Page 6 of Claimed By the Feral Wolves

Ezra re-fixes his gaze on the mirror, clearing his throat and nodding. “Right.”

I get to work putting on Ezra’s makeup and feel completely at ease. This isn’t like doing my own makeup. If I mess up, no one will care. This will just be fun, no matter what.

“Wait—” Cayson says, “If you’re not going to dress Kurt, does that mean he has to come nak?—”

“I sent a servant to dress him,” I say, waving a hand.

“How did you pull that off?” Ezra asks, lifting a brow.

“I didn’t even need to explain myself to his servants; they already seemed to know why I wouldn’t want to dress him. I’m guessing he’s as nice to them as he is to everyone else.”

Cayson laughs. “And youtechnicallyhandled him being dressed, so you’re following the ultima’s request.”

“Exactly. Now, let me focus.”

The truth is, I don’t want to think about Kurt right now. With Cayson and Ezra, it’s like I have a protective bubble around myself, but I know the instant I’m out of that bubble, I’m not safe any longer. Kurt has claimed me as his mate, and that will require all our effort and all our focus to get him to “prove he doesn’t fit in our bond.” I just have to keep focusing on that.

“You know,” I say, “I thought Cayson would make a really pretty girl, but you would too with these eyelashes and big blue eyes. The contrast between your dark hair and eyes is just so…” I realize what I’m doing and stop.

Ezra’s gaze holds mine. “So what?”

“Adorable?” Cayson offers.

I try to hide my embarrassment. “It just suits you is all.”

Ezra reaches over and tugs at a strand of my pale blonde hair, then pushes it behind my ear. “Everything about you… suits you too.”

Now, I am blushing. These men just make me feel things I’ve never felt before, but I’m doing everything I can to push those feelings away. This is all pretend. A fake relationship. I can’t fool myself into thinking it’s anything more than that. My feelings are just because I’ve felt isolated for so long that their attention is nice. That’s all.

I’m just putting the cap on the eyeliner when the bell tolls, signaling that the fashion show should begin. After Ezra dresses, it’s time for some fun.And time to see Kurt again.

“You boys ready?”

Cayson winks at me. “I’m always ready.”

3

Faye

“Faye!”

I turn when I hear Addilyn calling my name and gesturing for me to come sit next to her near the end of the stage. I’m surprised and impressed at how good everything looks. There’s a genuine catwalk on one side of the room, with curtains hiding the back of the catwalk and out into the hallway. Little circular tables and chairs have been set up all over the room, and everything has been done in dark blue and white colors.

The Selection may not be my favorite thing to take part in, but they take their events seriously.

Passing through the tables set up around the stage, I make my way to Addilyn. A few of the women give me strange looks, and I tense. I know I’ve been the center of a lot of gossip since telling people that Kurt killed Serra, and even more since I didn’t walk up to Kurt when he claimed me as his mate. As far as I know, no one has refused to do that before. The thing is, I don’t thinkanyof these women would have been happy to be claimed by Kurt, and they know it.

One of the hard things about being an omega is the assumption that if an alpha wants you, there must be someconnection between the two of you. That you must feel it too. It’s like no one can imagine an alpha claiming an omega who wants nothing to do with him, even though we all know there are alphas that just take what they want, not caring what anyone else thinks.

So, stop staring at me. I wasn’t wrong to not want Kurt.

“How’s it going?” I ask as I reach Addilyn.

She pats the chair next to her. “I got us the best spots in the joint.”

I laugh. “Thanks, that’s just what I needed.”

After taking a seat next to Addilyn, a little wave of nervousness moves through me. I can only hope that my little dress-up game for Cayson and Ezra isn’t seen as disobedience. I’ve caught sight of some of the other alphas, and it’s clear omegas were taking this one seriously, dressing the alphas in their best suits, perfectly styling their hair, and prepping them to show off their outfits.

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