Chapter 5 #2
People walk away, but I grab Rebel’s wrist and tow her towards the beach before anyone else can interfere.
“I’m so glad it’s you,” she says when she gets to the lookout railing. She toes off her shoes and picks them up, ignoring the way I’ve fallen sideways into a heap at just seeing the familiar way she does the simplest of things.
“How so?” Elijah asks cautiously.
“Well, we can just fake this whole thing and get through it. It might even be fun.”
Fake?
I glance at Mack, then Elijah. “What do you mean, fake?”
“Well, I mean, it’s just logical, isn’t it? I’m not looking for anyone, and you’ve got your housing situation. Plus,” she trails off, looking out at the water as she unleashes Danger. He takes off again. “Plus, I’m sure you’ve got your eye on someone, and I am off limits.”
“Off limits?” I echo, my temper turning dangerous.
“Well, yeah, Sebastian.”
I frown and realise I’m having trouble following her thought process. “That was when we were kids; we’re adults now-”
“Can you help me?”
There is so much quiet desperation in those words, but also, she’s bracing like she expects us to say no.
How could I possibly?
My words die in my throat. “We’ll do anything for you, Rebel.”
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.
“Of course.” Temporarily forever, I think in my head.
“And you will help me hide it all?”
She’s so anxious to hide. I don’t remember her ever being like this. Did the city teach her anything but how to regret and fear?
“I will help you do anything,” Elijah murmurs and drops his face to hers, kissing her lightly. It’s a chaste kiss, the kind you’d give a family member. Just a touch to her lips. “A promise sealed with a kiss.”
Her scent explodes around us, and she lets out a teeny squeak that is smothered by Elijah pulling her into a hug.
When he pulls back, Mack leans in and kisses her cheek. I could happily kill the pair of them.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asks anxiously.
Mack grins. “I have been wanting a for the last nine years.”
She blinks but turns her attention to me when I approach. I pick up her hand and roll my thumb over her knuckles before I kiss them.
“Devon, Sebastian is going to be so mad.”
I laugh. “Sebastian is a full-grown alpha with bigger problems than his friend dating his sister. Don’t you worry about it.”
“But-” she whips around. “Danger!”
Mack lifts his fingers to his mouth and lets out a shrill whistle, and the little dachshund comes racing back, yapping his heart out, sending a flock of seagulls into the air.
We have her cornered, and she knows it. We are her best chance.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
I slide my hand up her back and grip the nape of her neck. “Okay, now you should tell us exactly what happened in the city.”
Her face pales. “I—uh.”
“Hey, Sofia. Come on, we’re catching up!” Cordelia shouts, saving her from telling me exactly who I’m murdering.
Rebel pulls away from me, giving us a reluctant smile and snatching up her dog as she backs away.
“Talk later?”
I let out a grumpy sound that makes her laugh, and then she’s gone.
“Did that really just happen?” Elijah murmurs. “Are we fake dating our Smitten match?”
“No,” I say firmly. “She thinks we’re fake dating her. As far as I'm concerned, we’re really dating her. We have a couple of weeks to convince her to date us for real, and, in the meantime, we can find out what happened to her and why she’s so desperate to hide from her family.”
Mack sighs. “What do you think she’s going to say when she realises we’ve changed the terms of the agreement we made?”
I shrug. “If we do our jobs right, it won’t matter. Now, excuse me, I need to go see my best friend and break the good news to him in a way that doesn’t upset our omega.”
Our omega. All three of us stiffen hearing those words out loud, but it’s the truth; it always has been. I’m not losing her again.
Mack snorts a laugh. “Have fun.”
I grit my teeth. Sebastian is smart, stubborn, and completely irrational when it comes to his sisters. This conversation is going to go brilliantly.