Page 131 of Knot Our Reality

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, AlphaMitchell?”

“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 showingup, 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 onHeated,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.

---