Page 10

10

F aye

The meeting with the ultimas felt like a thousand years ago, but in reality, it’d been less than an hour ago. Immediately upon reaching my room, Addilyn had been waiting outside my door to tell me that all the omegas had to find baskets for the next event. Baskets that had been placed randomly around the castle.

My heart had sunk. I’d needed a few minutes to myself to decide how to handle what the ultimas had ordered, but I guess that wouldn’t be happening. I wasn’t sure what the ultimas would be doing to us next, but I wondered how I would make it look like I was including Kurt without actually including him.

It’d be tricky. I couldn’t be openly defiant, but I also couldn’t handle being near him. What am I supposed to do?

“So,” she begins, choosing to start heading up the stairs. “How did game night go?”

I blush, remembering how exactly game night had gone. “Well, the guys chased Kurt out of my room, which was a relief, so I just played with Cayson and Ezra.”

A smile teases the corners of her mouth. “And how did that go?”

I feel like I could melt into the floor. “It went well. I learned… a lot of new things.”

She opens a door at random. “Like what?”

Does she know? No way she knows. “Like that Cayson plays recklessly, and that Ezra follows all the rules.”

“That can’t have been a surprise to you,” Addilyn comments, choosing another room and glancing in, but there are no baskets in sight.

“No, not that,” I admit.

Addilyn spins on me. “So, what exactly happened? You’re obviously embarrassed about something.”

I take a deep breath, deciding to be honest. Knowing that I need to talk to someone about this. “We decided to turn the game into… a strip game.”

“Oh boy!” she says, her eyes brightening. “And how far did things get? I mean, Ezra and Cayson are pretty hunky dressed, I imagine they just got hotter with each piece of clothes they removed.”

My face is on fire. “Right.”

“So, how far did it go?” She’s bouncing on her toes.

I hesitate, then say, “Far.”

There’s glee in her expression. She lifts her hands, palms facing each other, just a few inches from each hand. “Tell me where to stop.” She keeps separating her hands further and further, to indicate the size of their dicks. When they get super far from each other, she says, “No way!”

I laugh with embarrassment. “I’m not doing this.”

“I’m starting again,” she says, then starts drawing her hands slowly apart again.

I wave when she reaches the right point.

She looks down at where her hands are, and her eyes widen. “Holy shit.”

“This is mortifying,” I say, then continue looking through rooms.

“And how was the sex?”

“Sex?” The word comes out a squeak, then I regard her suspiciously. “How do you know?”

She lifts a brow. “We’re shifters, Faye. You smell like you spent the night being fucked by them up one side and down the other.”

Oh, shit. The council must have been aware of that too. “Is it that obvious?”

She winces. “Maybe only because I’m so close to you and know your smell. I’m sure no one else will be able to tell.”

Well, this is mortifying.

“So, how were they?”

I take a deep breath and the words just rush out, “They were amazing.”

“And it was your first time, right?”

I nod, feeling embarrassed.

She squeals. “Your first time, and you got to be with the Cadillac of men. The fantasy of all women. You lucky bastard, you.”

It’s impossible to ignore the heat flaming my face as I open another door, not spotting a single basket.

“So, does this mean the three of you are,” she lowers her voice and looks around, “really together now?”

I freeze, and our gazes meet, something inside of me feeling achy and raw. “No, we’re still the same. We just… had a little fun. It didn’t mean anything.”

“To you or to them?”

“Both,” I say, feeling uncomfortable.

“Are you sure?” she asks, looking doubtful.

I hesitate. Am I sure? “I don’t know. I have my cabin. My plan. And they have their lives to go back to.”

“It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind,” she says. “Love has a way of changing things.”

“They didn’t say anything about changing their minds, or about love,” I say.

“And how do you feel?”

How do I feel? “I don’t mind. I just know that my plan is simpler than any situation that involves them. I don’t need any complications.”

She lifts a brow. “None of that suggests you don’t want to be with them.”

I sigh. Opening a door, I spot a table full of baskets and head towards it. “All I know is that there’s no point in wanting them if they don’t want me, especially when my cabin and my plan makes so much more sense. I mean, what would life even be like with them? Would we live on Ezra’s pack lands, because Cayson can’t stand his dad? Would we help him run things and build a family near his own family home? Would Cayson’s dad slowly see Cayson for what he is, and then we’d be helping to run his pack too?”

“It seems like you’ve thought about this,” Addilyn says.

I glance at her in surprise. Have I? “I didn’t realize I had.”

“Do you think you could be happy with them?”

The answer is surprisingly easy to find when I think about all the laughter and fun I’ve shared with them. “I do think that I could be happy with them.”

“Then, maybe tell them how you feel and see if they feel the same way,” she suggests.

I stiffen at just the idea. “Cayson and Ezra have been honest with me from the very beginning that they don’t want an omega. I would be being ungrateful for the sacrifice they made pretending to claim me if I suddenly started wanting more from them. No, I won’t say anything. I’ll respect their feelings and remember that while last night was really special to me, it was probably just another night for them.”

“Faye–”

I draw my shoulders back. “So, how was your night?”

She hesitates, then pushes on. “Two alphas came to my room. Two I’ve seen a lot but not gotten one-on-one time with until last night.”

“And?”

Her face lights up. “We had a lot of fun. I ended up making out with both of them, and they said they want to spend more time with me. They’re actually brothers.”

“Addilyn!” I squeal.

She laughs. “Don’t put too much pressure on it. I didn’t necessarily feel a spark with them yet, so I’m going to keep exploring my options.”

“That’s still fun,” I say.

She grins. “It is.”

We select our baskets and head out of the room, going back to the stairs. My thoughts swirl with every step. Some strange fantasy plays in my mind of Cayson and Ezra suddenly claiming me, for real, and my life completely changing. Being safe with them. Forming a life with them. Maybe even a family. But the fantasy fades when real life rears its ugly head, and I remember the way every girl fonds over them. Me falling for them is hardly a shock. Them falling for me would be.

We walk down the stairs in silence for a minute before she says, “And how did the meeting with the ultimas go?”

This, I can talk about. “They basically lectured me. They said they’ve noticed I’m not giving Kurt a fair chance and they expect me to. It was basically a threat to include Kurt more or face the consequences.”

“ Ugh ,” she says, wrinkling her nose.

I shake my head. “I just don’t understand. How did things end up like this?”

“Well, if you think about it logically,” Addilyn says, shifting her basket over to her hip. “It seems you’ve managed to accumulate two alphas and one asshole you can’t get rid of, despite being the only omega here who didn’t want any interest at all.”

“Yeah, that part was bad enough. Being called to meet with the ultimas was even worse,” I say, focusing on my feet to make sure I don’t trip and fall down the stairs. “Just being in the room with them was miserable. It was like my body hurt from the force of being near them.”

We make it to the end of the stairs and head to the door that leads outside to the lawn, where Addilyn said we’re supposed to meet. Again, I think about the next event. Again, I wonder how in the world I’ll keep the ultimas happy and stay away from Kurt.

“Being around alphas is bad enough,” Addilyn says with a laugh, looking over her shoulder at me as we step out into the bright sunshine. Across the way, several other omegas are joining the group on the lawn, all holding their baskets. “But, like I said, at least you have two that you like.”

“I wish I had none at all,” I mutter. None would be simpler. “I can’t be around Kurt. It’s too hard. I just feel like I’m going to be sick anytime I see him. I only see my brother and Serra. The worst part is just that he keeps getting away with it, and for what? I’m hoping just to avoid him for the rest of the time.”

“Faye,” Addilyn says gently, knocking her hip into mine. “You know that you have to spend time with him, though, right? I mean, not only did the ultimas literally personally tell you that you had to, but it’s also the only way that you’re going to prove there’s no connection between you and him. If you keep avoiding him, there’s no way to prove that it doesn’t exist. Just hold on. Play the long game. Keep being brave and show that asshole that he’s not going to shake you.”

I open my mouth to tell her that I’m not quite sure I’m capable of that, but we’ve already reached the others. Several of the omegas turn, squealing and folding us into their group. A few of them look over at me, giving me strange looks that I don’t understand, but I try to ignore them. One of them starts talking a mile a minute at Addilyn, who jumps right in, talking just as quickly in return.

As the omegas talk and gossip, I try to pay attention. To distract myself from this next game and from dealing with Kurt.

It doesn’t work. My anxiety slowly rises.

Eventually the alphas come pouring out of the castle, jostling each other and laughing. All the men are smiling. Everyone but Kurt, who lingers in the background, glaring at everyone. The crowd of men parts as Brock walks through them, his head held high. Silence spreads as he approaches, and all the omegas lower their heads, waiting.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Brock says, from the center of our two groups. “Today is another beautiful day here at The Selection.” This ultima, unlike Lance, speaks formally, and to the point. But unlike Hector, he isn’t a dick about it. “Some major changes will be occurring soon. The first of which is that the ferals will be joining The Selection activities.”

Some people grumble. Others look excited. But mostly, people look worried. It all depends on their experience with ferals.

Not that I blame anyone for their mixed reactions.

Ferals are wolves that do not have a pack. Sometimes ferals become ferals by being thrown out of their pack for seriously poor behavior, while some ferals simply have the misfortune of being born to feral parents. Still, ferals are welcome at The Selection, where they are given an opportunity to be reconnected to a pack through an omega. If a feral chooses the same omegas as other alphas, they will be added to the alpha’s pack as mate to the alpha’s omega and alphas, recognized by the pack. It’s a chance at a new and better life for them.

Most omegas tend to be scared of ferals. Since they live outside the laws of the packs, they are seen as wild and dangerous, unless of course one of their parents was a feral. Alphas tend not to want to be linked to them because they complicate their pack life.

I, for one, just want to avoid them. If I find alphas frightening, the last thing I want is to be near ferals. I can’t imagine much worse than being tied to them, except for being tied to Kurt.

He’s definitely worse.

“But we don’t need to focus on their arrival right now, when there is the next event to enjoy! Today’s activity is gathering together—berries, mushrooms—whatever wild produce you can find and collect. Work with your potential mates to find what you can in the forest. The winning team will be whoever has the most produce at the end of the time limit.”

“Wow,” Addilyn whispers, “there’s never been a winner so far in these games. I wonder what the winner will get.”

I grin. “No idea.”

“Maybe another strip dance from your alphas?” she asks innocently.

I lightly smack her arm, and we laugh.

“Well, I’m going to go find my own harem, since you already have your own. Have fun with your boy-toys.”

She heads off to join up with the other unmated alphas and omegas, and I see Ezra and Cayson making their way over to me.

“Faye,” Cayson says, bouncing over to me like a puppy. I can’t stop picturing the way he looked naked, how his body fit with mine, arched over me. A flush climbs up my neck and out over my cheeks. “You smell like us.”

This only makes me blush harder with the realization that everyone around us must know what happened, and that’s why the omegas were giving me strange looks. It’s weird enough to have had my first time with two alpha men at The Selection, I really didn’t need everyone to know we’d done it.

Cayson pulls me into a hug, whispering in my ear, “Don’t worry, Jelly Bean, we’re just selling the story, remember?” But there’s something about the way he says it that makes me wonder if this is still a story we’re selling.

After my conversation with Addilyn, I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. Of course his words were an act. Everything between us is an act. Except, maybe, the sex, but I don’t even know about that.

After Cayson pulls back, Ezra speaks up, drawing my attention to him. “You look nice,” Ezra says, leaning forward and plucking at the purple sundress I’m wearing. “This is your color.”

It’s so different, seeing him in the daylight, perfectly collected, versus how he came apart in bed. I have no idea how a man can be this tight-laced in life and a complete wild man in bed. Is that normal? I have no idea.

How am I going to get through this day if I can’t stop thinking about what happened?

“Thank you,” I say, dropping my eyes to the floor, still unsure how to accept a compliment.

He just chuckles, tucking me into his side.

Then, everyone pauses in their conversation as a group of riders appears on the horizon, traveling fast . My heart jumps into my throat. Who the hell are they? And what could possibly cause them to ride like that?

“Who is that?” Cayson asks, shielding his eyes and looking out over the field.

“Ferals,” comes a voice from behind us, and I bow my head when we turn and see Brock, also staring out at the riders getting closer and closer to us, their horses kicking up dust in their wake.

“Ferals,” Ezra repeats, and we all watch them in stunned silence.

Of course. Somehow, I didn’t picture them arriving on horses. I pictured them creeping out of the woods at night and slipping into our groups like a fox in a hen house.

When Brock had said the ferals would be here, I hardly thought he meant right now. I guess… things would be changing. The ferals will get to join all of us and look for their own omegas. They just didn’t get to join until the alphas had had enough time with the omegas, a nod to the fact that they’re beneath the alphas as feral-alphas.

For some reason, my heart is positively hammering in my chest, and Ezra reaches over, running his thumb over the pulse point on my wrist. There’re enough men around us already. We don’t need more.

“Hey,” he murmurs, “it’s going to be okay.”

Just as he says okay , the group of riders comes to an abrupt halt in front of us, and we wait, holding our collective breath, as the dust around them clears. Now, what?