Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

15. Rafe

CHAPTER 15

Rafe

Seeking Lilah out is compulsory. Almost as if I couldn’t control my body as it searched the mansion for her. Now, with her standing in front of me in a robe, soaking wet from the hot tub, attempting to disengage is like trying to talk while holding my breath. Impossible.

I curl my fingers in to stop from touching her again, but I can’t step back. My plan of using her as a shield may backfire because the more I’m around her, the more I want to be around her. Insane? Yes. But I can’t help it.

It isn’t even something I can hide from my pack. Because they see straight through me. And of course they are allowing the connection to grow. It’s why they didn’t stop me from seeking her out now.

Damn. I fell right into their trap.

But that doesn’t mean she needs to know that. She isn’t here for love; she made that clear from the beginning. Or did she? Now I’m starting to wonder if she’s twisting things, manipulating the situation to keep me guessing. We talked about this at the orchard, and I thought I understood her, but maybe she’s not as straightforward as I believed. Is she lying to me? I don’t know anymore.

Her lips part, and she drops her eyes to the patio. “I’m sure if you found a better shield you would have no need of me.”

I force a chuckle out. I’m an actor; I can fake this. “If there’s one thing you should know about me, Sweetheart , it’s that I follow through. Speaking of follow through…I’m sure Elliott’s around somewhere—” I trail off as her cheeks darken again.

Addictive, that’s what she is. Like a drug. One I may need to survive.

“Or we can save it for our date tomorrow,” I suggest wickedly, loving the way her eyes fly to mine and the way she gasps in shock. It’s just the image I need to make it through the two group dates today. Hell, maybe I’ll find her after the first one and get another hit.

She presses her lips together and shifts on her bare feet, making me aware that she’s wet and standing out on the patio on a cool fall day. “Rafe?—”

“You’re wet. You need to get inside before you catch a cold,” I say before she can reply to my teasing.

Motioning towards the double doors that lead inside to the kitchen, I press my palm flat against her lower back to ensure she heads that way. As if she’s going to resist getting warm or something. It’s a purely alpha move and I know it, yet I don’t care at all.

Once inside, she faces me again. “Did you want to help me get dressed too?” She quirks an eyebrow up as a taunting smile pulls at her lips.

Invading her space again, I drop my head to her ear and whisper, “Don’t tempt me.”

I sense more than feel the shiver that works over her, and I swear I can smell freshly baked cookies as I step back. Glancing around the kitchen, I search for any sign of cookies before narrowing my eyes on her. Is that her perfume? Inhaling deeply, I catch another slight hint of it in the air. It makes me want to throw her over my shoulder and run out of the house declaring she is mine.

Swallowing, I study her for any sort of tell that she knows she’s perfuming for me.

I’m almost ready to close the space between us again to breathe in her scent, when Miles pops his head into the kitchen, taking in the situation quickly before he says, “Rafe, time to go,” I want to growl in frustration.

A dimple appears on her left cheek as that corner of her mouth tilts up in a smirk. “Looks like you’ve got a date to get too. Tell Hailey I said hi.” She curls her fingers in a little sarcastic wave, and I grimace.

“That’s the second date, and don’t remind me.” Backing up two steps, I notice the puddle gathering at her feet and lift my gaze back up to hers. “Go get dry, Lilah.”

Unable to wait for a response without dragging her into my arms and kissing the life out of her—for no reason other than I want to feel her lips on mine—I turn on my heel and follow Miles out of the room.

With the first date out of the way and basically pointless if you ask me. I’m ready to get the ghost tour over with.

The omegas, Chad, Abby, Hailey, Tamika, Willow, Marcus, Parker, and Gwen, wait for us near the large passenger van. And I paste on a charming smile as I approach. If I thought it would get easier as we send omegas home, I was wrong. Because Hailey’s still here. And I’m sure production won’t let us send her home tomorrow either. They are intent on torturing me as long as possible .

At least Chad’s on this date. He can be amusing and blunt. It’s refreshing and reminds me a little of Lilah. He was, after all, my first choice of a shield. Although, I do prefer Lilah. She has this spark that lights something up inside me, even if I’m supposed to be acting.

Who am I kidding, I picked her as a shield because my pack wanted her and I wanted to find a reason they shouldn’t. Jokes on me, because I’m pretty sure I’m under her spell too.

Even now, piling into the van, I glance up at the windows hoping to see her face with the other omegas watching us leave. She’s not there.

“What was that about in the kitchen earlier?” Miles says. He slides in next to me, lowering his voice so the cameras don't pick it up. It’s really the first chance he’s had to ask me anything all day. He’s open and friendly with all the omegas—if not a little reserved—so they gravitate to him in hopes he will keep them.

I’m still not talking about it in a car full of omega’s. “Nothing.”

He scoffs and shakes his head. “Right. Nothing.”

“Can we just focus on the date?”

Willow settles on the other side of me, and Miles smiles at her before looking back at me. “We can talk about it when we get back.”

Choosing to ignore his mildly threatening promise of a conversation, I mentally affix my mask and turn to Willow, making small meaningless conversation with the girl until we arrive at the ghost tour.

Once we are out of the confines of the vehicle, Chad approaches us, his gaze dropping over me like I’m the prey in this situation, before his lips curl up into a pouty smile. “Alpha, I don’t do scary, can I walk with you?”

“You seem pretty fearless to me,” I say, playing my part.

He eats up the complement in the way I knew he would and grins at me, a sparkle in his hazel eyes. Taking my words as an invitation, he links his arm over mine, attaching to my side like velcro.

“Do you have room for two shields?” he asks, catching me off guard. I tilt my head in his direction and narrow my eyes on him.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say.

He rolls his eyes before giving me a droll stare. “Lilah. She told me.”

“She told you what exactly?” Why is my heart beating like I’ve been caught stealing from a cookie jar as a child?

“Don’t play dumb, it isn’t a good look.” He pauses, his eyes doing a lap around my face. “Unless—you have caught real feelings for her.”

My mouth dries out and nerves twist my stomach. It’s supposed to be acting. And if it’s acting, having another person to place between me and Hailey is always beneficial. Right?

“Why would you want to play along?”

He presses his lips together and glances away. “Anything to get me to the end. I have something to prove.”

“If you were at the end and we chose you, what are your expectations?” My stomach gives a painful lurch. My words feel like betrayal, even though they aren’t. I’ve made no promises to anyone. In fact, I’ve done the opposite.

He shifts his attention to the nearest cameraman, who’s filming Elliott and Willow engaged in a flirty conversation as he tells her all about the manor we are going to be touring.

“A month or two of pretending should do.”

Is Chad the way out of this? Can I convince Miles to go for Chad? The way it’s going with Lilah, I’m heading down a very dangerous road of possibly offering her my heart on a silver platter. And she will laugh in my face.

“I don’t know if I can convince my pack mates,” I admit. Especially Elliott, who’s most definitely looking for our forever omega.

“Leave them to me,” he says. His fingers curl around my bicep, and I lead him over to the group.

I may have just made a deal with the devil, and the way my stomach’s revolting at the idea has me convinced I need to keep it. I’ve been broken-hearted before, and I don’t want to experience that pain again. It’s better to cut it off before it even begins.