Who am I kidding, I picked her as a shield because my pack wanted her andI wantedto 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 wouldand 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.
CHAPTER 16
Lilah
It’s stupid,I know it is, but I can’t help waiting up for the group date to return. I’m sitting in the living room with the first group, a ball of nervous energy.
I’ve been in a state of this strange mix of excitement and fear since this morning with Rafe in the kitchen. Something shifted. At least it felt like it did. And I couldn’t control my perfuming when he invaded my space. I’m sure the chlorine from the hot tub blocked it out. If he did scent me, he didn’t give any kind of indication.
