Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

6. Lilah

CHAPTER 6

Lilah

If I thought escaping into the house would be a relief, Chad, the omega from earlier, attaches to me the moment he arrives, cameras already filming us from the sidelines.

“Can you believe my luck? Miles Abbott, Elliott Ray, and freaking Rafe Carson. It's like winning the lottery.” His cheeks are flush with excitement.

I choke back a laugh. This man is something else.

“Oh, but I bet that's awkward for you after puking all over Rafe at that club.” He chuckles at the observation as if it's amusing and not a disaster.

The cameraman drifts closer, wanting to record all of my embarrassment in high definition I'm sure. I turn away from him, giving my back to the cameras as I try to disengage Chad, but he's like a Pomeranian yapping at my heels as I stride away from him.

“Is that a sensitive topic? It is, isn't it?”

I press my lips together, choosing not to answer him as I take a seat next to one of the other omegas. A quiet and handsome guy who smiles at me over his drink as I sit down. I give him a tight smile before I cast my gaze over the rest of the room.

Another woman, a tall red head, sinks into the armchair next to the guy with a sigh. She’s obviously as overwhelmed as I am. It eases my smile a bit as I meet her steady gaze.

“This is something else, isn’t it?” she asks, her lips turn up and her eyes sparkle with humor.

“It is,” I agree. “I didn’t expect it to feel so crazy.”

“Same. And the greeting is so much different in person,” she says. I nod my agreement. “I’m Willow, by the way.”

“Lilah,” I reply, smiling for real now. She seems nice, and in a house full of omegas competing for the same alphas, that might be needed.

“I’m still not sure I should be here,” she admits, sinking back into the armchair. “I binge-watched a bunch of seasons after casting found me and offered me a spot. And the omegas that are pure bitches—I’m not a fan,” she says as if she can read my mind.

I don’t mention that I am an ultra fan, who also doesn’t feel like I should be here. Although we both found our way onto the show through different means, I feel a sort of kinship with her.

The other girls and guys gather around the windows watching each omega arrive. Their commentary is sometimes sarcastic and mean. I wonder vaguely what they said about me. Not that I really care. I'm still not sure I'm even staying.

Eventually the tabloids will move on to someone more interesting, and with the exception of the parties Ashlyn drags me to, I'll be out of the spotlight, living a free life. Maybe I should just settle for that. I don’t really need to prove anything to the world.

Chad drops into the chair next to me. He lounges into it with all the airs of an omega who knows their place in the world, and I sort of admire the confidence, even if it's misplaced.

“You should probably avoid alcohol here, though.” He glances over at me, continuing the conversation as if there was no lull.

“Are you the youngest sibling?” I ask.

“One and only, my parents got it right the first time.”

I want to say, ‘Or really wrong and they were afraid of trying again.’ But I bite my tongue as the lens of the nearest camera zooms in on us again.

The guy next to me snorts, and Chad zones in on him with laser focus.

“I bet you're the middle child,” he says to the guy, narrowing his eyes on him. “At least your parents aren't quitters.”

I hold back a smile, my eyes widening at his boldness. He has even less of a filter than I do. Willow laughs, and Chad flashes her a grin.

Then, with a casual pout, he turns back to me, dismissing the guy before he can respond. “Why do you ask?”

I shrug. “The no filter thing. It's attention-seeking behavior.”

He flashes white teeth at me before taking a sip of the champagne in his glass. His pinky extended.

“Part of my charm.”

I roll my eyes and snort before remembering where I am. “Or defenses,” slips out.

I'm not here to psychoanalyze these people. It comes naturally. But I stuff that part of myself away. I walked away from my practice the moment I realized my own life was fake, and none of the stupid things I said to my clients was true. Some people just have crap lives, and there’s nothing they can do to change that.

Whispers and murmurs sound from the omegas gathered in the windows. Standing, I cross the room to see who they are whispering about. Curiosity gets the better of me.

As I reach the window, I am just in time to see Rafe reach for a brunette's hands before dropping a kiss to her cheek. Unexplainably, it feels like someone kicked a hornets nest inside my stomach. It gets worse as he drapes his arm over her shoulder and leads her to the front door.

Whoa. Get control of yourself, Lilah. That alpha doesn’t belong to you.

The whispers become an annoying buzzing in my ears. I straighten, stepping away from the window frame as Miles' clear blue eyes land on me. The corner of his mouth raises in a possible smile, I'm not positive, because it could also be a grimace that he's holding back. And I don't stay within view to see if it transforms into one or the other.

Watching the omegas mingle with each other and surround the alphas is painful. Each one attempts to garner attention and one-on-one's. I hang back, not wanting to enter the fray. It doesn’t look this painful on TV. It looks exciting and full of energy.

Elliott breaks away from them and approaches me. I flex my toes inside my tight shoes, wishing I could become invisible.

My cheeks heat when he smiles at me. It sparkles in the depths of his eyes as his attention runs from my face down to my feet and back up leisurely. I squeeze my legs together, knowing I'd be perfuming if I wasn't on blockers.

“A tree, huh?” He chuckles, and it’s like cuddling into a cozy and warm blanket.

I grimace, crinkling my nose. “I made an impression, I see. ”

He swipes a pink tongue over his lips, glancing back at the group behind him. “It wasn’t your words that made an impression.” He lowers his voice and steps closer, his broad shoulders blocking out everyone behind him. A tingle runs down my spine as my whole body reacts to him. Holy shit, this man is the whole package. Pure unadulterated alpha. At least by first impressions. “But they didn’t hurt.”

I inhale, wanting just a sniff of his musk. What does he smell like? The feeling is like a need brewing deep in my belly. But there’s nothing, just the cologne he must have put on tonight, which isn’t terrible, but not what I want to catch a hint of.

“How do you know Rafe?”

His question catches me off guard, and I know it shouldn’t. I basically announced to the three of them I knew his pack mate. Even if he denied it.

Rolling my lips between my teeth, I glance over at the alpha in question. He’s smiling and flirting like it’s his job. And I don’t like it. Annoyance prickles at me with the easy way he’s able to draw the omegas in.

The memory of pressing myself along his body in the crush of people on that sweaty dance floor, his hands molding to my ass almost perfectly, swirls around inside of me. The barest detectible scent of my favorite candy bar had hit me at that moment. Butterfinger. Do they get stuck in your teeth when you eat them? Yes. But they taste like the flaky peanut butter goodness of heaven wrapped inside a thin layer of chocolate. Is that what Rafe would have tasted like if I got that far? Or was it pure imagination on my part?

Elliott clears his throat, gaining my attention again. He hums thoughtfully. “Maybe I don’t want to know. The idea of him having the honor of touching your smooth skin first doesn’t sit well with me.”

My heart slams into my ribcage as it tries to physically hand itself to him. My hormones go into overdrive as every single twitching muscle inside of me wants to climb him like a fucking tree without scenting his musk. I swallow, finding my mouth as dry as a desert. What’s wrong with my hormones, are they malfunctioning?

“We didn’t—” I shake my head to cut myself off as the camera nearest us makes it obvious it has listened to our entire conversation. “I mean—” Bandaid…rip it off. “I puked on him at a club.”

Elliott laughs, throwing his head back with amusement. His eyes twinkle with his merriment. But he isn’t laughing at me. I can feel it even before he says anything.

“That was you?”

I nod my head slowly, as my lips twist holding back a smile that wants to join his. My eyes crinkle at the sides as my cheeks raise up anyway. And I tuck my lip between my teeth in a failed attempt to stop it.

“Well, you made quite the impression on him too it seems.”

Curiosity has my gaze snapping to Rafe, who’s already staring at me. I jerk my eyes away from him as soon as I connect with his golden irises, as if the contact burns. Heat travels up the sides of my neck and over the tops of my ears before spreading over my face. Even looking away from him, I can feel the intensity of his eyes on me.

“If I tell you a secret, will you keep it?” Elliott asks, leaning close.

Part of me wants to close the distance between us and hear all his secrets. I curl my fingers into my palms and smile. At least I hope it comes off as a smile because it feels brittle and fake. Maybe this isn’t the best move for me—flirting with alphas is dangerous—I feel like a bucket of ice water is tossed over my head. Why am I indulging this feeling? And why is it so hard to stop myself ?

“You probably shouldn’t trust any of the omegas here with your secrets on the first night,” I reply as I step back, putting needed space between us. “We are all here for our own reasons, some not for love,” I add, thinking of the one omega, Blair, who has been very vocal about her socials.

He straightens, the humor back in the depths of his eyes, and I wonder if he’s ever not in a good mood. “Fair point.”

I smile back at him, a real one this time. He’s the type of person that you want to join in with his smiles; you want to be part of his secrets. Just being in his orbit is like a hit of dopamine. Some people have so much charisma, it overflows onto the people around them, and Elliott’s one of those rare people. I want to soak it all in like a dry sponge, even while trying to push him away with my words.

“Well, my fair omega, I should stop ignoring my other guests, so I can at least pretend I haven’t already chosen my future mate.”

My heart does that fucking thing again, trying to serve itself up on a platter for him, like the organ belongs to Elliott already.

He’s dangerous, being mouthwateringly attractive and charming adds to that danger. Everything I wanted while I thought I was in love, before I didn’t believe in it, but now it’s like a gigantic warning sign flashing over his head, don’t let him past the walls. In fact, build those fuckers higher. Way higher.

I watch him as he strides away, a contained confidence in each step. It’s sexy as hell. A cameraman steps closer, and I flick my eyes to the lens for a second before looking back at Elliott’s retreating back. I’m sure the longing painted on my face will make for good TV. Too bad it wasn’t an act, and if I don’t get to work on those walls, he will make them crumble quickly.