Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

5. Rafe

CHAPTER 5

Rafe

The omega from Club Wisteria is here, on the show , and it feels like they sought her out to highlight my playboy ways. It takes all my restraint not to watch her walk away. Even though I can’t smell her, and damn did I try, she draws my attention like a moth to a flame.

Miles nudges me as another limo pulls up. “Interesting. We will talk about that later.” He barely moves his lips, the smile on them unwavering as he faces the new limo.

Elliott still looks bemused as he glances back at the way the omega went. Lilah Robinson . Elliott was right; she’s beautiful. Hell, most of the omegas are attractive. It’s the one thing I noticed as they were parading them in front of us like cattle at a market. But that one is top shelf. Too bad I won’t settle for any of them.

Bonding is serious, and a Reality TV show is not going to find my mate.

Still, Elliott insisted, and our manager said it would be good for our image. Even if we pick an omega at the end and carry on a fake relationship for the media before calling it quits, quietly and off-screen—it will be good for us .

The door opens to the new limo, and I focus on the man that climbs from it. Another attractive omega, not that I expected anything less. I want to scream, ‘ finding love isn’t about looks’ .

He strolls over to us, a pout on his face that I suppose is his smile. “Gentlemen.”

He nods, his gaze barely ghosting over each of us. This one isn’t here for an alpha or a pack. I study him, seeing if I can tell what motivates him. While some of the omegas are here for the show, others are treating it like a game. An opportunity they can get something out of, even if it isn’t a pack. One girl in particular even looked directly at the camera like she was on her own TV show and we were the extras. Though, I honestly can’t blame them. Look at me, I'm doing it for all the wrong reasons too.

“What’s your name?” I ask. Not because I care, but because he could be a useful shield to keep around, depending on why he’s here.

His lips curl up into a better semblance of a smile. I’m not sure he does it much in life, and I can almost feel him looking down his nose when he turns to look directly at me.

“Chad, your future omega,” he says boldly.

I laugh as he catches me off guard. He isn’t my type, and he’s a bit abrasive right off the bat, but he might work to field the other omegas off of me.

“I look forward to getting to know you, Chad.”

He shrugs. “Find me inside.” He gives us all a small wave, never asking our names or seeming to care at all who we are.

“Where did they find that one? A hoity-toity school for omegas?” Miles cracks under his breath, loud enough for Elliott and I to hear but not loud enough for the cameras to pick up.

“I like that one,” I say.

“Of course you do,” Elliott says, leaning forward to catch my eye. He sees right through my plan, and I grin back at him. That’s okay. It isn’t a secret to them that I didn’t want to come. If Miles hadn’t voted to repair the reputation that I had destroyed, we wouldn’t be here at all. Because regardless of what the tabloids say, I do want to keep my pack. Losing them would destroy me.

The parade of omegas feels like forever. I shift on my aching feet as the last limo arrives. A dark-haired beauty with hair hanging down to her ass climbs out of the interior, and her eyes lock on us as soon as she straightens. My heart plummets into my fucking ass. Hailey Gray, the omega it took me years to shake, the one I had been willing to bite, and the one responsible for my playboy ways, is here in front of us.

“What the fuck?” I swear, looking at the camera crew. The director shakes his head, seeing the urge for me to nope the fuck out of here right now.

“Oh shit.” Elliott wipes his hand down his face. He knows what this means for me; they both do.

Miles inhales noisily before looking at me sharply. “We don’t give her the bracelet, Rafe. She goes home tomorrow.”

Is this some fucked up way to make me stay? Because it’s a miscalculation with this one. All I want to do is shed the damn tie and suit jacket and go dance in some club. Preferably one where I can just be me and not the star in the spotlight. Anonymity is what I crave and can never truly have. Someone’s always watching. There is no place I can just be me.

“Boys,” Hailey greets us, her silky voice taking me back to nights in random hotel rooms and secrets beneath the sheets as we both tried to find our way in Hollywood. Secrets she sold to the paparazzi the second I had a big break. She tried to tear me and my pack mates apart with them. As if a wedge between us would make me ever pick her. We recovered from it and moved on. Well, I thought I moved on .

I swallow around the frog that somehow lodged itself in my throat.

Elliott tilts his head at her as if he’s examining a bug he accidentally stepped on. “The makeup department really worked hard on you, didn’t they?”

She gasps and takes a step back. Not the welcome she’s expecting, I guess. I shove my hands into my pockets, so I don’t do something stupid like reach for her. Man, I am fucked up. Yes, let's go back for seconds to the girl who sold your secrets to the media and almost blew up your whole life.

“Cut,” Thomas, the director, shouts. “Delete that footage, try again from the top, no crap comments like that, Elliott. This is a show about romance and love. Sell it.”

Hailey sways her ass back to the limo and climbs inside. I blow out my cheeks before releasing the pent-up breath and shake my shoulders attempting to rid the tension. I'm a fucking actor, I can do this. Thomas counts us in silently, and the red light blinks back on.

This time, when her leg pops out followed by her dark head of hair, I'm ready. I let a dazed smile curl up my lips as my emotions revolt inside my stomach. Miles is right, we will send her home tomorrow.

I step forward meeting her and reaching for her hands as if I can't resist. “Hailey,” I breathe, and I'd believe me if I was watching the scene play out.

She smiles flirtatiously. “Surprise!”

“Put her back in the cake,” Elliott says, and Thomas swears before yelling for filming to stop again. I drop her fingers like she's burned me and step back.

“Seriously, we don't want this one.” Miles faces Thomas, his face serious as he gestures at Hailey.

She rolls her eyes and props her hand on her hip. “I'm just here for publicity, so calm down. ”

Elliott rubs his forehead. “You're taking the place of someone that could be our mate.”

She scoffs. “I'm sure Rafe will test out all those poor omegas, and you'll know in no time who your match is, if they are in the house that is. I'm betting on Rafe never finding love, though.” She examines her long fingernails that resemble purple claws before bringing her calculating gaze back to me.

“Are you forgetting who went to the media with the other person's secrets?” Miles asks, lifting a pierced eyebrow.

She smirks, her eyes sparkling. Her gaze rakes down to my shoes. “It was worth it.”

“Bitch,” Elliott says.

She shrugs. “I prefer Queen Bitch, thanks.”

“Focus.” Thomas steps between us, cutting through the tension with his bark. “Now places, from the surprise.”

I drag my hands out of my pockets and force myself to take her fingers in mine again. Disassociating, I paste on my signature smile.

“Rolling in one…” Thomas says, before holding up two fingers, followed by three.

And we are on. “I didn't think I'd ever see you again.”

I feel the camera zoom in on my face, ignoring my pack mates. And I sell it. I drop a kiss to her cheek and say loud enough for them to pick up in edits, “Let me walk you inside.”