I keep my phone trained on everything, capturing it all, and I can’t help the smile spreading across my face.
Reed reaches me in seconds, and before I can react, he tries to knock my phone out of my hand with a violent swipe.
I duck, but he’s faster than I expected.
He grabs hold of my shirt and my hair, yanking back brutally hard.
Pain explodes across my scalp as my wig comes off right in his hands, and my shirt tears down the front, revealing my bra strap over my shoulder and the edge of my binder.
His mouth drops open in shock. “What? Who the fuck are you?”
I grin at him through the pain and shove him off me, hard. “Bet you never expected your social media guy to be a woman, did you? An Omega who uncovered every single one of your dirty secrets, you pathetic loser.”
His expression twists, confusion flashing first.
Then I smile wider, vicious and certain. “It’s me,” I add, holding his stare so he can’t look away. “I’m the one behindThe Heat Line. Every story. Every leak. Every piece that’s been tearing your empire apart.”
For a split second, he just stares.
Then his eyes go wide.
The video behind us is still playing, still showing the part where Reed admits he’s not even an Alpha but a Beta pretending to be one.
The audience is losing their minds, screaming for blood, demanding their money back.
Reed’s face contorts with pure rage. “You fucking bitch!” He grabs me by my hair again, yanking my head back so violently that I cry out.
I try to kick him, struggling against his grip, suddenly very aware that I’m in real danger here. He’s stronger than me, and he’s absolutely furious.
“I’ll destroy you!” he screams in my face. “I’ll ruin your life! I’ll?—”
He’s yanked off me with brutal force.
I stumble backward, gasping, and frantically stare up to find Slater standing over Reed, one hand wrapped around the asshole’s throat, lifting him slightly off the ground.
“Touch her again,” Slater growls, his voice deadly quiet but somehow carrying through the chaos, “and I’ll break every bone in your body.”
Jasper, Mason, and Dylan are onstage too, surrounding me protectively. They look like they’ve been running, breathing hard, eyes wild.
How did they get here so fast?
Slater drags Reed toward center stage by his throat, then rips the microphone from my trembling hand.
The video has stopped playing. The screen is black now.
“You want to know how to be a real Alpha?” Slater states. “I’ll tell you. It’s not about suppressing anyone. It’s not about tricks or manipulation or taking what isn’t freely given.”
He shakes Reed slightly, and the man gasps for air.
“A real Alpha protects those in his pack. Cherishes them. Lifts them up instead of tearing them down. A real Alpha doesn’t need to belittle others to feel powerful. He doesn’t prey on vulnerable people for profit.”
Slater turns to address the audience directly, still holding Reed by the throat. “You want a real lesson? Be a decent fucking person. Treat others with respect. Don’t fall for con artists like this one, and I guarantee you’ll have no problem finding your mate, your pack, your found family.”
The audience is dead silent now, hanging on every word.
Reed tries to escape, twisting in Slater’s grip, making choking sounds.
Slater turns back to him, his eyes cold as ice. “You fucking piece of work.” Then he slams his fist directly into Reed’s face with devastating force.
