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The front door opened and unfamiliar voices filtered in from the entryway. After a moment, Quinn came back to the kitchen and gestured us over. I suppressed a groan and pulled out of Luce and Bel’s hold, but when Luce grabbed my hand, I had to shake him loose. Gritting my teeth as the full force of the pain rushed back in, I shook my head.
“We have to sell this,” I told them, trying hard to ignore the tortured looks on their faces. “Later you can both put your hands all over me.”
Lucian growled and pulled me back, claiming me with a brutal, albeit brief, kiss. “I’d be hard if I didn’t hate this so much,” he said against my lips.
“I know, angel,” I whispered back, fingers trailing his jaw. “Let’s just get it over with.”
With my shoulders squared and two sentinels at my back, we moved into the living room to face the scrutiny of four new pairs of eyes. They’d positioned themselves around the room, spreading out like they owned the space. There was a tall man with long, dark hair and a severe expression standing at the mantle. Another man, this one older with brown waves combed over his balding head, stood up from where he’d been sitting on the edge of an armchair. A woman, the youngest of the group, turned her attention from Alaric’s painting to me, her strawberry blond hair pulled into a tidy chignon. The final Alpha was a dark-skinned man with short, black hair and a bright smile, standing beside Ric.
They were all tall, exuding power—even the woman. Each was dressed in sharp outfits that screamed money, like they’d been pulled out of a boardroom to be here. Maybe they had been. Their gazes raked over me, expressions ranging from curiosity to skepticism, irritation to indifference. My heart leapt into my throat, anxiety adding another layer to the pain I was already wrestling with. Fighting a grimace, I tipped my head in greeting.
“Alphas.” Alaric moved to my side while the others stayed close behind, maintaining a respectable distance. “May I introduce Cordelia Grace. We believe she could be our Heart.”
The man at the mantle scoffed, and I immediately disliked him. His lip curled with a sneer. “I see your desperation has made you equally stupid.”
My hands clenched into fists, but I mastered my expression and let a calming breath slide out of me.
“Cordelia,” Ric continued, and I could hear the tension in his voice, “this is Everard Earhart, Alpha of the Zelos Legacy.”
Ah, so this was his father. I gave the man a cold look and little else. “Alpha Earhart.” There was a beat of silence, like everyone was waiting for me to say more, but I pressed my lips into a hard line.
If you couldn’t say anything nice…
“Is she a fool or just insolent?” The older man who’d been sitting stared down his crooked nose at me.
A threatening growl rumbled behind me. “Varo sanojasi.” Even in Finnish, the warning was clear.
“Hadeon Kasteel,” Alaric intoned, undeterred, “Alpha of the Bia Legacy.”
Before I could show him the same lack of respect, the woman of the group approached. I felt Ric stiffen at my side, but he allowed her to extend her hand.
“Eilith Noakes,” she introduced, “Alpha of the Nike Legacy.” It was the least frosty reception I’d gotten so far, so I slid my hand into hers.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I murmured, and she smiled. She held my gaze like she might find the answers to all her questions waiting in my eyes. Then she was being shouldered out of the way by the last man.
“It’s about time,” he said by way of a greeting and took my hand between both of his.
I startled, but Alaric huffed a quiet laugh.
“Jabari Hassan, Alpha of the Kratos Legacy. Our patriarch.”
My eyes flicked over to Alpha Earhart, and his expression was glacial.
“You’re more pathetic than my idiot son.” He spat out the last word like it had a bad taste.
“Ignore him,” Alpha Hassan told me with a conspiratorial wink. “Welcome home, child.”
The knot of tension unraveled a little with his genuine welcome. “Thank you, Alpha Hassan.”
“Enough!” Alpha Earhart barked, tone like a knife. “This is not an arena for showcasing your demented fantasies. Even if this girl is a Heart, her suspicious circumstances can’t be overlooked. Her bloodline could be latent for all we know.” Then his thin lips curled with a cruel smirk. “I move that she be remanded into the Conclave’s custody until a full investigation can be carried out.”
50
CORDELIA
A chorus of snarls filled the room at Alpha Earhart’s ominous suggestion, and nausea twisted my gut. Even Alpha Hassan’s hackles went up.
“Stow it, you self-righteous blowhard,” he snapped, the friendly man who’d greeted me just moments ago nowhere to be seen. “Regardless of her bloodline or her circumstances, this girl was sensed by the Oracle just like every Heart, and she’ll stay right here under the care of this drift until she transitions to the academy.”
