Page 91 of Psycho Beasts

I didn’t want men who only protected me when it suited them. I wanted men who wanted me for me and genuinely cared.

We arrived at the fighting ring splattered in blood that the don had pointed at.

A large red-haired alpha with a gun strapped in his shorts and “Loyalty” tattooed across his pecs stepped forward. “I’m Z, one of the trainers for initiates.”

There was a long, awkward pause as he looked over each of us, then stared at me.

“You’re a female alpha?”

He raised his red eyebrows in disbelief.

I was still silently fuming at the men’s lack of response to the jerk blowing smoke in my face, so I didn’t bother to respond.

Z asked me, “Where did they say you were from?”

“They didn’t say,” I snapped back.

“You have interesting coloring.” He reached a hand forward like he was going to touch my hair, but Xerxes shifted in front of me and blocked him.

The queen’s soldier was back, and Xerxes’s voice was glacier cold. “I believe introductions were conducted.”

Z nodded and smiled good-naturedly as he took his attention off me and back to the two alphas standing in the ring with him. “This is Clarissa and James. This is their first day at the fight club too, so you guys will be initiating together.”

Clarissa reached forward and shook Ascher’s hand, licking her lush lips.

She slowly ran her eyes over his tattooed body.

From the way she stepped closer into his personal space, she liked what she saw.

Ascher was expressionless, but he didn’t push her away or tell her off.

A razor blade stabbed inside my gut.

She was tall and stunning. Standing next to each other, she and Ascher looked like the perfect match. No one would ever wonder why they were together.

Finally, Clarissa stepped away from Ascher and moved toward me.

I stuck my hand forward with a forced smile, but she didn’t smile back and just let my hand hang there awkwardly.

James snickered next to her, his features similar to Clarissa’s. He bunched up his nose like I smelled.

Great, rude alphas.

Groundbreaking.

I stepped back and rolled my eyes like I wasn’t bothered while discreetly sniffing my armpits.

There was definitely an odor coming off me—stress sweat was real—but it wasn’t that noxious. Aran’s fart had been way worse.

Clarissa ignored me and turned to Cobra.

He gave her a dashing smile.

“I’m Cobra. Pleasure to meet you.”

His jewels sparkled across his annoyingly perfect features as he bowed to her.

Jax shifted uncomfortably. Ascher looked over at me with wide eyes, and it took me a long second to realize what had just happened.