Page 23 of Last Pack Standing
Tears burned behind my eyes, and I reached over, hugging my sister to me. Yes, I was scared. This was something I’d never expected in a million years. My love story, the unscripted one, was real. And it was playing out publicly. But after never thinking it would happen for me, this was still something that terrified me.
“It’s okay, Cass. Just be you. I think they are great guys. And yes, you are right - they are all super hot!” She joked, squeezing me as I let out a laugh. Maybe after all this time, on a fake reality show, of all places, I was finding something real. I relaxed and chatted with my sister as the tension of the night faded away. My parents might not agree, but my sister was right - this was the happiest I’d ever been. And even if we didn’t make it to the end,I’d still have found the potential pack of my dreams. How could it possibly go wrong?
Chapter 19
Jace
Inside the Confessional
It was my turn in the confessional room. The chair was still warm from whoever sat in it last. I took a breath, rolled my shoulders, and prepared. I was already tired of this routine.
“Okay, Jace,” the producer’s voice filtered in, sugary-smooth. “That was some statement you made, standing up for Cassie like that. Congrats on making your team the fan favorite! How does it feel to know that your display of support made your team number one this week?”
I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m more concerned with Cassie. Her parents might not understand yet, but she’s real. And so are my feelings for her.” I already felt my alpha side riling up. I knewshe was a good match for me. It was like I’d already known the moment I first saw her.
“So is it safe to say between her and Ash, you’re strictly team Cassie?”
I blinked once. Flashes of both Cassie and Ash flew through my mind. Both of them were perfect, unique, and while I wanted more than anything to claim Cassie, I felt somehow equally as strong for Ash.
“I don’t pick favorites,” I said evenly. “That’s not how a pack works.”
There was a rustle, some low murmuring.
“Come on, just a fun little ranking,” they coaxed. “You’re the alpha - and there can only be one omega in a pack. Viewers want to know how you really feel. Cassie’s bold, Ash is… well, he’s intense, kind of a loner. Surely there’s something that bothers you about that?”
My jaw tensed. “Is this what we’re doing today?” I said, a low hum of warning threading through my voice. “Trying to pit the omegas against each other for soundbites? Don’t speak about him like that again.” There was a sharp warning to my tone now. I could feel the possessiveness for both of the omegas rising up in me.
The producers responded with more silence. I could almost hear the shift in tone on the other side, feeling them recalibrate.
“Look,” the producer tried again. “We’re just trying to understand the dynamic. Like - does Ash’s distance make it hard to connect with him? Or does Cassie’s family drama distract from the bonding?”
I leaned forward just enough for the mic to catch the edge in my voice.
“There is nothing wrong with Ash,” I said clearly. “He’s quiet, and I like that about him. And Cassie’s not dramatic - she’s passionate. If you’re looking for someone to tear them down, find another puppet.”
The producers didn’t react. They just cut the recording.
I stood, the chair scraping behind me. No one stopped me as I walked out. I only heard the faint sound of muted voices behind the mirror as I left. In the hallway, I slowed. A pair of producers were whispering around the corner.
“Jesus,” one of them muttered. “He won’t give us anything. He’s completely off-script.”
“Yeah. He’s useless in confessionals. We’ve got to try another angle.”
I smirked to myself.Good.I walked back toward our suite, and saw an omega from one of the other teams scurrying by. I frowned. That was odd - normally other contestants never came near each others’ living quarters.I shrugged it off. She was probably lost. Anyway, I had my team to get back to.And I wasn’t doing any more confessionals, unless they started treating us like a team and not an experiment.
Chapter 20
Ash
I should have known that the calm cohesion that we’d created on our team wouldn’t last. This show was set up to pit people against each other, and they knew exactly how to do it. There were some parts of our designations that we couldn’t logically override.
Like nesting.
The moment the producers announced the “Nesting Challenge,” my entire nervous system went into silent revolt. Omegas don’t take nesting lightly. It’s not a fun exercise or an interior decorating moment for the cameras. It’s biological, extremely unique to each omega, and practically sacred. The betas were producers. They could never understand how we felt about it. But they knew enough that they could manufacture drama,which was exactly why pitting two omegas against each other in one shared nesting room was the producers’ most manipulative move yet.
"This isn’t a nest," I muttered, standing in the middle of the nest room in our suite surrounded by a horror show of clashing decor. Cassie was humming to herself as she taped up a strand of multicolored fairy lights across the back wall. I pointed at the room. "It’s chaos.."
Cassie turned, arms full of pastel pillows, her brows shooting up like I’d just insulted her entire ancestry. "Excuse me?"
