Page 21 of Harley

“Pack Presley.”

He looks down at a list and marks the pack’s name off the list. “Come over this way to wait.” He opens a gate, and the pack of seven alphas and their beta walk past us.

The guard looks at Ace, and unease slams into me. Our name won’t be on that list.

“Pack Bentley,” Ace says before the guard can even open his mouth to ask.

He looks down his list, then gives it a second look. He shakes his head. “You’re not in the lottery today. Move aside.”

Knight’s fear starts flowing through the bond, and we all shift toward him. I'm worried that he's going to turn feral in this crowd. He couldn't bring Harley’s tee with him. Her scent could have set off all the alphas here.

Dash grabs onto Knight and starts whispering soothing words to him. But he never lets go of my hand. That's just who Dash is. Always looking out for us, being the pack beta. Even if we told him that didn't matter, that he doesn't have to conform to the norms of pack hierarchy, it's just who he is.

“There must be a mistake,” Ace confronts the guard. “We have our name in that draw. We put in for Harley.”

The guard dismisses him with a wave of his hand. “If your name was in there, it would be on my list. No matter what you say, I'm not going to let you pass this gate. If you continue to protest, I will have you arrested.”

Fuck.

CHAPTER 10

HARLEY

My palms are so sweaty.

What if I’m caught? What if they see this scrunched-up ticket and know I wrote the name on there? Oh god, why didn’t I think about the fact it’s in my handwriting?

I can’t do this...

Storm grips my hand, and I take a deep breath.

“It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”

I do trust her.

And yet, I didn’t tell her about Ace visiting me in the garden of the Omega House. I didn’t tell her the name on my ticket, and she hasn’t asked.

Just like she hasn’t told me who is on her ticket. What pack she’s selected.

We might be best friends, but we hide more from each other than we should. It’s not that I don’t trust her. I just don’t trust all the ears trained on us from overhearing. But if there was ever a time to tell her, it should be now. But in a few moments, the ceremony will begin, and she will see when I get my alpha and his pack.

It’s a different announcer than usual. I don’t like that already. Why is everything different for us? Is this uprising really changing it all?

He starts the ceremony. I can hear him talking, but my ears are ringing, so don’t know what he’s saying. I feel sick to my stomach, and my hand is so clammy holding on to my ticket, it’s going to be unreadable by the time I get to pull it out.

“Harley,” Storm whispers from beside me as she nudges me forward.

I look out at the large hall full of alphas as a spotlight flicks to me, and I slowly move toward where the announcer is standing. The lights on me are warm, and I feel myself start to sweat.

“Harley, come spin the barrel,” he says as he gestures to the large wooden barrel at the front of the stage. My feet move, one in front of the other. Like I’m not in my own body.

This isn’t me.

I stand up straighter. I can do this. Two weeks ago, I grabbed that microphone and announced who I am to the world. Why is this scaring me more? Because it’s more real? Once this happens, there is no turning back. No safety of the Omega House behind me. There will be alphas and knots and heats...babies. Oh, god. I didn’t think about babies. I can’t bring them into this world...

My hands start to shake.

I get to the wooden barrel, the one that holds the names of fifty packs. Each pack spent money for the ticket in there, and I feel bad—I truly do—that they spent so much to get their names in there, and their tickets won’t even be touched.

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