85

J.D. stood and walked straight toward Gavin, arms open wide. “Let’s go, my man. Bring it, big guy. Bros hug, and you’re one of the bros now.”

Gavin’s eyes widened as J.D. wrapped his arms around him and pounded him on the back. He seemed taken aback by the warm welcome. His eyes slid over to me and locked on my face.

I needed to make a move before things got even more awkward. I had to keep up the act. With every fiber of my being, I hoped and prayed that Gavin wasn’t here to somehow derail my chances at protecting my family.

Standing and straightening my clothes, I plastered a massive fake smile onto my face and strutted over to Gavin, sticking my hand out to shake his.

“Gavin? I’m Kira. Nice to meet you,” I said. I sounded calm and confident, but an icy trickle of fear slithered up my spine.

He disentangled himself from J.D. and turned to face me. He looked a lot like Jayson, but I barely knew Gavin. He hadn’t been around much while Jayson and I had been dating. He was always away at school. When he was around, he was always scowling at Jayson or off by himself. He’d been reserved and quiet. The last time I laid eyes on him was at the disaster of the mating ceremony. He’d looked entirely disinterested to be there. Now he was looking at me with a fire and intensity that puzzled me.

Gavin took my hand in his. “Good to meet you, Kira.” There was a mischievous glimmer in his eye when he spoke.

That look made my stomach somersault. More lies, more secrets, more things I had to keep covered up. This show was getting more stressful by the second.

Gavin pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed my fingers. “Very good to meet you, I should say.”

From behind me, I heard Omar grumbling something, obviously unhappy with the affection Gavin was showing me.

Von, on the other hand, looked thrilled. “Here less than five minutes and already trying to sweep Kira off her feet? Aggressive. It’s fantastic.”

I quickly pulled my hand away, trying to lighten the tension filling the room. Even though my back was to him, I was hyper-aware of Wyatt watching.

“I’m sorry you missed out on the fun so far,” I said. “We fought ghosts this morning. Um, if you don’t mind my asking, what kept you from joining earlier?”

It was my best attempt at subtlety. He had to have a good reason. Why else would the showrunners allow a contestant to join this late?

Gavin looked me dead in the eye. “Yeah, well, it wasn’t a great time. The producers allowed me a few days to get everything in order.”

“Get what in order?” I asked sweetly, not understanding what he was talking about.

Gavin glanced over his shoulder at the hovering camera, then back to me. “The alpha of my pack, my father, was murdered. My brother and I have been dealing with the fallout.”

It was like I’d been kicked in the chest. His dad was dead? Someone had murdered Jayson’s father? Alphas were never murdered in cold blood like that. I was so astonished that a shocked squeak escaped my lips. A smattering of murmurs broke out around the room as the other alphas processed the information.

Ignoring all of us, Gavin looked into my eyes and said, “Being away from here was inconvenient because all I want to do is win The Reject Project and take you as my fated mate, Kira.”

His sincerity freaked me out a little bit, to be honest. I could practically hear Wyatt’s teeth grinding.

Smiling at Gavin, I said, “Well, I wish you my best. Maybe you will.” I raised my eyebrow at him seductively, hoping the cameras got a good shot of it. It made me feel a little dirty, but the show had to go on.

Von saved me by interrupting the conversation. “Along with introducing Gavin, I came to give you all an update. Since we’ve already had a couple of eliminations this week, the Arena Match will happen tomorrow. I’m sure all of our alphas have had that day circled on their calendars since meeting the lovely Kira.

“Two contestants will enter the arena. Whoever wins will get to spend a magical night with Kira in the mating chamber.” Von waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

If I was nervous before, I was now on the verge of a panic attack. The other alphas were all studying me. Some, like Omar and Tate, were staring at me like I was a piece of meat to be devoured. Others, like J.D. and Abel, looked nervous. Wyatt was the only one who wasn’t looking at me—he was staring at Von like he wanted to rip him to pieces.

I cleared my throat and touched Von’s wrist. “Forgive my ignorance, but how are the contestants chosen?”

Von laughed and put an arm around me. “Oh, dear Kira, by fan voting, of course.”

“Fan voting?” I asked.

“Yes. Our audience gets to have a say in how things go down.” He touched his finger to the tip of my nose. “But don’t worry your little head. I’m sure you’ve grown attached to your alphas by now, and I want to let you know that the Arena Match is not necessarily a duel to the death. It is, however, very exciting.” He released me and clasped his hands together. “Our viewers are voting online right now. The final tally should be ready later today. Take the afternoon to relax. I’m sure you all need it after this morning’s fun.”

Von waved a hand over his bracelet. The cameras shut off and floated away. “Whew. What an exciting day already,” he said. “I’ll leave you all to get to know our new contestant. We’ll let everyone know when the votes are in.”

Von left us all alone. I expected the others to disperse quickly once he was gone, but all the guys hung around. I knew why within seconds. They wanted to get dirt on Gavin.