Page 14 of Luna Trials

I settled down with my thoughts, letting her take point. She was so much stronger and more focused than me. Yes, we were both fighters, but she didn’t have these human doubts holding her back.

And she wouldn’t be expected to perform on some human show.

Mating season is mating season.My wolf couldn’t understand. She knew the biological urges that called to her each year, the coming of the heat and the purpose of mating, but she hadn’t found anyone worthy of her time yet.

This will be embarrassing,I tried to explain to her.It’s on television.

Don’t do anything stupid then.She huffed, ignoring me in favor of stretching her legs and working her muscles through the familiar terrain.

Historians say that hundreds of years ago we lived mostly in our beast forms. I couldn’t imagine how freeing that would be to live a life with no human worries. Then again, pack drama wasn’t only a human thing.

The scent of a new vehicle drifting down the dirt road to our trailer had my wolf baring her teeth and running double time. I groaned as I recognized the smell.

I need our body back, please.

My wolf sniffed the dirt again, moving to the front stoop of the trailer and making sure there was no lingering threat before she released her form to my human limbs. I stood up naked and pulled out my shirt, shoving my arms into it and glaring at the black trash bag that waited on the steps outside the front door.

A gift?my wolf asked.

She would think that. Some of the old dams in the pack used to drop off packages like this when I was growing up. But I knew an insult when I saw one.

I peered into the trash bag to see Stefanie’s pile of cast-off clothes. It wasn’t like I was bougie or anything. I grew up wearing hand-me-downs from the pack. This was a new low.

Glancing around the empty yard, I waited for someone to pop out with a camera. That was more Stef’s style. She liked to cause a scene. Like the one time she’d filled my locker with packages of rotten meat after my papa dropped me off at school with a deer carcass in the bed of the truck. Everyone took pictures and laughed about it for weeks.

There were two options here. I could go to Alpha Derek and report Stef for disobeying the “buy her new clothes” order or thank my lucky stars that I wasn’t forced to spend my last afternoon here shopping with the bitch.

Sometimes you had to choose your fights.

*

It stinks.My wolf huffed as I emptied the trash bag onto my bedroom floor. I picked up a skimpy red skirt and black fishnet stockings. There was no way in hell I’d fit into any of this.

My eyes caught on a sequined violet dress in the pile. It was frayed a little, but flashier than anything I’d ever owned. I wouldn’t call my clothes boring. Practical, maybe. They kept me warm andcomfortable in my human skin which was all I wanted them for. I did have a few cozy sweaters and leggings for when I wanted to dress up a bit. Mostly, I wore overalls and flannel shirts.

But the Luna contestants I’d seen during my doom scrolling this morning all looked so polished and feminine. I frowned a little, looking down at my clothes.

Forget dying.

Stefanie was right.

They were going to laugh me off the show.

I picked up the sparkly sequin dress and studied it in the light coming from my bedroom window. It couldn’t hurt to try it on.

*

I lied.

Goddess help me, I made a mistake. This wouldn’t work. The fabric was barely shimmied up to my ribs when all of my air was cut off. I shouldn’t have sucked in. I couldn’t blow back out.Where is the zipper on this thing?

Get it off!My wolf barked.

I jumped around, searching for the straps as some sort of leverage to pull the thing over my head.

Why did I start at the bottom?There was no way this dress was going back down over my ass. I barely got it over the hump on the way up.

Shift. I’ll rip it.My wolf was frantic.