“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.
CHAPTER 46
Lilah
Energy vibrates through me,and I won’t be surprised if the cameras can pick it up. Still, I face them. The two that tried to break me. Miles, Elliott, and Rafe stand at my back. Ashlyn stands slightly off to the side, and if looks could kill, they would both be lying on the ground dying from their wounds.
“Lilah,” Tabby says, and I swallow, some of my determination to face them evaporating like rain on the hot pavement. “Jared and I, we’ve been talking a lot over the last few months. We miss you.”
We miss you.The words should shred me to pieces. They should remind me of what they did to me. But they do neither. Sure, the proof of her growing belly stings a little. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that to myself. Maybe I’m in shock.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Lilah, we want to form a pack—” she trails off.
I flick my attention to Jared, who stands ramrod straight behind her. He smiles at me, but still looks incrediblyuncomfortable. I focus on Tabby, and she wets her lips in nervousness.
“A pack with you,” she adds.
Slowly blinking at her, I let the words sink in. Tension fills the air, and I can feel Miles and Elliott through the bond. A sort of pain and anger mixing into a lethal combination. It swirls around with my emotions and steals my words.
But it’s Rafe who steps forward and says, “She has a pack.”
He pulls me into his side, and I absorb his warmth and musk as I sink into his embrace. The words may not be accurate, but they soothe me.
“Lil,” Jared says, stepping forward, a slight growl of possession in the single syllable. He holds out his hand like I’m going to take it and go to him. “Come home.”
The damn breaks. A torrent of emotions washes over me. Anger, fear, heartbreak, longing, sadness, all of them grapple for my full attention. I swallow as tears blur my vision. A purr rumbles from beneath my palm on Rafe’s chest.
“You were never home, Jared. You proved that when you showed up toourbonding ceremony with my best friend on your arm. Both of you betrayed me. And now that I’ve moved on, you’ve decided it’s the best time to come and ask me tojoinyou?” I scoff. Tears stream down my face unchecked as rage burns through my chest. “Are you fucking insane? If you two were the last two people on the planet, I would choose to be alone. You’ve tried to break me once, you’ll never have the opportunity to try again.”
“You don’t mean that—” Tabby says. “You’re my best friend.”
A laugh bubbles up through the tears at her words. A sarcastic smile pulls at my lips. “Yeah? How long were you sleeping with Jared before I knew about it? Was he the one that helped you through your heat? Was that his businesstrip?” My gaze drops pointedly at her belly. There’s no way that happened after we broke up. “I don’t think you know what it means to be a best friend. Because a best friend builds you up and has your back. They tell you the hard truths because they care about you. They don’t sleep with your alpha. They don’t do anything that you’ve done.”
She rubs her belly and glances at Jared. “I would do it differently if I could go back.”
“Right.” I nod. “But would your alpha do it differently?”
Jared shifts on his feet, and I’m not even sure he is here because he wants to be here. It fills me with a tiredness that seeps into my bones. Even now, he doesn’t truly want me, if he ever did.
“Go home to your perfect white picket fence life. Have the life I thought I wanted. But I won’t be going with you.”
“You think this pack wants to keep you anymore than I did?” Jared says. “You were so desperate you went on a show, Lil. This is the only time I’ll offer you a spot with us. For Tabby.”
My tears dry at the realization that the Jared I thought I knew was nothing more than what I built him up in my mind to be. The alpha standing in front of me is petty and cruel. He wore the mask I made him until he could no longer do it. He saved me from a life of misery by arriving with Tabby on his arm. And now, with his words, he’s finally set me fully free.
The whole relationship with him was pure fantasy. It was what I built it up to be in my head, into something large enough to break me once it was over. But my idealized view of that whole situation is shattered now because the emotion I felt just now? It wasn’t for him…it was at the loss of someone I thought of as my best friend.
I can feel the guys move to protect me. As if his words are bullets meant to shred me to pieces. But I’m bulletproof.
“Since you obviously have issues with listening, I’ll say itone more time, just for you,” I say slowly. “I’d rather be alone than to ever be with you, Jared.”
“I’m pretty sure that means you can leave now,” Rafe says, speaking up for the first time.
