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“What for? This is a competition, remember?” I scoffed at Valor’s easy smile—a placating gesture meant to put others at ease.
I had to admit it worked with unparalleled efficiency. It hid the Enforcer’s threatening aura and convinced people to let down their guard. As useful as it was, I didn’t have the time or social skills for it.
“Still, it might be better for the others to assume we aren’t as serious as them,” Korren said in his matter-of-fact way.
As the head healer in our pack, Korren kept his cards close to his chest, preferring to work with facts instead of rapidly changing emotions. Even so, his shoulders were stiff, and his gaze was sharper than usual.
We were all upset to find out that the Council had been using their power to manipulate the sanctioned packs and abuse young Omegas. As a male dedicated to healing and caring for the weak, Korren had taken this more personally than others.
Obnoxious laughter rumbled through the room, and I rolled my eyes, striding toward our designated table. Like all the other Council-owned buildings, the Hunt Headquarters was a giant metal fortress. I could hear the gears turning in the security cameras and the faint click of locks opening and closing. I could even hear the static from hidden mics and communication devices. They were undoubtedly armed to the teeth, ready to lock down at the first sign of danger.
If they were smart, they’d know it was only a matter of time before someone found out about the sick shit they were up to and decided to do something about it.
That was the exact reason we were here, after all.
As we took our seats, I glanced at the walls, deciding where to drop off my nano-hackers. I created the tiny infiltration devices a few years back, and we used them to break into closed networks. Alpha Wynn had given the order to bug the place while we had access to the building.
“I’d be surprised if anyone in this room has more than two brain cells to rub together,” I said, wrinkling my nose at the scent of barely contained arousal.
Valor bit back a chuckle. Tendrils of blond hair slipped out of the band at the nape of his neck as he shook his head ruefully.
“Who do we choose if our mate isn’t among the Omegas?” Korren asked, taking slow, methodical sips of his water.
It seemed everyone in this room was edging toward a mating frenzy—a side effect of having so many virile males this close to fertile Omegas.
A frenzy was a biological occurrence that befell mature male shifters. It happened when we were exposed to females approaching their heat. During this time, our baser natures took over, and males grew bigger, stronger, and more aggressive.
Fights occurred at the drop of a hat, and only the most self-contained males had a hope of defusing their urges for any amount of time.
“We let our wolves decide,” Valor replied. “The mission comes first. As nice as it would be to find her, our chances are slim. We have to remember why we’re here.”
Korren and I nodded. We’d spent the previous five days with our Alpha unit, going over how we would proceed in both cases. It was more probable that we would be taking home a chosen Omega.
Korren’s fist clenched around his glass, and I knew we were fighting the same battle.
It was the battle that had raged within us ever since we discovered a fated mate was possible. The Goddess hadn’t abandoned us like the Council wanted us to believe.
“How long are these old bastards going to take?” someone moaned. “It’s a Hunt, not a fucking seminar.”
“They’re probably using it as a power play,” Valor said, shrugging his massive shoulders. “Showing us who’s running the show.”
“Assholes. Do they think we don’t know that by now? They pretty much have every pack by the balls with their hold on the Omegas.”
“Yes, but this is their last opportunity to flex their power,” Korren drawled. “After today, most of these units will barely interact with them.”
The male seemed to think on Korren’s words, and I took the opportunity to signal to Valor.
With a faint nod, he asked Korren if he wanted anything from the buffet table before we strolled toward the spread.
“Three sets of eyes. Twelve, two, and nine,” he breathed in a voice so low even my advanced shifter hearing struggled to catch it.
We filled our plates, making our way from one end of the table to the other. Stuffing a hand in my pocket, I tucked a nano-hacker between my fingers and waited for Valor to accidentally drop a bottle of water.
“Shit,” he hissed, loud enough for the guards to hear.
“I got it,” I said.
Goddess, the fucker is good at this. I don’t give him enough credit.
