Page 15 of Owned By Four Alphas

“I thought I made it clear that I won’t compromise anything when it comes to your safety!”

“My safety wasn’t at risk. Elian’s guards were there, Malek was there, you were all of thirty seconds away—”

“Like I was when Phaendar captured you? When the humans at the temple nearly took you from me?”

“You can’t use that as an excuse to keep me locked away for the rest of my life!”

“I won’t apologize for trying to keep you safe!”

Elian sighed, taking a swig of wine, watching the dancers twirl around the ridiculous volcano statue. “Some celebration this is.”

Selena whirled on him, her hair practically crackling with magic, her eyes glowing eerily bright in the low candlelight of the hall, “Don’t act like you’re some innocent bystander caught in the middle of this, Elian, you let mehumiliate myself—”

“Omega,” Kaelen growled as Selena’s voice grew louder, drawing the attention of some nearby Fae. Malek shifted, the shadows swirling around him vibrating through the air, agitated and unsettled.

“Don’t, Kaelen, just don’t. I’ve hadenoughof you telling me what to do!”

Elian laughed at the furious scowl on Kaelen’s face, unable to stop himself leaning over and poking further. “She really has. I tried to explain to her that you take it literally when she fills your head withI belong to youand all that when you have your cock in her—”

Kaelen’s magic lashed out, striking Elian in the side, waves of burning fire lancing through him.

“Ow, Kaelen,what the fuck—”

“Elian, I can’t believe you would—Kaelen, that isnot helping—”-

“Maybe I should take Selena back to our chambers,” Malek interjected. “Her magic seems pretty unstable—”

“Oh, so the golden boy finally deigns to speak,” Elian snarked, rubbing his side where Kaelen’s fire had burned a hole through his shirt. Hisexpensivespider-silk shirt.

“You leave him out of this!”

“No, no,” Elian continued, pain and shock biting at him, “He’s part of the pack, I think he’s spent far too long silently letting us get all the heat. Is it nice, Malek? Not contributing anything and then lapping up Selena’s affection when we piss her off for actuallydoing something—”

“Benellane, I swear to all the gods—”

“—dareyou talk to him like that for treating me with a modicum of respect—”

“I have been doing something,” Malek’s voice was wounded despite his strange, stony face. “I’ve been trying to help my Nightwalkers. You know that. It benefits everyone for them to learn civility.”

“Nightwalkers,” Elian replied with a scoff. “I’ve been dissecting your kind for centuries. There’s not an ounce of civility to be found.”

Malek’s shadows thrashed outwards, and Kaelen curled instinctively around Selena, but her own magic swelled and repelled him. Her skin was glowing silver now, her eyes iridescent, laced with divine fury.

A frisson of fear shot down Elian’s spine. He lifted his hands. “Look, I didn’t mean—”

The music swelled. And the volcano, the ridiculous, towering statue at the center of the hall, exploded in a great booming arc of silver light.

The hall fell silent as chunks of marble thudded to the floor, thankfully going no further than a few tables loaded with food.

Everyone turned to Selena.

Selena. Whose magic had lashed outwards in her anger. Uncontrolled. Dangerous.

She stared at the shattered remains of the volcano in shock, her mouth opening and closing, the last glow of silver fading from her skin. Her eyes widened. Her terror was palpable.

Without a word, she stumbled out of her chair, tears falling down her cheeks.

“I didn’t…I…I’m sorry, I…”

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