CHAPTER 6

LILA'S POV

I'm gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles have gone white.

Fiancée. The word keeps echoing in my head like a fucking death sentence as I drive. Wade has a fiancée.

A gorgeous, sophisticated, perfectly put-together fiancée named Sabrina who probably doesn't even know what it's like to be called an omega like it's an insult. Who definitely has never been fucked against an elevator mirror by her future husband while wearing yesterday's mascara.

My phone rings through the car's Bluetooth, and Brooke's name flashes on the screen. I hit answer before I can think better of it.

"Hey boo. How was the first day?" she asks cheerfully. "Did you wow them with your organizational skills?"

"He has a fiancée," I blurt out.

Silence. Then: "I'm sorry, what?"

"Wade. My boss. The same guy I had sex with at Liam's house yesterday." My voice cracks. "He has a fucking fiancée, Brooke."

"Oh shit!"

"Wait, wait, wait," she adds in shock. "Back up. You mean, Wade, your brother's childhood best friend, is also your boss? And he has a fiancée?”

"Yes!" I practically screech, swerving around a slow-moving sedan. "A gorgeous, perfect, blonde fiancée named Sabrina who showed up right after he fucked me in the elevator!"

"Oh Goddess."

"Oh Goddess is right!" My voice wavers, and I blink back the stupid tears that keep threatening to fall. "And she was so nice, Brooke. She looked like she'd never had a bad hair day in her entire life. She was standing there, calling Wade 'baby' and talking about surprising him for lunch, and I just... I wanted to die right there."

"What did Wade do?"

"Nothing! He just stood there like it was completely normal to have his dick inside one woman and then hug another five seconds later." I slam my hand against the steering wheel. "He didn't even look guilty. He just introduced me as his new secretary like I was nobody."

"That's because you are nobody to him," Brooke says gently, and even though I know she's trying to help, it still stings. "Lila, you barely know this guy. For all you know, he does this all the time."

"But my wolf..." I trail off, not wanting to say it out loud because saying it makes it real.

"Your wolf thinks he's your mate," Brooke finishes. "Yeah, I remember. But wolves can be wrong, you know. Sometimes the mating instinct gets confused, especially with Alphas as dominant as Wade sounds."

"She's not wrong." I say. "I felt it, Brooke. That pull. That connection. It was real."

"Then he's an even bigger asshole for having a fiancée." Brooke sighs. "Are you going to tell Liam?"

"Are you insane? Liam would kill Wade. Actually kill him. And then he'd be disappointed in me for being stupid enough to sleep with his best friend. Twice." I groan. "No, I'm taking this to my grave."

"What about the job? Are you going to quit?"

The thought has crossed my mind approximately seven hundred times in the past hour.

But then I think about my bank account, about the student loans I'm still paying off, about how hard I worked to get this position.

"I can't quit," I say miserably. "I need this job. The pay is too good, and it's not like I have a backup plan. I'll just... I'll avoid him. Keep things professional. Pretend yesterday and today never happened. I'm not going to let some lying, cheating Alpha ruin this for me. I already let Connor do that."

"Connor was different. You loved Connor."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out." I pull into Liam's driveway, putting the car in park but not getting out yet. "I'm at Liam's. I should go."

"Okay, but Lila? Be careful. This Wade guy sounds like trouble."

"Trouble doesn't even begin to cover it." I reply, trying to compose myself. "Anyways, bye, Brooke. Liam's probably wondering where I am."

"Alright. Text me later, okay? And eat something. You sound like you're about to pass out."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too, babe."

I hang up, staring at myself in the rearview mirror.

My reflection is a mess. My makeup's smudged, my hair's still disheveled from Wade's hands, and there's a faint bruise on my neck that definitely wasn't there this morning.

Fuck. Liam's going to notice.

I dig through my purse and find a concealer, dabbing it over the mark until it's mostly hidden. 

Then I fix my hair, wipe the smudged mascara from under my eyes, and try to look like someone who didn't just have an earth-shattering orgasm with her engaged boss.

I take a deep breath before getting out of the car. 

I can do this. I can face my brother and act like everything's fine. I've been doing it my whole life.

The front door opens before I even knock, and Liam's standing there with that big brother smile that makes my chest ache.

"Hey, little sis," he says, pulling me into a hug. "How was the first day? Knock 'em dead?"

"Something like that," I mutter, hugging him back. He smells like safety, and for a second I want to tell him everything. About Connor, about Wade, about how I feel like my entire life is imploding. But I don't.

He pulls back, studying my face with those perceptive eyes that have always been able to see through my bullshit. "You okay? You look stressed."

"I'm fine." I lie, forcing a smile. "Just tired. First days are always exhausting, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that." He steps aside to let me in. "So, tell me about it. How's the new job? How's the office? Are your coworkers nice?"

Oh, you mean your best friend who had his cock inside me this morning? He's great. Super professional.

I also found out he's actually a lying, engaged asshole who apparently has no problem cheating on his perfect fiancée

"It's good," I say instead, dropping my purse on the couch. "The office is fancy. Like, really fancy. All glass and chrome and expensive art everywhere."

"And the boss? What's he like?"

My stomach twists.

Oh Goddess help me.

"Actually, about that... You know Wade? Your Wade?"

Liam blinks. "Wade Cross? My childhood best friend Wade?"

"That's the one." I try to keep my voice casual, but my pulse is spiking. "He's the CEO… of Meridian Enterprises. My boss."