Page 47 of Escaping Rejection

Tearing my eyes from the door, I looked at her. “Is he serious about wanting to tear his pack down? Would you help him do that? Team up with a Fell to help your pack?” The questions sounded crazy coming out of my mouth, but I couldn’t stop them.

Kira rolled her eyes. “I can’t even fathom thethoughtof someone wanting to turn their back on their pack, much less tear it down. And no, I wouldn’t do what he’s asking, even if he thinks it makes sense. The best way to save everyone is by asking Heline to help. That’s the only goal here.”

I gave a derisive laugh. “Well, here’s my take. If I had the chance to dissolve my home pack, the Second Pack? I’d do it in a heartbeat. Those shifters in the upper packs all live a life of luxury, but they’re corrupt and miserable to the core. They live in their gilded halls, sipping on champagne and nibbling on fucking caviar. They’d be better off finding new packs to see how the other side lives.” I didn’t want to keep going, but I was on a roll now and couldn’t stop. “The lower packs all look up to the upper ones. They even make excuses for the awful shit they do. It’s all because everyone in the lower packs thinks they can someday rise to the upper packs’ level through hard work and loyalty, but that’s bullshit. The upper packs want to keep everything the way it is. No one can rise, no one can fall. The system is rigged.

“I think that’s part of why this sadistic fucking show is so popular. It gives people hope that one day, if they get really lucky, they can possibly become an honorary member of the First Pack.” I took a breath, then asked the question that had been gnawing at me. “If you had to make a choice right now and pick a person for the moon goddess to tie you to, who would it be?”

With that question out in the world, I looked into Kira’s eyes and waited for her answer. Since the beginning, she had been saying she wasn’t in this for a mate. I was positive that was how she’d felt in the very beginning, but was it still that way? Could her mind have changed?

Kira took in my words and shot me a sarcastic grin. “Wow, that’s a big question.” She walked over to me, bent over, and kissed me. Her lips were warm and welcoming. After she pulled away, she said, “I guess Tate might be the frontrunner. He’s been such a big fan of mine lately.”

“I’m serious, Kira.”

She flopped down beside me. “Well, if we’re being serious, I’m more concerned with finding a way to shut downThe Reject Projectonce and for all. That’s what I want to do. This thing has caused enough hurt and death.”

“So, is your goal to win the show or destroy it? I don’t think you can do both.”

Kira mulled that over, her mouth quirking to the side. “Powerful people are using this show as a glorified and legal death sentence. Look at Mika. His dad, his own fucking father, wants him out of the way. He didn’t commit any real crime, but his dad forces him onto the show and then actively tries to interfere and get his child killed. And like Crew said, there’s something weird going on with this island—Leif going feral so fast, this Haven place, and whoever the hell the Simon guy is that Crew mentioned. There’s a ton of shit happening here that needs to be revealed to the outside world.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” I pointed out.

“I know.” She chuckled. “I can’t give you an answer yet. Both are important. If I win, then I can help my pack and maybe the whole world avoid a war. But breaking this show might do something even bigger.” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before changing the subject.

“I’d like to talk to Zoe again soon. Get our plan in place for the fake eliminations. I’d like to stage your exit first. Get it done ASAP and have you safe at Haven.”

“Wait, what? No way. What the hell are you talking about?” Was she being serious? Send me away first? “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily. You tried to send me home once, and you know how that worked out. I’m staying right here by your side until you win or until there’s no other option.”

Kira grimaced. “If you aren’t here, then I can focus on surviving the game. You’re… a distraction. Okay?”

It was my turn to laugh. “That’s fine if you think that, but I’ve got to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don’t get into worse trouble than you usually do.”

Kira scowled at me for that, which I couldn’t blame her for. I grinned back at her. “You know you’re kind of adorable when you make that mad face, right?” Before she could respond, I kissed her again.

“That’s not fair,” Kira said when I pulled away. “You don’t get to end an argument by trying to be all sweet and stuff.”

“Sorry. I have to use secret weapons when I have to.”

She rolled her eyes again, letting that part of the discussion die. “Fine. If we aren’t talking about you, then who goes first?”

“Imayhave mentioned the fake elimination to Mika,” I admitted. “He’s desperate to get off the show. He’s already tried to slip off once; in fact, that’s how he almost died a few days ago in that challenge, and I had to talk him out of trying again right after that boat disaster. He might be the best choice at this point. Especially since he’s already actively trying to run.”

“I thought about J.D., too. He’s too nice for this place. Ugh.” She sighed, “I wanteveryoneto get out alive, but we have to be careful. We can’t tip off the viewers or showrunners.”

“True. We’ll have to play it by ear, at least until you can make contact with Zoe and this Crew person again. For now, we need to think big. It’s the only way we’ll take down this fucking show.”

Von was still on my shit list for barging in on us when we were half-naked and showing the whole world what should have been a private moment. Every day, that bloodsucker seemed to do something else to piss me off. Today, it was drugging and knocking Kira out, then replacing her with thatthing.

“We should start with Von,” I said. “Find out what gets under his skin. Maybe we can figure out some of his history. If we do that, I might be able to find something that could make him unravel on air. He’s a huge part of the show, and doing that might destabilize things. I’ve even thought about trying to stir up trouble with the staff, or sabotaging some things to cause technical difficulties. Anything to tank the ratings.”

“I want to hit them hard,” Kira said, clenching a fist. “But I can’t figure out how. For now, I think that might work—little things here and there. It’s a start. We can go with that for now.”

“Cool. I’ll start really antagonizing Von tomorrow. Dig at him, see if anything bothers him more than other things. For now,” I added with a raised eyebrow, “I’m enjoying this time we’re getting to spend together. Now that the secret is out, we don’t have to be as careful.”

Kira glanced down at my hand, which was sliding up her thigh. “That was pretty smooth. I never even saw you move.”

“What can I say?” I said with a shrug. “You bring out the best in me.”

Kira laughed. “Is that so?”

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