Page 18

18

F aye

I walk into the ballroom, which is outfitted with a bunch of round tables draped with white cloths. Candles flicker merrily from the center of each table, the chandeliers lit and twinkling, making the ceiling and walls glow with golden light.

“Wow,” Addilyn says beside me.

“Right?” I mutter.

“They keep finding new ways to outdo themselves,” she says, turning to me with a grin as she squeezes my arm. “I wonder what new, hot men I'll be sat with tonight. There are a handful of ferals I wouldn't mind being eaten out by, I mean, I wouldn't mind eating with.”

“Addilyn!”

She winks at me. “Look who I'm talking to… you went to ride a boat but rode a hand instead.”

My face is on fire. “I'm never telling you anything again!”

And then we're both laughing until we tire ourselves out. Then her face shifts, the merriment fading away, and she just looks nervous. Which is so unlike her.

She takes a deep steadying breath beside me. “Wish me luck today, Faye. I’m starting to think if I don’t bond with an alpha soon, I’m going to end up being stuck with a beta.”

“That only happens if you don’t match with an alpha for years .” Once omegas are considered past their ‘prime,’ betas are given a shot to see if they can bond with the omegas. And even if they don’t, they can just choose to be paired off. No one really cares what happens to them at that point. “You’re going to be fine, Addilyn. You have plenty of time.”

She wipes her hands on the side of her outfit. “If you say so. I just hope the brothers choose to sit with me. I liked them. I just don’t know if they liked me too…”

I smile. “I’m sure they did. Deep breaths.”

A servant appears at our side, dressed in white and black. “Miss Addilyn? Right this way.”

Addilyn flashes me an excited look weaved with nervousness and sweeps away. I watch her go in a sleek pink gown, gems glowing against her throat, and pray she gets her table full of ferals. For now, she's seated at an empty table on the other side of the room. Other omegas have already been scattered at different tables around the room, waiting for when the men are allowed to join us.

A servant speaks to another servant beside me. “Tell the males. All the females have arrived.”

Then he takes off, and I’m left standing, wondering what to do next.

“Miss Faye?” a servant says, bobbing her head beside me.

I nod.

“This way, please,” she says, heading between tables.

The room smells amazing, and I follow the servant who greeted me to a table in the center of the room. When we arrive, my brain instantly counts the chairs, my skin going cold. Six chairs. One for everyone—including Kurt.

I take a shaky breath and sit, tucking the skirt of my pale blue gown under me as I do. To pass the time, I smooth down my hair, pick a piece of lint from my shoulder, and run my fingertip over the lace edging on the tablecloth. None of it calms my nerves. Soon, I’ll be seated for a fancy meal with four men who I have confusing feelings for, and one man I hate.

The door to the ballroom opens, and my gaze snaps to the person entering. My racing heart continues to race for completely different reasons when I spot Ezra in a black suit, looking like some kind of ridiculously beautiful model. Sometimes I can’t believe he doesn’t want a mate. He seems like exactly the type of man who should have a mate.

“Faye,” Ezra greets. He frowns as he nears the table, and I raise an eyebrow at him in question. “I’d hoped to get here before you, so I could pull the chair out for you.”

“The servant did it,” I say, but I stand, pushing the chair back into the table. Ezra laughs in surprise. “But go right ahead.”

Ezra comes to my side of the table, and I smell his scent like a fine cologne washing over me. It makes my eyes prick with familiarity, and I laugh as he pulls the chair out with a flourish, sweeping his hand in a gesture for me to sit. Once I’m seated—again—he pushes the chair forward so I’m at a comfortable distance from the table.

The door opens again, and in walks Xander. He’s wearing a shirt now, a white one, with a blue jacket that matches the deep blue color of his eyes. The jacket strains at his shoulders, looking like it might be one size too small, but then, it might be. I have a feeling the clothing people probably outfitted him for a suit for tonight, without having the time to adjust one to fit his large body.

“Hey,” Xander says, glancing between Ezra and I, Ezra’s hand still on my chair. “I will help with the chair.”

The earnestness in his voice melts my heart. He seems like a man of few words, and I feel kind of honored he chooses to share some of those words with me. Who knew such a big, rough man could be so gentle?

I laugh and stand up again, unable to control my giggles as Xander repeats the entire process while Ezra takes his seat to my left. When I am, once again, seated, Xander takes the chair to my right, but now Cayson is approaching the table, wearing a black suit with a pink shirt. He’s clearly watched the whole show. There’s a twinkle in his eyes that tells me he’s in a mischievous mood.

“Oh yeah,” he says, his voice low, “get that sweet ass out of the chair, Faye.”

I roll my eyes, but the low timbre of his voice sends a roll of arousal through me. Desperately, I try to tamp it down—I don’t want everyone at the table knowing I’m turned on, but it’s too late. Their eyes all look a little darker, a little more intent on me.

Cayson helps to tuck me into the chair, as well, making a spectacle of our table. It’s minutes before supper is set to be served, and there are still two empty chairs at the table—Kurt and Maverick are missing.

“ Faye ,” someone says, appearing at my side, and my heart jumps when I turn to see Addilyn, her eyes lit up with amusement, a hand clapped over her mouth. She leans down, whispering in my ear. “First, I got seated with the brothers. Second, and you’re not going to believe this, but someone peed on Kurt’s clothes!”

“ What ?” I ask, sucking in a breath, then letting out a breathy laugh.

“I heard this girl at another table say he was absolutely raging in the hallway, calling the housekeepers incompetent assholes. Apparently, his room is a complete mess, too.”

“Who would do something like that?” I ask, my eyes wide.

The entire reason we’ve had so much trouble handling Kurt is due to his father’s powerful position. Anyone who was willing to do something so direct to the son of a very powerful alpha clearly has some balls. But who?

I realize all the men at the table heard this little bit of gossip when I glance over and see Cayson laughing, his hand over his mouth, Ezra shaking his head, and Xander looking confused.

Addilyn gives me a wink, then skips back to her table.

“Kurt is Faye’s remaining mate?” Xander asks, probably remembering him from his tantrum when drawing straws.

“Technically, for now, but he’s also an asshole who definitely deserved for his clothes to be pissed on,” Cayson says, letting his head fall back against the back of the chair. “Oh, this is too good.”

“Yeah, but that asshole has an even bigger asshole for a father,” Ezra says, taking a sip of his whiskey and looking around the ballroom. “Anyone willing to do that is either making a pretty potent political statement, or doesn’t understand what an action like that means.”

“Hello everyone,” Maverick greets, surprising me by coming over and planting a kiss on my cheek, which makes all three men look at him a little more carefully. “What are we talking about?”

Cayson gives me a look and then says, “Someone pissed on Kurt’s clothes… you know, Faye’s other ‘mate,’ who absolutely deserved it, but we’re trying to figure out who would be crazy enough to do that.”

Maverick gives a shit-eating grin, looking dapper in his gray suit. “That’s funny. Really interesting, actually. I’ll tell you what—I just used the most interesting bathroom.”

There’s a moment of silence where we all register what he’s said, then Cayson breaks it by smacking his hand on the table loudly.

“ No ,” Cayson breathes, laughing hysterically, tears running down his face. “You are my personal hero.”

Maverick gives a dramatic bow. “I’m pleased to occupy the role.”

“That took a lot of balls,” Ezra says, his expression showing how impressed he is.

Xander just looks completely bewildered, like he wants to ask us if peeing on each other’s clothes is normal here.

I smile at him reassuringly. “They’re just being ridiculous.”

“You love it though,” Maverick says, grinning.

I blush. “I’m not exactly crushed it happened.”

There’s a moment where everyone is smiling, and I can’t help but picture Kurt when he discovered his clothes were peed on. He must have lost his mind. It seems like just a tiny way karma could come back at him.

“Speaking of balls,” Maverick says, unrolling his silverware and eyeing Cayson and Ezra playfully. “Seems like Faye’s had her share recently.”

Cayson cracks up laughing again, and I feel my entire body flush from head to toe. Of course, they can smell the guys on me. I’ll never accept how awful it is that every shifter knows when another shifter has had sex. It’s such a crazy notion, and not something I’ve paid attention to at any point in my life.

All eyes turn to focus on me. Cayson and Ezra look amused. Xander looks a little hurt. And, I swear, the other tables’ occupants have turned in our direction.

“Oh my gods ,” I mutter, reaching out and putting a hand on Maverick’s forearm. “You can’t just say things like that. We are in public .”

“Let them know,” Maverick says, shrugging. “They should be happy for us. ”

“Gods,” I mutter, rolling my eyes and picking at my dress, but there’s a potent bloom of happiness in my chest, spiraling out through the rest of my body.

“So,” Maverick continues, “when should we expect an invitation to your bed? Or is there some sort of appointment system? I’m free Tuesday afternoons?—”

“There is no schedule .” I laugh, shaking my head and taking a sip of water to try and cool my body.

“But we may need one,” Ezra says, ever practical. “If this is going to work out.”

“What would that be like?” Xander asks, and everyone looks at him. “If we were in a pack together?”

Silence falls over the table, and my heart starts into double time. This entire experience is going to send me into cardiac arrest. Poor Xander, he doesn’t understand anything of what’s going on. He’s just a guy who probably wants a mate and a pack.

“Well,” Ezra says, after a long moment. “Technically, being part of a bonded group, the two of you would have the ability to join either my pack, Pack Azure, or Cayson’s pack, Pack Steel. Faye would become an omega in both packs.”

“Our lands border one another,” Cayson explains, “so, it would be easy to rule them. If our fathers stepped down.”

“Once they step down,” Ezra says, his eyes slanting to Cayson quickly.

“And the two of you would probably be our seconds,” Cayson says, nodding his head at Maverick and Xander. I expect him to be joking, his usually playful tone, but this is the most serious I’ve ever seen him.

“But that’s only if we all ended up together,” Ezra clarifies, taking another sip of his whiskey.

I bite my bottom lip, imagining that kind of life. Moving away from the mountains, being near the water with Ezra and Cayson. Spending more time with Maverick and Xander. Something in my chest lights up at the thought of it.

It doesn’t sound bad. Before, when I imagined a life with an alpha, it was one of servitude and abuse. But that’s because Kurt was the only example of an alpha that I ever had. That, and my own alpha, who wasn't exactly there for me.

Life with these four might not be so bad .

Yet, none of it is real. Cayson, Ezra, and I… it’s all pretend, so that life can’t even happen. Even if I wanted it to.

Xander surprises me by asking, “And we would rotate nights with her?”

My cheeks heat, and all eyes are on me for a long minute.

When I don’t answer, Cayson says, “Some mated groups rotate, but I’d prefer a situation where we all slept in Faye’s bed every night, and she could enjoy… as many of us as she was prepared to enjoy each night.”

Xander tilts his head. “I would like that.”

“The more time with Faye, the better,” Maverick says, winking at me.

I feel strange. “But that’s only if we became a bonded group. There are reasons that might not happen.”

“Like what?” Xander asks.

“It’s complicated,” I say.

Servants suddenly come out with food, setting everything down at each table, including ours. I look around, realizing that all the tables have filled up without me even noticing. Addilyn is at a table with two alphas and two ferals, looking happy as can be. Maybe as happy as I feel.

We start eating a creamy shrimp and crab bisque that tastes like heaven. That’s one thing about The Selection: all the food is so damn good. It’s one of the few things I’ll miss about this place when I leave.

You know, and the guys.

“How do you like it?” Maverick asks, watching me intently.

I smile. “It’s delicious. Definitely better than my regular food at the cabin. There, I have a lot of fish, rabbit, mushrooms, and berries.”

“I imagine you’ll be eating pretty fancy at Cayson or Ezra’s pack lands,” Maverick says, flashing a smile. “I heard Pack Azure and Pack Steel are powerful and wealthy.”

Cayson shrugs. “We are, and you’re right. If Faye were to stick around us, I’d open her up to all new experiences, including good food and wine. I’d want to take her traveling all over, to see the world.”

And there’s no joking tone in his voice. For an alpha who doesn’t want an omega, he’s a pretty good actor. Hell, I almost believe him that he’s pictured that kind of life for us.

“I would like to travel,” Xander says. “As long as Faye is there.”

I smile at him, even though I shouldn’t. Even though I might be leading him on. “I’ve never really thought about seeing the world.”

“Well, you should,” Maverick says. “When we leave The Selection, all our lives will change forever.”

I give a nervous laugh. “I’m not great with change.”

“I’m not either,” Ezra says, “but some things are worth changing for.” His blue eyes linger on me for a minute too long before snapping back to our food.

The soup bowls disappear and juicy steaks and fancy potatoes come out. We all dive in, wolves through and through. And, man, I adore steak. It’s a rare delicacy, even in town.

As I’m finishing another bite, Xander asks, “What about the final member of our group?”

It’s hard to swallow the meat in my mouth, but I manage.

Ezra answers for me, “He will not remain with Faye. He scares her and is not a good man, so we’ll be pushing him out.”

“Is it that easy to get rid of him?” Maverick asks.

“As long as we all refuse the bond with him, yes,” Cayson answers, spearing a piece of steak. “And we all will be refusing the bond.”

“Works for me,” Maverick says, digging into his potatoes.

“And I,” Xander adds, looking fierce as his gaze fixes on me.

Cayson leans in closer to me. “See, Faye? We’ve got you taken care of. No one is going to hurt you with us around.”

And it’s weird. I believe him. As powerful as Kurt has always seemed to be, he feels like a no one in the face of these four strong men. Even a force like him couldn’t face these four and walk away unharmed.

It might be nice having mates. At least for a little while.