Page 9 of Outcast
Rolling my eyes, I pictured the snide comments the pack would inevitably make about me being a whore with a partly see through dress, even though all it did was expose my collarbone.
Sooooo sexy, I know.
They’d pounce on any little thing to try to drag me down.
Centering my thoughts and heart, I grabbed the large platters of appetizers and plastered on the timid smile that seemed to work best when I was forced to interact with the pack in large group settings.
It was amicable enough to not offend everyone with my resting bitch face, but not overly friendly so that I looked as if I were trying too hard to be liked. They didn’t like when my face expressed an ounce of hopefulness of their acceptance. The timid smile portrayed that I knew my place.
And honestly, I had known my place almost the entirety of my life here. They’d made sure to drill it into me. But now, I felt like I didn’t even know myself anymore.
The docile and subservient nature I’d adopted and accepted was getting pushed out of my body by an unknown force. I liked it.
Heading into the literal den of wolves, I said a prayer to the moon goddess to help me keep my mouth zipped tonight.
I would be stuck here churning out food until the newly shifted wolves managed to change back into their human forms. They’d be famished from the exertion of the merge and first run. It would easily be dawn before they all made it back.
Defying them while they were still processing their animalistic nature, plus ravenous, would be a kiss of death.
And I didn’t want to die.
Chapter Four
Milo
I’d never getover Kira’s effortless beauty. She swept into the room with a grace and assurance about her that reminded me of an alpha. Confident, kind, and commanding the room without trying.
She wore the most simplistic dress in the entire room, but she still managed to capture every man’s gaze with her arrival. The attention she received did not go unnoticed by me, and it made my skin crawl. I had heard countless debates about how great a lay she might be while waiting to find their true mates.
This also meant that I had gotten into more fights than I could count because of said overheard conversations. I would never allow someone to leave the room without pummeling them into the ground after such vile words crossed their lips.
It caused dissent amongst the younger and unshifted part of the pack for a bit, but I had managed to remain undefeated, pulling up through the ranks, my position now only beneath that of Jameson and Seth. Kira thought I would be tossed out of the pack and turned into a lone wolf for defending her, but the only person with the power to do that was the alpha. And he didn’t give a shit about “the human”, as he referred to Kira.
It was both a blessing and a curse.
My gaze followed her as she made her rounds through the room, a soft smile on her face that none of these assholes deserved to see. Pain pierced through the cloud of my anger, and I relaxed enough to unclench my hands, opening them to see small cuts from my nails biting into my skin.
For a second, I swore I saw my nails elongate, but when I blinked and looked again, they were back to their usual short stubs, and my skin was smoothed over with just a few drops of blood remaining.
Was my wolf coming to the surface already?
It was said that the strongest would shift first, the ability to connect with your wolf quickly signifying the ranking you would likely hold in the pack order amongst the full-fledged wolves.
I was agitated and on edge, bouncing on the balls of my feet a bit, and could absolutely pick a fight right now just to expel this pent-up energy inside of me. However, I didn’t trust Kira being out of my sight for a moment with the shift coming so soon.
Deep down I knew she was mine. My wolf would pick her.
I needed to remain nearby to defend her if any of the others couldn’t get a grip on their predatory instincts at the sight of a human.
Her cherry blossom scent teased my senses as she drew near, offering me a coy look with a real smile pulling at the edges of her mouth rather than the fake one she managed around the rest of the pack. She held the silver platter of assorted crackers, cheeses, and meats out to me, “Hungry, Wolfie?”
Our easy banter, the playful energy, and the insane amount of sexual energy between us cemented the fact in my mind that she was meant for me.
“Watch out, Kira, or else the big bad wolf will huff and puff and blow your door down tonight.” I teased, letting a flirtatious tone imbue my words.
Her eyes widened a fraction in shock, and I focused in on the way her eyes dilated as her lips parted and her chest heaved in response. The most beautiful shade of pink stained her cheeks and chest as the unique smell of her arousal hit me like a ton of bricks.
A few heads turned our way, most likely scenting her as well. Swiftly, I nabbed the platter from her and placed it on the table nearby, then grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to me. I felt her peering up at me, but I was too busy maintaining eye contact with each of the males interested in her arousal to look down at her.
