She bites her lip and keeps walking. I can’t take my eyes off her.
“I messed up. Like, everything. I don’t want to tell them yet.”
“Who?”
“Mum, Dad, Pops, any of them.”
“What happened?” Mack asks.
“Oh, you know, I went to the big smoke looking to find myself and all I did was drown.” She lets out a little laugh, but it sounds scared; it sounds lonely.
“The pack-”
“Didn’t want me.”
She says it like its fact, like it doesn’t hurt her, like she can pretend, but I can smell the shame in her scent. The bitter notes of pain.
“Then they are idiots,” I growl.
“Not really. I didn’t have anything to offer. I was just me, saying the wrong thing, not too bright, not edgy, not special me.”
She turns, and before I can say any of the thousands of words that want to pour out, she smiles. But it trembles, and, for the first time in my entire life, I see Sofia, my Rebel, look unsure and hurt, and I can’t say them. Because what I want to do is go and kill whoever caused this.
“That’s why I need your help.”
I inhale sharply.
“So, let me get this right, you want us to pretend to be dating you so that we can help hide how much trouble you’re in from your parents?”
She drops her eyes. “I know, it sounds awful.”
I can’t even believe what I’m hearing. How did this go so totally wrong? And yet, there’s a window here.
“Okay, but under one condition.”
Mack and Elijah are glaring at me.
“Let’s make it so that we are dating not just for the Smitten Knot Bitten event. For the next three weeks, let us be your boyfriends. We’ll do normal date-type things and go to dinner and hang out. Kiss, touch.”
She sucks in air, and I see a tremble run up her spine. “But-”
“It’s the only way we’ll do it,” Mack says, doubling down. His gaze doesn’t leave mine. “A full boyfriend experience and everything that entails.”
“We can be the people you can lean on. Let us help you,” Elijah murmurs as he steps closer. That innate sexiness of his turns on, and he puts a finger under her chin, tilting her head back. “It’s only a couple of weeks.”
He has no idea how hot he sounds, but this is the version of Elijah that could melt a stone.
“But Sebastian-”
“You let me deal with Sebastian,” I say confidently.
She licks her lips, glancing at me and Mack before her eyes return to Elijah. I can see her pulse racing, and her breathing has deepened. He is intoxicating; I find him so, too. Gorgeous and with no idea of his power.
Coconut, mango, and ginger fill the air, stronger than it should be, hitting me so hard I let out a groan. It’s all I can do to stay where I’m standing.
“What’s it going to be, Omega? Do you want to take a chance with us? Become part of Pack Hart?”
“Temporarily,” she reminds him.
