“That wasn’t going to stop you a moment ago.” Why does he sound disappointed about that? Like he wanted to see me go into a full omega rage, to argue with him about the way he treats his pack members. Maybe he… wanted to see what it's like to have someone stand up to him.
A novelty of sorts.
But if that were the case, surely he wouldn’t have nearly barked at me.
The memory sends a sizzle of resolve down my spine.
“I’d be happy to pick up where we left off, Your Highness.”
His mouth quirks into a half smile. But he smothers it before it can fully form. Warmth and the scent of his soap engulf me as he leans closer until his lips touch the same place on my ear as Piers. “Stay away from my beta,cor mea. I don’t want to see his heart break when we send you home.”
When,notif.
All the fight drains out of me, what little there was left.
Protection.
That’s what this was about. An alpha protecting his packmate.
As much as I hate to admit it, he might be right to do it, dammit.
I give a small nod, the barest of movements, making his soft mouth move against my ear again. “I don’t want that either. I’ll… keep my distance from him.”
Even though it might kill me, I add silently.
Forsythe takes a deep relieved breath, his nose almost buried in my hair. Before he pulls back, look down at me. “Thank you, Florence.” His brow wrinkles. “We’ll try to keep you as long as we can, okay? Help you earn as much money as possible for being here, to make up for not working.”
Tears sting my eyes, even though I should be grateful for the offer. But I’m not.
“I’m not here for the money,” I say with a shrug, blinking hard to keep from crying. “Not really.”
“But you aren’t here for a pack, either.”
My smile is strained and sad. “Well, I can’t be, can I? Not when the pack is yours.”
Maybe I should admit that I’m here mostly to try to get over my fear of alphas. That apparently worked to some extent if I’m willing and able to go toe to toe with an alpha so dominant he puts Creed—the strongest alpha I’ve ever met—to shame.
Lulu clears her throat pointedly.
Forsythe glares at her before he looks back at me, with a sigh. “I don’t want to see your heart break either,cor mea,” he murmurs, before turning and striding away from me, leaving me to stare after him in confusion.
Lulu strides to my side. “Remember what we talked about, Ren. This pack isn’t for you. There’s no need for you to be getting close to their beta. At all. Not only will it not go anywhere, but we can’t even use the footage in the show.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”
She huffs. “But it is bad. Very bad. It would be so much easier if they would have just left him at home.”
I turn my head toward her so slowly, it’s a wonder my neck doesn’t give one of those long creepy creaks as I do. Like a reanimated mannequin in a horror movie. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Oh, please,” she scoffs. “Don’t get all protective of him now. No one from his pack is here for you to impress.”
Now?Now?
The producer nudges me in the direction of the rest of the omegas. “Go mingle. Chat it up. We need some footage of you all talking about the drama of the challenge today. We’ll start doing confessionals in about an hour. And remember what we talked about Ren. Don’t get too attached to the pack, they aren’t for you.”
She leaves before I can say anything in response.
“You too, huh?” a lazy voice drawls from my shoulder.
