his head to blink at me. “What?”

“You’ve almost knocked into like three other suitors since we arrived.” I gesture to the other suitors, who are watching Camden with amusement in their gazes.

“Oh.” Camden shoots me a sheepish grin. “I was bouncing around, wasn’t I?”

I nod. “You were.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just so nervous.”

As if I didn’t know that. It’s coursing down our bond and has been all day. I’ve done what I could to distract him and make him feel better, but he hasn’t been able to settle.

Not that he has a reason to be nervous. Emilia said she wouldn’t bond with anyone until they met her boys, and they certainly approved. He’s definitely getting a red rose tonight.

Me, on the other hand? I have no idea where I stand with her. We have the beginning of a connection, but I don’t think we’re there yet.

Which means I don’t know where it leaves us. We haven’t really gotten much time together. Hell, Camden only got to spend time with her the other night after a date went badly.

I straighten as the ballroom doors open and Reginald steps in with Emilia on his arm. The two of them head straight onto the stage, Emilia stopping beside the table with the vase of roses that’s so full of added greenery I can’t even make out more than one or two of the roses.

“Welcome back to our viewers and suitors alike. We’ve now arrived at the third rose ceremony. We have a lot of exciting things coming for you tonight. I’d tell you about them, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, I’ll turn the stage over to our omega, Emilia.”

Emilia shakes her head, but a smile lights up her face.

“I don’t want to keep harping on how different my season is from past ones, but it really is.

I have kids who need me, and I can’t make decisions that affect them just as much as they do me without their input—even if they’re young.

Which is why I had Camden and Wilder join me for family day this past week.

Hawk is my oldest at seven, and he doesn’t feel comfortable with me being around all these men he hasn’t met.

“He’s become my protector since we lost his dads.

As much as I’d have preferred him to enjoy his time as a child, he takes his role seriously.

Because of that, I told him our week four dates would be with him and his brother so he can meet all of you.

” She pauses, taking a deep breath, her smile dimming.

“I don’t want to bring a lot of people into their lives who are likely to leave, so I have to make some hard decisions this week. ”

It’s clear she’s nervous, and all I want to do is make it better for her. Only, I don’t think I can, but Camden can.

Speaking of my omega, he lets out a whine, and Emilia’s eyes find him. She immediately relaxes.

“You know what? I was going to do this in a different order, but I don’t want to wait any longer. Camden and Wilder, will you join me on the stage?”

“Hey, that’s my job.” Reginald grins, and I’m pretty sure she flips him off, but I can’t be sure.

I place my hand on Camden’s lower back, leading him onto the stage until we stand in front of Emilia, and I forget how to breathe.

“I was going to save this until the end, but something tells me I’m going to need you, Camden.

” She plucks two roses from the vase, hiding them behind her back as she turns back to us.

“Camden, I’ve felt a connection to you from day one.

No matter how much I tried to deny that you were made for me, I think I knew it at that first moment we met.

That’s why I want to invite you to be the first member of my pack. ”

“Thank fuck!” Camden screams, throwing himself at Emilia and kissing her. The red rose she was about to offer him is crushed between the two of them, but neither of them seems to care.

I clear my throat when the kiss goes from relief and excitement to something more, both of their perfumes filling the air. “Omegas,” I warn them.

“Oh. Right. On stage. Being filmed.” Camden looks dazed as he takes the mangled rose from her.

I chuckle as Emilia also fights to focus.

Reginald leans off the stage, taking something from Tessa before joining us. “Don’t worry, we’ll cut this part out.” He sprays scent-blocking spray over both omegas and in the surrounding air before stepping away.

Once I finish waving the mist out of my face, I see both omegas are much clearer-eyed.

“Thank you.” Camden leans down and brushes his lips against hers before coming back to join me.

I squeeze his hand. “I’m happy for you.”

“Wilder, while you and I don’t share the same connection between us, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It means that it isn’t all hormones and fate ruling us as I fall for you. We may not quite be there yet, but I know we will be. It would be an honor if you’d be the second member of my pack.”

I blink at her, not sure I heard her correctly. At least not until Camden digs his elbow into my side.

“Don’t leave her hanging, alpha.”

“Shit. Sorry. I didn’t…I wasn’t…” Giving up on words, I step forward and take the rose from her. I brush my lips against hers as happiness floods through me from both Camden and myself. “Thank you for choosing us. ”

She nods. “Of course. Would the two of you remain on stage with me for the rest of the ceremony, please?”

Camden immediately nods. “It’ll be our pleasure.”

He takes Emilia’s hand, and I move to stand behind them. Any remaining tension in Emilia falls away as she nods to Reginald.

“Okay, now that Emilia decided to go out of order, I feel like I need to mix things up, too.” He chuckles at the glare Emilia shoots his way. “I’m joking. I wouldn’t do that to you. Next, Emilia would like to invite Bradley and Malik to the stage. If the two of you will join us on stage, please.”

Now that I’m behind her, I get a clear look at the roses in the vase and realize someone is about to have a terrible night.

“Hello,” Emilia says softly. “I feel like when I first met the two of you, I’d never been more comfortable with anyone in my life.

But it seems like both of you withdrew as time passed.

I don’t feel like I’ve gotten a chance to get to know either of you better than I did in the first few days you arrived.

Because of that, I’ve decided to send both of you home ahead of meeting my children. ”

Her sigh is heavy when she takes the two black roses from the vase and offers them to Malik and Bradley. “I don’t know what went wrong, but if I did something to cause the distance between us, then I apologize.”

“You didn’t do anything, Emilia,” Bradley assures her. “The longer I’ve been here, the more time I’ve had to think about it, and I’m never going to find what I’m looking for on Heated . I should’ve talked to you about it, and for that, I’m sorry.”

Emilia offers him a soft smile. “It’s okay. I understand. I hope you find what you’re looking for, Bradley.”

“And I hope you find the perfect pack.” He takes the rose and kisses her cheek before leaving the stage.

Malik doesn’t look happy, but he also doesn’t look surprised. He shakes his head and takes the black rose. “I also should have talked to you instead of acting like a child. There’s no excuse for my behavior, but if you’d like me to explain, I can. ”

“I’d love to understand, if you don’t mind.”

“When you confirmed that you and Camden were an omega pair, I made a realization of my own. I don’t want a pack with two omegas—especially not a pair.

I already know when I become part of a pack, I will have to share my omega’s affections with other alphas and possibly betas.

But the connections between omegas like you share?

“That’s something completely different. It’s something you’ll only ever share with an omega.

It’s not something an alpha or a beta can understand.

What the two of you share is beautiful, but it is also something I can’t have.

I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want my omega to have a bond with someone that I can’t also have. Am I even making sense?”

Emilia nods slowly. “I wouldn’t call you selfish, Malik. I’d say you’ve learned what you want out of a pack and an omega. I can’t offer that to you, but I’m glad you know now.”

“I’m surprised this is just now coming up,” Camden says slowly. “Wasn’t there an omega pair in your first season?”

“There was, and I felt irrationally jealous of their relationship. At the time, I didn’t understand it.

” He chuckles with a shake of his head. “Hell, I didn’t understand it until just this week.

I’m very sorry for how I behaved and any hurt I caused.

I wish both of you the best in completing your pack. ”

Then, he too, exits the stage, stopping beside Bradley.

“That was unexpected,” Reginald says, breaking the silence that follows.

Emilia and Camden both try to hold in their laughter at his droll tone but fail.

“It seems that nothing is going the way I expected tonight to go,” Emilia says softly. “But isn’t that what these shows are all about? For those of you who may have forgotten, Christmas is on Friday, so we’ll be forgoing the Monday group hangout.

“For the remaining eleven of you, I have lavender roses for each of you. The dates will take place Monday through Thursday, with Hawk and Jasper joining us. We’ll do a group activity and then we’ll go shopping—because we’re doing a Secret Santa! Surprise! ”

Emilia’s smile only grows. “I love Christmas, but it’s been hard celebrating the last few years.

I want that to change. You’re all welcome to get gifts for everyone or just for your Secret Santa.

We just want to make sure everyone has at least one gift to open on Christmas.

Tessa and Bree will be handing out cards at random, so make sure you grab one on your way out.

They’ll also make note of who you have.”

She pulls the lavender roses from the vase, and Camden helps her off the stage with me at their back. She hands them to the remaining suitors while Reginald steps forward.

“That ends our third week of Heated . Next week is sure to bring many surprises, so make sure you tune in. Meanwhile, make sure you’re sharing your thoughts with us on social media. Until next time.”