Page 50 of Claimed By the Feral Wolves

“Works for me,” Maverick says, digging into his potatoes.

“And I,” Xander adds, looking fierce as his gaze fixes on me.

Cayson leans in closer to me. “See, Faye? We’ve got you taken care of. No one is going to hurt you with us around.”

And it’s weird. I believe him. As powerful as Kurt has always seemed to be, he feels like a no one in the face of these four strong men. Even a force like him couldn’t face these four and walk away unharmed.

It might be nice having mates. At least for a little while.

19

Faye

Just as our last plate is cleared off, Brock enters the ballroom and goes to stand in front of all of us. The din of conversation silences as all eyes turn to him. He’s wearing an elegant blue suit and his dark hair is combed back, making the sharp lines of his face stand out even more.

His gaze sweeps across the entire ballroom, as servants line up behind him. “We have a surprise late night game for all of you to enjoy. Tonight, we will be playing hide-and-seek. The groups you’re eating dinner with will be your partners for the night. Half the group will be hiders, and half the group will be seekers. If you stumble across members of other groups, simply ignore them and search for your own group members. No one is to go beyond the lawns. The woods are strictly off-limits, as are the rooms that belong to others. Each of you will be given a flashlight.” He nods, and the servants behind him step out, carrying little baskets, handing out flashlights to everyone at the tables. “When you have found all the members of your group, you may retire for the evening. Any questions?”

I glance around, but no one speaks.

“Good,” he says, rolling his neck. “Everyone with a silver flashlight will be a hider. Everyone with a blue flashlight will be a seeker. Enjoy your game!”

The flashlights are handed out at our table. Ezra and Cayson are given blue flashlights, so they’ll be looking for us, and Maverick, Xander, and I were given silver ones.Well, this should be interesting.

“We’re going to absolutely destroy you,” I tell Ezra and Cayson, grinning.

Xander’s bright blue eyes meet mine, and there’s nervousness in his face. “I believe I played such a game when I was little, but I don’t remember now.”

Confused, I ask, “You haven’t been around that game since?”

“Life is about survival. Not games,” he says, his brows wrinkling.

I look at Ezra and Cayson, concerned. My life was pretty strange, and even I played games as a child. What was his life like as a feral? It seems like he had a very different experience from Maverick.

Cayson reaches a hand out and grips his shoulder. “Hide and seek is like chasing a rabbit. You three will be the rabbits, and we’ll be the wolves. Once we find you, we win.”

“Although it’s all for fun,” Maverick adds, grinning. “We don’t need any fights to the death here.”

I laugh.

Xander looks a little more relaxed. “Hunting rabbits. This I understand.”

Everyone has already started getting up from their tables and heading to the door. Well, at least the hiders are rushing out the door. The seekers are lingering around the tables, giving them time to hide.

“Well, it looks like it’s our turn to hide,” I say, nodding to Maverick and Xander.

They stand up too, and Cayson and Ezra watch us leave, amusement on their faces. That’s the difference between wolves and humans playing this game: humans can’t smell their prey and follow their trail the way we can. At least that’s what I heard. We’ll have to be careful not to leave our scent everywhere, or we’ll be caught in no time.

When we make it outside, I say, “We should split up, so we’re harder to find.”

Xander frowns. “But I want to stay close to you.”

My heart flutters. “It’ll only be for the game.”

He looks disappointed.

Unable to help myself, I move closer, putting my hand on his arm. Leaning up, he instinctively leans down, and I plant a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry. It won’t be for too long.”

He rewards me with one of his rare smiles. The ones that light up his eyes and seem to shed years from his age. Because although Xander looks young, there’s something in his eyes that speaks of a much older man.

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