Page 19 of Last Pack Standing
“Cassie doesn’t stand a chance against me,” he said with a cocky smirk, arms folded like he was untouchable. “I’m not exactly someone you can steal someone away from. I’m someone you come back to.”
My breath caught. That didn’t sound like the Ash I knew. Not the one who had whispered calming words in my ear just an hour ago, whose touch had soothed every raw edge in me.
He went on. “Cassie’s gorgeous, sure. But I’ve got charm, grit, and a killer smile. If this is a competition, I like my odds.”
The screen faded to black. My reflection stared back at me in the glass now, wide-eyed and shocked.
I swallowed. “That’s… not what I expected him to say.”
“Any thoughts?” the producer prodded.
I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “I mean, I get it. This is a show. He probably felt like he had to play it up a bit for the cameras.”
But something gnawed at me. Was it all just for show? I blinked hard, trying to separate my feelings from facts. But when I closed my eyes, I didn’t see the cocky grin from the video. I felt the hand on my back, the way he steadied me. I remembered how his presence eased the ache, how my omega instincts didn’t flare up in anger.
I shook my head slowly, grounding myself.
“No,” I said quietly. “I don’t believe that’s the whole story. Not with Ash.”
They were trying to get a reaction, but I wasn’t going to give them one. Because in my gut, I knew something they didn’t. I knew what it felt like when Ash looked at me and forgot the cameras existed.
I wanted to more of that. But there was no way I could let the show see it or know about it. Because if this is how manipulativethey were with just the challenges, I shuddered to think about what they would do if they knew I really cared about him.
Chapter 16
Leo
I paced the halls, breathing in and out as I tried to will myself not to let my anger take over. The second the challenge ended, I had to walk off set. I knew if I stayed, I’d say something the producers couldn’t edit out. That whole simulated heat stunt? It was low, even for them. Tossing Ash in after like a prop during such a vulnerable moment was certainly a choice, but I was starting to think they had absolutely no sense of safety or logic. What the show runners did was less strategy and more dangerous manipulation.
But despite how badly it could have gone, Ash had handled it so perfectly. I found him in the hallway outside our rooms, leaning against the wall and trying to breathe through the aftermath. His shirt was still rumpled and his cheeks were flushed. Despitewhat he’d gone through, he still looked so damn good. It was impossible for me not to find him attractive.
I walked up to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You did good,” I said.
He looked up at me, surprised. “What?”
“In the challenge. You kept her grounded. I know it was probably difficult being thrown in like that, and I don’t agree with them doing that to you or Cassie. But you were a champ. Don’t think we didn’t see it.”
His lips parted and his eyes looked away like he didn’t know what to say. It seemed he wasn’t used to compliments like that. But I meant it, and now I wanted to give him compliments each and every hour, if only to see how good he looked when he blushed.
We stood there for a moment, then Cassie rounded the corner. She looked flustered, but not upset. Her hair was still messy from the challenge, and she was clearly still buzzing from everything that had happened.
“Hey,” I said, stepping toward her. “Hot tub?”
She blinked. “What?”
“We might as well use it.” There was a massive hot tub in our suite, no doubt designed to get the teams to bond more. “You,me, and Ash. The others can join if they want, but right now… I think we all need to unwind. You two earned it.”
Cassie nodded slowly, and I glanced at Ash. The two of them seemed to relax a bit, then followed me down the hall.
The jets bubbled around us as the two of them rested in the tub. The producers couldn’t film us here. For once, we had a sliver of privacy, and I intended to use it.
Cassie sat between Ash and me, her legs drifting into my lap. Her body had started to relax, the tension from the day finally slipping away. Ash leaned back beside her, watching her with that reverence he tried so hard to hide.
“You okay now?” I asked her softly, brushing my fingers along her knee.
She nodded, leaning her head against my shoulder. “I hated it at first,” she murmured. “Being so out of control. But I wasn’t scared once I had you guys around.”
My heart clenched. The two of them looked so unsure lately, like they needed permission to be feeling what they were feeling. Cassie’s eyes kept catching on my chest, then gliding down to my thighs. She bit her lip, and I wasn’t sure if it was the leftover heat simulation or just that she finally felt safe around me, but she was being very open in her admiration of my body.
