Page 92 of Scent to the Feral Cowboys
Sagebrush Ranch wasn’t my home. It would never be my home.
The stream of words pierced my brain at different intervals, dropping important details into my consciousness. Like back in Vince’s office, I felt like I was going into shock.
“…compatibility exceeding ninety percent for all pack members…”
“…twin Alphas Wyatt and Wade Nelson…”
I blinked quickly at the screen. Two nearly identical men were smiling into the camera. A mustache. A mullet. Sharp jaws. A little scar. A tooth gap. One the slightest bit taller than the other. I refused to let my brain drift to how handsome they were. I looked to the side, and out the window. As I did, I heard a whoosh and thud that snapped my head in the other direction.
The plane’s passenger entry was closed.
A flight attendant was double checking the seal.
When she turned, she gave me a little nod and smile, like nothing was out of the ordinary today. She was just doing her job like always.
“…Cooper Hart and Levi Briggs have been with the Nelson brothers since…”
I hung my head, trying to breath, trying not to panic.
The narrator droned on, voice coming in and out of focus as my brain reeled.
“…your fifth mate, Boone Atwood, joined the Sagebrush pack in…”
What had I done to deserve this?
What had I done to bring so much pain down on my head?
What had I done so badly to make fate turn so savage?
“…five exceptional Alphas, who have crafted a thriving business and preserved a Wyoming legacy, have long wanted to complete their pack…”
The television caught my gaze again.
Five pairs of eyes stared at me. All so different, yet all sharing the same possessive expression. I’d only looked at the screen when the twins were introduced. So, I didn’t know which of the other three Alphas were Cooper, Levi, and Boone. I hoped I’d never find out.
“…we at the Eros Institute congratulate you on your life-changing match!”
It was all poisonous propaganda.
Stolen lives offered for cash.
Pretty wrapping paper concealing an unwanted gift.
I’d been sold to five men I'd never met—expected to mate, mark, and bear their pups.
Their property.
In the middle of fucking nowhere Wyoming.
“I… I can’t breathe…” I choked out the words, reaching up with my bound hands and trying to push the hood away. The material wasn’t keeping me from inhaling. It was thin enough I could see through it. Suddenly, it was too much. I pushed my aching fingers beneath the material, pushing it upwards to free my face.
Spider Tattoo closed the distance to me in a flash that made my heart jump erratically. He pulled my tingling, cuffed hands away, shoving them down against my lap again.
"As much as I'd like to see you, darling, Eros has eyes everywhere," he said, adjusting the fabric until it framed my face exactly as before. "Looking at the product is above our paygrade, so that hood’s gotta stay right where it is."
His fingers lingered near my cheek, not quite touching but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from them. I was a product he clearly wished he could purchase. And here was a boundary he clearly wished he could cross.
"Fuck you.” The words sounded broken and weak. I jerked my head away from his almost-touch.
