Page 16 of My Alpha Stepbrother's Dirty Secret 2

Killian reached for my hand."Ready?"

I nodded, swallowing hard.

"Let's go."

The second we stepped into the gala hall, I could feel it, all eyes were on us.The music was soft, people were laughing and talking, but everything seemed to pause for just a second as everyone turned.It was as if someone had shouted, "Look!"

Whispers started immediately, quiet enough to sound polite but loud enough for me to hear the tension behind them.

"Who's that on alpha Killian's arm?"

"Where's Luna Cynthia?"

"Is he cheating?"

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my expression calm while my fingers tightened slightly around Killian's arm.He didn't shake.In fact, he only held me closer, his hand firmly settled on my waist, as if he wanted the whole world to know exactly where I belonged.

He moved through the crowd with ease, nodding to several men as we passed, shaking hands, exchanging quick greetings.

"alpha Greg, alpha Nolan...good to see you again," Killian said with his usual charm, his voice calm and commanding.Some of the alphas had their mates standing beside them, looking equally curious.

When a few people asked who I was, Killian didn't hesitate.

"She's my woman," he said simply, like it was the most obvious truth in the world.

and that was when they really looked.Their eyes shifted down to my neck, and when they saw it, the mark he'd left on me, their expressions changed immediately.The confusion turned into shock, and then respect.

There were nods, soft bows, and a few murmured "Luna" greetings that caught me off guard.

I tried to stay calm, to keep smiling, but it was hard.Everyone was staring.Everyone was whispering.The way they looked was making my skin itch.

Killian took a drink when one of the waiters walked by with a tray, but his hand never left my waist.Not even for a second.

"are you okay?"he asked, leaning in just a little.

"Yeah," I nodded, even though I wasn't sure.

a few minutes later, two men approached us with big grins.

"alpha," one of them said.

Killian smiled."Beta Logan, Gamma Steve.You two finally made it."

So these were his Beta and Gamma.

"What about Richard?"

"He couldn't make it.Said something about wanting to woe his human mate."

and they all chuckled.

Their eyes caught sight of me and they bowed slightly, but it wasn't like the others.It felt...hesitant.They exchanged a quick look between them before one of them muttered, "Hope you haven't forgotten what we told you."

It was cryptic, said low, like they didn't want me to hear it, but I did.and I didn't like it.

Killian didn't respond to them directly, just gave a short nod and sipped his drink again.Meanwhile, I was growing tired of standing there like some showpiece while everyone either stared at me or tried to decode what I was doing by his side.

"I need to use the restroom," I said quietly, leaning closer.