Knot Her Reality (Heated Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-six

Iwake up the next morning with a smile on my face. The darkness surrounding me tells me I’m still in my nest. The strong arms wrapped around me and pinning me against the hard body at my back tell me that Koda is still with me.

“Good morning,” he murmurs as he nuzzles my neck.

Grinding my ass into his very hard cock, I grin as I turn my head. “Good morning yourself. How long have you been awake?”

“Not too long, but I’m going to need you to stop grinding on my dick, babe. It’s already after noon, and I know you want to spend Sunday with all the suitors.”

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I bite back a whine. “I guess we were up pretty late last night.”

“Yeah, we were.” Koda chuckles, kissing my temple before rolling away from me.

After our initial bonding, we’d rested for a few minutes before falling back into one another over and over. That’s one thing that can be said for two omegas being together—we’re almost always turned on. We probably should’ve gotten more sleep, but I can’t find it in myself to regret the way we spent our night.

I can’t help watching him walk away, his body covered almost completely in tattoos. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen all of his ink, but this is the first time I get to fully appreciate it. His ink is colorful, and there are only a few patches of ink-free skin. I wonder if he plans to fill in the rest of his skin, or if he’s left it that way on purpose.

Hell, even his cock is tattooed—something I think I missed in the previous hookup. I didn’t think that it would be as hot as it is. I guess everything about him is hot—at least to me.

“Babe?”

My head shoots up, staring at a smirking Koda, and knowing that he’s caught me checking him out. Oh, well.

“I’m coming!”

I feel a little bad about sleeping so late, though. I really do want to spend Sundays bonding with the suitors, and I can’t do that from my bed. Luckily, Koda seems to understand that as he hustles us to the shower, where we promptly get distracted.

It’s nearly an hour later that the two of us stumble outside, all eyes immediately on us.

“Looks like the omegas had a good night,” Natalie teases as she walks over, dripping wet from the time I’m guessing she spent in the pool. “Could we talk?”

Koda reacts to the way my body tenses, and I lay my hand on his gently. “I’m okay, I promise. Why don’t you say hello to everyone while Natalie and I have a chat?”

Koda looks uncertain but nods and ventures toward the table where Ronan, Conrad, Tessa, and Alejandro sit.

“I need coffee for this,” I tell her, already heading toward the food and beverages set up. Natalie trails behind me, remaining quiet as I make myself a cup of coffee and a fruit bowl. Looking around to see where everyone is, I lead us to a table as far as we can get from the others. After I sit, I take a long sip of my coffee before lifting my head to where Natalie sits across from me. “Go ahead.”

She takes a deep breath. “You’re upset with me.”

I snort, taking another sip. “What gave you that impression?”

“Besides the bitchiness you’re showing right now?” She lifts her eyebrows as if daring me to refute her words, but I can’t. I won’t even try. She’s right. I’m upset with her, and for good reason. “Also because of the way you reacted in your suite. I know I screwed up by not telling anyone what I was doing, but surely you don’t think I really believe the lies I told him.”

I shrug my shoulders because I don’t know what to believe. I haven’t since she started spilling what happened and what Viktor had done. I hadn’t felt completely comfortable around Viktor, so it’s not that surprising that he wasn’t here for genuine reasons. But I like Natalie—a lot. Her and her alpha both. I wouldn’t have invited them to my suite with Koda and Tessa if I hadn’t. Now, I’m afraid that all of her pretty words were lies.

“How am I supposed to know what’s a truth and what’s a lie when you were able to lie so easily to Viktor?” I finally ask her.

She nods slowly. “That’s what’s bothering you?”

I nod, taking a long drink and wishing I didn’t have to get up to get another cup since mine is almost gone.

“Okay. That’s completely understandable. Did you watch the video recording?”

“No.” I shake my head before throwing back the rest of my coffee. “I haven’t really had the time.”

“That makes sense with the ceremony and bonding with Koda. Would you do me a favor, then?”

I consider her a moment before shrugging. “I guess that depends on what the favor is.”

“Today, can you forget about your doubts, and let’s enjoy today like we should? Then, when the day is over, will you watch the video? After watching it, if you still feel the same, then I’ll try to figure something out to prove myself to you.” She looks so earnest in her words that I don’t want to deny her. She’s not even asking for that much, and I really want to believe her.

“Why the hell not?” I laugh. “I’d prefer to enjoy the day myself, but I only accept it on one condition.”

She looks uncertain but nods. “Anything.”

“Will you please get me another cup of coffee? I feel like I’m dying.”

That makes her laugh as she jumps to her feet. “I’m on it.”

As soon as she leaves the table, Koda ventures over and drops into the seat beside me. “What was that all about?”

“That was Natalie trying to convince me that the only lies she’s told thus far have been to Viktor.” I laugh at the confusion on his face. “She’s the reason we were able to find out what Viktor was up to. She pretended to be of the same mind as him so he’d spill his secrets. As much as I want to believe her, how do I know she isn’t lying to me?”

Koda considers me for a moment before his eyes trail over to where Natalie is doctoring my coffee. “Has she ever given you a reason to doubt her before that?”

“No.” Shaking my head, I understand what he’s getting at, but I don’t want to deal with it right now. I want to get to know the suitors and enjoy this beautiful Sunday. “I made a deal with her and for today, we’re going to pretend like it didn’t happen. Then I’m going to watch the video. She seems to think I’ll be able to tell she was lying to him from that. I guess we’ll see what I think after I’ve watched it. Until then, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Okay, babe.” He leans over and kisses me. “At least some of what Ronan and the others were talking about makes more sense now.”

Natalie chooses that moment to pop up, juggling three cups of coffee. “Here you go, Evangeline. Koda, I made you some too. You and Evangeline take it the same, so if you don’t want it, I’m sure she’ll take it.”

“Thanks, Nat.” Koda grins at her as he grabs two cups from her and hands me one. “I can definitely go for some coffee right now. Why don’t you sit down and join us while we drink ours. I was just about to ask Evangeline what she wants to do today.”

Which is how I find myself drinking my second cup of coffee with the two of them. I’m surprised that no one else ventures over, especially with the amount of eyes on us. All I can figure is that they’re trying to give Natalie some time with me. Koda does try to ask me what I want to do with the day, but I ignore him. Not to be mean but because I don’t know yet. My brain is still kicking online—that’s what the coffee is for.

Once I’ve finished my second cup, I’m feeling much more myself as I push out of my seat. “Come on. I want to get everyone together.”

I call everyone over, and we push tables together so everyone can sit together. Once everyone has found a seat, they all turn their attention to me.

“What’s going on, Evangeline?” Ronan’s the first one to speak up.

“Last week, we spent most of the day broken off into smaller groups. Today, I want all of us to hang out together. I’m sure you haven’t all gotten to know one another as well as you could have. I know I haven’t gotten to know everyone as well as I’d like. We’re going to change that today.”

Cora leans forward, a smile on her face. “And how are you going to make sure that happens?”

“By playing games,” I tell her, smiling when she sits back and claps her hands. At least someone looks excited because as my eyes go around the table, I don’t see very much enthusiasm. “Don’t be like that. I thought a game of twenty questions—or nineteen questions since that’s how many of us there are—would work out well. We’ll each ask one question that everyone will answer. “

Koda leans over and takes my hand. “Sounds like fun to me.”

“Says the bonded one,” Natalie says with a grin but nods her head. “I’m in.”

Pack Reyes seem the most reluctant, but everyone eventually agrees. I lean back in my seat, letting my eyes rove over the others. “I’ll go first.”

“Of course you will.” A smirk sits on Jagger’s face as he shakes his head. “What’s your question then, omega?”

I tap my finger against my lips as I try to decide what to ask. There are so many questions I have, so much I want to learn about each of the suitors. I grin when I realize what I really want to know. “I’ve spoken to a handful of you about your sexual identity and preferences, but not all of you. I know this can be a personal question, so if you don’t feel comfortable, I’ll understand.”

Dustin frowns. “Sexual preferences as in…”

“As in, do you like men? Women? Both? Something else?” Tessa pats the beta’s shoulder as she tries to hide her laughter.

“Well, you already know my answer,” Cora calls out, “but the others might not. I’m only into women. I’m a no cock zone.”

I snicker at her word choice, but that’s Cora for you. She likes to tell it like it is but in such a cheerful manner. Turning my attention to Skylar, it takes her a moment to realize we’re waiting on her response.

“Oh, me? That makes sense.” She chuckles as she shakes her head. “I’m bisexual.”

We go around the circle with each person giving their response. There are a few who identify as pansexual—Jagger and Gavin—and a whole lot of bisexuals. The only two who are only into women are Dustin and Bradley. Ana states that while she’s bisexual, she prefers women—to which Malachi and Nash roll their eyes.

“The two of you don’t count,” she mutters, crossing her arms as she settles back into her chair. She’d been hesitant to answer the question, and I wonder if this is why.

“My turn!” Koda interjects, drawing the attention from Pack Reyes. “I want to know what everyone’s hobbies are.”

We get a big mixture of answers here. Anything from dirt biking from Evander to needlepoint from Jagger—things I already knew. No one’s answers surprise me, even if I hadn’t known what their answer would be beforehand. Hopefully, others ask questions that’ll reveal more about them.

When it’s his turn to ask a question, Malachi’s smirk tells me that he’s about to cause trouble. “What’s something you hate?”

“Freeloaders,” Ana says slowly, her eyes on the table as Malachi shakes his head.

“Come on, Ana. We both know that’s not what you hate the most.”

Ana growls at him, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to meet anyone’s eye. “Shut up, Mal.”

“That’s not how the game works,” I warn Malachi. “She gave an answer, and if she doesn’t want to give whatever you’re fishing for, then she doesn’t have to.”

Malachi blinks at me, acting innocent, before he shrugs. “I just thought you might want to know that one of your suitors can’t stand other female alphas. Might cause a bit of a problem if you decided you wanted both in your pack.”

My eyes slide to Ana as she pushes to her feet. “No, Mal. You wanted to be a shit-stirrer. After all, it’s what you’re good at. But since it’s out there, he’s right. I’m not comfortable around other female alphas. I view them as competition in a way I don’t male alphas. I won’t apologize for that, but I am done with this game.”

“Ana—“ I attempt to call after her, but she just waves me off. I sigh, turning my attention back to Malachi. “That was uncalled for.”

He smirks, shrugging. “It needed to come out before we go any further down the road with you, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to tell you. You might not like my methods, but I know Ana, and this was the only way.”

Suddenly, I no longer feel like playing this game either. This wasn’t how I wanted today to go.

“How about we take a break?” I finally say, climbing to my feet. “I think I could use some time in the pool.”

Shedding my cover-up, I walk straight for the pool. They’ll either join me or they won’t. Honestly, I don’t care.

How is it that we’re barely on the fourth week? I have five weeks left to choose my pack, and I feel like all I’m dealing with is drama at every turn. Maybe I should just go back to bed. I was happy in my nest.

I startle when arms twine around me, a chin resting on my shoulder. I know from the blackberry, waffles, and maple syrup scent that it’s Koda, so I relax back into hold. “You okay, babe?”

“Not really. I’m just so tired of all the drama.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have gone on a reality dating show if you didn’t want to deal with the drama,” he snickers in my ear, and I laugh with him. He’s not wrong. “It’s bound to happen as you narrow down your choices, and at least you’re learning who the drama queens are.”

Laughing, I spin to wrap my arm around his neck. “Did you just call Malachi a drama queen?”

“Sure did, and I regret nothing.”

“I heard that omega,” Malachi growls as he floats closer, a smirk on his face. “And you’re not wrong.”

I shake my head as I allow Koda to pull me across the pool and into the deep end. “You have me now. You don’t have to go through this all alone. If you need something, you just need to tell me.”

Leaning forward, I brush my lips across his as I run a hand through his hair. “Thank you, Koda. I will.”

He just hums as I release my hold on his neck and lay back into the water, keeping a hold of my waist as I float. For just a little bit, I think I want to just relax and forget about it all. It’ll be there later, and then I can make a decision about how to move forward—with Koda’s input. Because I’ve started my pack, and though it’s just me and another omega, I know that I have to consider his thoughts and feelings as well. Which honestly brings me a lot of relief. I’m not on my own anymore.

“What are you going to do with Malachi and Ana’s revelation?” Koda asks me later as we’re getting ready for bed.

I’m only wrapped in a towel as we climbed into the shower after the day spent mostly in the pool. We never did go back to playing games after Ana left. She also never returned and that’s now two weeks where she’s rushed off on a day where we were all supposed to be getting to know one another. That doesn’t bode well for her and her pack because in order to accept one of them, I have to accept all of them.

“I think I’m going to take Ana, Paisley, and Tessa out on a date,” I tell him as I drop my towel and reach for Koda’s discarded shirt. He only wore it long enough for it to smell like him, so I’m going to wear it to bed.

Koda pauses in pulling up his boxer briefs, and I take the time to ogle him a little more. This man—my mate—is fucking gorgeous. He might not have the knot I need, but his dick is nothing to scoff about. And damn, does he know how to use it.

“My eyes are up here, babe.” Koda chuckles as he continues getting dressed. “Are you sure taking all three of them on a date is a good idea?”

I pout once he’s covered up and climbing onto the bed. I clamber up after him, scurrying across the space between us to burrow into his side. “Probably not, but I think I need to push Ana to see if she’s just holding onto some prejudices or if she really can’t get along with Tessa. If she can’t, I’m not sure that Pack Reyes will have a place in my pack.”

“Because you’re going to choose Tessa as part of your pack?” he asks hesitantly, and I shake my head.

“I don’t know. We’re not there yet. But it’s not the only time she’ll have to deal with other female alphas. They might be rare, but in my line of work, I meet a lot of people. Unless she’s planning to never go to an event with me, then she’ll likely encounter a female alpha. With my reputation on the line, I don’t think I can chance having someone like that in my pack.” I sigh, lifting my head so I can meet his gaze. “Is that stupid?”

“No, it’s not stupid. Nothing about how you choose your pack is stupid. Even if you do it completely differently than someone else would, it’ll never be stupid. You have to choose your pack in a way you’re comfortable with. If you don’t want someone like Ana in your pack, then Pack Reyes doesn’t belong in your pack.”

“Our pack,” I correct him. “It’s not just me anymore. It’s about what we want, and something tells me you’d like a female alpha.”

He chuckles. “I don’t not want a female alpha. I’m not going to lie, having Tessa’s pussy lock around my cock was fucking amazing. But even with that, it’s not something I have to have. Knots work just as well for me as they do for you. And this is why being bisexual is the way to go.”

I shake my head as I roll onto my back, looking up at the ceiling. He pulls me closer to him and kisses the top of my head. My eyes fall shut as his scent surrounds me, instantly calming me. I remember the look on his face when Tessa locked down on him. He’d been in heaven. He might say he doesn’t need it, but I know he wants to feel it again.

“Just because you don’t need one doesn’t mean you don’t want one.” I glance over at him, my lips turning up at the corner. “At the very least, we can always invite Tessa to bed with us again if you want to feel her lock on your dick I just don’t want to get her hopes up if we don’t choose her, but we keep bringing her to bed..”

“I know you’re right. butI can get behind bringing her to our bed again.“ He laughs. “But only if it feels right. I don’t want to force anything just so I can feel a lock around my dick on the regular.”

Patting his hand, I nod. “We’ll see.”

We lie there in silence for a few moments before he nuzzles my cheek. “What about the others for the group dates? Besides Tessa, you chose packs. Are you breaking up the guys of Pack Reyes too?”

“Yeah. I think I’ll have one date be Malachi and Cora, and the other be Nash and Skylar. I think Skylar would kill Malachi if they were the only two on the date, but I think he and Cora will get along well—even if she’s not interested in him. Skylar has been dragging her feet in getting to know us. At first, she seemed really excited about it, but she hasn’t been putting in an effort, and I don’t know what to do with that.”

Koda hums. “She’s mentioned on more than one occasion that she doesn’t care for the drama and confrontation. I wonder if that’s why she’s pulling back. Maybe being on a reality dating show isn’t for her. Maybe you can talk to her about it on your date this week.”

Now it’s my turn to hum. There are more suitors to think about than I have time for. There are times I feel overwhelmed with it all. I try my best to hang out with the suitors who don’t get a date during that week, but it’s not always easy. As more and more people get sent home, I know it’ll be easier, but it’s the getting there that I’m struggling with. I’m afraid to send people home because what if I was wrong and they belong in my pack?

Obviously, with people like Sterling and Viktor, the decision was easy, but with the others? I don’t feel like I know them well enough to say yes or no if they’d be a good match for the pack I’m trying to build. It makes my head hurt when I think about it too much. I’m used to making hard decisions, but they don’t usually affect others as much as these decisions do.

“Hey, hey. I don’t know where your head just went, but let’s not think about it.” Koda’s lips brush against mine. “I didn’t bring this up to stress you out, but since it obviously did, why don’t I make it better?”

“And how do you—“ I cut off as Koda ducks between my legs with a smirk, my back arching off the bed as his tongue runs along my slick center.

“Oh, yes. I think that’s a brilliant idea.” My fingers go to his head, threading through his hair as I pull him closer to where I need him. His mouth is just the distraction I need.