Page 78 of Luna Trials

“Liar.”Ranger’s voice still rang in my head and was burying itself under my skin. I purposefully didn’t look at the crowd as Jay Renfro did his thing on stage for the cameras.

The screen came up with the results from the polls and I almost screamed in frustration. I wasn’t at the top any more. My name moved to fourth place in the top twenty of the popular vote. And next to that, a lone Alpha vote. One. Uno. As in singular.

“Ester. You are our first elimination of the night.” One of the quieter females stood and nodded.

“Toni from Yesina Pack, please exit this way.”

Tears stained her cheeks as she hurried down the bleacher steps.

I tightened my fists in my lap.

“As...” my breath hitched in my chest, “…hley from Turner Pack, thank you for your time.”

That was way too close of a name and would probably be my fate if I couldn’t keep up the popular vote from all the viewers at home. Which was fine. I didn’t want to be here.

Right?

I let my eyes drift to the front seats of the crowd. Ranger sat there, a beast among Alphas, with his dark gaze fixed on me.

He hadn’t even voted for me so he had no right to stare like I was worth something to him.

“Colleen from Mason Pack and Wyona from Fraizer, your time on the show has come to an end.”

Jay stood back, watching them go. “A round of applause for our remaining candidates.”

I peeked back up through my lashes, taking one last look at Ranger. The asshole didn’t even clap.

*

Hugging my arms around my chest, I made my way down the hall toward the elevators in the lobby.I don’t want to be here,I reminded myself.This is a means to an end.

But my words felt hollow, competing with the guilty pull inside of me. If this was just a stupid show, things shouldn’t hurt this bad. Something was wrong with me. I could feel it. A twisting sense of unease like I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

My wolf’s fur bristled, sensing the tension in the lobby just as I turned the corner of the hall.

“You stupid, bitch. It should have been you!”

The familiar sight of shifters gathered in a circle and itching for a fight set me on edge. I’d been at the center of rings like that for most of mychildhood. A cold numbness overtook me as I elbowed my way through the crowd.

And then I felt sick.

Cindy had Opal’s long black hair wrapped around her fist. The Omega was crying and squeezing her eyes shut, not even trying to fight back. She was half Cindy’s size.

“Let her go,” I growled as I grabbed Cindy by the wrist so she couldn’t yank on Opal’s hair.

“Back off, trailer trash,” Cindy spit, releasing her grip to glare at me. Opal slipped behind my back, shaking, as the crowd of females kept her in place.

Trailer trash?I smirked and raised my hands. My pulse pounded in my ears. She may have been from southern money, but Cindy was the only one who reeked of desperation.

Still, I tried to keep a level head. “I’d go cool off if I were you before you say something you really regret.”

Cindy’s fangs extended.

As did mine.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the crowd part for the camera crew who came running through the lobby. My rational brain was telling me to stop. That I’d lose the popular vote if I didn’t.

I couldn’t turn my back on a bully.