Page 51 of Luna Trials
“Come on, man. The night’s just getting started.” Chad chalked his cue, challenging me.
My wolf bristled a bit, but I was tired. I’d shown face and that was more than enough. The oneperson who might tempt me to stay out later seemed to be safely tucked into bed. Where I’d also like to be.
“Guess we figured out who the grassroots company is.” Chad chuckled, easily distracted it seemed.
“What?” I stopped rolling down my sleeve.
Across the bar, Trenton walked in with a skinny blond by his side. She wore high heels and a mini skirt under a ripped t-shirt with Jim’s Garage printed on the front.
“Wasn’t Aspen wearing one today too?” Edith asked, covering her mouth as she giggled. The alcohol churned in my gut as I looked to Fallon.
My sister blanched a bit. “Sponsor, I’m assuming.”
“It’s a little tacky.” Edith spoke in that condescending way that made every word she saidtackytoo.
My wolf started growling as I clenched my fists. “Excuse me.”
Edith pouted. “Ranger, don’t leave.”
I ignored her. My vision tunneled as I made a beeline across the bar to where that punk little Alpha stood ordering a beer. “Jim’s Garage?”
The blond beside Trenton staggered back, eyes wide. “Um. It’s a…. company.”
“Did he make you wear that?” I waited for Trenton to turn around. Warning bells rang in my head telling me to stop before this went too far, but my wolf was already rising to the surface as if this was a threat directly to him.
“I didn’t make them wear anything.” Trenton looked up at me. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, but the dumbass shifter tried to widen his stance. “And even if I did. It’s none of your business.”
I could feel them. The cameras. Lenses turning our way. The shifters around us who took a step back. One hit. That’s all it would take. A well-timed punch to the throat and he’d be on the ground.
Kill him.
“It’s everyone’s business when you treat your Luna candidates like whores of a billboard.” Even I was impressed at how calm I sounded.
“What’s your problem, bro?” Trenton asked.
“My problem?” I smiled, seeing red as my wolf flashed in my eyes.I’ll give you a problem.
“Ranger. Stop. Not until the Alpha Games,”my sister pleaded through our pack link.
I reached out and brushed off Trenton’s shoulder. An innocent touch before I gripped it tight, letting him feel my strength. “My problem is that I don’t appreciate women being treated like objects for your gain. If you can’t afford a decent sponsor, come see me for a loan.”
Trenton growled. It was a weak little sound. I gave him a final shake before turning away.
“What the hell was that?”Fallon called after me.
I was too busy trying to hang onto my beast–and figure out the answer myself–to respond.
18
Aspen
I was in the desert under a starlit sky that stretched across the earth to the horizon. My paws hit the dirt, running hard as the night air rippled my fur. The sand shifted beneath me and I was falling, sucked into a black hole that swallowed me as my claws dug frantically at the sinking grains of sand.
I came up for air, gasping and butt naked in my human skin in the middle of a packed courtroom.
Cameras were everywhere. People were laughing. A judge slammed an axe like a gavel against the podium and split it in half. The walls closed in as I was condemned for… something.
I took off running. My bare feet slapped against rich soil in an unfamiliar forest. The howls of female wolves came from the trees, indicating the chase. Panicked, I ran deeper into the woods, searching for an escape. I needed to find a cave. Wire. Traps… But this wasn’t my territory and I was lost.