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The older woman chuckled as we walked. “Oh, I have no idea. I just thought it would be nice if things were back to normal if you did return.” She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “You know, I was rooting for you and J.D., sweetie. You’ve done that poor boy dirty.”
Great. Even the staff thought Wyatt and I were pieces of shit. That didn’t bode well for the upcoming meeting.
“There you are!”
The three of us stopped and turned to see Tate barreling down the hall toward us.
“Shit,” Wyatt muttered.
“You two motherfuckers!” Tate spat. “I can’t believe the shit I just heard, what I saw on the damn television. You’ve been playing us since the goddamn beginning, fucking us over left and right. Doing everything you can to make sure the two of you can win!”
“Tate,” I said. “It’s not what you think. We—”
“Oh, fuck off, you dumb cunt.”
“Whoa!” Wyatt shoved Tate back. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
Tate regained his footing and laughed bitterly. “Oh yeah, big man. Let me guess, she’s pulling the strings, huh? You’re just along for the ride on the pussy, right?” He sneered at me. “I’ve spent all this damn time trying to win you over, trying to get you to like me. In the end, you looked at me like I was nothing but a little bitch. I was only shit to scrape off your shoe and leave for dead on this goddamn island. Fuck, man, I almost lost my arm for this shit.”
J.D. and Abel rounded the corner, drawn by the shouting. Things were getting worse by the minute, but blessedly, there were no cameras around. Abel looked upset. J.D. was obviously worried, but he caught my eye and gave me a reassuring nod.
“Tate, calm down,” Abel said listlessly.
“I am calm!” He jabbed his finger my way. “I hope they kick your asses out—both of you. I hope they shove you out into the jungle to fend for yourself. I’ll laugh my ass off while you get ripped to fucking shreds.”
“Holy shit, man,” J.D. said. “Too far.”
“Keep talking, Tate. See what happens,” Wyatt said, glaring daggers at the other alpha.
I was too shocked to speak. Of all the remaining alphas, Tate was the one I’d liked the least, but he’d basically been jovial. He’d complimented me and done all he could to stand out and win me over. He’d never acted like Omar or Nathaniel, but this betrayal had either triggered something that had never been there before or revealed his true personality. I hoped it was the latter. I didn’t want to think our deception had turned a moderately good guy into whatever lunatic was screaming at us now.
“Miss Durst, gentleman,” the witch said, looking frazzled. “We really don’t have time for this. You three,” she pointed at Tate, Abel, and J.D., “need to go on. We have time-sensitive things to attend to.”
Abel grabbed Tate’s shirt and tugged him back. For a moment, it looked like Tate was about to fight him off, but he allowed Abel to pull him away. He waved a hand at us like he was swatting away flies. “Fuck them. I need to go find Chelsey. At least she’s for real.” He shrugged away Abel’s hand and stomped off.
J.D. waited until Abel followed before mouthing,I’m sorry. He shook his head sadly and followed the other two.
“My,” the witch said, her hand on her chest. “That was rather more intense than I thought it was going to be. Come on now. We need to hurry.”
We didn’t get far. When we reached the landing on the third floor, Gavin stepped out of an alcove to greet us.
“Hey.” When he looked at me, I could see sadness and confusion in his eyes. He’d still held out hope that I’d fall for him. Another person hurt by my lies and deception.
“Mr. Fell,” the witch said testily, “we are on our way to a meeting. These two have some explaining to do.”
“Well, I’m going, too,” Gavin proclaimed.
“What?” Wyatt, the witch, and I all said in unison.
“I’m part of this. Kira and I knew each other before the show started as well. In fact, my older brother was the one who rejected her. The only reason he’s here,” he pointed at Wyatt, “is because he’s a possessive asshole and thinks Kira will fall for him instead of me. What he doesn’t understand is that Kira and I are fated to be together. I know it. If I come along, I can explain. Once the showrunners hear what I have to say, they’ll understand everything.”
Gavin sounded delusional. I had no idea why he thought professing his undying love for me or telling the showrunners his theory that the blood test between Jayson and I had gotten mixed up would solve anything.
The witch seemed to think the same thing. “Goodness, you shifters are full of damn drama. It’s one thing after another,” she hissed as she put a firm hand on Gavin’s chest. “You stay here. Mr. Thornton and the others are only expecting these two. Go on. You can bat your eyelashes at Kira later.”
Gavin was already shaking his head before she finished speaking. “But—”
“No buts. Get out of here before I cast a spell to sew your mouth shut. You’re going to make us late, which will get me in trouble. Go!”
