Page 5

5

F aye

I pace back and forth in my room, flexing and unflexing my hands. I feel on edge. I’m in my silk pajamas and robe, because I was just getting ready to sleep for the night when the bell came over the speakers, indicating an activity, and making every muscle in my body tense.

Damn it.

The bell had tolled loudly, but I hadn't heard any instructions. Not a single servant has come to the room to demand I get dressed or leave the room. On one hand, staying in my room might be optimal, as it could mean I won’t have to risk seeing Kurt at all. On the other hand, staying here might just make me a sitting duck if he realizes I’m not present at the activity.

Again, I glance down at my outfit. Pink silk shorts. A pink silk spaghetti strap top. A silky pink robe that goes down to my thighs. And white underwear and a bra.

I’d been about to toss the bra and crawl into bed when the toll sounded. Now, I’m wondering if I’m an idiot for staying in these clothes when I should be prepared for anything and anyone.

At least the guard Ezra and Cayson assigned to my room is still there. I’d checked as soon as the bell had started ringing, nervous about Kurt showing up at my door. And yet, I still had no idea what was going on.

Where is this activity? What is this activity? Why is no one telling me anything?

There’s a knock at the door and it feels like my heart stops in my chest. I oscillate between telling myself to answer it and wondering if I should dive under the bed and hide, pretending not to be here. In all likelihood, it’s just a servant telling me what the activity is, but I can’t seem to walk over to the door given the slight chance that it could be Kurt on the other side of that door.

Will the guard stop him? Will the guard really fight for me if he needs to?

“Faye,” a voice calls, and when I recognize it as being Ezra, my sputtering heart calms a little.

“Oh, thank the gods,” I mutter, hurrying over to the door and swinging it open.

This time, my heart is in my throat again, but for a different reason. Cayson and Ezra are standing in the doorway, both of them in their robes and pajamas. Ezra has on a black shirt and gray sweatpants, and Cayson has on blue checkered pants and a white shirt. Both are wearing robes and looking incredibly handsome in a way I wouldn’t have expected.

Since when do men look so hot in pajamas?

As I stare at them, Ezra holds out a board game, and Cayson lifts two bottles of wine, a devilish grin on his face. I blink, not sure what I’m looking at. What in the hell are they doing?

“Don’t thank the gods, baby,” Cayson says, sauntering past me into the room. “Thank us.”

Damn shifter hearing.

“Well,” Ezra amends, “thank The Selection, I suppose.”

“I’m not thanking the gods that you’re here,” I say, turning toward them and rolling my eyes. When I notice Cayson’s gaze heating, his eyes sweeping up and down my form in my skimpy pajamas, I tug my robe shut and wrap my arms around myself. “I’m thanking the gods that it’s not Kurt at the door.”

It’s strange. It kind of feels good that Cayson’s looking at me the way he is. It makes me feel attractive. Like maybe he sees me differently than he sees the other women who are always falling over themselves to get his attention. But looking at him also reminds me of the kiss from earlier, the way he had buried his face in my neck, taking a long, deep breath like he’d been suffocating up to that point. Though his hands were only on my back and neck, it felt like he was touching me everywhere, cradling me, holding me in exactly the way I wanted without me having to ask.

My skin is still crawling with heat from the experience, but I try to shake the feeling away. The last thing I need is to lose my faculties and show Cayson any of my confusing feelings. This whole thing is a show. They’ve both made that clear, and I’m not about to forget that I don’t want an alpha either.

Realizing the door is still open, I move to shut it, but the latch doesn’t catch. Instead, the door flies open, hurling me backward into the room. Ezra moves forward at the last second, catching me before I can fall, keeping me from sprawling out over the floor.

The door finishes swinging open and Kurt steps inside, a scowl firmly on his face. He’s in nothing but white boxers that do absolutely nothing to hide the outline of his erection. Just the sight of it makes me want to vomit, so I turn my gaze upward.

The guard appears at his side, an apology on his face, as he puts a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, as if to haul him out. “I–”

“Do better,” Ezra snaps.

“But we’ll handle this,” Cayson adds.

The guard nods and steps back out of sight.

At the look on Ezra’s face, I remember that he was here the last time Kurt was in my room. From the fury that lingers there, I’d wager he hasn’t forgotten what Kurt attempted that night either.

This isn’t going to end well, no matter who makes the first move.

Ezra lifts me into his arms and starts across the room, his movements measured. I can feel the tension singing through his tight muscles as he gently puts me down on the bed, standing beside me like a sentry.

“Hey man,” Cayson says, his tone joking but his body language lethal. “How the hell did you get over the threshold? Thought guys like you had to be invited in?”

Kurt sneers at him. “That’s very funny, Pack Steel. Good thing you’re good at telling jokes. When your pack folds, you can come be my court jester.”

“ If my pack folds,” Cayson says, that jaunty look still on his face, even as he steps closer to Kurt, crowding him. “I’ll give your daddy a whole lap dance. He’d like that, wouldn’t he?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Kurt growls, raising his fists, but Ezra moves over to stand just beside Cayson.

“Hey, Kurt,” Ezra says, something dangerous in his voice, “you should try knocking.”

“You should try including all the alphas who are supposed to be included,” Kurt says, his eyes tracking over Ezra’s shoulder to me.

I’m trying to be strong, to muster the same gusto I had at the fashion show, but the memory of the last time he attacked me in my room is too fresh. I can’t stop thinking of the bruises that just barely shifted from black to greenish-yellow around my neck, how easy it was for him to hurt me.

How easy it was for him to take my brother from me.

“Don’t look at her,” Ezra says, shifting and cutting off Kurt’s line of sight to me. “You’re talking to Cayson and me, isn’t that right?”

“That’s right,” Cayson says, the teasing note dropping from his voice, “and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like you’re on the list for tonight’s activities.”

“Yeah,” Ezra says, glancing over his shoulder as though he’s assessing the area. “It’s a little crowded in here right now. Maybe come back next year?”

“Fuck you guys,” Kurt says, trying to push forward, but he couldn’t take Ezra, let alone both of them, if he tried his hardest.

Cayson and Ezra give him arrogant looks. Kurt’s neck turns red, and he charges again, but the guys hold firm against his advances, keeping him in the doorway. Their power is undeniable. They’re strong alphas through and through.

“You’ll be sitting this one out,” Ezra says, a sharp tone to his voice. “Whether that’s with or without bloodshed is up to you.”

They lock gazes for a long moment before Kurt inches back. His expression is outraged. “Just wait until the ultimas hear about this,” he hisses.

Cayson just laughs and says, “Yeah,” giving Kurt a meaningful and loathing glance. “Because the council is so good about righting the wrongs in this place. Now, fuck off back to your own room like a good little boy.”

Kurt stands, breathing hard, looking between the two of them angrily, but he must realize that he’s not going to get past them, and they’re not going to willingly let him in, so he lets out a forceful breath of air and turns on his heel, stomping back out into the hallway. I stare after him in shock. When he and I are alone, Kurt is like this malevolent force of energy I can’t escape. But with Cayson and Ezra, he seems like a terrible little boy throwing a tantrum.

The change is… hard to believe. Like a fantasy I never even knew I had.

When Cayson and Ezra shut the door and turn around, Cayson has a mischievous grin plastered on his face as he brushes his hands together, as though getting the dirt off. “Now that we’ve taken care of the little pest problem,” he says, “who’s up for a little game time?”

“A game?” I ask, confused.

“That’s what the ultimas arranged for us tonight: games in our pajamas, with our sweet omega.”

I hesitate. “But won’t there be trouble because we didn’t allow Kurt to join?”

Cayson gives me a look. “You think Kurt is going to tell them a story where we easily overpowered him and got him away from his ‘own omega’? He’d look like an idiot.”

He has a point. Kurt is a proud asshole, that’s for sure.

“But if there’s any problem,” Ezra says, “we’ll handle it.”

“Now, a game?” Cayson asks, his eyes sparkling.

It’s hard not to blush, even though I know Cayson could flatter a possum. “I’m not very good at stuff like this,” I admit.

Cayson grins. “The nice thing about these kinds of games is that anyone can win. It’s mostly about luck.”

“Luck?” I try to laugh but can’t quite make that happen. “I’m not the luckiest either.”

He grins. “You’ve got us in your bedroom. I’d consider that pretty lucky.”

Ezra meets my gaze. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”

I take a deep breath, even though it feels weird to have them in my bedroom. In our pajamas. With them looking ridiculously fine.

It’s enough to make a girl forget that they’re not really mine.

“Okay, let’s do it then!”

They high five each other in a goofy way that has me laughing. Ezra makes a beeline for the bed, and Cayson sets up the wine on my table, grabs three glasses, and uncorks the bottles. All his movements are smooth, as if he’s practiced this a million times before.

Which, it’s Cayson, so he probably has.

“Aren’t some other omegas going to be sad missing you two tonight?” I tease, but there’s a little bit of curiosity behind my joke.

Yes, they’ve claimed me, but it’s not completely unheard of for alphas to continue messing around with the omegas as they stay at The Selection, still getting to know their mate. The bond is not yet fully formed. It’s rare, yes, but not unheard of. And these two don’t have a true mate…

Ezra lifts a brow. “Like I said, I’m not here looking for an omega.”

“You don’t have to leave with an omega to hang out with one,” I say, flashing him a smile.

He shakes his head. “That’s more of Cayson’s philosophy than mine.”

On one hand, that eases a little of my worry. On the other, I notice how quiet Cayson is being. For some reason, it’d really bother me if Cayson spent his days flirting with me and his nights with the other omegas. I mean… the girls here might even be laughing with each other behind my back, knowing my “mate” is sleeping with them and professing his love for me. Some omegas are just like that. It’s why some alphas and omegas cheat. Although extremely unlikely, it does happen.

To my surprise, Cayson’s dark eyes find mine. “My Jelly Bean takes up too much of my time for me to have any left for someone else.”

I lift a brow. “Even at night.”

He flashes me a dirty smile. “Oh, it’s usually late at night when I’m thinking about my Jelly Bean. Pants down, cock in hand–”

“Cayson!” I shout, my face flaming, even though I’m happy that’s the only thing he’s doing at night.

He shrugs. “Ask an honest question, get an honest answer.”

Ezra stops beside me on the bed and reaches out, touching my throat in a strangely intimate way. “You’re healing.”

I swallow hard. “The bruises aren’t so bad.”

Our eyes meet and tension sings between us. I remember his light kiss after the runway show. It’d been short and sweet, but it’d also whispered of so much more. I wonder what Ezra is like when he loses control. For some reason, just the idea of it makes me feel warm and uncomfortable.

Ezra looks away, clearing his throat. “Well, I’m glad. Even though I do kind of wish Kurt had given us a reason to mess up that face of his.”

“You mean, mess it up more, right?” Cayson asks, smirking. “Because Kurt is one ugly motherfucker.”

I laugh. “He looks like a human in pug form… It’s a look that works for a dog. Humans? Not so much.”

“She’s right,” Cayson says, smiling at me.

“Did you see his face at the fashion show?” Ezra asks, smirking.

“Oh, he had a definite squirrel up his butthole,” Cayson mutters.

I smile, but then remember the ultima. “Brock saw it all though, and he didn’t look happy.”

Ezra sighs and leans back, his gaze meeting mine. “This fake relationship thing we’re doing is really tricky. We have to convince everyone, including the council, that we’re all in love. We have to make it clear we’re not getting along with Kurt, and that he can’t possibly work as your mate because he doesn’t fit with us. While at the same time pretending to be giving him a chance.”

“In my opinion,” Cayson says, popping his fingers, “the way we’re acting just solidifies just how much we don’t like him. They’ll hardly be able to deny us when it comes time to refuse the connection with him. Everyone will have seen how much we hate him. This whole ‘giving him a chance thing’ is just so Kurt’s big, bad daddy doesn’t come down on the council when he’s throwing a tantrum because he didn’t get the mate he wanted.”

“I just don’t want them getting mad at me,” I say. “I don’t want their attention on me at all.”

Ezra gives me a gentle smile. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about them. We’ll handle any issues if they come up.”

And I believe him.

Cayson and Ezra work together to get the game set up on the bed, spreading the board out so we can all reach the pieces. Once it’s set up, we’re all poured a generous glass of the best tasting wine I’ve ever had. I never really remember having red wine before. Maybe a sip or two when I was a girl. But I don’t remember taking a sip of a wine and thinking, wow, this reminds me of blackberries and strawberries , in the most amazing way, like I do now.

“This is amazing,” I say.

“Really? I thought it was just decent,” Cayson says, looking at me curiously.

I feel embarrassed. “To be fair, I haven’t exactly had a lot of opportunities to try wine.”

“What?” Cayson sounds shocked. “I’ve tried about a thousand different wines, from all over the world. Wine is the stuff of dreams. A full life requires wine.”

Ezra lifts a brow. “Not everyone is privileged enough to have a wine cellar.”

“Oh, right,” Cayson says, wincing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s okay,” I say, waving his comment away. “My cabin has a lot of things: a beautiful lake nearby, a wonderful garden, places to find wild mushrooms, and the most beautiful wildflowers. The silvery lupines are my favorite. But it also has a lot of disadvantages: no people nearby, which I’m actually starting to see as not as great a thing as I thought, no modern comforts, food can be scarce and food variety is limited, meaning sometimes you have to go hungry even from basic things, and the cabin tends to get pretty cold in the winter, since it doesn’t have proper insulation.”

Both men are staring at me. I suddenly feel nervous. What did I say?

Ezra’s mouth pulls into a thin line. “Your alpha should have helped insulate your cabin, and he should be making sure you have enough food.”

What? No. That’s not the responsibility of an alpha. I shake my head. “I’ve never really complained about it before, so he wouldn’t know.”

Ezra seems upset. “He knows you’re an orphaned omega in the middle of the woods. He sure as fuck should be checking in on you and making sure you’re being cared for. You don’t have family or your own mates to care for and provide for you, so it’s his responsibility.” He crosses his arms over his chest, looking determined. “When we leave The Selection, I’ll send someone out there to build up your supplies and do repair work on your cabin.”

“You don’t need to–”

“It’s not up for debate.”

I look to Cayson for help, but he seems just as upset. “He’s right, Jelly Bean. It’s okay to sometimes need someone to care for you.”

“Because I’m an omega?” My words are a challenge as I look between them.

Ezra’s expression gentles. “Even alphas need help sometimes.”

“Really?” I ask, not feeling convinced.

“You helped me already with your suggestion of getting grants. I’ve already informed my father, and we’re looking into it.”

I’m shocked. “Oh.”

“And I need help dealing with my asshole dad all the time,” Cayson admits. “The guy seriously sees me as something just below the goop he scrapes off his shoes, even though he’s never given me a chance to be anything.”

“But you’re… amazing,” I say.

Cayson gives a tight smile. “Thanks, but try telling my dad that.”

There’s silence between us. It’s weird. With how smart, funny, and confident Cayson is, I almost find it unbelievable that his dad can’t see that. His loss.

Ezra opens his mouth, hesitates, then presses on. “When my first girlfriend, Katie, died–”

I gasp. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”

He gives a sad smile, his expression far away. “I was fifteen, and so was she. We’d dated for two years and thought we’d be together forever, but then she went to the river that day… there was a flash flood, and she never came back.”

“Oh, Ezra,” I whisper, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

He shakes his head, as if shaking away the memory. “What I meant to say was that, when I lost Katie, I needed a lot of support from not only Cayson and my family, but my whole pack. My family and pack might not have been… as there for me as I had hoped, but Cayson was, and it was invaluable.”

My heart hurts for the man in front of me. I knew Ezra had lost someone, but I had no idea it was a partner. I wonder if that has something to do with his unwillingness to find an omega. The thought makes me sad, even though I understand that need to never be hurt again better than anyone.

“I’m so sorry,” I say.

Ezra shakes his head. “Don’t be. Just remember, alpha or omega, we all need someone. We can’t survive on our own. It’s not how wolves are meant to be.”

And he sounds so sincere that it eases something in my chest. “Maybe you’re right. Just a little bit.”

Cayson smiles. “A little bit is better than nothing. Now, we ready to play this game?”

“I’m ready to embarrass you,” Ezra challenges.

We all focus on the board in front of us, choosing our pieces and getting ready for some fun. Fun that includes pajamas, wine, and two handsome men on my bed. I could do worse.

I study the board, seeing all the properties around the outside, deciding which ones I want to buy first. We’re each given a pile of money. Our pieces are set up at the starting spot, and the dice is pulled out. We’re ready to either land in jail, pay money, or buy properties.

As we play, Cayson openly cheats and Ezra plays exactly by the rules, sometimes catching himself accidentally breaking one and insisting he pay the penalty. It’s comical to be a part of. It’s like the game perfectly captures the two men’s personalities, and I’m loving every second of their contrasting game styles. Especially when my style is somewhere in the middle. I don’t try to break any rules, but if I find that I did, I don’t ask for a penalty.

“Hey,” Cayson says, after one bottle of wine is gone. He’s on his side, his head in his hand, looking up at Ezra and I with a glint in his eye. “What do you say we make this a little more interesting?”

“I am not playing another drinking game with you,” Ezra mutters, concentrating as he places his cards down on the board. “Last time, I’m pretty sure I met the gods before I sobered up again.”

“Nah, not like that,” Cayson says, raising his eyebrows. “A different kind of a game. An even more fun one. How about every time you land on someone else’s property, you have to take an article of clothing off? How about that?”

Ezra laughs. “Knowing you, you’ve got nothing on under those pants.”

Cayson raises a brow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Faye?” Cayson asks, turning to me, making my cheeks go pink. “What do you say?”

The wine warms my insides. A night of laughter and smiles fill me. I glance between the two of them and I feel safe with these two men. I know, deep in my bones, that they’d never hurt me.

Something inside me tugs, hard, and I say the words before I can think about the consequences. “Sure, why not?”