Page 21 of Hunt

I pass hallways I haven't been down in years, not caring how loud the clacking of my heels are. At the end of the hall on the second floor, I see a light. I make my way towards it, only to find a door cracked open. It’s a cigar room. The maids must have left the door unlocked in the hustle and bustle to get the wedding thrown together. The lights are dim and warm and a small fire still burns in the corner fireplace.

I take a seat on a chocolate-colored leather couch and kick off my heels. My feet throb and I ache to rub them, but I know from experience that it’ll only make them swell. Looking to my left, I see a small square package, and before I can talk myself out of it, I knock a fat cigar into my palm. I know I shouldn't, but after the day I’ve had, I really need something to take the edge off, and right now I can’t stomach alcohol.

I light the tip and suck in—setting the lighter aside as I recline back on the couch. I smile to myself as I picture howfurious Alessio would be if he were to find me in here like this. Blue hair, shoes off with a cigar hanging from my lips?—

“What’s wrong with this picture?” drawls a deep voice from the doorway. I jolt in my seat, almost dropping the cigar in my lap.

Silas and Hector slip into the room with hands slung casually in their pockets. The look particularly delicious tonight in their expertly tailored tuxedos. As much as I’ve been known to get the warm tingles in my nether regions whenever they wear casual attire, I can’t lie and say I didn’t get instantly wet the moment I laid eyes on my dapper men. Even now, I can’t stop my eyes from roaming their bodies from their polished shoes to the top of their gelled back hair.

Silas saunters over, plucking the cigar from my fingers and bringing it to his own lips. He takes a long, slow drag, holding my gaze as he exhales a plume of smoke. "Since when do you smoke, princess?" he asks, one brow arched.

Hector chuckles, settling himself on the opposite end of the couch. "I think our little omega is full of surprises tonight." His tone is light, but there's an edge to it, a tension that sets my nerves on end.

I cross my arms, jutting my chin defiantly. "It's been a long day," I say, my voice clipped. "I needed a break from all the bullshit out there."

Silas scoffs, flicking ash onto the polished hardwood. "Looked to me like you were having a grand old time, letting all those alphas paw at you on the dance floor."

I bristle, my temper flaring. "You know damn well I didn't have a choice. Alessio ordered me to dance with anyone who asked."

Hector leans forward, his elbows on his knees. "And did he order you to let them grope you too? To whisper filthy things in your ear while they pressed up against you?"

I flush, equal parts anger and embarrassment. "I didn't... I wasn't..." I sputter, but Silas cuts me off.

"Face it, sweetheart," Silas cuts me off, his voice low and dangerous. "You loved every second of it. All those big, bad alphas fighting over you, ready to throw down just for a chance at your sweet little cunt."

My mouth falls open in shock at his crudeness. Silas has always been blunt, but this is a new level of vulgarity, even for him.

Hector nods, his eyes glinting with a predatory light. "Can't really blame them, can we? Not with the way you smell right now, so ripe and ready for the taking."

I swallow hard, suddenly aware of just how vulnerable I am—alone in a secluded room with two very pissed off alphas, my heat pheromones saturating the air between us.

"I didn't... I don't want any of them," I manage to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper.

Silas crushes out the cigar, rising to his feet in one fluid motion. "Is that so?" He stalks towards me, crowding into my space until I'm forced to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. "Then who do you want, little omega? Huh?"

His hand comes up to grip my chin, firm but not painful. I whimper, my lips parting on instinct. "Does it even matter anymore, Sai? You don’t want me anymore. I lied to you, remember? I tricked you. I’m a backstabbing bitch, just like you warned your brothers I was, right?"

Hector rises from the couch, coming to stand beside Silas. They exchange a loaded glance before turning their intense focus back to me. The air crackles with tension, the simmering anger and lust creating a heady cocktail that makes my head swim.

"You're right," Hector says, his voice rough with emotion. "You did lie to us. You betrayed our trust in the worst possible way."

I flinch at his words, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. But I refuse to let them fall, refuse to show any more weakness than I already have.

Silas's grip on my chin tightens fractionally. "And yet..." He exhales, the sound ragged and pained. "And yet, even now, even after everything... Our bodies still crave you. We still want you with a fucking intensity that terrifies us."

I suck in a sharp breath, my heart hammering against my ribcage. "Silas..." I whisper, my voice trembling.

He shakes his head, jaw clenched. "It infuriates me, you know that? How even when I'm so goddamn angry with you I can barely see straight, all I can think about is burying myself inside you. Claiming you, marking you, making you ours in every way possible."

Hector growls low in his throat, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "It's like you're a fucking drug, Bella.

I tremble under the intensity of their combined gaze, arousal and trepidation warring within me. "I never meant for you to get hurt," I manage to whisper. "I had to make an impossible choice."

Silas scoffs, releasing my chin only to fist his hand in my hair, forcing my head back. "And look where that got you. Right back here, caught between us, your body begging for our knots even though you know you shouldn’t."

He leans in close, his lips a hair's breadth from mine. "Tell me, Bella," he murmurs, his breath ghosting over my skin. "Is this what you wanted? To be the prize in a room full of rutting alphas, all ready to tear each other apart for a chance at you?"

I whimper, my body responding to his proximity despite the turmoil in my heart. "No," I gasp out, my hands coming up to clutch at his lapels. "No, that's not what I want at all."

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