Knot Broken (Hiddenverse)

50. Lilah

CHAPTER 50

Lilah

Tonight’s ceremony is different. We don’t line up on a stage and wait to be offered a trinket. In fact, I haven’t seen Hailey all evening. I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse. Chad lounges in a chair, looking as if he has no cares in the world. His hair’s perfectly styled, and he even allowed a dusting of concealer that makes his skin glow.

He lifts an eyebrow when he catches me watching him. “Ready for forever?”

I nibble on my lower lip, my heart racing inside my chest. Beyond ready.

“How do you think they will tell Hailey she is not the one?” he asks. He runs his finger along the seam of the chair before lifting his eyes to mine. “How do you think they will tell me I’m not the one?”

I sink into the chair next to him and wrap my fingers around his, stopping his nervous movement. “I think they will be kind—Chad…you know if it wasn’t for you coming to me and being so annoying that first night, I would have quit the show. So I feel like I owe you something for the way it all turned out. Not only have I found a pack, but I’ve found a fr iend. And before I came on the show, I didn’t think either was ever possible for me.”

He studies me for a silent minute. Then he says, “You aren’t the only broken one that came on this show to escape a crappy life. And I might not be walking away with a pack—who needs an alpha anyway—but you might just be the first person that has ever put up with my shit. So you are stuck with me now.”

I blink the moisture away, and he reaches over with his free hand to brush a stray tear from my cheek. Words are stuck in my throat as I’m overwhelmed by emotion.

“Don’t mess up your makeup with tears. You look like a seductive siren, and you don’t want to screw that up,” he says. “Not that the three of them wouldn’t pick you either way.”

“Has anyone told you that you have a heart of gold underneath all of those defensive walls?” I say before pulling him over the chair arm and hugging the life out of him.

He hugs me back before pulling back with a scoff. “I’ll deny any accusation.”

Rolling my eyes, a smile pulls at my lips. But Thomas enters the room and stops any response I would have had. Butterflies erupt in my stomach when his attention glides over both of us.

“You two really shouldn’t be sequestered together. Who authorized this?”

Chad and I share a look. “What do you mean? Nobody stopped us from being together,” I say.

“They should have,” he grumbles. I’m pretty sure that he hates his job. Either that or this season pushed him straight up to the edge and he’s willing to jump. “Whatever. Chad, you’re up first. Then Lilah, you will go, and then Hailey.”

Chad purses his lips and squeezes my fingers once before he stands up and straightens his jacket. “As ready as I will be,” he says. Thomas spins on his heel, and Chad turns to face me. “Slay it tonight, and call me when you come up for air.” With one last wink, he walks out of the room.

I rub my hands down my dress, attempting to wipe away some of the nerves. But it doesn’t stop the rolling of my stomach. At least it’s empty.

Thomas returns for me after what feels like hours but could possibly only be twenty minutes. And in that time, I’ve convinced myself Hailey’s going last because they are picking her, then I talked myself out of it just as quickly. I have watched the behind the scenes with her and the guys. They won’t be leaving the show with her. I might not understand why they kept her so long, but she’s not the one they are in love with.

I follow Thomas to an elevator that leads to the top of the building. A garden greets us as we step out. Twinkling lights shine from the branches of the trees creating a magical feel to the space. The lush green of the grass is a contrast to the city around us. And natural looking heaters keep the space warm from the cold fall evening. Not even the camera crews can take away the ethereal feel of it all.

As I trail behind him taking it all in, my racing heart finally settles. This is the beginning of my future. One I didn’t think was possible. And I am going to hold on tight with both hands.

I stop on the spot he indicates in front of an elegant tall table and clasp my fingers loosely in front of me. He steps back and counts in the cameras. Everything feels like it stops as soon as the red lights start blinking.

Almost in slow motion, Elliott, followed by Miles and Rafe, steps out of the elevator onto the rooftop. They look absolutely perfect in their impeccably tailored suits. Their hair is meticulously styled, each strand in place, adding to their commanding presence. My body vibrates with the need to launch myself across the space and into their arms. I lose the internal war because I can’t wait for them to get to me. I run to them, my arms circling Elliott’s neck, clinging to him and breathing in the mouth-watering scent of his musk. The other two enclose us on either side, completing our physical bond.

Slowly, Thomas’ voice breaks us apart. His scowling face doing nothing to the joy I feel being in the same space as my alphas.

“From the top,” he barks.

“No, keep it,” Shelly says, stepping away from the building and making her presence known. “It will be a hit. Viewers are watching our show to see the fairy tale play out.” She spreads her arms out, gesturing at us. “This is that fairy tale.”

Thomas sighs and tugs his fingers through his hair. “If we keep it, the audience will know the ending.”

“Then rearrange the order when it airs.” She waves him off with a bright smile at us. “I’m glad this worked out, it was serendipity when your sister asked me if there were spots for the show. Add in the fact that this was the pack, it was meant to be.”

“No matter how resistant he was,” Elliott replies with a nudge to Rafe. “We all fell the second we saw her.”

Shelly nods like some sort of fairy godmother that knew all along how it would play out. “I love a successful love story. Now let's get this filmed.”

Begrudgingly, Thomas mutters, “Resume your places, slowly break apart after I count in the cameras, then for God's sake, go to your marks so we can catch what’s being said.”

I nuzzle into Elliott’s chest, happiness buzzing inside of me as Rafe and Miles wrap their arms around us. I feel so complete at this moment, nothing could bring me down.

Thomas counts down somewhere outside of my bubble, and I follow his instructions, releasing Elliott and tangling my fingers with Miles, letting him lead me back to where I had been.

“You look incredible tonight,” he whispers, looking down at me with bright eyes. His attention heats my skin, and I can feel a flush start on my chest and work its way up the sides of my neck.

“So do you,” I reply. Because he looks like a model that just stepped off of a magazine that advertises high-end suits. He would probably make that hypothetical company tons of money. Maybe that’s the point of putting him in it.

He smiles. Leaning down, he whispers directly into my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, “I can’t wait to see what’s under that beautiful dress later.”

If I hadn’t already been blushing, his words would have ensured I did. His gaze dips to my lips as he steps back, slowly releasing my fingers to stand on the other side of the table with his pack-mates. The promise shining from the depths of his eyes has my stomach quivering and my legs weak. Just a few more hours.

Rafe draws my attention to him as he pulls out a small box from his blazer’s inside pocket. The black velvet looks shimmery beneath the soft glowing light of the fairy lights in the trees. My breath freezes in my lungs, and my palms grow clammy. The trinkets on the other shows have been just that, trinkets. Sometimes a necklace or bracelet. But that box doesn’t look like either; it looks like it holds a ring.

Elliott lifts the small table between us out of the way. If I thought my legs were weak with Miles words, the second the three of them drop to one knee, mine wobble with the threat of giving out. Blood rushes to my head, making me lightheaded, and all I can focus on is Rafe’s outstretched hand as he opens the tiny velvet box.

My breath whooshes from my lungs at the sight of a very real bonding ring nestled inside, and I snap my gaze up to Rafe’s. Is this real life? His lips move, but I can’t hear him through the cotton in my ears. My heart pounds so hard I’m sure the mics can pick up the sound.

I wet my lips and shake my head, attempting to clear it. Concern crosses their faces a second before my world goes black.

The next thing I am aware of is being cradled in Rafe’s arms, his warmth surrounding me like a comforting blanket. I blink up at him, and he smiles softly down at me, a touch of concern making his eyes tight. Miles and Elliott are crouched next to us, equal expressions of distress clouding their faces.

“What—?” I break off as it all floods back. I fainted. For the second time. On national TV.

“We didn’t mean to overwhelm you,” Miles says.

Elliott grips my hand, squeezing lightly. “Are you okay?”

“Wow. I, uh,” I say before swallowing thickly, the rising embarrassment making it harder. “Can we try that again?”

Rafe nods, his dark curls flopping handsomely over his forehead as a wide grin takes over his features, erasing the concern from the corners of his eyes. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“What about third or fourth?” I joke as he stands me up, smoothing my hair over my shoulder and checking me over. Once satisfied, he steps back, allowing Miles and Elliott closer.

Miles steps forward, brushing a thumb over the side of my cheek. “We will give you as many chances as you want, sunshine. We have forever to spend with you.”

I turn just enough to press a kiss to the inside of his palm, reaching up to hold on to him with both hands as emotion threatens to spill over. These alphas are my everything. It’s surreal coming from a place so broken by the chance of love to find it again, only for it to be so much more than I ever imagined it could be. What I thought of as love before, it wasn’t this. And for the first time since being betrayed, I wouldn’t go back and change the past, because it brought me to them.

Elliott slips his arm around my waist and presses a kiss to the side of my head. “Ready to try again?”

Capturing my lower lip between my teeth, I nod. They step back, placing the table between us again, and I glance around confused. Shelly grins over at me and tilts her head in the direction of my guys as Thomas counts us back in. I’m still reeling from the fact the show isn’t going to use my passing out for prime TV as Rafe fishes the velvet box from his pocket and Elliott moves the table between us.

When they drop to their knees this time, I’m ready. Not that my heart isn’t pounding in my chest still. It is. And my knees still feel weak. But I drag in a steadying breath as my heart swells and overflows with love.

“Lilah, you’ve awakened my soul to the essence of true living. For too long, I’ve been hiding behind my acting career, pretending to be someone I’m not, drifting through life without purpose. My days were filled with empty parties and fleeting moments. But then you showed up in my life like an angel and reminded me that we have just one precious shot at this. You’ve shown me what it means to truly live, to love, to be vulnerable. I can't imagine a future without you. None of it—none of the success, the glamor, the excitement—means anything if I can’t share it with you. I need you by my side, Lilah. You are my reason, my inspiration, my everything.”

The hope in his eyes makes me want to launch myself into his arms and scream yes loud enough for the whole city to hear me to his unspoken question. But then he shifts slightly and hands the box to Miles.

Miles smooths his free hand over the back of his neck and gazes up at me, his eyes filled with warmth. “You are my sunshine. You’re the one pure, bright beacon of certainty in my life. From the moment I first saw you, I knew my forever belonged with you. That feeling only deepened the next morning when I ran into you again. I wanted to cancel this show, to take you away to some place where we could truly know each other. But fate and a contract had other plans, and instead, the whole world watched as I fell in love with you.” He glances briefly behind me at a camera, then locks eyes with me once more. “Now they get to watch me hand you my heart. Because it’s yours if you’ll have it.”

Tears gather in my eyes, threatening to fall. Blinking rapidly, I keep them at bay as he hands the box to Elliott like it’s priceless and precious.

Elliott looks down at the ring shining on the velvet cushion and inhales a steadying breath that I can feel in my soul. “ Omega in Paradise was a way to do one thing…find an omega that will be the glue to hold my pack together. We were slowly fraying and sinking away from each other without a buoy to anchor around. What I didn’t expect was to find you. A woman who’s so much more than just an omega.”

He pauses and swallows, looking down at the ring again. Nerves send butterflies fluttering in my stomach, and I’m pretty sure the cameras can pick up my whole body shaking. When he lifts his eyes to mine, it feels as if he’s the only one on the roof with me.

“You’re funny. You bring a smile to my face with only a couple words. Not only have I fallen head over heels in love with you, but I like you too. When I’m in the same room as you, all I want to do is orbit you. I want to soak up everything. And when we are apart, my whole body aches with the need to seek you out. I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I can’t imagine a life where you’re not ours to love and care for. Please make us all happy men and accept this promise of a bonding ceremony. ”

Happy tears spill down my cheeks. My fingers hold in my words pressed against my lips, and I nod and shake my head all at once. I do. I want it all. All of them. Forever.

“Yes, I accept.” Emotion floods my words, and before I know it, the ring is sliding into place on my left ring finger and I’m once again wrapped in their arms. The one place in the entire world I want to be.