Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

12. Elliott

CHAPTER 12

Elliott

Straightening my tie, I examine my suit in the full-length mirror. This is the last chance I have before the ceremony to have a real one-on-one with Lilah, the one omega that caught my full attention.

My palms are clammy at the idea of being close to her. If I had met her outside of this show, maybe I would have never needed to force my pack onto Omega in Paradise . Because one look, and it’s as if my alpha knows what it wants. It knows that she will fix what’s broken in my pack. That she can be the one that holds us together.

Twenty-nine other omegas, all beautiful and handsome in their own right, but my attention is drawn to her like a moth to the flame. And my pack seems drawn to her too. Even if Rafe won’t admit it.

Miles leans against the dresser next to me, already ready. Sometimes his OCD has him hyper-focusing on things and we’ll find him half-dressed, organizing the cabinets or refrigerator so everything’s ‘just right.’ But it’s obvious something or someone has motivated him today.

“Did you enjoy the afternoon?” he asks, but I’m pretty sure his question is just a way to get on the topic he really wants to talk about.

“It was a good time,” I admit with a shrug. “There are a few omegas I can see myself giving a trinket too.”

He presses his lips together and nods slowly. “Yeah, same. Did you notice how hands-on Rafe was with Lilah?”

My heart gives a jolt at her name. Turning to him, I can feel my brow crinkle in question. “The one he just told us we couldn’t pick?”

“The very same.” A wide grin pulls at Miles' lips. Excitement lights up his face, and I know that his OCD has a new target in the form of a five-foot-six blonde beauty. I honestly can’t blame him because I’m obsessed with the thought of her too. “Maybe he’s had a change of heart.”

“Or maybe he knows she isn’t here for love,” Rafe says from the doorway, drawing both of our attention. “She basically admitted it. They only picked her in the first place to highlight that incident in the club. To show that I might never change. I decided we could help each other.”

“You’re going to use her?” It isn’t a question. Really, it’s more of a demand as it fills the space. I don’t like the idea, not even a tiny bit.

He rolls his lips together. “Sorry, man, but she told me to pick anyone but her in the end. She will make a great shield to keep the others off me. And I’ll use that to my advantage. Besides, if we can sell the story well enough, it will help my image too.”

“So that’s it? You aren’t going to try? You said you would,” I accuse him, a sour feeling settling in my stomach. Why would he purposefully pick the one omega I’m drawn to and use her as a means to an end? Does he even know that this show could do more than fix his image? It could fix us, and Lilah might be the key to that. Rafe isn’t normally cruel, but right now it feels as if he’s twisting a knife deep in my chest. “What if I decide it’s her?”

He meets my stare with a steady one of his own. Blinking once, he says, “It’s not.”

Miles clears his throat beside me. “Elliott, there are twenty-nine other omegas.”

My gaze sails over his expressive face. He’s lying because he feels it too. I know he does. That draw isn’t just me. But his words help to calm me a bit. If Rafe needs me to pretend she isn’t the one until he can come to terms with whatever is going on with him, I can give him that.

“Fine. I’ll give them all a shot. Except for the snake, Hailey Gray.”

The second we enter the expansive backyard that has a small hill down to a lake, the omegas call out happy greetings. Some are so bold as to close the distance between us. Yet, Lilah hangs back watching like she did the night before.

I make small talk with a group of girls, while my pack mates spread out, each of them interacting with other omegas. Eventually, I make my way across the patio to where Lilah is and settle next to her on the wicker couch. I’m like a moth to a flame with her. I can’t stop myself from going to her side. Or from being in her orbit. Even when less than an hour ago I made a false promise to Rafe.

“You’re a hard one to chat with,” I say.

She laughs softly, and it’s like the sound of music to my ears. “You look a little busy juggling omegas.”

I glance back over the gathering and nod. “None of them are as bold as you.”

She leans back on the couch with a shrug. “You mean none of them admits that they would climb you like a tree if they scented you? I just have no filter.”

A surprise laugh pops from my mouth, and I grin over at her. “There’s that.”

“What’s your musk?” she asks, her voice lowering as if she doesn’t want the cameras to pick up her question.

“Are there scents that are a turn off to you?” I say without answering.

Her eyebrows draw together as if she’s thinking about the question before she shakes her head. “No, maybe some I wouldn’t pick on my own. But there are none that really are a deal breaker. You’re not going to tell me are you?”

I lift my gaze to the watching camera and smile. “Against the rules.”

She smirks. “Ah, a rule follower. Interesting.”

“If we didn’t have law and order, the world would be in chaos, and as much as Rafe would thrive in that environment, I would not,” I say unapologetically. I know what I am. And if an omega is going to pick me, they should be aware of it too. Rule following is high on that list, probably left over damage by parents that didn’t want me. If I follow the rules, I can’t be found at fault and discarded for it.

“I like that. Everyone needs stability in their life,” she says.

“Hmmm,” I hum, the line of conversation getting a little too close to my scars, “Enough about me. Tell me about what brings you to the show.”

“You didn’t hear about it already?” she asks, shock coloring her tone, her eyes widening slightly.

“I don’t believe rumors. There’s so much the tabloids and news sites get wrong, I rather hear it from the source.” I lean back and face her, pulling a leg up and underneath me. “Tell me your story, Lilah.”

She swirls her drink around the glass, looking down at the untouched champagne. “Which story?”

There’s a vulnerability in the question that takes me aback. Part of me wants to tell her she doesn’t need to share anything that’s uncomfortable, while the other more selfish part wants her whole story. Every last detail.

“What’s your side of the story for the club incident ?”

She squirms, and I almost think that opening up at all is something she struggles with. But even the most delicate flower blooms under the right sort of warmth.

Her chest rises in a deep breath that she releases slowly. “I was at the club that night because my sister decided that I couldn’t sit around her living room in my pajamas sulking anymore. So I let her drag me out. Terrible mistake.” She shivers and hugs herself.

“Cold?” I shrug out of my suit jacket and drape it over her shoulders. The need to care for this omega is strong, and I’m not sure I can shake it, even for my pack mate. Or despite him.

“I should have stayed home. Because I drank a little too much and threw myself at Rafe before promptly puking all over him. He was actually trying to help me.” She snorts in the most adorable way, then adds, “The real headline should have read, ‘ Rafe, Hollywood’s playboy, attempting to save the wanton omega from herself, getting more than he asked for .’”

“I’m not sure even that could have helped his image,” I reply. Memorizing her facial features, I notice immediately when she starts to blush. Her cheeks turn the prettiest pink, and her blue eyes sparkle with the stars in the sky, all while she ducks her head and attempts not to look at me. I can’t have that, and my hand darts out, capturing her chin and lifting her face back to mine. “Can I tell you a secret?”

She laughs, humor flashing in the depths of her irises. “You really like telling secrets, huh? Remind me never to trust you with one of mine. ”

I wet my lower lip and drag my teeth over the surface as I look around covertly, as if it’s a really big one. Lowering my voice and leaning into her space, I say, “I’ve puked on Rafe too.”

This time she throws her head back, her laughter catching the envious gazes of all the nearby omegas, as well as the attention of my pack mates. Her smooth throat on display. My chest puffs out. That’s right, I’m the one that made her laugh unabashedly, completely forgetting about the cameras .

She dabs at her eyes as her laughter trails off. Her face is lit up with happiness, and I want to keep it like that.

Rafe approaches first, able to disengage with the best of them, and he drops down on her other side. “What are we talking about?” He leans forward, invading her space completely to speak over her shoulder. Directly into the shell of her ear. She shivers, goosebumps exploding along the side of her neck as she stumbles over words that never come.

“Our shared experience with the pleasure of puking all over your handsome face,” I say with a shit-eating grin.

He groans and falls back, wiping his hand over his face. “Gross.”

“At least yours wasn’t caught on camera,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at Rafe, her cheeks darkening again with her blush.

If I didn’t know better I’d say she likes him. What exactly happened between them earlier? If I knew, maybe I could create other situations that would encourage a repeat. Anything to grow whatever is happening between them.

“True,” I murmur, deep in thought.

As if she senses the change in me, she tilts her head to the side, watching me with her perceptive blue eyes. But before she can say anything, Rafe says, “I assure you both that having vomit all over you, that’s not your own, is worse than being the one puking.”