Page 9 of Claimed By the Feral Wolves

His eyes find mine in the crowd, but this time, instead of looking away, I think of Janna, and how she had cowered at the opportunity to do what was right.

My brother deserves justice. Serra deserves justice. His other victims, and potential future victims, deserve for someone to fight against him now.

I raise my chin, noting how his eyes widen slightly in surprise.

He thinks I’m a victim. I’ll show him differently.

4

Ezra

Cayson bumps my fist behind the curtains, grinning like an idiot. This is just the kind of thing he loves to do. It wasn’t exactly in my wheelhouse, but when I thought of Faye, I just wanted to do something to make her smile. She doesn’t smile nearly enough, and when she does, it’s breathtaking.

“This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Cayson says beside me, peeking out at Kurt, who is doing an awkward move at the end of the stage.

We could be back in our seats with Faye by now, but we didn't want to miss a moment of this. This is candy for the soul. Something to look back and laugh at in my darker moments.

It’s… a trainwreck.

The women are literally leaning back from the stage. Their combination of disgust and unease is palpable. Kurt truly is the kind of man that any smart woman should stay far away from. He makes their instincts scream that he’s not safe.

It looks like the omegas know what to do around him.

The show closes out when Kurt, still brooding, turns and stalks off the stage and the music is shut off before he’s even stepped into the backstage area. As soon as the lights come backon, I watch through the curtain as Faye gets to her feet, pushing through the crowd to come behind the stage, heading straight for me.

Instantly, my pulse picks up. Faye looks incredible. Her hair is brushed in waves that fall over her shoulders. She’s wearing a green dress covered in little flowers that comes down to her ankles. The material of the gown is light, almost sheer, and there’s a plunging neckline. It’s a casual dress, and yet, it’s not. Something about the way it hugs her body makes me think she could wear it in the middle of a dance floor filled with beautiful women and still steal the breath from every man in the room.

Her hazel eyes meet mine, and her lips curl into a smile. My chest aches at that smile. I swear, when I first met her, I thought this woman might only be capable of feeling terror and sadness, but something’s changing about her. Something I can’t quite put my finger on, but I like it.

“Faye,” I say, immediately taking her and tucking her to my side.

The woman fits me like a glove. Her tiny body is pressed against mine like that’s where she was always meant to be, and her scent washes over me, that of lavender and vanilla. I inhale deeply, instinctually pulling her even closer.

She laughs and runs a hand over the sparkles on my suit, before looking up at me. Something strange tugs in my stomach at the sight of her, so close, carefree and happy. This is how she’s always meant to be. This is why she needs an alpha to protect her.

Hopefully someday she’ll have one who will beat the shit out of Kurt if he even looks in her direction. Someone who won’t be scared of Kurt’s big bad daddy.Even a man like me has to be careful with someone like Kurt. I wouldn’t want him attacking my pack out of anger. I wouldn’t forgive myself for any lives lost because of this asshole.

Not that that fact will stop me from hurting him if he ever comes after Faye again while she’s under my protection.

“How did you like the show?” I ask, watching as she glances off to the right.

Cayson is over there, chatting and flirting with a throng of omegas, who are all talking and petting him—their hands on his suit, his chest, ruffling his hair. It looks like just any other day with Cayson, but Faye hasn’t seen him like this very much. Around her, he’s always laser focused on Faye.

It’s something that’s been a surprise to me. Cayson focused on one girl? Before this, I would’ve thought that was impossible.

I watch Faye closely. Something like jealousy passes over her features, which isn’t good. Faye shouldn’t be jealous of him. It doesn’t matter if Cayson flirts with other omegas, all of this is fake. I hope she’s not forgetting that. Just the thought of Faye actually being hurt when we end this charade makes me feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach.

“I thought there were some clear standouts,” Faye finally says, tearing her eyes away from Cayson and re-fixing them on me. “You guys obviously stole the show.”

I raise my eyebrows at her, and a sense of understanding passes between us. She’s going to pretend she doesn’t feel jealous, and I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that look on her face just now. It’s just one of the many things we’re pretending about.

“I’m surprised you played along with Cayson like that. I thought you were far too serious for public dancing,” she teases, poking me in the chest.

“I’m not too serious for that,” I say, laughing and nudging her.

It was surprisingly a lot of fun, dancing around on the stage up there with Cayson. As serious as the council, and everyone else, likes to take The Selection, there is something inherentlygoofy about the whole thing. And Cayson and I were just exploring that.

I mean, we were already a group of alphas in a fashion show. The whole thing was ridiculous.

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