Page 205 of Bliss & Her Idols

“Nothing,” I reply. “Yet.”

“This is the camp.” Torin gestures at the vast concrete building that looks more like a compound than a dance academy. Even the bright sunshine can’t make the gray walls and barred windows look less bleak.

Torin and I have already scaled a high wall because apparently, the Idols need to be caged even further.

I’d been worried that there would be a high tech security system installed to keep the Idols on campus. Then we would have had to work out how to bypass it, if we wanted to investigate further.

But Torin shook his head. “My brothers don’t need it. Where would the Idols go? They’ve all signed contracts. Their families are eager for them to be here for the chance at fame and fortune. Why would the Betas want to disappoint their packs, huh? That’s the best control method. Only true rebels like Jin and Zero slip their leashes to roam the estate. But look how long it’s taken them to truly escape.”

Jin’s costumes and hidden messages in his concerts…

The code written into Jin’s letters to Cricket…

Jin desperately reaching out to me as a journalist at the meet and greet and on Pack Bonds island…

He’s been fighting for every one of his friends back in the camp as hard as Torin has and possibly, for longer.

Jin has a huge heart. One of gold.

He’s much more than a celebrity or a singer. Fame doesn’t mean anything to him, only the chance to perform.

Yet the parasitic Idol Alphas take the talent of these Beta creatives to enrich themselves, then they drain the joy from them.

They turn their dreams into nightmares.

Cricket and I are the Omegas who picked up Jin’s messages and fell in love with him, during our own campaigns to expose the same industry.

It’s fate that we came together.

And I’m the Omega journalist who will shine a light on the puppeteers who are making the pretty puppets dance.I’ll expose Philomena.

At the same time, I’ll show every Omega that they too can be brave enough to stand up to injustice.

They can have a voice.

Torin grabs me by the arm, yanking me against the side of the rough wall into the shadows.

He holds his finger to his lips. “Someone is coming.”

Adrenaline spikes through me.

My breathing becomes ragged, as I focus in on the light footfalls.

Then a beautiful man in casual back joggers and t-shirt, which is startlingly contrasted by his white hair, rounds the corner.

His brow is creased in concern.

“Jin!” I call out.

Jin spins on the spot. His face lights up. Then he bounds toward us with a wide grin, grabbing me into a tight hug.

His warm citrus scent wraps around me as tightly as his arms are.

“My Queen,” Jin’s voice flows over me like melted caramel, “I knew that you’d win the game of Sniff Out Our Alpha. You’re both like magnets, drawn irresistibly together. I could see it, while you were both pretending to be enemies.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Torin grumbles.

At the same time, I cross my arms. “I was only hoping for hate sex.”

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