Page 125 of Psycho Shifters

I didn’t know how Aran knew how to curl hair so expertly, but he did an amazing job.

My long white locks, with red highlights framing my face, curled down my back. The one good thing was I felt like a bad bitch with red highlights. They contrasted with my gold skin and accentuated my red eyes.

Said red eyes were lined with thick black kohl, and mascara weighed my lashes down. I struggled not to itch at my face.

A part of me loved that I looked like an edgy bitch with my pretty hair. The other part of me wanted to scrub off my makeup, put on sweatpants, lie down, and read a book.

Besides the screaming null shifters, the Ianuarius celebration was way more intimate than I thought it would be.

We walked down a narrow hallway with low lighting. Which made it hard as fuck to walk without tripping.

“Smile.” Aran turned and flashed a megawatt smile at the null shifters.

At one point, he blew them kisses, like he was an actual celebrity. I rolled my eyes and tried not to throat punch the shifters who leaned over the barrier and reached for me. They got way too close for comfort.

Finally, we reached the end of the carpet, but the room we entered was not what I’d expected.

I gasped at the opulence.

The low ceiling was covered in glittering chandeliers. Gold and silver glinted everywhere.

Small tables held food, and people stood around them. In the center of the space, betas and alphas from all the portals ground together on the dance floor.

The whole compound had been in a rush getting ready, and I’d left with Aran. I didn’t see my alphas but assumed they would be here soon.

The lighting was low. Surprisingly, it was a mood. Not stuffy like I had expected.

Aran wiggled his suit-clad shoulder against mine. His blue hair was slicked back, and the suit fit his body like a glove. He looked swanky.

As we walked forward into the room, people turned to stare at us. My nose tickled, and I fought the urge to sneeze. The smoky scent of betas overwhelmed me. I had never been around so many at once.

At the same time, the pungent pheromones of alphas wafted at me. Some had earthy scents, like dirt or rocks. Others smelled like fruits and candies.

I would estimate there were about six alphas, all from other portals.

Not a large number compared to the betas, but with each alpha having a strong presence and even stronger scent, it was overwhelming.

“What do I smell like?” I turned to Aran. Until now, I hadn’t really thought about my own scent.

Aran smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Like sugary cranberries when you’re happy and like cranberries on fire when you’re mad. It kind of burns.” He flashed his perfect white teeth as he laughed at me.

Whatever, I liked cranberries.

I leaned forward and tried to smell Aran. Maybe it was because there were so many people around, but I realized why I enjoyed hanging out with him.

He didn’t reek of smoke like most betas. He almost didn’t smell at all.

All of a sudden, a large man stepped between us. “This exquisite creature can’t be the new female alpha?” His scent reeked of sandalwood, and I coughed as it irritated my nose. He was definitely an alpha.

For some reason, all my instincts warned me to get away.

So I listened.

“Don’t fucking touch me or my friend.” I shoved him out of the way and grabbed Aran’s arm, pushing us through the dancing crowd and away from the creepy alpha.

As we shoved through the dancers, my ass was groped by multiple men. I punched one in the kidney and slammed my stiletto down on the toe of another. But I couldn’t get them all.

Finally, we gasped with relief as we extracted ourselves from the crowd.