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“There’s noifto it,” Kira said firmly. “Weareright.”
Chapter19
Kira
My initial feeling about the fated-mate pairings somehow getting messed up was dread. Existential, foreboding dread. After all, one of the main underpinnings of wolf-shifter society was the pairings. Fated mates were what formalized the pack system. If everyone was meant to be together, that made the packs more stable. If it was found that hundreds, maybe thousands of pairings were the products of mistakes or purposeful alterations by one of Heline’s acolytes, chaos would ensue.
“What do you think will happen when everyone knows?” I asked Wyatt. “I mean, if we can get proof and then tell everyone?”
A line formed between Wyatt’s eyebrows. “I have no idea. Anger, panic, maybe some relief?”
“Relief?” I sat up on my elbow to get a better look at him. “Why would people be relieved?”
“Well, think about it. You were allegedly paired with Jayson. How fucking miserable would your life have been if he hadn’t rejected you? Awful, right? Well, what if you’d turned on the TV one day and someone said, ‘Hey, to make everyone aware, your fated mate may notactuallybe your fated mate.’ Wouldn’t you be relieved? Happy that you weren’t stuck with someone you weren’t supposed to be with?”
He had a point. This revelation might not be as devastating as I’d first anticipated. This could be good news. Excitement flared in my chest.
“If we brought attention to this on the show, maybe we could affect the audience back home,” I said.
“What? How?”
“It’s like we said—I think everyone subconsciously knows something is wrong. I think people are either too blinded by loyalty to the system or unable to think outside the box to say it out loud. If we bring it up and push that narrative, it could get people on the mainland talking and thinking. If they realize it, they might revolt against the show. If nothing else, they might stop tuning in while they have a life crisis or something.”
Realization dawned in Wyatt’s eyes. “You’re right. This whole stupid show is literallybuilton the fated-mate paradigm. If we showed that it was all bullshit or a mistake and that a lot of the rejects weren’t true rejects, then the show has no leg to stand on. Why sign up to be on a show when all you need to do is go out and find youractualfated mate? Don’t risk your life on this godsforsaken island when you can go out on your own and look for them.”
My excitement gave way to nerves. “We need to find the right time to bring it up. It must be at a point when it can stir up the most trouble.”
Before Wyatt could answer, one of the glass doors of the wine room flashed opaque then black, before revealing Von Thornton’s grinning face.
“Fucking hell,” Wyatt yelped, covering his crotch with a throw pillow from the couch.
“It’s a TV. Wow,” I said calmly despite the shock of it. They really had spared no expense on this place.
“Good afternoon, my lovely cast. I hope this message finds you well wherever you are.”
I lowered my hands from my naked breasts now that I knew the vampire wasn’t actually looking at us. Nonetheless, being interrupted during post-coital pillow talk and snuggling by that damn bloodsucker’s leering face was a shock.
“A quick update. Make sure you all dress in your finest outfits. Tonight, we’ll be having a rooftop dining experience on the terrace. It’s always good to look your best and sexiest.
“I am so excited for what we’ll be revealing tonight. It’s a never-before-seen experience. We’ve been leaving little hints that something big is coming on our social media accounts and website. The fans are absolutely foaming at the mouth and waiting with bated breath to hear what it is. I think all of you will be pretty excited.
“One last thing. Try to contain your excitement, but I think we are rapidly coming to the end of this season. Everyone loves an underdog, and I think all these underdogs are going to get picked off soon. The finale may be just around the corner. Maybe even only in a couple of days.” Von rolled his eyes to the back of his head in mock pleasure. “Ooh, I can’t wait. Very exciting. Until tonight.”
The screen went black, then opaque, and eventually returned to the fully translucent glass. Wyatt and I stared at nothing but wine bottles, taking in Von’s words. They were a terrible reminder that danger lurked right around the corner.
“As soon as I hear from Zoe again, we need to work on getting someone else off the show,” I said.
“Yeah. I’m thinking J.D.”
“That’s my thought, too. Who knows, maybe when he gets to Haven, Zoe and Crew can catch Leif and figure out how to help him.” I chewed my lip and ran a hand down Wyatt’s arm. “I’m nervous.”
“Me too, but it’ll all be okay. I know it.”
He pulled me close and kissed me again. For a few seconds, it was just me and him again. The awful world we found ourselves in vanished while we were together. I was desperate to get off this island with him and see where our relationship could go. First, we had to get off the island alive. Then we could see.
With a collective sigh, we stood and gathered up our clothes. Wyatt dressed first and gave me one last kiss goodbye before slipping out the door. Once he was gone, I locked the door and took my time getting dressed.
A strange, deep loneliness settled over me. It wasn’t only Wyatt I missed, but Zoe as well. Her sporadic letters were better than nothing, but I missed having her around. So much had happened since she’d been gone, and I would have loved nothing more than to bounce ideas off her, unload my emotional baggage, and chat about stupid stuff. Plus, I had to go to my room and try to get ready for a fancy dinner, and she was way better at hair and makeup than I was. The only bright side was that she couldn’t dress me in some ridiculous getup. Her idea of a “nice” dress was one that had my tits hanging out and my ass showing. I loved her, and she had an amazing eye for fashion, but her tastes ran more scandalous than mine.
