Page 111 of Pucking Feral: Part Two

"I'm afraid not." The official's eyes land on me—still perched in Wraith's lap, blood smeared across my throat, his arms locked around me—and he stops dead.

"That's Ivy Byrne." The official's voice pitches up. "That's Wade Kelly's missing fucking fiancée." He takes a step forward like he's going to pull me off Wraith's lap, and three alpha growls fill the room simultaneously. Wraith is silent, still checked out, but he tenses.

The official freezes.

"She's fine," Thane says, stepping forward. "She's with us. She's not in danger."

The official doesn't look convinced. His eyes keep darting between me and Wraith like he's waiting for me to signal for help. Like he can't fathom why Wade Kelly's omega would be curled up willingly in the lap of the feral alpha who just tore Wade apart.

I stare back at him and don't move.

It takes him a long moment to collect himself. "Miss Byrne. Are you here of your own free will?"

I hear the implication in his careful tone.

What are you doing with a feral alpha?

"Yes. Wraith is my mate. I'm his scent match." I gesture toward the rest of the pack. "And theirs. All of them. The Ghosts are my mates."

The official's pen scratches against his clipboard. "And Wade Kelly…?"

"My former fiancé," I say bitterly. "Not my mate. I left him."

More scratching. More questions. The nature of my departure. How long I've been with the Ghosts. Whether I witnessed tonight's altercation.

I answer everything honestly. There's no point hiding anything now.

They confirm what I already suspected. Alpha instinct defense. Wade struck Wraith with his stick before the mauling. Video evidence supports it. Wraith isn't going to be arrested.

The tension in the room eases, but only slightly.

Then the official turns to Valek.

"Mr. Carter."

Valek doesn't move from his position by the door. Doesn't even look at the man addressing him.

"You're not pack," the official continues, his tone hardening. "The victim was already incapacitated when you assaulted him."

Silence.

"You're looking at aggravated assault charges and permanent suspension from the league. Unless you can provide legal justification for your actions."

Valek's jaw works. His silver eyes stay fixed on the wall, empty and distant. And I realize, with a cold shock, that he's not going to defend himself.

He's just going to let them take him.

The words leave my mouth before I even realize I'm speaking.

"Valek is my scent match, too."

The room freezes.

Wraith goes still beneath me, a confused rumble vibrating through his chest. Whiskey's mouth drops open. Thane scrubs a hand over his face, the gesture of a man who keeps getting new problems stacked on old ones. Plague gives me a completely blank stare like someone ripped the plug out of a robot.

"Wait, what the fuck?" Whiskey manages.

I don't look at any of them. I keep my eyes on the official, my voice steady despite the chaos erupting in my chest.