Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

45. Rafe

CHAPTER 45

Rafe

Ashlyn leads the way into a small room full of books from floor to ceiling and turns to face me. She props her hands on her hips and pins me with a serious look, and I swallow hard.

“Are you playing with my sister’s heart?” she demands. Direct and to the point, just like the Ashlyn I remember.

Shaking my head, my eyebrows pull together. She doesn’t know about the deal? It isn’t like I can ask with the camera pointed directly in my face. And the last thing I want to do is damage Lilah in any way after this is done.

“No. I wouldn’t do that,” I say. Lilah might not want my heart, but the stupid organ thinks it belongs to her. “I think I’m falling in love with her.”

She presses her lips together, narrowing her eyes on me. “Why doesn’t she know that?”

“I’ve tried to tell her—” I break off. The times I’ve tried to tell her, she blows my words off or acts like the plan’s still in place. I pitch my voice low and lean toward her, hoping the camera doesn’t pick up my words from the mic sticking off the end of it. “She doesn’t want that with me. She told me it’s just an attraction.”

She crosses her arms and leans against a bookshelf. “Rafe, I’m going to be really clear because you are obviously a clueless alpha. My sister was rejected on her bonding day by her alpha and her best friend . That destroyed her. Of course she’s going to tell you that she doesn’t have feelings for you if she knows that you weren’t looking for love. That you made a deal with her. What were you thinking?”

My stomach drops. Of course Lilah shared that with her sister. I swallow and open my mouth, but she holds up her hand.

“I’m not finished. She’s going to quit the show. You only have tonight to make it right.”

Apparently, I don’t need my internal organs because they are all falling out of my ass. The sinking feeling fills my body and feels like it’s going to pull me through the floor. My palms become clammy. I’m going to lose her tonight. And it will be all my fault.

“Ash,” I say, then my eyes find the camera again. What matters more? Appearances? Or love? “You know what I went through before. You made a deal with me back then, and it helped me survive the shit storm that Hailey threw me into with her lies. In a fucked up way, I thought a deal with Lilah would help her. I knew she was all over the tabloids with me, and she was there to fix her reputation. Like I did with you. So?—”

She snorts. “Except for the fact she’s my sister, so they think you have a thing for sisters now.”

I rub the back of my neck. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Obviously.”

We are silent for a minute. She watches me, and I fidget like a school boy in trouble.

“If anyone can relate to my sister, it’s you, Rafe. You know what it’s like to have the person you thought you loved betray you. It sucks that it’s been shoved in your face the entire time…why have you kept her?”

My lips twist, and I glance at the cameraman. “The show has demanded it. We even tried to quit when we realized Lilah was our scent match, but?—”

“I fucking knew it. Her perfume’s different. Sorry, go on,” she says, lifting her eyebrows.

“But the cost would have been too high,” I say.

“Really? You put money above my sister? Maybe you're not the one after all.”

“No. It wasn’t the money. It was the threat to destroy Lilah’s life. It was either give them a few more weeks of the stupid show or ruin all of our lives as they drag us all through the mud and charge us for the privilege.” I know they will edit all of this out of the show. They aren’t going to want to expose themselves. I rub above my heart, a pressure building from the emotion I’m holding back. “When Miles and Elliott marked her—I wanted to as well. But when I tried to talk to her, she waved me off. She told me it was all lust. She didn’t want to hear about my feelings for her. So I kept them to myself.”

I shove my hands into my pockets, gripping the inside fabric in my fingers.

Ashlyn rolls her eyes. “If you don’t tell my sister how you really feel, you’re going to lose her.”

The ache inside my chest grows at the idea. “We should get back to the others.”

Disappointment shines in the depths of her eyes, and it makes it hard to breathe. But she leads the way back into the living room. We are both professionals and have easy smiles painted on our faces by the time all eyes land on us.

Lilah’s attention slides over us, her gaze gliding from her sister's face to mine, before a tiny crease appears between her eyebrows.

As we settle in the places we vacated, Thomas calls out cut then steps forward. He clasps his hands together, and the energy that flows off of him grates on my nerves. I know as soon as he opens his mouth, I’m not going to like what he says.

“We’ve arranged a visit for Lilah. And I’ve just received notice that they have arrived. Turner will step in to introduce them.”

He moves back and stands next to Shelly. Her lips are pressed into a thin line, giving away her unease at whatever is going to happen next. It makes every protective instinct I have rise up. I reach across Miles and press my hand to Lilah’s knee, offering whatever comfort I can. Her tiny hand covers mine, and I can feel how cold she is. Her fingers feel like ice against my skin.

The door swings open, and Turner strolls in. Lilah’s fingers tighten around the back of my hand as two people follow him. An alpha and omega. A very pregnant omega. Lilah’s as still as a statue, and I barely hear as Turner introduces them.

“We have two people that would like to speak with you, Lilah. Jared and Tabitha are here to present you with a different path.”

“Like hell they are,” I say, exploding from my seat and blocking their view of Lilah. She clings to my hand, and I twist it in her hold to grasp her fingers in mine behind my back. “Lilah doesn’t want anything to do with them.”

Miles and Elliott flank me as we protect Lilah in the only way we know how right now. Stand between her and the people that hurt her. Tabitha rubs her distended belly and attempts to look around me. A growl rumbles in my throat as I pin her with a look. She shrinks back, her fingers tangling with Jared’s as she falls behind him.

“This is too far,” Elliott says. He’s not looking at them. He’s looking at Thomas and Shelly.

“Keep rolling,” Thomas says. “This is what the show’s about. Omegas finding love.”

Lilah stands behind me, pressing into my back. It takes a minute for me to realize she isn’t seeking comfort, she’s attempting to push past me. My jaw aches as my teeth grind together, but I step aside for her. She places a palm to my chest and brings bright blue eyes to mine, holding my stare for a moment. It calms something inside of me. As if just her touch tames the beast that resides deep in my soul.

“I’ll talk to them,” she says, her shoulders back and chin held high, and it punches all the air from my lungs.