The flirting was harmless, but I politely turned down their requests, blaming it on work.
There was definitely work to do, but ultimately, I just wasn't interested in them. Particularly not with a fae bargain hanging over my head, or the heats I'd spent with Callum.
Looking back, they were probably only alive because I hadn't gone out with them.
If Callum considered me his since the first night, he probably would've killed anyone I tried to date.
That was alarming.
There was no way around it at this point, though.
Jonah met my gaze, and nodded once.
I nodded back.
We could've communicated with the pack bond, but didn't.
When it came to Gwen, our feelings were very different. Regardless of all the other shit, she had dropped our entire shared business’s debt on my shoulders without bothering to apologize or wish me luck.
She had broken Jonah’s heart when Simon made her end their engagement, but she hadn’t cheated on him or betrayed him. He could probably forgive her and move on. He absolutely still loved her.
I was the one who had been fucked over to the point of trading my soul.
Callum's arm tightened around my waist, but he didn't say anything else about myboyfriend.
A few minutes passed.
Darius and Merrily slipped into their seats on the other side of Liv just as Gwen stood.
She walked to a microphone I hadn't noticed was set up a few feet away, and cleared her throat.
The noise died down immediately.
"Welcome to the Beta Challenges," Gwen announced. "Before we get started, let's take a moment of silence for our beloved Simon, who is no longer with us."
Callum and I were hit with at least a hundred pairs of eyes. Mostly angry. Some neutral.
The silence was far from comfortable.
Itried not toreact, but the fae king went still behind me.
He was upset. His icy magic swelled in response, cooling me off perfectly.
"Don't," Liv muttered. "We need the wolves to like us."
Darius snorted. "That went out the window two days ago."
Callum stood, calmly setting me on the chair we had both been occupying before he strode over to the canopy.
"This is not good," Merrily whispered to Darius.
"Eh, it’ll be fine."
"For future reference, your job is to stop him from doing shit like this," Liv told me, as Callum reached the microphone.
He plucked it from Gwen’s hand and stepped closer to the edge of the pit. His ice-cold gaze swept over the gathered crowd slowly.
The silence grew louder, somehow.
