Page 86 of Luna Trials
I stared straight ahead.
She leaned closer, adding in a whisper, “But that box was absolutely awful.”
I chuckled softly. “And so damn hot.”
A few of the contestants started up the driveway when the buzzer gave the five-minute warning. We watched them walk in silence.
I scanned the other crates, looking for Stef and Opal and Fallon. In the earlier chaos, I hadn’t paid attention to anyone else’s numbers.
“You know, my cousin was asking about you,” Edith said, taking me completely by surprise.
I looked at her from the corner of my eye, trying to see if she was messing with me. She seemed serious. I thought of the votes. There was a real possibility the viewers wouldn’t carry me the entire time. I needed a few other Alphas to at least give me a chance.
“He’s handsome.” The words got stuck in my throat and I coughed to clear it. “What was he asking about?”
The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the trial, and Edith’s lips quirked to the side. “He wanted to know if you’d decided yet.”
“Decided?” I watched the remaining contestants being pulled from their crates.
“You know, if you’d picked any particular Alpha,” she explained.
Ranger.My wolf nodded.
“I’m keeping my options open,” I covered the lie with a truth so she couldn’t smell it. My wolf might be obsessed with Ranger, but she didn’t always know what was best for us. And besides, mating was a two-way street. If–and that was a bigif–I liked him or even wanted to get mated, it was highly improbable that he’d want to mate with someone like me.
“That’s good,” Edith said. “Getting attached to anyone this early in the season isn’t smart. I wouldn’t want you to get your heart broken if things didn’t work out.”
She said it so sweetly that I tried to think of some kind of friendly response to show her I cared too, like those motivational posters to “keep calm and carry on” or “you deserve the world, Queen,” but I was drawing a blank.
“This is bullshit!” Fallon was growling as she came stomping out of her shed. I caught a glimpse of her nest before the doors closed behind her. It was painted midnight black with stars and an oversized purple beanbag type chair sat against the left wall.
The scent of cotton candy drifted up the hill and I looked over to Opal’s crate at the end of the row. Soft cream and light blue shagged carpets covered the walls. A jeweled chandelier hung from the ceiling.
Is that a Saint Andrew’s cross?
The camera crew moved in, blocking my view.
“Could she be any more obvious?” Cindy growled, startling me. I hadn’t noticed her walk up. I excused myself, slipping away from the putrid smell of jealousy, and met Opal on the gravel driveway.
“Your nest is gorgeous,” I gushed.
“Thanks.” She bounced on the balls of her feet. “I couldn’t get the ceiling straps up in time though so I’ll have to ask for help if we end up needing them.”
“Ceiling straps for… oh….” My eyes widened. I hadn’t thought this through enough.
“Alright, contestants,” Jay spoke in a microphone, interrupting all our conversations. “It’s time for you to go back into the resort while the voters decide your fate.”
29
Ranger
There was a darkness I sometimes slipped into as a young pup when the nights got too long and I couldn’t keep things together. The control would slip and I’d tunnel, letting my beast instinct take over.
It was what kept us alive.
When Fredrick came knocking around, he recognized that darkness in me. I hate to say I owed that mean old bastard anything, but he taught me to use those instincts. To hone them. To give myself over to the darkness when the time was right.
As I grew out of Fredrick’s hold, I learned I was much more deadly when I stayed in control. The darkness was always there, hanging on the edges of my being like shadows, but I hadn’t truly wanted to welcome it again.