...At first, it was easy to avoid looking at them. Rafe remained fully dressed, more intent on showing off Gabriel’s body than using it. Blue didn’t dare to do more than steal glances of Gabriel, committing each perfect inch of it to memory. He was trim but muscular, strangely delicate without being feminine, and beautifully proportioned. Blue wanted to look. His eyes were drawn to him again and again, and an ache began deep in his body. A longing he had never felt before.

“Take the rest off.” The room had grown quiet, leaving Rafe’s simple order the only sound.

With no outward sign of hesitation, Gabriel smoothly rose to his feet and unbuckled the belt at his waist. The pants were leather, which didn’t surprise Blue. Rafe had no doubt picked out every article Gabriel wore. As the young men leaned forward to slide the pants off, he turned his body slightly. It was to give Rafe and those around him the view of his ass and flexing back as he moved, but it also left Gabriel’s eyes locking with Blue’s across the room.

There was no hint of shame in his eyes, no fear, no pain. He might have felt comfortable implying to Blue he didn’t love his new situation, but he knew better than to let on in front of Rafe and his pack. Or maybe he liked to be the center of attention. Some people did. Blue could admit that he would have positively preened for Rafe if he had ever asked. Gabriel finally broke eye contact once he stood completely naked at Rafe’s side. His half-erect cock was long and thick, and would no doubt be in high demand if Rafe ever let the other men touch him.

“Turn,” Rafe commanded.

As he looked at Blue, one of Gabriel’s brows raised slightly, the faintest hint of a sardonic smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. Then he was turning his back on him to display himself for the alpha. His ass was half a shade paler than his back, finely sculpted. The only flaws were four parallel lines on one hip. They were faded scars and added credence to his story about having been attacked and abandoned.

Rafe stepped forward to reattach the leash to Gabriel’s collar, giving him a little tug to pull him closer. His eyes briefly flicked over to his betas. “Tell me what you think of him.”

The whole pack clapped and whistled, with the exception of Blue. Even the women had an enthusiastic response to his beauty. Blue shrank back against the wall, battling the urge to march to the front of the room and rip the leash out of Rafe’s hands. Such a display would instantly get him killed, but he had to admit that if he thought he had any sort of chance of escape, he would do it. Not out of the desire to save Gabriel from this humiliation, but because he wanted the other man for himself.

“Let’s see what else he can do,” James said.

Rafe smiled at him, and Blue thought he saw a hint of fang. “Why?” He possessively ran his hand over the curve of Gabriel’s ass. “So you can see what you can’t have?”

James bowed his head slightly. “If you want to show us,” he amended.

Blue could see the faint tension in Rafe’s hand as he pulled on the leash. Automatically, Gabriel melted into his side, his head resting against his shoulder. He was only an inch or two shorter than Rafe, but he managed to make himself seem shorter. Smaller. Even unfamiliar with pack politics, he seemed to easily grasp how to be submissive.

“And what do you want?” Rafe asked Gabriel.

The answer came automatically. “Whatever you want me to want.”

Rafe smiled, pleased by the answer. Blue’s already knotted stomach pulled tighter. He knew that if he asked the question, he’d get a different answer. One that was a lot closer to the truth. Nobody in that room cared about what Gabriel wanted, as long as he submitted to Rafe and didn’t disrupt the order of the pack.

“Do you want my cock?”

“Yes, sir.”