Page 40 of Claimed By the Alpha Wolves

It makes my heart warm a little to actually hear about a happy family.

His gaze finds mine even as he begins to squirt the frosting in a circle around the top edges of the round cake. “What about your family? Anyone you’re particularly close with?”

An ache echoes through my chest. “All my family members are dead, unfortunately.”

He winces. “It’s important to me that the omega I choose has a supportive family like my own.”

I stare at him for a minute. When he doesn’t say more, I manage, “Sorry that the loss of everyone I hold dear makes me a less desirable candidate as your omega.”

Now, his cheeks heat. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I’m just a direct person.”

“I understand, although my brother always used to say that people often use ‘being direct’ to be cruel. I always wondered if that was true.”

He opens his mouth to say more, but I glance away from him, feeling angry. My gaze finds its way to Ezra. The omega next to him is an absolutely beautiful brunette. She has her hand on his leg, and she’s talking and laughing like she’s having the time of her life.

I look away and find Cayson. He’s telling a story that has the pretty redhead next to him grinning like a mad woman. All the other alphas at the table look annoyed, but it doesn’t stop whatever story he’s telling. When he sees me looking at him, he winks, and I jerk my gaze away, feeling embarrassed.

“Well,” Jace says, leaning in, “I guess this is a good thing. Robin’s out of the running.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t still consider her,” Robin stutters out, “just that she wasn’t my ideal match.”

Phillip adjusts his glasses. “Well, to know if she’s an ideal match, we actually need more details. It’s already obvious she’s small and weak, which likely won’t result in strong children, but what pack does she belong to? Is she valued in her pack? Would choosing her create strong allegiances?”

I can’t help myself. I say, “How romantic.”

Phillip looks confused, but Jace just smiles. “She seems big enough for whatever I need her for.”

Feeling uncomfortable, I pick up a bag of icing and just start doing what Robin is doing, but I’m decorating the sides of the cake with pink. The other men grab frosting tubes and then we’re all working together. Having them busy, and not talking to me, calms me down just a little.

Then Jace says, “You look good enough to eat.”

I regard him in confusion.

Then he squirts a little frosting on the tip of my nose.

“Uh…”

Before I can say more, he leans forward and licks the tip of my nose. I’m so… disgusted, that I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do.

He squirts some frosting on his finger and lifts it to my lips. “Lick.”

I sit in stunned silence.He wants me to… lick the frosting off his finger?

“What’s this?” Cayson is suddenly behind me, and a second later Ezra is there too. “You guys sampling the cakes?”

Jace looks annoyed. “Wewere.”

“Well,” Cayson says, “why stop there?”

Taking the green frosting in his hands, Cayson squirts it all over Jace’s face. My mouth drops open. The tables around us go utterly silent. I look up at Cayson in absolute horror. There’s a playful smile on his face, but there’s something underneath that smile that I don’t understand.

“What the fuck did you just do?” Jace asks, frosting dripping onto his clothes.

“He’s clearly just making a mess,” Robin says angrily.

“Oh, you look a bit hungry too,” Ezra says. As if I’m in a bad dream, Ezra grabs a handful of our poorly decorated cake and throws it at Robin, hitting him square in the face. “Eat up. You’ve got to get bigger and stronger if you want to capture theperfectomega. One who can tolerate your personality, and give you the big family you so rightfully deserve.”

Without a word, Robin stands and grabs a handful of the cake and throws it at Ezra. But Ezra ducks, and the cake hits an omega just behind him. The table of alphas look between her and Robin, rage in their expressions, and then they’re digging into the cake on their table.

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