Page 58 of Knot Our Reality (Heated #5)

Emilia

One month later

S tanding behind the table in the courtroom, I hold my breath as I await the judge’s decision.

“I’ve reached a decision,” Judge Livingston says as she glances between me and Simon. “After listening to each side’s arguments and reviewing the court records for the criminal offense by Alpha Mitchell, I feel there is only one way this can go.”

“Judge Livingston,” Simon’s lawyer cuts in. “The case against Alpha Mitchell should have no relevance to today’s hearing.”

The judge snorts. “If you think I’m not going to take into account how the child was conceived and the laws Alpha Mitchell broke, you’re going to be sadly mistaken.

As I was saying, I am granting sole custody to the mother, Omega Reinhardt, and Pack Reinhardt.

I am also granting Omega Reinhardt’s request to allow her pack to adopt Beau Reinhardt.

Alpha Mitchell’s parental rights are hereby revoked, and he shall have no contact with the child unless agreed upon by Omega Reinhardt, her pack, and the Los Angeles County Superior Court. ”

“This isn’t fair,” Simon roars. “He’s my son!”

Judge Mitchell slams the gavel down. “I will have order in my courtroom. Another outburst like that, and you’ll be held in contempt. Do you understand me, Alpha Mitchell?”

“He understands,” his lawyer says quickly, but the judge shakes her head.

“I want to hear it directly from Alpha Mitchell.”

Simon’s jaw clenches, and I can practically hear his teeth grinding from here. “I understand, Judge.”

“Thank you.” He shakes his head. “The fact that this case ever saw the inside of a courtroom is ludicrous. There should never be a case when a man—an alpha at that—can assault a woman that results in a pregnancy, then sue for custody from jail. That our laws allow omega’s rights to be taken away like this because they have no pack?

Omega Reinhardt, I apologize that you’ve had to go through this farce of a case after what you’ve already had to endure.

I hope you, your child, and your pack have a long and happy life. Case dismissed.”

“Thank you, Judge Livingston.” Sophia nods her head at the judge as I add my own thanks.

With another slam of his gavel, Judge Livingston stands and exits the courtroom.

Elation courses through me.

It’s over.

It’s finally over.

I no longer have to worry about losing Beau, or even Jasper and Hawk. I never have to worry about Simon Mitchell again.

Eventually, we’ll have to tell Beau about his birth father, but that’s many, many moons from now. Once he’s an adult, it will be his choice if he wants anything to do with Simon, but until then, I won’t allow it.

I’m pulled from my thoughts as I’m swarmed by my pack and so many more.

Custody hearings rarely have many attendees, but mine sure did.

Not only is my pack here, but so is Bree’s, Sophia’s, Evangeline’s, Reginald’s, Finn’s, and half of Remington’s. Not to mention my parental pack.

Meanwhile, on Simon’s side, the only people who came to support him are his sister and mother. Even his father didn’t bother showing up, which isn’t all that surprising since he’s all but disowned his son after he was found guilty of assaulting me.

“I told you!” Camden yells in my ear as he scoops me up into his arms, hugging me close to him as he spins in a circle.

I laugh, kissing him as he sets me down. “You sure did. You all did.”

I can’t help looking around at my pack as they all reach out to touch me or kiss me in one way or another.

When I went on Heated, I thought I knew what I wanted.

Two or three alphas and maybe a beta, who all understood that all I wanted was a pack on paper.

A pack to help me keep custody of my children.

A pack I could be friends with and who I’d provide a child or two for.

A pack to help me through my heats, but nothing more.

Never did I expect to end up with a pack of ten men—an omega, three betas, and six alphas.

I can almost hear Davis, Gerald, Maxwell, and Ryan laughing in my ears. They’d love that I ended up with such a large pack. Not just because it’s not what I expected, but because it means I’m so very loved.

It’s getting easier and easier to think about them, to talk about them, without crying or feeling guilty. One of the things I love most about my pack is they want to hear about my first loves. They want to keep their memory alive, not just for me but for Hawk and Jasper.

I still can’t believe they were all willing to take the last name of my first pack. They blew my mind that day in the hospital, and I knew I’d made the right decision in choosing each and every one of them.

“Congratulations, big sister!” Remington barrels his way through my pack to pull me into a hug, my parents right behind him.

“Thank you, Remy.” I shake my head. “You know you didn’t need to be here for this—I told you that.”

Victoria had given birth to a beautiful baby boy just a week ago.

That’s why only part of his pack is here with him.

Eric, Milo, and Quinn are at their home with her and the baby, plus Jasper, Hawk, and Beau.

I know what the first few weeks are like with a newborn, and I didn’t want to put that kind of stress on his pack.

But my brother is about as stubborn as they come when he wants to be .

He scoffs. “There was no way I was missing this. Although, me, Aubrey, and Camila are going to skip the celebrations so we can get home.”

“As you should,” Mom says, patting my brother’s arm. “We all know you’re not going to be able to stay away from your lab for long. Go home and soak up the time with your boy. You won’t get this time with them again.”

I hug my brother, Camila, and Aubrey before they run out the door.

While I appreciate their support, I know they belong at home with their pack.

It’s bad enough they’re watching my boys for me.

There might be four of them at home, but they’re taking care of two young babies.

That’s not easy—especially when they’ve just become parents.

I accept hugs from my parental pack before insisting we leave the courtroom.

Once we make it out of the courthouse and into the parking lot, Chase comes running up to me.

He’s barely containing his excitement as he throws his arms around me.

“I’m so happy for you, Emilia. Not just for you, but for the others that this ruling can help.

We still have miles ahead of us, but this is a step in the right direction. ”

“Okay, Chase, that’s enough.” Sophia shakes her head as she, Bree, Tessa, and Evangeline join us. “Today, we’re just focusing on Emilia’s win. Everything else can wait.”

Chase shoots me a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Emilia. Sometimes I just get so excited about upcoming changes that I’m kind of an asshole.”

“No, Chase, you’re fine. You’re not being an asshole. You even told me you were happy for me before talking about what this could mean for law changes.” I laugh as he ducks his head before kissing Sophia and taking off to talk to Alejandro.

“I’m so sorry about him.” Sophia rolls his eyes.

“There’s no reason to apologize. I promise.”

Bree sighs. “As nice as it’s been to be child-free today, we need to get to the house to relieve the sitter. But we expect all of you to be at our house in an hour or two. ”

“Of course, Bree. And thank you again for hosting a party for us. I think we’re going to grab the boys from Remington’s place before heading over.”

Tessa nods. “We have to grab the kids, too.”

“Same,” Sophia giggles. “There are going to be so many babies at this thing.”

“Considering how things have been going, I consider that a good thing,” I tell her, thinking about Remington’s work.

With so many babies being born to just the first four packs off Heated , surely my brother will be able to figure out how to rectify the infertility issues that have plagued us for so long. But that’s a worry for another time.

I wave to my friends as I rejoin my pack, who have finally made it outside with us. “Did you get the adoption papers submitted?”

“We did.” Nikolai nods, his lips turning up into a smile. “Will not be long until we officially their fathers.”

“You already are,” I assure them. “They love you, and you love them. You provide for them. They are yours. Now, let’s go pick up our kids. I miss them.”

Gavin laughs. “I thought we’d enjoy the break, but I’ve been anxious to get back to them almost since we left them.”

I pat his chest. “Welcome to the life of being a parent. We always talk about needing a break from our kids, but the moment we’re away from them, we miss them. You’ll get used to it, eventually.”

Sasha stops me as I start for one of the SUVs. “How are you, kotyonok ?”

“I’m good, Sasha. I promise. We won.”

“I know we win, but I check in, anyway.”

I lean in to kiss him before burying my nose in his neck, allowing his leather, sandalwood, and vanilla scent to roll over me. “I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. Not just because we won today, but because of the ten of you. You make me so very happy.”

“As you make us very happy.” Sasha sighs when Nikolai calls out to us. “I love you, Emilia. ”

“And I love you, Sasha.” I turn to watch as my mates joke around on their way to the SUVs. They’re all practically glowing with happiness—which just makes me happier. “I love all of you.”

And I will for the rest of my life.

The end.