Page 20 of Royal Omega

Finally, standing beside Carissa is a dark-haired girl with olive skin and brilliant green eyes. She’s shorter than the others, with a heart-shaped face and pouty lips. Her expression is vacant.

She’ll do nicely.

I step forward, hands clasped behind my back. I walk with careful, measured steps, letting the alpha power radiate off of me. I’m pleased to see that it is impacting all of them. They shift their weight from foot to foot, eyes darkening as I get closer.

I hold out my hand. “Will you do us the honor today?”

She smiles, revealing perfect, white teeth as she places her hand in mine. Her scent is thick and floral, and my body rebels against it, even as I force myself to lift her hand to my lips.

I offer Carissa a cold, calculating smile, letting her know that I remember her, too. Her face turns pale, and she staggers a little with a strangled whimper that makes my treacherous heart ache.

“Are you all right, Carissa?” Randy asks, stepping out of line.

“Yes,” she says, her eyes still on me. “Yes, I’m... I’m fine. I’m sorry, I just need a minute.”

She turns and races behind the stairs, hiding from us in the one place we can’t see in this giant room. Henry makes a frustrated sound behind me, and I turn to see him striding across the marble floor in pursuit.

“Damn it,” Ransom growls.

A cameraman’s sneakers squeak as he chases Henry across the floor.

Grinding my teeth, I turn my attention back to the girl in front of me. She’s looking up at me with a calculating kind of interest, but there’s something empty about her, almost soulless. It makes my stomach roil, but I force myself to run a thumb over her knuckles. “I’m looking forward to our date,” I murmur.

“Me too,” she replies. She looks nervously at Ransom before focusing her eyes back on me. “Are you Conrad Ryan, by any chance? Of the Ryan family?”

I hesitate. The producers made it clear that our family backgrounds wouldn’t be private, but other members of the cast and crew aren’t supposed to release our full names if we don’t want them to. Outing us in front of everyone was definitely out of bounds.

As if he understands my concerns, Willard claps a hand on my shoulder. “Time enough to get to know each other on your dates, you two,” he says cheerfully. “It’s Pack Four’s turn now.”

I step back to my mark, trying to keep my eyes on the girl I’ve chosen. Trying not to imagine what might be happening behind the stairs, where my packmate is comforting the only girl I’ve ever loved.

Chapter Ten - Henry

Idon’t give a shitthat Conrad is probably very annoyed with me right now. I don’t care about his plans or his revenge or whatever the fuck he’s worried about. All I care about is her. I step into the little space under the giant staircase. She looks up at me sharply, obviously surprised that someone came after her. She dashes away her tears, and my stomach twists. She’s sitting on the cold marble, her dress spread around her like a fan. She looks so small, so vulnerable, and all I want to do is protect her.

“I’m ok,” she says, getting to her feet. She smoothes out her dress and steps forward as if she plans to return to the group.

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