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“Maybe, if you still have an appetite, we can eat later?”
I cock my head. Why wouldn’t I still have an appetite? Sure, going anywhere near Walker is sure to kill it, but I’m a shifter. Before long, I’ll be ready to eat again.
Theo doesn’t give me the chance to ask. With a wave, he separates from me, moving to join the crowd circling the empty patch of dirt just below Walker’s pretentious platform.
Actually, I notice as I reluctantly move around the circle, heading toward the foreboding chair, it’s not quite empty empty. While every other packmate is in their skin, there’s a wolf prowling around the east side of the circle in his dark grey fur. From his size and aura, I can tell it’s another delta wolf shifter; from the frothing at the mouth, I know he’s a hair away from turning completely feral.
What the—
I feel the weight of Walker’s gaze on me as I trudge toward the platform. Being rude would be a mistake, so I nod at him, then plop myself in the empty seat. Almost immediately, I turn to face Elizabeth.
She blanches when she realizes she has my sole attention.
Oh, come on. I thought we were past this. So long as she stands by her promise not to fuck with my bond, I won’t use my more dominant wolf against her. She has no reason to be afraid.
Well, except for the asshole sitting next to me.
“Hey.” I keep my voice as soft as I can make it. Gentle, too. I almost sound like Omega Gem again. “You all right?”
Elizabeth glances at the back of Walker’s head. Her eyes dim, but she nods.
I don’t buy it. “What happened to you today? I know you left, but—”
“Shh,” Walker interrupts, hushing me. “Turn around. You’re just in time. The show’s about to start.”
Show? What show?
I get the answer a few seconds later. When I do? I just about fall out of my chair.
He walks out of the trees, but he’s not alone. Two shifters in their skin... big, brawny brutes… walk right behind him, making it seem like he’s a dead man walking.
Or, in his case, undead man walking.
“Oh, no.”
No.
Aleks.
No.
It’s him. No denying that. It’s Aleks.
What in the name of the Luna is he doing here?
His eyes find me immediately. In the daylight, the pale color of his irises seems closer to silver than green. Just like Elizabeth, I think. Funny that I never realized how similar their eyes look until right this very moment.
I only hope his skin is slathered in sunscreen. Though vampires turning to dust during the day is nothing but a myth, they’re still very sensitive to the UV rays. Without the proper protection, his skin could be burned to a crisp in no time. We’re in California, after all. The trees that surround the district might block out some of the sun, but it can’t be enough.
And, shit. Look at me. He’s standing between two of Walker’s biggest goons. No glasses. No shoes. The gentle elegance I know so well is gone, a twist of boredom tinged with defiance settling on his normally gorgeous features. His cheeks are gaunt, his clothes obviously a few days old. With Aleks, there’s no illusion that he’s a guest.
There might not be any chains on my friend, but hell if he isn’t a prisoner, and I’m worried about freaking sunscreen.
My heart stutters in my chest as I finally realize what’s going on.
The platform. The arrogant throne. The panicked wolf pacing at one side of the dirty, circular pit. Aleks being led to the other side.
The ring of shifters that keeps either from getting out.
