Page 75 of Luna Trials

“Of course I do.” The jovial tone dropped for a minute and his eyes cleared as he looked at me. “But none of them involve west coast territory. How about you? Any plans out east?”

“Not yet.” I rested my arms on the bar, relaxing from his direct answer. For far too long I’d been dealing with shifters who gave the run around.

“I’ll make you a deal then.” John downed the rest of his beer. “You stick to your side and I’ll stick to mine. We’ll stay out of each other’s way. And if you ever find yourself in the U.P., come swing by my place for some pancakes and venison.”

“I’d like that.” I set cash on the bar for both our drinks, rising to stand. “It’s good to finally meet you, John.”

“Ditto.” He motioned for one more beer. “Oh and Ranger, make sure you snag that girl or I’m considering her fair game.”

*

John’s threat didn’t bother me or my wolf for some reason. It was refreshing to connect with another Alpha who wasn’t going to bullshit me. But this was going to be a problem with the other Alphas who got it in their head that Aspen was in their league.

I walked outside, needing some fresh air before I went to bed. The nights were still chilly with frost tipping the evergreens as the Snow Moon wanedoverhead. Less than a month until the Worm Moon fully crested and the mating call of our species began.

The thought of Aspen near all these beasts in rut had my wolf seeing red. They’d be out of control, losing all sense of reason with the mass of women approaching their heat. Originally, this was going to work in my favor since I’d always kept a level head during the rut. With the way my beast was behaving, I wasn’t sure what he would do around Aspen and all the unmated males. To be honest, that terrified me and I wasn’t afraid of much.

The alcohol burned from my system as I walked outside, being guided by the dim light of the moon. We weren’t too far from my homelands in the woods of the pacific northwest so the familiar scents of the flora soothed the tension from my shoulders.

I had less than a month to get her out of here.

How was I going to make this work?

Fallon said Aspen wasn’t the type of female who would submit. I had to disagree. True, there was fight in her, but the softness in her eyes told me she was something else. A new breed for me. It would be a delicate balance, giving into her need for dominance and then earning her desire for submission. I couldn’t wait to get started.

Me either.

I smiled at his lovestruck sigh.

We were in too deep.

So deep, I almost forgot why we were here.

“Hey man,” Chad called out.

I schooled my expression to one of boredom, looking to where he stood by the fountain with Trenton of all people and a delicate little she-wolf who sat on the ledge with her bare feet tracing patterns in the water.

Mist and steam rose from the fountain as the two males hovered around the sweet-smelling female.

Cotton candy and powdered sugar.

My nostrils flared.Omega.

“This is Opal. Have you met her yet?” Chad asked as he waved me over.

The shy little Omega blinked up through long black lashes and gave me a tentative smile. “Hi.”

26

Aspen

The moon was a shell of itself tonight which was fitting because I was too. Answering those questions on stage shouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was. I’d compromised my values, giving a performance that bared my soul. These people didn’t really care about me. I needed to remember that and not give any more information that could be used against me someday.

I tightened the laces on my sneakers, partially shifting to let my wolf breathe the scents of the woods and use her eyes to guide us on the run. I still hadn’t figured out a safe area to let her take our body in this unfamiliar forest, but I was hoping the night jog would relax her a bit.

She was all worked up, still thinking of Ranger, which should have been the last thing on our mind.

We ran along the trail that branched off the walking path on the other side of the pool. Somewhere out in these mountains would be the arena for theMating Seasonfinale when we would go into heat and rut. My skin itched with the need to get out there. To explore the area and familiarize myself with the terrain we’d be working with. Going in unprepared was giving me anxiety.