Page 12 of Brandy Snap: Part Two

She hesitated. And the instant she let go, I stumbled backwards, my heart racing at a million miles an hour. I couldn’t let their scents or their auras mess with my head, but it was so difficult when they were so strong.

The alphas closed in on me again.

I might have gained the slightest upper hand, but I had to go hard if I was going to get out of here.

“I will give you one last warning, and only because of my son. Stay away from Caspian, and never show your face in front of me again.”

I started to back away from her, but she smirked. “Don’t think you’re leaving. My alphas will keep you here until the party is over and then escort you to the gate. If you try anything, they’ll put you in a car and no one will ever hear from you again.”

My eyes darted between the alphas. I had to do something. I wanted to get back to Sin, Caspian, and Kai. Even if they treated me like dirt again, I’d have a shield.

I suddenly slapped my hands against my ears, running my fingers down from the hooked piercings to the pendants which hung over my shoulders. It was exactly where she gripped me.

I pulled on both of them just enough to stretch my earlobes as I slowly walked backwards, praying I wouldn’t knock into the coffee table.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her lips curving in amusement.

I’d hoped I’d made a dent in her facade when I forced her to let go, but nothing had changed. I had to do something more.

“Let’s test it out,” I said, trying not to stutter. “You’re completely sure Caspian doesn’t care about me. So, why don’t I just do it? I’ll slash up my ears and save you the dirty work. Then I can go back out there and let Caspian draw his own conclusion about what happened.”

With every word that dropped out of my mouth, fear wound tightly around my heart. I could barely listen to myself, just spitting out words to distract her so I could reach the door.

Her nostrils flared, along with my confidence. Even though I felt crazy tearing at my own earlobes just to get back at her.

I really wished my mum was there. So she could be proud to see me standing up to Zania by myself.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she snarled. “This is my party. This society and these people aremine. You have nothing here, so don’t try to play games with me.”

But I was already halfway across the room, and she hadn’t left her spot.

“Let’s see. Are you going to let me out?” I asked, not turning to look at the alpha by the door.

“Don’t be ridiculous. As if I’d allow you to return after this performance.”

“Okay, then,” I said, drawing in a quick breath.

Though there was no way I could prepare for that kind of pain.

Another deep scream tore from me as I tugged at my earrings. I thought earlobes were soft, that it would have been easy to tear them, but the pain was so intense my body jerked and I almost fell over.

Zania reached out a hand, shouting. “Stop her! Stop her now!”

The alpha behind me darted forward.

The last time I’d been in so much agony was the car crash when I was a kid. I’d been stuck there for an hour, trying to hold myself together as the police, fire, and ambulance services arrived. I’d entered a kind of fugue state where the pain was all that I was as they hurried to cut me out.

But this was different. I was choosing this. And I wouldn’t let the pain stop me, because I needed to escape.

I glanced back to judge how much farther I had to get to the door. The alpha behind me reached out to grab me. Even though my instinct was to leap away, I had to keep moving.

I hadn’t exactly become more agile since becoming an omega, but being in danger changed my priorities.

“You gave me one chance. I’ll give you one as well,” I said, barely recognising myself. “You told them they had to choose by the Selection Ceremony. So, let’s wait and see who Caspian chooses in the end.”

Zania’s worried look morphed into a smirk, and an alpha grabbed my wrists from behind.

I shuddered, his scent triggering bile to rise in my throat. But I wasn’t letting go of my earrings. Even if he tried to pull me away, they were coming with us.