Page 51 of Claimed By the Alpha Wolves

Cayson and Ezra had looked on with disbelief.

The council said they’d look into Serra’s murder, but their tones, and even their expressions, said they wouldn’t be looking into Kurt. I highly doubt they’ll even speak to him further, because speaking to him would make him upset that his honor was even being questioned, and they don’t want to deal with an angry alpha. Or his dangerous father.

Cowards. All of them.

There’s a knock on my door and my entire body goes rigid, remembering the way Kurt had come shoving in here before. It’s only been an hour since I was dismissed by the council, and only a few hours since we found Serra’s body, so Kurt will still be fired up, and the dark night would be a great cover for whatever he might have planned for me.Except now Cayson and Ezra assigned a guard to sit at my door. Kurt wouldn’t risk attacking me with a guard around, would he?

I walk to the door slowly and open it just a crack, prepared to start screaming if I need to. When I see Addilyn on the other side, I let out a breath of relief and usher her into the room.

“Hey,” Addilyn says, holding up her foundation. “I saw you in the hallway earlier, and I thought you might need this.”

“Thank you,” I say.

I sigh, tilting my head up so she can apply more to the tender skin of my neck. Addilyn focuses on the task at hand while I stare at her. She has her light brown hair braided down her back today, and she’s changed from her riding clothes into a pretty purple dress.

“How did the ride and the scavenger hunt go?” I ask.

She grins. “I was partnered up with three sexy alphas. I’m not sure whether I had a real connection with any of them, but I wouldn’t mind a night spent with any, orall, of them.”

“Addilyn!” My cheeks heat.

She laughs. “Oh, come on. Like you weren’t checking out that Cayson on your ride! You hardly seemed upset to have him as a partner!”

I’m embarrassed that she noticed. “He’s not the worst looking… but I’m still not in the market for an alpha.”

“Think if you say it enough it’ll be true?” she asks with a wink, before looking at my neck and face and saying, “You’re all done.”

“I’m going to owe you an entire bottle of the stuff,” I mutter, catching her eye as she tucks her makeup into her pocket.

She laughs, and we fall backwards onto the bed, side by side, both looking up at the ceiling. Thoughts about Kurt and Serra come back to me, and I feel tension sing through my body.How is it that I can know who murdered someone but not be able to get justice for anyone just because I’m an omega?

The unfairness of it all burns inside of me.

“I heard about the meeting with the council. Well, everyone sort of heard about the meeting. Secrets don’t last long here,” Addilyn says, running her hands over the duvet beneath us. “Is it true, Faye? Do you think Kurt killed again?”

It feels like there’s no point in continuing to tell people the truth about the situation. The people with power, who could actually do something with it, never actually help me. But I take a deep breath, deciding to tell Addilyn what happened. At the very least, maybe I'll reinforce why she should stay away from Kurt at all costs.

“Yes,” I breathe, the images of the murder popping into my mind like they always do. I close my eyes against the picture of Miles’ lifeless eyes. “She was killed the same way as my brother.”

I heard the snap of my brother’s neck. Watched the life leave his body.

I feel her groping across the bed, and I reach out, hooking our pinkies together like we used to when we were little kids. Justthe small bit of contact calms something inside me. It’s weird, I thought reconnecting with people would be horrible after so long, but it’s actually kind of nice. I think I might have missed this.

“What do you think the council will do about Kurt?” Addilyn asks.

I can’t stop the humorless laugh that bubbles from my lips. “Absolutelynothing,” I say, shaking my head. “Just like last time when I went to the authorities about my brother.”

“That’s terrible. I can’t imagine we live in a world like that.”

And yet, we do.

“It shattered something inside of me when I realized my place in the world.” And what alphas could get away with. “To save time, they should just write it into law that alphas are allowed to murder people in cold blood. What’s the point in having a law if you never enforce it?”

“That would be terrifying,” Addilyn says, shuddering.

“It’s already terrifying,” I counter, and she goes quiet.

A part of me feels bad. My life was better before I learned the truth about the roles omegas and alphas truly play in our world.Should I really show Addilyn this side of the mirror? What if in doing so I hurt her too?

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