Cleo studies him, something like approval flickering across her face before she leans back in her chair, crossing one elegant leg over the other.
“Well,” she says lightly, as though she’s pleased with his answer, “I think that answers that.”
A quiet murmur ripples through the crew behind the cameras, the tension in the room shifting, settling into something more focused, more intentional.
Cleo turns her attention back to me, her expression softening just slightly, recalibrating.
“The last time many of us saw Florence on live television, she collapsed alone. Tonight, she’s surrounded by all of you. Was that deliberate?”
No one else answers, like they’re waiting for me to. “Yes,” I say eventually. “We wanted to do this together. To show the world that we’re bonded.”
“Happily bonded,” Grieves adds.
Cleo smiles as though she’s pleased with the interjection and then leans forward, face serious. “The reason for your collapse, Florence, was the reveal of your Rejected Mate Disorder diagnosis. Were you aware of the diagnosis before that moment?”
I nod, even though the question is ridiculous. “I was aware. Yes.”
“When did you find out?”
I slide a glance to my left to Forsythe who squeezes my hand gently. “Almost as soon as I returned to the states. The video Heather showed of me collapsing in the airport was real. My family rushed me to the hospital and there they told me the truth.”
“I see. And did you tell the Ashbourne pack?”
I shake my head. “No. I didn’t want them to know. And believe me I’m aware of how that sounds. I knew they were my fated mates and I didn’t tell them. But I’d also just been rejected by them on international television. I was dealing with a newly diagnosed lifelong illness and I was concerned that if they found out they would agree to be with me, but only out of duty. I didn’t want that for them or for me. We all deserve love.”
“Did you believe at the time that they loved Isadora?”
I can’t stop that sharp bark of laughter. “I think we both know the answer to that, Cleo. We saw how they were together when the cameras weren’t rolling, which is to say they weren’t. No, I definitely did not believe that they were in love with Isadora.”
“We weren’t,” Thayer confirms. “Never have been. She was someone we were thrown toward constantly. It was for all intents and purposes an arranged match.”
Cleo tilts her head. “If it was arranged, why bother with the spectacle of going on a reality dating show?”
Forsythe shifts next to me, straightening the slightest bit. “My grandmother, the queen of Bravonne, requested that we do it.”
Court snorts. “‘Requested’ is a polite word for ‘demanded’. We weren’t given the choice.”
“It wasn’t until after filming wrapped that we realized why she’d asked,” Forsythe continues, voice steady and strong. I tighten my grip on his fingers in support, letting him know I’m with him through our bond. “While the world was distracted by the ‘spectacle’ as you called it, she was quietly pushing through a regressive law that greatly hinders the rights and freedoms of omegas.”
“And packs,” I’m quick to add, not wanting to downplay the effect the laws had on them.
“Yes,” Cleo nods, voice sharper now. “The Omega Welfare Act was announced shortly after you returned to Bravonne, correct?”
“Yes,” Forsythe says, jaw already ticking like he knows where she’s going to go with her questions next.
“It was announced weeks ago, and yet, not one member of your pack spoke out against it until recently. Except Florence of course, who was quick to call it regressive rubbish. Was there a reason for the delay? Or are you speaking out against it now because you’ve bonded an omega.”
“We never supported it,” Grieves growls out, startling me for a moment. I hadn’t expected him to say much during this interview, more that he would be a calming protective presence for the rest of us. “Never. But we were focused on something equally as important. Getting Florence to forgive us.”
Cleo hums, like she’s not sure that’s a good enough reason and I have to agree with her. Their first instinct should have been to speak out against it.
“To be honest,” Courtland says, leaning forward to brace an arm on the back of my chair. “None of us were in great shape after the show, after we sent Florence home. Even before we knew who she was--is--to us, we were falling apart. If she hadn’t done that interview with Heather, if she hadn’t fainted during it, the Ashbourne Pack, as the world has come to know it, probably would have shattered.”
“But Florence holds us together,” Forsythe adds. “She’s our heart, our reason for… everything.”
“And in case it’s not clear, we are officially stating we do not support the Omega Welfare and Community Stability Act,” Thayer adds. “We’ve been working with protest and resistance groups to help them get it reversed, hopefully before it goes into full effect.”
Forsythe nods. “The law never should have passed. It is regressive trash, as Florence called it. My grandmother, the queen of Bravonne, unfortunately has stopped looking at what is best for the country and started focusing on her own legacy.”
