“I didn’t think I’dwantto stay so badly,” I say honestly.
He presses his lips together, holding back a sympathetic smile. “I will always want to stay. But I think it will be me who comes in second place.”
I laugh and roll my eyes. “Right. Did you not see the way Rafe looked at you?”
“Like I am a life preserver in the middle of an ocean?” He leans back into the couch cushions with a knowing grin.
“Exactly like that,” I sigh, sinking down next to him.
“Girl, I told you already that he’s already half in love withyou. He doesn’t see anyone else the same way he sees you. I’m the true shield with him because he’s afraid of what you make him feel.”
His words should be reassuring, but all they do is wake up the angry hornets in my stomach. I finger the bow on the detachable lid of the gift Miles gave me. Knowing the trinkets are all the same makes it feel less exciting than it would to get a real gift from an alpha who’s courting you.
But my heart still skips a beat as I lift the lid off of the box. A crystal rose lays on a red velvet pillow, golden leaves grace the stem. It’s beautiful. A slip of paper sits next to the delicate rose. Lifting it, I read the words.
‘It’s love. Believe it.’
“What’s that?” Chad says, attempting to peek over my shoulder.
I crumble the paper in my fingers, the breath caught in my throat as I shake my head mutely.
“Girl, no secrets, they ruin relationships,” Chad says, eyeing me with interest.
“Nothing.” The word gets stuck in my throat, and I clear it. “It’s nothing.”
He huffs out a sarcastic sounding laugh. “O-kayyy.”
I’m saved from the conversation when Ben steps into the room. He’s the omega from that first night that Chad insulted.
“Ben, you made it. And third choice too. Look at you not disappointing your parents some more.”
“Chad,” I hiss out of the corner of my mouth while slapping his leg.
Ben ignores us both as he settles into the armchair. He focuses on opening the box and lifting the rose up to the light of the room to examine it. I eye his empty box, looking for a slip of paper. There isn’t one.
In fact, each of the omegas to receive a trinket, including Hailey and Blair, do not have a note.
Willow sinks down next to me with a sigh. “Can you say nerve wracking?”
I laugh. “A little intense. But I’m glad you’re still here.”
Her lips twist in a sardonic smile as she pins me with a look. “Yeah, but I still feel like they hold something back with me.” She shrugs and shakes her head as if to remove the thought. “Or maybe it’s me.” Her attention drifts to one of the cameramen she watches; he’s openly staring back. I wonder if there’s something to that.
Chad leans forward to look at her before saying, “They give me their all. At this point, I’ve won.”
Willow laughs, tugging her eyes from the beta across the room. “You have all the confidence in the world. You should share that with us lower omegas,” she jokes.
His lack of filter no longer surprises me, and I roll my eyes. “He thinks he’s won it all. And I’m sure he’s exaggerating.”
“I assure you I’m not.” He nudges me, and another laugh pops out of my mouth, quickly disappearing as Miles, Elliott, and Rafe enter the room.
Every single time I see them, my heart tries to leave my body, like they own it and the stupid thing knows it. I’ve never felt like this before. Not even with Jared. And that scares the shit out of me.
“Close your mouth, you’re drooling,” Chad whispers out of the corner of his mouth.
I snap my mouth shut. My ears and cheeks warm, and I know I’m probably blushing. Elliott approaches us, and I feel my cheeks heat even further at being busted. He smiles politely, but it doesn’t look like any of the smiles he gave on the mini-golf date. Since our seven minutes in the closet, he’s actually put space between us. I don’t like it.
“Elliott, can we have a minute?” I ask, cutting off anything he may have been planning to say.
