11. Chapter 11
Ash
Inside the Confessional
The assistants set the mic on me, putting me in a chair, and now I was facing the camera directly. The room was so private that it felt like time didn’t exist in here. Just me, the camera, and the person behind it.
“You good, Ash?” came the voice of a producer, far enough behind the camera and lighting that I couldn’t see him. .
“Sure. This is exactly how I pictured my life going,” I quipped.
The producer chuckled politely. I could practically hear them leaning in for the kill.
“So…” The producer paused. “Let’s talk about Rys.”
I tensed before I could stop it, my knee bouncing as I tried to put on a facade of control.
“What about him?” I asked, feigning boredom.
“You kissed him during the nurture challenge. It looked pretty real from this side of the lens.”
My mouth went dry. I had planned on keeping us in the game, but not the rush of feeling that came with it. That was what scared me. “Yeah,” I said eventually, fingers twisting in the hem of my shirt. “It was good. Better than good, actually.”
“Care to elaborate?” the voice asked, like this wasn’t an interrogation to get ratings and editing material.
I blew out a breath and gave the only answer I could stomach.
“Rys is amazing. He’s got this calmness to him, like everything will always be alright. When he looks at me, I don’t feel like I’m being appraised or judged. I just feel seen. Like he’s paying attention and doesn’t need me to prove I’m worth it.”
Silence followed, and I suddenly felt exposed.
“And the other alphas?” the producer said, switching lanes like they hadn’t just pried out the deepest feelings I’d had in years.
I rolled my eyes for effect, trying to force myself back into control.
“Leo’s easy to like. He’s got a great heart, and great body to match.
And as for Jace, well, he’s incredibly smart, and there’s more to him than meets the eye.
He listens when you talk. I like the way he works with the team, and with Cassie. ”
“Interesting that you mention Cassie…” There it was - the mention of the other omega. I sensed a trap.
I cocked a brow. “Go on.”
“Well, Jace has been spending a lot of time with her. They had that moonlight date, and wow, their chemistry looked intense. Any thoughts on her stealing your teammate away?”
There it was. This was how they planned to stir the pot, fan the flames to get a reaction, and then roll the footage. I let out a short laugh, leaning back in the chair. “You’re really trying it tonight, huh?”
“It’s a fair question,” they replied, too innocent to be real.
“You know, she did say that she didn’t consider you to be much competition.
” The words hit me hard. I sat up straight, then realized that this was their way of moving things forward.
They wanted me and Cassie to be enemies.
I could deny it, tell them how amazing she was, that we worked so good as a team that I almost believed we had something real.
But that wouldn’t get us further in this game.
I hated that they were doing this. But the show ratings depended on drama. Our team needed to stand out, and the best way to do that - and stay until the end - was to introduce a little bit of conflict. So I decided to play along, and give them what they wanted.
“Cassie doesn't stand a chance against me. I’m not exactly someone you can steal someone away from. I’m someone you come back to.”
My words were bold and arrogant, and they would be perfect for the edit room.but deep inside, I didn’t believe a single thing I said.
I was honestly starting to really like Cassie.
And I mean, in a way I’d never liked an omega before.
What I really wanted - something I’d never admit to these virtual strangers - is that I wanted all of them.
Not just the alphas. I wanted Cassie, too. I wanted us .
And the worst part was, I had no idea if that was even a possibility in this hyper-edited pressure cooker of a show.
The thought that I might lose even one of them made something cold curl up in my chest. But I could never show that.
So instead, I leaned forward and gave the camera my most confident grin.
“Cassie’s gorgeous, sure,” I said. “But I’ve got charm, grit, and a killer smile. If this is a competition, I like my odds.”
They laughed behind the glass.
“Great,” the producer said. “We got what we needed.”
Of course they did. But they didn’t get the truth. The truth was, I was already losing control.