36

As soon as the elevator opened to the lobby, I heard a hissing roar, undulating and piercing at the same time. It took a second for me to realize it was the sound of a crowd cheering and screaming outside. Through the giant glass front doors of the hotel, I saw thousands of people lining the streets of the capital.

“Holy shit,” Zoe whispered.

“Yup,” I said, my mouth going suddenly dry.

“This way, folks,” the fallen angel said.

I was terrified, but my feet followed the gigantic figures in front of me. Zoe slipped her hand into mine, and I squeezed it hard. A moment later, the doors opened, and a flood of noise enveloped me. Strobing flashes from cameras blinded me. Hand-drawn signs waved and swung through the air, but everything moved too fast for me to read them. People were yelling and screaming and reaching over barricades to try to touch me.

“Here she is, everyone!”

The voice was a familiar one. I’d heard it for years every time Zoe and I watched The Reject Project. It was the voice that had tempted me into this madness. Von Thornton stood on a massive stage in the middle of the city square. He was dressed in a solid white suit, bright stage lights illuminating him beneath the full moon high in the night sky. He held out his arms and beamed at me.

Again, he spoke, his voice amplified by some fae spell. “Our newest irresistible underdog.” He beckoned to me. “Come on up here, beautiful. Let the people get a look at you.”

One of the angels touched Zoe’s hand. “Ma’am, you can’t go with her.”

I shot Zoe a panicked look as her hand slid out of my grasp. Then, like a tidal wave, I was rushed forward. Later, I couldn’t even recall going up the stairs to meet Von. It was like the final twenty yards happened in some sort of fugue state. One moment, I was down on the street with Zoe, the next, I was thirty feet in the air, on a massive stage with one of the most famous people in the world.

As I walked the last few steps toward Von, the crowd surged with noise, screaming loud enough to make my eardrums rattle. Von walked toward me. He was a gorgeous man, but it was disconcerting. Almost too perfect. His vampiric good looks and mannerisms made my shifter skin crawl, but this was a job—I had to view it that way.

And just like that, a switch flipped in my mind. This was just another operation. As long as I kept telling myself that, I could do anything. I was the best deep-cover operative Tranquility had. I was a hell of an actor, and this was about to be my biggest assignment.

Von reached forward to take my hand, and with a bright smile of my own, I extended my hand and took his. He raised it and turned to the crowd, sweeping his free hand around to gesture toward me like I was some magnificent piece of art.

“I present to you, Miss Kira Lana Durst. Rejected mate of the Eleventh Pack.”

The crowd erupted. I hadn’t thought it could get louder, but it did. The cheers lost all coherence and became pure vibrations of sound pulsing against me.

Von led me to a director’s chair in the center of the stage, opposite his famous red-velvet armchair. Once I was seated, he took his place and crossed a leg nonchalantly over his knee as the crowd grew quiet.

“Well.” Von arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “This is something, isn’t it?”

I could see right across the city. There were people as far as the eye could see. Sure, the show was popular, but I’d never anticipated this. I’d never been a big enough fan to watch the season premieres. This was insane.

“Um, yes, it is,” I said.

The crowd chuckled along with Von, and I tried to ignore all the cameras. The main film crew manned a camera directly in front of me and Von. I could almost hear the lens zooming in on me. Thank the gods Zoe had made me look glamorous enough for what was happening.

My hands were twisted in my lap, fingers gripped together to keep my fear at bay. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zoe waving frantically to me. A faint smile played on my lips, letting her know I’d seen her. She threw her arm around Kolton and pointed to him, which had my smile growing wider. Kolton looked worried, but I waved, acting like I was waving to the crowd. The thousands of people cheered again, but Kolton only scowled back at me, obviously unhappy about something.

“Well, let’s get down to business, shall we?” Von said. “You are Kira Durst, daughter of the alpha of the Eleventh Pack.” He looked at the crowd and held up a finger. “This next part is interesting.” He pinned me with a stare. “You were rejected less than three weeks ago?”

The crowd emitted a combination of gasps, applause, and “aww” sounds that irked me. I didn’t want pity, but I had to play the part.

“That’s correct, Von,” I said.

“Kira, this is your first time in front of a crowd like this. As our only female contestant this year, can you tell our audience a little about yourself? Give us the Kira Durst story.”

I stared blankly into the camera. What was I supposed to say? A hundred things flooded my mind. Should I talk about being a Tranquility operative? Should I try to explain why Jayson had rejected me? Or should I use the platform like some beauty pageant contestant and ask for world peace?

Thankfully, the arrival of a massive car pulling up at the base of the stage saved me from having to answer. Instead of a stretch limo, it was a stretch SUV.

Von sprang to his feet. “Hold that thought, Miss Durst. It looks like our alpha contestants have arrived.”

Every eye suddenly spun away from me and angled toward the car. Even Zoe and Kolton looked over to see the contestants. Everyone taking their eyes off me gave me a moment’s relief, and it was like I was suddenly gloriously alone. Taking a breath to compose myself, I got up and stood beside Von.