Page 38 of Last Pack Standing
“He’s right. Anyone who thinks we’d choose between the two of you doesn’t understand what this is.” I leaned into him, feeling a rush of emotion, but also despair.
“Where is she then?” I croaked, my omega hormones starting to take over. “I need her!” I admitted, through clenched teeth. It felt like a rejection not having her here, and after hearing those painful words on the video, it was hard not to. But I didn’t want to give up on her.
Leo stood straighter, the fighting alpha in him now begging to come out. “They don’t know who they are dealing with. They can take people off the show, but they don’t get to decide who’s in our pack.”
Pack. Leo was right. We were a pack, and now, we needed to act like it. I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my hoodie, my heart pounding. They could kick Cassie off the show, try to separate her from us, but they couldn’t rewrite the truth. I stood up, Leo’s strength giving me inspiration and courage.
“They wanted drama for ratings? Fine. Let’s give them the kind they’ll regret airing.”
Chapter 36
Jace
Cassie’s words hurt.I couldn’t deny that. When I watched the video, slowly realizing that she was speaking with her sister honestly, and that these might be her true thoughts, I nearly blacked out. It was possible that she might resent me so much that she never really liked me. She might just be here on the show to win.
But then I thought about how her cheeks burned when she was flustered. It happened at work when she was trying so hard and the smallest slip up happened. It happened during her viral moment. And it happened here, when she was with me. I knew that she put up a front to look strong and capable, that she had trouble admitting when she needed help. And I knew, in my heart, that she wasn’t here to mess with our feelings. She mayhave wanted to win, get money, be famous, but she would never hurt people in the process.
I knew the show producers would never be reasonable. They wanted drama from the beginning, and they didn’t care about our connection as a team, and a pack. So we would play their game, better than they ever expected.
Which led to us standing in front of the cameras, with the other teams, as the host introduced the next challenge.
“After last night’s shocking elimination and the most dramatic vote of the season,” he announced, pausing for effect, “we’ve got one final challenge to determine it all. Who will rise? Who will fall? Let’s find out who will be… the Last Pack Standing!”
The other teams looked excited and nervous. A few of them shot us glances, smirking as though this was just a game and not a heart wrenching moment for us. I didn’t mind them. They meant nothing to me. The only thing that mattered was getting my pack whole again.
The host moved between teams with his usual manufactured excitement, interviewing the others first. One of the dance team alphas smirked into the mic. “Our team is proof that fake doesn’t last. Real packs don’t fall apart after one bad clip.” His teammates snickered behind him, but I ignored their jabs. Another team alpha made some offhand comment about how they’d been “waiting for the fake teams to implode so the real winners could step forward.” I was so over this whole charade. But I had to wait until it was our turn.
When the host finally approached our team, his tone was still the same, as if he thought he was still in charge. “And Team Silver… rough night for you all. But as of today, you’re still in first place. How are you feeling heading into the final challenge?”
I stepped forward before anyone else could speak, my voice calm and deliberate as I spoke to him, looking directly at the cameras. “We’re not.”
The host blinked, then tried to recover. “I’m not quite sure what you mean, can you elaborate?”
“We’re not heading into anything,” I said again, making sure everyone could hear. “Not unless Cassie is brought back.”
Gasps rippled as the crew and the remaining contestants realized what we meant. The host’s fake smile faltered. “That’s… not how the show works. The viewers voted. She was eliminated. And you still have a chance to win the grand prize!” He glanced around nervously, the smile plastered on his face. But no amount of money would ever be enough for me to let Cassie go like that. The alpha in me had chosen her, long before we were ever on this show.
Leo stepped in beside me, arms crossed and practically daring the host to challenge him. “Then we’re eliminating ourselves. See ya.” And with that, Leo walked off the stage, threw his mic off and didn’t look back.
Rys followed, then Ash, who turned back once, his words full of resolve. “We came here as a pack. We leave as a pack. No Cassie, no us.”
The other teams were silent, their mouths open as they tried to comprehend what we were doing. The host stammered as he tried to gain control of the narrative. His eyes darted to the production crew. He leaned in, covering the mic as he spoke to us in a hushed tone. “You can’t just walk off! There are contracts, agreements-”
“Then roll the cameras,” I said with a sharp smile. “Let the viewers see what a real pack, and real love, looks like.” And with that, we collectively turned and walked off the set, heads high, leaving stunned silence and scrambling producers behind us.
Chapter 37
Cassie
My apartment was quieter than it had ever been. I’d turned off every notification, unplugged my TV, and pulled every curtain closed. I hadn’t left the couch in days. A ratty t-shirt I’d worn during one of the challenges was balled up next to me, my only solace since I’d been booted off the show. It smelled like them, like the moss, the cedar, the plum, the leather. It gave me both comfort, and an ache in my heart.
I’d never thought I’d miss them like this. My emotions were running high, and I could barely function.
As much as I thought I’d never rely on a pack, much less fall in love - I had. And it had been fast, and unexpected. Now my body knew something was missing, and it wouldn’t let me be. Every cell inside me ached to be near them, to receive their comfort,their protection, their gentle touch to calm me down. And I wanted the kind, compassionate care that only another omega could give. When would I ever be able to feel like that again? I’d ruined the one thing I ever truly needed, and I didn’t even realize how much I wanted them until everything was yanked away.
Tears slipped down my face again. My eyes were puffy and swollen with the nearly non-stop crying and sniffling from the past few days. My omega side was unraveling. It clawed for them, screamed to be near them. The bond we’d started building, so new and real, now ached like a part of me was missing. I kept replaying it all in my head - Ash’s soft touch, Leo’s teasing, Rys’s calm steadiness, and Jace’s unexpected fire. Deep down, I knew who they were. They were my mates.
And now they were gone, just like that.
