Page 127 of Bliss & Her Idols

Is that what Easter is trying to do? Get other packs disqualified?

Torin isn’t the only Alpha who is growling at Easter now.

Easter leans forward to take Jin by the chin like she has any right to touch him.

Still Zoe doesn’t stop her.

How many other people has Zoe allowed to touch Jin?

And that’s my breaking point.

“Don’t touch him,” I snarl at the same time as Cricket does.

Torin stalks to the front of the stage and thumps it with his fist.

Finally, Easter jumps away from Jin with a squeal. Torin’s furious scent of burned tea washes over the room.

“Take your hands off him,” Torin orders. “He’s not your bonded Beta yet. He is, however,mypack. Play, before I show you what happens to those who touch members of my pack without permission. Then you won’t have hands to be able to play with.”

Sawyer barks with laughter.

Easter blanches, scrambling away from Jin. She snatches up the violin.

I relax.

Nobody can play a violin the first time that they try.

I prepare to hear a painful squeaky din.

Instead, the room is filled with a passionless but technically brilliant performance.

My eyes widen. “Fuck.”

“She’s good, isn’t she?” Cricket whispers. “I don’t know anything about classical music, but this sounds…”

“Like she’d be a professional if she wasn’t an Omega.” There’s a lump in my throat.

This woman is the worst of the Omegas. I hate that she may win this task.

When the strains of Easter’s final, poignant note die down, everybody claps.

But it’s reluctant.

Nobody liked how Easter spoke to Jin.

When I glance at her Alpha, Montserrat, I can see by her sour expression that apparently even she isn’t that keen on Easter either.

Now, my heartbeat quickens.

Because there is only our pack left to play.

I tighten my arm around Cricket. “Whoever is chosen, we simply need to do our best. After the asshole behavior of most of those people, it isn’t a high level that we need to beat.”

Yet only Torin has a chance of playing better than Easter, and I don’t know if he can. I’ve never heard him play guitar.

A hush falls over the group.

Then the spotlight flits between the three of us teasingly.

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