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 veryreal 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 everimagined 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.
