Page 37 of The Alpha's Chosen Outcast

Chapter 11

HEATHER

Violet is the one who comes to the shop after that night, but I’m not sure if that’s because Trey can’t handle being around me or simply because Violet needs to do more fittings and approvals in person.

Either way, I don’t see him much. He does text me, though, which is surprising.

He’s taken to sending me photos and bios of Alphas he finds in other regions. It’s like the weirdest dating app I’ve ever been a part of.

He sends photos with a short description and then a file with a full bio of who they are, where they live, what their pack is like, their leadership style, and a bunch of other tidbits I honestly never would have thought to ask about.

None of them are particularly appealing, but if marrying one will save my life, I can’t afford to be that picky.

I have until Violet’s wedding, maybe a day or two after. If I don’t get married to an Alpha before then, I won’t leave this city alive, and I don’t think there’s anything Trey or Violet will be able to do to stop that.

“Where’d you go just now?” Violet asks me.

She’s in for another fitting. We’re trying to make sure that the embroidered panels on the bodice sit perfectly before I sew them together.

I’ve already begun work on the skirt embroidery as well. We have about a month to go until the wedding. The time is going by too quickly.

“Did Trey tell you about his plan for me?”

“The whole arranged marriage thing? Yeah, he told me.”

“And? What do you think about it?”

“I think if it was me, I’d look for the richest, youngest, least Alpha-hole of the bunch and hope he finds some reason to marry an exile that doesn’t include controlling me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Think about it, Heather. If an Alpha is going to marry an exile, he’s either incredibly kind and wants to help, or he sees a way to find a wife he can control because he has this sword to hold over her head.”

“Shit, I didn’t even think about that.”

“I’m hoping you find someone kind. There aren’t many Alphas who fit that criteria, but if anyone can find someone, it’s Trey.”

“And there’s really no chance of changing the laws?”

“Not in our lifetime.”

I bring my phone over to her and pull up the folder of guys I started putting together after Trey sent me the fifth bio.

“Look at these guys.”

I hand her my phone and she starts scrolling. The looks on her face make me suspect she has the same opinions I do about each of them. She stops on one and brings the phone closer to her face, scrutinizing the screen.

“What about this guy? He doesn’t seem so bad.”

She hands back the phone, and I look at the file she picked. It’s one from the first batch Trey had sent over. I think I dismissed the guy at first because I didn’t want to take this seriously, but now it looks like it’s inevitable.

This guy isn’t bad, fairly young for an Alpha, clean cut, dresses nicely, and seems to be someone I might be able to partner with. As I keep scrolling, I realize why I’d dismissed him before.

I hand the phone back to Violet. “Look, there, under the “known preferences” section.”

She reads, her eyes going wide. “Oh. Yeah. That’s not gonna work.”

This guy is known to date young women. Very young—as in barely legal. That’s not me. Everyone else in the bios I’ve seen so far is either old, crusty, or cruel.

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