Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

14. Lilah

CHAPTER 14

Lilah

There are a few things I’ve learned over the last few days. Omega in Paradise producers love drama. They arrange dates making them look random, but they aren’t. There’s always at least one pair of omegas who don’t like each other in the house going on the same one.

And the second thing I’ve learned is, I actually do want to stay. I don’t know if I want to win. But even during the last ceremony that eliminated three more girls, bringing us to seventeen, my heart raced like a runaway horse until Elliott offered me a token to stay.

The last thing is, Chad’s persistent and charming with the guys. It’s an interesting mask to see him put on. Because in the privacy of the house, when he seeks me out to see if I’ve made any progress, he’s clearly not in love. Or even falling. His heart’s walled up as tight as the day he arrived, and it makes me wonder who hurt him before.

As if thinking about Chad can conjure him, he saunters onto the back patio, looking like a snack. His hair’s styled to perfection, and his clothing appears like it’s made for his body. He will make some pack happy, someday, but I don’t think it will be with Miles, Elliott, and Rafe. No matter how much he tries.

“Here he comes,” Willow mutters. I’ve slowly gotten to know her on the group dates I've been on with her. And I like her. She’s sweet and sassy. My kind of girl, even if I’ll be keeping her at arms length.

“Morning,” he says as he drops down next to me. His gaze travels over my face like an inspector. “Your makeup’s good today.”

Rolling my eyes, I hide my smile as I sip on the warm coffee in my grasp. “It’s good every day, and you know it.”

“He’s just jealous,” Willow says. She smirks at him and goes back to reading her book.

He suppresses a smile, while crossing his legs. “What torture do you think they have planned for us today? Lord, I could use a spa day.”

“You are sort of a pampered prince, aren’t you?” As if agreeing with my point, a dove starts calling from a nearby tree. I search the branches for the bird as Chad scoffs.

“I know my worth, we’ll work on that with you.”

Laughing, I bring my attention back to him. “Yeah?”

“Of course, what are friends for? And from one friend to another, I think Rafe has it bad for you. Nothing I do is turning his head.”

“Agreed,” Willow says, pulling herself out of her book and proving she is listening to everything we say. “That boy’s in full-on-lust with you.”

Rafe .

I set the coffee mug down, my fingers absently going to the bracelet he gave me at the first ceremony. It flips around my wrist as I fidget with it.

My body's reaction to just his freaking name is too much. I swear, perfume would be like a cloud around us right now, not to mention the way my hands go clammy and my chest tightens with withheld emotion.

“It’s all pretend. He isn’t looking for an omega. Sorta like how you aren’t actually looking for love,” I say to Chad before glancing at Willow. “And you don’t seem interested in any of them either.” She rolls her eyes and focuses on the story in her hands.

Chad’s eyebrows raise, his gaze dropping to my fidgeting fingers, but he doesn’t say a word to acknowledge what I just told him. “So, what do you think the chances of a spa day are?”

“Considering the last group date was hiking, probably not the best. They don’t seem like the type to frequent spas.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, and I finally pick back up my coffee and sip on it. Out here, away from the remaining omegas, it feels like we are in our own little world. And as crazy as it sounds, I like Willow, and Chad’s becoming like a friend. Sure, he’s abrasive and pushy, but he is also honest. Which means he isn’t going to hide something from me and stab me in the back like—shaking my head, I yank myself back to the present. She doesn’t deserve my thoughts, even if they are fleeting.

“True,” he murmurs. “Do you think I’m the villain of this season?” His foot bounces, giving away his anxiety about being painted in a negative light.

“No, I think that would be Hailey,” Willow replies.

Chad smiles at her. “She’s a real bitch, isn’t she? I can say that, and I’m not the one that caught Rafe’s attention. And it would make sense for her to be the villain after all the crap she put Rafe through. Especially since Lilah’s probably the sweetheart of the season.”

I snort. “I’ve done nothing to be a sweetheart.”

“Yeah, it just comes naturally,” he says, bumping my shoulder. “We should get in there, the pack will be here soon.”

Just as we enter the living room, the front door opens, and camera crews pour into the house like rats escaping a flood. Thomas calls for all the omegas to gather in the front room, and a flurry of motion takes hold of the mansion like a living breathing tornado. I sink into one of the couches beside Willow, and Chad perches on the arm next to me.

Turner Clark strolls into the room once we are all assembled. He has two envelopes and he hands one to Hailey and the other to another omega, Kristy.

“Enclosed in the envelopes are the names for the two group dates, you’ll be going as a group with all three alphas. One date will be going to an escape room, while the other will be going on a ghost tour. At the end of each date, the pack can save one of you from the next ceremony. Who’s ready for today’s dates?”

A cheer goes up amongst the omegas, and Hailey opens her envelope. Please let me not be with her. I cross my fingers, hiding them beneath my leg as she starts to read out loud.

“You’ve been invited on a date to a ghost tour. Can you face the unknown and keep your head? The following omegas will join the pack for a night of thrills: Hailey,” she smirks and lifts her eyes to the group, as if her name is the only one that matters. “Tamika, Marcus, Abby, Chad, Gwen, Willow, and Parker.”

“A ghost tour?” Chad whispers. “What does someone wear to a ghost tour?”

“The pack will be here to get you at nine o’clock, enjoy your day,” Turner Clark says. He nods at Kristy, and she hesitantly opens the envelope, lacking the confidence Hailey just showed.

“You’ve been invited on a date to an escape room.” Her voice comes out small and unsure. “You’ll use your wits to help get out. Can you find the solution and escape? The following omegas will join the pack for a day of puzzle solving: Kristy, Ben, Chelsea, Annie, Kathleen, Veronica, Tyler, and Blair.”

“You have a half hour to prepare for the pack’s arrival,” Turner Clark says to the second group.

I’m pretty sure my breath is still lodged in my throat. My name isn’t in either group.

“Lilah, unfortunately, you will not be going on one of the group dates. However, you will be going on a solo pack date. At the end of your date, they will have an option to offer you a trinket or send you home.” He pauses and glances around at the group. I know what’s coming next, I’ve watched every season of Omega in Paradise , the one on one dates start now. And I’m the first. My stomach drops as he parts his lips to add, “Your date will be tomorrow before the ceremony.”

“Damn girl, can you say jackpot?” Chad says as the rest of the room erupts in chatter.

“Jackpot?” I pin him with a glare. “This is not a good thing, Chad. What if they send me home?”

Suddenly, I really want to stay. Which is the complete opposite of what I should want. Staying will lead to heartbreak, I can feel it. Every time I’m around any of them, I can feel myself falling. Even with Rafe’s acting, it’s hard to separate fake from real.

He makes a dismissive noise that isn’t quite a snort, but close enough that I narrow my eyes on him. “Those alphas are not going to send you home. Especially if Rafe has a say in the matter.”

Sighing, I shake my head. He’s wrong, but I already expressed that to him earlier, and if Chad’s anything, he’s persistent in what he feels.

“Rolling your eyes at me doesn’t change the fact that you are the luckiest bitch here. ”

I laugh and push off of the couch. “Since I get to have a day off, I’m going to go get in my swimsuit and go relax in the hot tub.”

Chad unfolds from the arm of the sofa and trails after me. “It might be the closest I get to a spa day, so I’ll join you. There are hours before I have to be ready.”

We obviously set a trend because Tyler, Chelsea, and Annie join us in the hot tub. Steam rises off of the water, and the bubbles relax me, even with the other omegas with us. It’s the perfect early fall day, and I plan to stay in the hot water as long as possible.

As I allow my mind to drift, I begin to tune out the chatter of the omegas around me. This whole experience has been a whirlwind—one I didn’t expect to embrace, but here I am, not hating it as much as I thought I would. Even with the playing pretend and feeling like a boat at sea somedays. Watching the show on television never prepared me for the reality of being in it, and I know I'll never see it the same way again. Yet, beyond the surface, I feel something unexpected happening inside of me.

The part of my soul that was shattered by the betrayal of my ex and my best friend is beginning to stitch itself back together, piece by fragile piece. Being here, away from the reminders of that terrible day, is like putting miles of emotional distance between me and the pain I never thought I’d escape. It’s not just the distraction—it’s the challenge, the newness, the way this chaotic journey has forced me to focus on something other than my own broken heart.

Maybe that’s why it feels like healing. Every step forward in this process, every unexpected turn, is pulling me out of the darkness I’d been trapped in for so long. Ashlyn signing me up for this show, as crazy as it seemed at first, may have saved my life. It’s not just about winning or losing anymore— it's about reclaiming the parts of me I thought were lost forever.

“What do you think, Lilah?” Annie asks, dragging me out of my thoughts.

“About?” I focus on the group again.

“Which alpha has the bigger knot?” Tyler says.

The corner of Chad’s mouth quirks up with amusement when my mouth pops open. “I say Miles.” He shrugs as his pouty lips form a wide grin that walks the line between evil and mischievous.

The blush that rises to my cheeks has nothing to do with the heat and everything to do with the topic. “That isn’t something I’ve given much thought about…” I trail off when they each make a disbelieving sound at my answer.

“Come on, all of us have thought about it,” Chelsea says, rolling her eyes.

She’s right. I’ve thought of each of them in ways I probably shouldn’t. But I think it’s the situation the show put us in. It’s hard not to fantasize about what could be. And sex, I know from past seasons, isn't off the table.

Withholding a smile, I press my lips together before playing along. It’s better to have friends here than enemies. “Elliott’s a mountain of a man, I’m sure his knot’s the biggest.”

“Is that so?” Rafe’s voice comes from behind me, and I want to sink into the water and accept a watery death rather than turn to face him.

My eyes lock with Chad’s, and he looks as if he’s holding back laughter. He knew one of them was approaching and he let me answer that question. I’m going to kill him.

“We have about twenty minutes before we leave for the escape room. I could grab him and we can test that theory,” Rafe says .

Apparently ignoring the alpha will not make him go away, and the omegas in the hot tub are no help as they disperse like leaves on the wind. Leaving me to face Rafe on my own.

Closing my eyes, I take a steadying breath before turning to look up at him. He grins down at me like the devil himself before squatting lower.

“You’re beautiful when you blush,” he admits, his voice lowering to an almost gravelly sound that plays over my skin like a physical touch.

I snort, holding his stare, determined to ignore the way my body reacts to him. “It’s the heat of the hot tub. And you don’t have to say stuff like that, no one’s here anymore. You scared them all away. And the camera crew is filming your dates getting ready.”

He laughs and stands back up. “All in the plan.”

“Is the solo date all in the plan too? How can you use me as a shield if I’m not on one of the group dates?”

I move to the stairs and climb out of the hot tub. Steam rises from my skin, and I reach for my robe a second too late. Rafe holds it up, gesturing with his head for me to let him help me put it on. His eyes drop down my front as I step into him and turn around, allowing him to guide the fabric over my quickly cooling body.

“The solo date’s part of the plan. What other way can I make it clear to the other omegas that I’ve already chosen someone?”

“Or you could send me home.” I secure the belt and turn to face him. The fear of going home grows in my stomach like a weed I can’t kill.

He drags a finger over my damp cheek before tapping my nose. “You are the perfect little omega, why would I ever do that?”