Playing The Alphas

Chapter 95: The Breakfast Alliance

SAMANTHA

The dining hall was grand and imposing and the morning light streamed through the tall windows, casting golden squares across the marble floor. Long tables stretched from one end of the room to the other and they were covered in white cloths and silver platters and crystal glasses that sparkled like diamonds.

I wanted to disappear.

The summons had come early, before the sun had even fully risen. Joanne had dressed me in a simple grey dress and she had brushed my hair until it shone. She had told me to keep my head down and my mouth shut and to survive.

I intended to do exactly that.

I walked into the dining hall and I scanned the room quickly, searching for an empty seat at the far end of the room, far away from the nobles and the princes and the sisters and anyone else who might want to hurt me.

I found a seat near the back. I was about to sit down when a voice cut through the chatter.

"Samantha! Over here!"

My blood turned cold.

I turned slowly and I saw Molly Hanes waving at me from a table near the center of the room. Her smile was wide and bright and completely insincere. Her eyes glittered with malice.

I looked around. There was no escape. If I ignored her, she would make a scene. If I refused, she would find another way to punish me.

I walked toward her table.

As I got closer, I saw the others seated at the table. Serena and Kylie Cunningham were already there, their faces perfectly made up, their dresses immaculate. They were sipping tea and watching me approach with the same predatory smile that I had seen in the garden.

They had been waiting for me.

"Sit," Molly said, gesturing to the empty chair beside her. "Join us."

I sat. The chair was cold. My hands were trembling.

Molly leaned forward and her voice was sweet and poisonous. "So, Samantha," she said. "Tell us. How was your night with Prince Darlington?"

I felt my face flush. "It was fine."

"Fine?" Serena raised an eyebrow. "Just fine? I heard you ran out of his villa in tears."

Kylie nodded. "That is what I heard too. The guards were talking about it. Something about screaming and crying and a very awkward exit."

I said nothing.

Molly laughed. "What happened, Samantha? Did he not like what he saw? Did he send you away because you were not good enough?"

"I do not want to talk about it."

"Oh, but we do," Serena said. "We want to hear every detail. Did you pleasure him? Or did you just lie there like a dead fish?"

The other slaves at nearby tables were starting to listen. I could feel their eyes on me. I could hear their whispered laughter.

"I said I do not want to talk about it," I repeated.

Molly reached out and her hand closed around my wrist. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "We are not done with you," she said. "You do not get to decide when this conversation ends."

"Let go of me."

"Or what? You will run to the princes again? They are not here to save you now."

Serena leaned in. "Do you really think they care about you, Samantha? You are just a toy to them. A plaything. Something to use and discard."

Kylie tilted her head. "They will get bored of you eventually. And when they do, you will be nothing. Less than nothing."

I looked at them. Molly. Serena. Kylie. Three women who hated me for reasons I did not fully understand. Three women who wanted to destroy me.

"Are you done?" I asked.

Molly’s smile faltered. "Excuse me?"

"Are you done trying to humiliate me? Because I have heard everything you have to say and none of it matters. I do not care what you think of me. I do not care what you say about me. You are bullies. That is all you are. Just bullies."

The table went silent.

Serena’s eyes narrowed. "You are going to regret that."

"Maybe. But at least I said it."

I tried to stand but Molly’s grip on my wrist was still tight. She was not letting go.

"You are not going anywhere," she said.

"Yes," a voice said. "She is."

I looked up. Finnian was standing behind me. His face was cold and his eyes were hard. He looked at Molly and he said, "Release her."

Molly hesitated. Her grip tightened.

Finnian’s voice dropped. "I said release her."

Molly let go.

I pulled my hand back and I stood up quickly. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking.

Finnian stepped forward and his hand found my elbow. "Come with me," he said.

I followed him out of the dining hall.

The whispers followed us.

*****

We walked in silence through the corridor. Finnian’s hand was still on my elbow, guiding me. His grip was gentle. He was not like his brothers.

When we were far enough from the dining hall, he stopped. He turned to face me. ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "I am fine."

"You are not fine. Your hands are shaking." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

I looked down at my hands. They were trembling.

"They are just bullies," I said. "I have dealt with worse."

"They are more than bullies," Finnian said. "They are dangerous. Molly has the ear of the king’s advisors. Serena and Kylie have magic that we do not fully understand. They are going to keep coming for you."

I felt a chill run down my spine. "What do they want from me?"

Finnian was silent for a moment. "I do not know. But I am going to find out."

I looked up at him. His face was unreadable.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked.

He blinked. "What?"

"Why are you helping me? Your brothers do not care. The king does not care. Everyone else wants to use me or destroy me. Why are you different?"

He was quiet for a long moment.

"Because I know what it is like to be alone," he said. "And I know what it is like to be hunted."

I did not know what to say.

"The Luna Selection Games start tomorrow," he continued. "And they are going to do everything they can to destroy you. You need to be ready."

"Ready for what?"

He looked at me and his eyes were serious.

"Ready to survive," he said.