Rejected by the Alpha, Crowned by the Shadow

e's

o tell Zan

l scrubs, rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes before another dou

u want me here t

ou

bag higher onto my shoulder. "But once I

eed. I walked out before he could tur

g with my abandoned notebook under one arm and two paper cu

re still the least convinc

offered. "How many as

ecognize poo

nside me. We sat on the steps while students crossed the lawn below us, most of them

prompted. "Ar

y footage, which is apparently enough to keep me from b

d Z

ce for a suspected saboteu

"That cannot be

dling coffee, deliveries, and any other task c

l him, and his response is mak

eillance requi

d when she saw I wasn't joking. "Y

my mother's hos

rdened. "Th

kno

thing terrible, and you can help me think of ways to po

hift at the

the cardboard sleeve

y used it for Mom's prescription. If I cancel,

er tone had gone careful. "Blai

rowed hoodie. "I'll sta

ked beautifully in

tunately, points didn'

areful," I

t before taking out her phone

sounded like concern rathe

wil

Vance family, but Blackthorn's racing committee had taken over for the evening, filling it with pu

rganized, the tips were good, and nobody had asked me

was di

ded me a small bund

"Where's the

the res

nd fastening black aprons. My outfit had a short skirt, a

stake. I'm assigne

ablet in her hand

es

interactive hosti

wh

rd me again. "If you have a complaint, take it up

cy why the money I had already spent was no longer

efore I had carri

iends gathered around her. Her dress probably cost more than our monthly rent,

g me over. "That suits y

nny. I was about to say the same thing

ends we

eful, Omega. People might thin

you tell them to. It

y before she

every trip across the room feel like a public performance. Most guests barely noticed me. The ranked

lled me over to the e

ls lay scattered

d your tip,

n the hands of tw

. I needed every dollar I could earn,

need the attention mor

rned

ruck the bac

a sickly sweetness that turned my stomach. Beneath

Omega ph

d poor judgment from finding them. The cheap versions mimicked the scent of an unbonded Omega

ire lowered the sm

did yo

She slipped the bottle into her

ridor. If I could wash it off before it soaked

dge stepped through a doo

Benn

m b

for you in Bl

part of t

t in his hand. "You're

ed my assignme

is attention moved to the room

lves with more confidence than restraint. The men entered blindfolded and relied on sce

t was the off

exible whenever a ranked wolf wanted som

ve a wristb

ulder. "The committee

m not part

ehind me. A second staff member stepped into the

man shoved

sed, and the

figures moving through the darkness. Music vibrated through the ceiling. Several men wore black

skin drew attentio

ned his hea

ano

door and tried the h

dn't

ross the room, a couple sank onto a couch. This was entertainment to them,

my palm. The music outs

male voice as

stood several feet away

was put in her

you

ot pla

ared. "You smel

hand aside and moved left, only

f you didn't want to be caught,

me inside. I

eemed interested

om. Someone laughed as I passed. The red light made it hard to judge distances,

ht the back

d released the fabric, but another arm closed

t y

y heel down

deways, raking my nails across his w

moved through

and weightless as smoke. The man jerked away with a cu

ws beneath us seemed to

ickered, and whatever

t to underst

eads turned as I crossed the room. One man reached for me and missed. Ano

hen a thick arm locked around m

figh

go of

my forearm. His grip tightened

he va

eavy impact of a body hitting the floor. The man who had been

ure stood i

ing jacket. A blindfold covered his eyes,

move, his arms

e rest of the room, placing himself between me and anyone who might try to reach u

rt stu

Wil

dea who he

have hidden everything familiar, but the moment his hand spre

went

oo deep to belong entirely to him. His

's m

ery wolf in the room felt

y and found the nearest exit, because less than an hour ago I had

his fingers flexed at my waist, as though

my knees met a couch. We went down together, his body c

se enough for his bre

me had buried my scent, and the d

my jaw, his body recognized

, his lips