Chapter 34
Chapter 34
“Who the fuck are you p>
Wade’s grip is iron on my arm, his fingers digging in like he’s trying to snap bone. Sinol his other hand, the glow of the ember throwing shadows across his sharp face. His eye suspicious.
I wrench my arm, but he doesn’t budge.
“Let go,” I snap, voice low and tight.
He smirks, like he’s just confirmed something. “Not until I see your face p>
in the cigarette pinched in
Tow, predatory,
I keep my chin down, the mask covering me, but his gaze is crawling over every inch like he already knows. His voice lowers into that Alpha command he thinks works on everyone.
“Take it off p>
I laugh. Short. Bitter. “Sorry. You’re not my Alpha here p>
That wipes the smirk off for half a second. His grip tightens, nails biting into my skin. “You disobey me again and see what happens p>
I shift my weight, already aiming for the most obvious weak spot between his legs. My pulse pounds in my ears, every nerve screaming at me to act before he rips this mask clean off my face.
He as in, breath hot with smoke and arrogance. “I kn
you are. Don’t
I? ”
“No you don’t. I don’t know you, Alpha. I’m just an Omega.” I bite out, my free hand balling into a fist at my side.
His eyes sharpen. He’s about to call my bluff, I can feel it. One
tug
and this whole façade shatters-
“Alpha Wade p>
The deep voice slices through the tension like a blade.
Both our heads turn.
The Beta. The one standing beside Alaric earlier, with the silver ring glinting on his finger. The same one who caught me at the lake. His face is carved from stone, unreadable, but his amber eyes lock on Wade with quiet authority.
“Can I get a moment with you?” He orders. Is he … helping me escape p>
Wade growls, irritated and turns back to me. “I’m busy p>
The Beta doesn’t flinch. “This is regarding the former Luna of Woodridge p>
Every muscle in my body seizes. My stomach drops.
Wade stiffens, the cigarette pausing halfway to his lips. He turns fully toward him now, eyes narrowing. “What about her
The Beta’s gaze flicks to me, so quick no one else would notice, but it’s enough. He’s telling me: run.
I don’t think. I yank my arm from Wade’s loosened grip and bolt, skirts whipping around my legs. My breath rasps in my throat as I fly down the corridor, ignorin the guards, ignoring the pounding in my chest.
By some miracle, I make it back to the servants‘ quarters without being grabbed. My hands shake as I slam the door shut
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Chapter 34
behind me, pressing my back to it like that’ll hold the world out.
Fuck.
$86
Design
I stagger to the chest at the end of the bed and throw it open. Gowns in every color stare back at me, glittering, shimmering. mocking. I grab a deep wine–red one, something simple but enough to make me blend back in.
The mask–I keep that. Adjust it tight across my face, smooth the dress down, and f stares back at me from the warped mirror in the corner: pale, flushed, wil eyed. D
No choice either way.
and still My relection ong? Maybe, Hopefully.
I slip out and weave through the maze of corridors until the muffled beat of music pulls me back toward the ballroom. The air thickens with incense and perfume the closer I get, the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses spilling out like honey.
And there–on the dance floor–Tully and Marg.
Both masked, both ridiculous. Tully twirls her so clumsily she’s half–laughing, half–scolding, but they look like they’re having the time of their lives. Normal. Carefree. Not hunted.
I lift a hand, subtle. Tully spots me first. His brows shoot up, then he waves back, exaggerated, like he can’t contain his relief. Marg follows his gaze, and I see her shoulders sag. They know it’s me. Even through the mask, they know.
I exhale, shaky.
But the relief dies as fast as it came.
Because across the hall, Alaric Hayes is pacing.
The Alpha King looks carved from fury itself, prowling like a caged predator in his obsidian suit. His amber eyes scan the crowd, sharp, restless, every movement screaming he’s waiting for something–or someone.
Well he did have the doors barred for me when I escaped. But he’s not gonna find the supposed lead dancer now. I’m an Omega blended int her crowd.
The priestess’s voice rings out above the music, cheerfuThe air in this damn ballroom is suffocating. Too much perfume, too much wine, too many wandering eyes. I keep my head down, pretending to adjust the tray in my hands, even though it’s empty. My heart hasn’t slowed since I caught sight of Wade earlier. The bastard’s been prowling the room like a starving wolf, scanning every masked face, every shadow.
I thought I’d shaken him. Apparently not.
Then the Beta steps in. Cole Archer. His broad frame cuts through the crowd like he owns the floor, and maybe he does. People part for him, murmurs follow him, but his eyes–gods, his eyes find me instantly.
Shit.
I curse under my breath, gripping the tray like it’s a shield. “Don’t you fucking dare,” I mutter to myself when he starts heading my way.
But of course he does. Because tonight, fate has a sick sense of humor.
Cole reaches me in long strides, and before I can duck, his hand closes around my wrist. Firm. Unyielding. My pulse
“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss, trying to yank free.
He doesn’t answer. Just drags me forward like I weigh nothing. I stumble, glaring daggers at his back. The crowd parts aga curious stares prickling across my skin. My stomach churns, and I know–I fucking know–this isn’t going to end well.
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Chapter 34
And then I see where he’s taking me.
Straight to the center of the ballroom. Straight to him.
Alaric Hayes. The Lycan King.
My lungs seize.
The King stands there, towering over everyone like the universe bent just to fit his frame faint under the chandelier light, a presence so sharp it feels like he’s carved out of the nig perfectly, molding to his broad chest and shoulders, the fabric straining when he shifts. Da
And right now, those molten eyes are locked on me.
ous. Ruthless, Illegally hot.
Cole stops in front of him and says, loud enough for half the hall to hear, “This woman is the King’s best bet at a partner tonight p>
The words hit me like a punch. My heart free–falls, crashing into my stomach.
The room goes still.
Alaric’s gaze flicks to his Beta, sharp as a blade. A silent what the fuck are you doing? passes between them. His jaw tightens, muscle ticking. He’s not the kind of man who lets anyone dictate shit for him–not even Cole.
And me? I’m caught between them like some pawn.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I whisper harshly, jerking my wrist again, but Cole doesn’t even flinch.
The King’s eyes cut back to me. Piercing. Heavy. Like he’s stripping me bare with a single look. Heat blooms under my skin, the kind that’s both terrifying and… something I don’t dare admit.
Then, just over Alaric’s shoulder, I catch sight of Wade.
He’s back. He’s in the hall, his eyes scanning with that same manic hunger, like a wolf that smells blood.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
Cole’s plan clicks in my head. He’s not throwing me under the bus–he’s saving my ass. If I go back into the crowd, Wade will see me. If I stay here, with the King, Wade won’t dare come near.
I have two choices:
Face Wade.
Or endure Alaric.
Neither is safe. One is just less suicidal.
My throat is dry as sand. My palms sweat. I feel the weight of the entire hall pressing down on me, waiting for my re The King’s eyes bore into me, a silent dare.
I swallow hard, take a shaky breath, and then–fuck it.
I turn to Alaric. “Yes, Your Majesty,” I say, forcing the words out, my voice loud, too desperate. “I’m a very good dancer.
For a heartbeat, the entire world freezes.
Then Alaric’s eyes darken, his lips curving into the faintest, most dangerous smirk.
Jan
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Chapter 34
And that’s when everything explodes.
I and shrill. “And now, it is time for our Alpha King to choose his partner from the crowd p>
Cheers erupt, women gasping and preening, men shifting as if they wouldn’t kill to be in his
But Alaric doesn’t move to choose. His jaw tightens, his hand flexes at his side. He glares at away from snapping her neck.
“Not yet,” he growls, voice carrying over the music, over the cheers.
The room hushes.
His lips curl into something dark, lethal. “Fuck it. I’m waiting for the girl I had my Beta chase p>
ke he’s one word
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