Page 50 of Luna Trials

“Not tonight.” I gave him a curt nod and stepped away, feeling the fur on my skin prickle.

The cameras were a necessary part of this whole event, but that didn’t mean I had to like them.

“Pity.” Edith Tulia sided up to me. Her rosewater scent was overpowering this evening as if she’d bathed in her own natural smell. She wore a silk blue dress that clung to her ass and let her hair hang loose down her back.

“What’s a pity?” I took the bait.

“You’re going to break a lot of hearts.” She winked, draping her hand into the crook of my elbow. “At least throw one of us a bone and pretend you are interested in being here.”

“Who says that I’m not interested?” I removed her hand from my arm as my sister came over with two drinks. One for me. She was good at reading the room.

“They didn’t have your scotch,” Fallon said, taking up her position at my side and turning to address Edith like this was some sort of dance. “What’d you get to drink?”

“The apple martinis are alright.” Edith smiled at us both. “But nothing like the ones at the Carr’s Gardens event.”

“Those were good.” Fallon sipped her glass of red wine as I downed the tumbler of cheap scotch.

“Chad was looking for you earlier.” Edith smiled at me. “He slipped away to escort Lilith back to the room, but he should be back soon.”

“I’ll stay for another drink then.” I returned her smile, touching her shoulder in a friendly gesture. Something about the smooth skin rubbed me the wrong way. Discreetly, I wiped my palm on my trousers.

Fallon caught the motion and arched an eyebrow, saying nothing about it. “Did you see they have pool tables set up in the side room? I’m dying to play at least one game tonight.”

It’d been a while since we played, but Fallon took up a cue stick like she was born to it as I secured us a round table in the back of the room. I was going to ask if it was taken, but the few young Alphas who hovered around it slipped away before I could speak.

“I feel like no one is going to brave your brother to see about a potential mate connection,” Edith laughed after she sent the waitress on her way with the drink order for the table.

“Story of my life.” Fallon rolled her eyes, lining up the rack.

I folded up my sleeves and chose a cue. “Wouldn’t you want the mate who bests me?”

The silence in the room had me glancing over my shoulder. “What?”

Both girls laughed.

“I don’t know any with an ego your size.” Edith trailed her fingers along my back as she movedto select her stick. “Maybe Chad. Are you interested in him, Fallon?”

“Maybe,” my sister said.

I stepped away from Edith before she could hear my beast growling. The woman was pretty and decent enough to talk with, but she was a little too sharp for my specific appetite.

“The man of the hour arrives,” Edith said just before Chad stepped into the room.

“What are we playing?” he asked as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Cutthroat.” Fallon lined up her shot to break. “You’re just in time.”

*

“I think we’ve been hustled.” Chad was laughing, brushing off his loss with all the finery of a shifter not used to being dealt a shitty hand.

“Should we tell him?”Fallon smirked.

“Nah. Let him think it was luck.”I sipped the bitter scotch. “We’ll have to try again sometime.”

“Why not now?” Chad flagged down the cocktail waitress. “Bring us another round.”

“I’m good for tonight.” I set down my empty glass and nodded to Fallon.