Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

28. Lilah

CHAPTER 28

Lilah

“And then there were eight,” Willow says.

She casts her gaze over the five other omegas not standing with us. Chad shifts on his feet and dismisses them all as he faces us fully. We are all only out here because production told us we needed to be for the show. Guess they are doing the date reveal out here on the patio today.

“Yet we are the only three that matter,” he says, lifting his mimosa up in a fake toast.

She laughs and glances at me. “I’m surprised I’m still here. I don’t think I have a real connection with them. They are nice. But…” she pauses, her eyes settling on the same beta from the other night working the camera. “...You can’t tell me that beta isn’t a snack. And if I’m drawn to other men, is that a betrayal to the alphas I’m supposed to be here for?” She lowers her voice, looking between us.

“A betrayal to the alphas that started with thirty omegas fighting for their attention?” I ask dryly.

Chad pulls his eyes away from the cameraman in question. “He’s cute. I guess. You two would look good together naked. ”

“You really need a filter,” I say.

Willow’s cheeks turn a pretty pink, and she ducks her head. “You think so?”

“Willow, we are not looking to Chad for dating advice. He’s terrible.”

Chad laughs. Ignoring me, he says, “I think so. Make it happen girl. You know you're not the one that will be at the end. That position’s all mine.”

I wish I could say the jealousy that Chad stirs up with his words wasn’t real. But I can’t. I just need to get it through my head that he’s right. Rafe made it clear. He isn’t here for love. It’s obvious from last night that he doesn’t mind a little lust in the equation, but even that might break my heart.

“We have a contract,” Willow says, clearly entertaining the idea.

“Do you know how many places around this house are not on camera?” Chad snorts. “The library’s one.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head when he shoots a look at me. I hadn’t told Willow about that, and I’m not going to tell her now.

“Or the bathroom,” I add.

Chad’s eyes go wide, and Willow nods as if she’s considering it. “Bitch, you didn’t!” Chad grips my arm, completely dismissing the conversation with Willow.

“Of course not,” I say with a forced laugh.

His lips press together into his pouty smile, and a real laugh slips out. “Which one?”

I moisten my lips remembering Rafe’s lips against mine. It’s hard to forget. Hell, any of them are hard to forget. The way they each kiss with their whole self is something I’ve never experienced before.

“It was Elliott, wasn’t it? When you pulled him away?”

My smile dims. Although, his kiss and attention in those seven minutes is unforgettable; he has held me at arms length since.

“Sorry to disappoint. I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Right—” Chad says, and I feel him getting ready to say something more, when Miles, Elliott, and Rafe come out onto the patio.

Turner Clark trails behind them, looking very much like the host for the Hunger Games with the way his hair is styled.

A hush falls over us, and I nibble on my lower lip as I watch them set up for the shot the director wants. The guys line up, and Turner stands next to them. I take the opportunity to openly study each of them.

They are each still as handsome as the night they arrived, but now my heart tightens with a bittersweet ache that feels a lot like the need to let myself love them. Rafe with his golden eyes that see too much, Elliott with his disarming smile that catches me off guard, and Miles with his quiet seriousness and declarations of love.

I want it all. And I want to be able to call them mine. But that’s a fantasy that won’t happen, even with basically throwing myself at them. How naive I had been that day? All it did was complicate things.

Thomas clears his throat as he faces us. “Get a little closer. We need all the omegas in one shot.”

We all shuffle closer to each other, while I attempt to stay as far away from Hailey and Blair as possible. The few run ins I’ve had with them are more than enough. And I hope whatever date the show has thought up for today keeps it that way.

Once we are in place, Turner steps forward, a fake smile on his handsome face. He says, “Welcome to the final eight. Today there will be two dates. Four and four.” He holds up two envelopes then steps forward, handing me one and Chad the other. “Please do the honors. ”

We don’t normally read the dates with the alphas here. My stomach erupts in nerves for absolutely no reason as I slide my finger across the envelope, breaking the seal. I pull the invitation from the holder and moisten my lips at the names on my date.

“Ben, Blair, Hailey, and Lilah please join us on a night out on the town at Wisteria. Show us your best moves.” It’s like an out of body experience as I lift my eyes to Rafe’s. He stares back, unblinking, but I know he’s thinking of the night I met him there—and promptly puked all over him.

Hailey laughs. “I guess Lilah should stay away from alcohol. Unless you want to throw up on the other two as well.”

Miles stiffens as if he wants to step between us. Elliott shifts on his feet, and concern deepens the lines around his mouth as he presses his lips together.

“That would still be better than dancing with you,” Rafe says, pinning her with a look. “Can you act like a decent human for once?”

Hurt flashes across her face, and she snaps her mouth shut. Part of me feels bad for her because it’s obvious more is going on below the surface. But it’s not currently my job to figure her out. And she’s being a total bitch to me, just because Rafe has paid me attention. It doesn’t make me want to help her.

“Cut!” Thomas yells, making me jump. It’s crazy how often I forget we are being filmed now. That’s dangerous. “Rafe, you can’t say stuff like that.”

“But she can say the fucked up shit she’s saying? We are just going to let that fly?” Rafe gestures at Hailey, as if we all need a reminder of what she just said.

“Rafe, it’s fine. It’s part of the show,” I say.

“It isn’t fine,” Miles says, joining Rafe in the protest. “Just because we have to put up with Hailey and her toxic personality doesn’t mean you or any of the other omegas need to deal with her.”

I cross my arms, hugging myself. “You two know what show you are on right? Omega in Paradise . There are always terrible omegas, or at least they are painted that way in edits. Hailey’s just making it easier for them. In the end, it doesn’t mean anything. The mean girls never make it to the end.”

Granted, America’s sweetheart won’t be making it to the very end either, but I’m aware of that already.

As Thomas instructs everyone to their places and has me read the list from the top, I fall into the filming. My ears ring, and I feel like I’m not a part of this at all as Chad reads off the names on his list. I would rather be with them. But we can’t always get what we want.

Blue. I’m in a blue dress. Why did production decide to put me in the same shade of dress I wore the first time around? Probably to make the connection in the mind of the viewers that know.

I smooth my hands over the tight dress and take a deep, soothing breath. It’s just one night. Stay away from the drinks, and you’ll be fine . Still, as the limo pulls up in front of the posh club, I suck in a breath as the paparazzi start flashing away at the vehicle before they even know who’s inside.

Production has us each arriving separately to make a grand entrance or something. Chad said they did something similar for his date earlier. But they went to Broadway. I would have rather went to Broadway and a nice early dinner afterward. Instead, I’m here.

The guy sitting across from me is the same one from the first night. He must be my unofficial handler, and I can tell he still isn’t over the fact they had to coax me from the limo that first night.

The driver circles the vehicle and pulls open the door. The flashing of lights brighter as I climb out. Then the voices, all shouting things at the same time. Questions I don’t catch. Declarations of love for me. It’s overwhelming. My legs feel like jello as they carry me past the crowd. I don’t know if the others arrived before me or not, they didn’t give us the order.

By the time I make it to the door, the bouncer has it held open for me. And the dark interior is a welcoming sight. A beta offers to take my jacket, and I shrug out of it. Then I’m led through the main floor and to the VIP steps in the back. It feels like déjà vu stepping into the VIP room. The dance cages at eye level. I’m the first one into the space.

Drawn like a moth to a flame, I can’t help crossing the floor and finding my gaze locked on the nearest cage. Rafe dances. His bare chest dusted with glitter that matches the gold in his eyes. The seductive way he moves to the music transfixes me in much the same way it had the first time I laid eyes on him.

Only now, I know how he kisses. What his full lips feel like on mine. The fire he ignites inside my blood with the barest of touches. And how he feels pressed against me. Lust unfurls in my belly as I watch him.

He holds my gaze as he dips low, engaging every single muscle in his torso in the process. A feather tattoo I don’t remember flexes with his movements, and I want to trace it with my tongue.

Holy shit. Someone get me a glass of ice water because I’m going to melt.

Another cage is hoisted high, and in the split second, my attention drifts; I catch Elliott dancing inside it. His light blond hair catches the lights, and his dark eyes only look darker .

He has the same golden dust on his chest. His shoulders are broader than his pack mates, and his biceps flex as he grips the bar above his head. Our eyes clash and hold. My breath catches in my chest. He smiles a slow, sensual smile, and flames lick at my insides.

I think I’m going to combust.

My fingers wrap around the cool metal bar of the railing as I lean against it, as close to the window as possible.

I search the other cages for Miles, but he’s absent.

While I’m in the midst of drooling over the two alphas who have captured the attention of other club goers, Ben and Blair arrive, followed shortly after by Hailey. They join me at the windows. The possessive urge to tell them to keep their eyes off of my alphas is so strong that I push away from the railing and cross to the mini-bar.

The idea of not drinking anything is a distant memory. I need something to dull this feeling. This jealousy.

Downing a shot of Fireball, the spicy cinnamon kick pleasant at the back of my throat, I refill the shot glass and take another. Before I can down a third shot, Miles enters the room, followed by a beta with a cart of finger foods.

That might be a better idea. Liquor on an empty stomach is the perfect recipe to actually repeat what happened last time I was here. I don’t want to repeat that.

Setting the shot down, I move over to the cart and snag up a chocolate-covered strawberry. Where do they find these huge strawberries? Are they grown especially for dipping them in chocolate? The smooth dark chocolate and the fresh sweetness of the berry explode on my tongue joining the cinnamon of the alcohol. It is so good.

“You’re purring,” Miles says, his voice a low gravel that makes my stomach dip, even with the other omegas in the room with us. He steps close, completely ignoring everything in the room. The cameras, the beta, the omegas, his pack in the cages just outside the windows—all of it fades into the background as he lifts his hand and runs his thumb over my lower lip. “...You’ve got…a little chocolate.”

His fingers at my jaw tilt my head up as he brushes the chocolate away, and my lips automatically part. If I didn’t take the pill, my perfume would knock him on his ass right this second, and I’d follow him down—because holy shit, if he keeps looking at me like that, I’m going to forget the world exists. He lifts his thumb to his mouth and sucks the sugar from the digit, making my whole body feel funny all the way down to my toes. A full reminder of him sucking other things off his fingers.

“Candy bars?” Blair says, her voice dripping with derision. “Why would the club bring us candy bars, chocolate-covered strawberries, and Twizzlers?”

Miles faces her. “You don’t like chocolate?”

Her nose wrinkles. “Maybe some kinds, but not Almond Joy or Butterfinger, can you say the worst two chocolate bars? Nobody likes coconut.”

He presses his lips together in a withheld smile and nods his head in agreement. “Yeah, it seems Reese’s is the clear winner in that category.”

“I like all three,” I say, glancing at Miles. Blair gives me a look that screams she couldn’t care less before she rolls her eyes. All while I want to drag those words out of the air and shove them so deep inside of me they can never see the light again. What the fuck? Did I bump my head? I need to get it under control.

“The only time chocolate is good is right before a heat,” Blair replies.

Hailey approaches, her gaze going to the cart. She huffs out a laugh. “Is this a test, Miles? Butterfinger?” She picks one up and tosses a look back at Rafe. “Let me guess, the other two are you and Elliott? ”

The color drains from Blair’s face, and I almost laugh. She did that to herself. And the petty bitch that lives inside of me loves it.

Miles shrugs, a smile spreading across his face. Ben pulls himself away from the vision of Rafe and Elliott dancing and comes over. He eyes the cart silently. “Want a candy bar, Ben?” Miles asks.

Ben shakes his head. “I’m allergic to chocolate actually.”

“That’s terrible,” I say. “Are you okay with it out in the open here?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s just eating it. It causes my throat to itch and my body to just have a bad reaction.”

“Well, I guess we know who’s going home next,” Hailey says, her eyes widening slightly as she takes a bite of the butterfinger, her attention fixated on Ben.

“Being allergic to chocolate doesn’t get omegas sent home,” Miles replies.

She laughs. “Okay,” she says slowly. “Can you imagine Rafe getting head and Ben clearing his throat because he’s allergic to chocolate? Or his airways swelling up?”

Ben flushes with embarrassment and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Rafe has a chocolate musk?”

“Butterfinger to be exact,” Hailey replies, snapping off another bite and chewing before adding, “And I’m guessing…Almond Joy’s Elliott? Reese’s is Miles? Or maybe one of them is a chocolate-covered strawberry.” She tosses her head back with a laugh.

“Or maybe it’s just the chocolate they like—” I say. “Or do you think they smell like Twizzlers too?”

She shrugs. “It’s possible, but packs normally blend, which means all of them are chocolate in some way. Because Rafe is Butterfinger.”

I want to snag the chocolate bar from her fingers before she can take another bite and act like she’s savoring the memory of him on her tongue. Hell, when Blair picks up a peanut butter cup and pops it into her mouth, a purr rumbling from her, I want to throw myself over the rest of the chocolate bars before they can taste any more. I am losing my fucking mind.