16
Aspen
“Ladies, take your seats.” Molly stood with the camera crew as we filed into the convention center on the first floor of the resort. I tried to get a good look at each of the female shifters as they found open folding chairs that were facing the stage. Having all forty or so of them in the same bright room was intimidating.
The images I’d seen on the Mating Season fan page didn’t do the Luna candidates justice. These women were gorgeous; all shades and hues of skin tone and different fashions from around the country were represented. Stef and I sat near the back next to the two candidates–whose names I’d already forgotten but Stef was trying to buddy up with–from the Yuma Pack in Arizona.
Fallon waved to me as she took a seat near the front with Edith and Lilith at her side. A tall redhead with killer curves sat down next to her and they spoke together. Stef growled softly, noticing where my attention was directed.
“Why do you hate them so much?” I asked through our pack link. At first, I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in here, but I hadn’t run into a single female contestant who wasn’t nice to me except the one from my own pack. I was forced to realize I’d made a judgement error. Maybe Stef needed to do the same.
“The real question, is why don’t you?” Stef huffed. “Those females are our competition. They can get any Alpha they want. And it’s pretty much a guarantee they’ll pass the trials.”
I looked around again, trying to see if I could spot the division between the bigger packs and the rest of us. Sure, there was an undercurrent of tension and nerves, but this was a trial to see who would remain. Why would anyone expect anything less than a competition?
Honestly, I thought they’d be tearing each other apart by now from my brief research and was pleasantly surprised that wasn’t the case.
“Welcome to the official start of the Luna Trials.” Molly took her place at the podium. Her crisp voice rang through the speakers as the stage camera zoomed in on her and the rest of the ground crew cameras scanned the room.
“Sit up straight and look ready.” Stef nudged my knee. I tried really hard not to roll my eyes.
Molly smiled at the cameras. “Starting today, the film crew will be in all the common areas documenting the coming weeks. Remember, this is a friendly competition and the world will be watching your every move.”
Not in real time.
The show had a lag in airing and only covered the highlight reels of the Luna Trials and Alpha Games. But I guess the viewers didn’t know that. I didn’t either until I’d signed the contracts.
“You’ll each be expected to participate in four trials that represent the position of Luna in your potential wolf shifter packs. Like days of old but with a modern twist, these events are meant to show that you have what it takes to be a Luna.”
We were expected to clap so we did as Molly paused. I really wanted to point out the irony of a human woman lecturing wolf-shifter females on their responsibilities, but everyone else didn’t seem to care.
It’s just a show.
“The four trials consist of humanitarian efforts, public speaking, nesting abilities, and finally a grand ball where you will show off your entertaining and hospitality skills.”
Gag me with a spoon.
She couldn’t be serious.
“Only twenty Lunas will continue onto the final portion of Mating Season. The goal is to make it to the top twenty of the popular vote from the viewers at home for each trial. Our viewers will determine if you pass through the events, but fear not ladies. This competition is, after all, about finding your potential mates. The Alpha contestants will be asked to vote after each round and three votes will carry you to the next challenge even if you don’t make the popular vote cutoff.”
I knew this was a popularity thing, and I was a little grateful for the early boost, but three Alphas… Why? Didn’t you only need one to mate? But one vote would probably come from the Alpha of your pack, so I could see needing one more.
Why a third? That didn’t make sense.
I had questions. So many questions.
My hand shot up in the air.
Apparently, Molly wasn’t answering questions. “At the end of each event, we’ll hold an elimination ceremony where the unfortunate losers will be heading home immediately.”
I slowly pulled my hand back down to my lap. That didn’t sound very nice. I’m sure there was a better word to use than “loser.” There were a few gasps of outrage around the room.
Oh, that’s what you choose to get mad about?
Molly gave a sympathetic look to the cameras. “Let’s not worry about that now. The fun is about to begin. The first trial is on Friday so you all have three days to prepare. At the back of the room, the attendants have random assignments. When I say so, form lines to draw your mission from the stack. Tonight in the cafeteria there will be tables set up for you to connect with your teammates for this trial.”
Teammates.
Okay. I could do this.
“Good luck, ladies.” Molly’s smile gave me the creeps as she looked around the room. There was a collective intake of breath and we waited until she said, “Go.”
*
“Trade me,” Stef demanded.
“Hell no.” I barely escaped that chaos with my life and I was not letting go of this assignment unless they pried it from my cold, dead fingers.
“Don’t make me pull rank,” she gritted out through clenched teeth. Her blond hair was a mess with the tie coming loose and I’m sure I didn’t look put together either.
“We’ve already been over this.” I stood my ground. My wolf was still fired up from the earlier commotion and we were ready to fight. “In here, we’re on equal footing. In case you haven’t realized it yet, even our bedrooms are the same size.”
She glanced over her shoulder to the closed door. I might have been wrong since I hadn’t scoped her room out, but I wasn’t backing down now.
And besides, I got this assignment fair and square after being elbowed and stepped on and nudged out of the way. Volunteering at the animal shelter sounded like a dream after hanging out in this resort filled with those wild beasts.
I couldn’t wait to cuddle cute little puppies.
Stef closed her eyes. “Trenton!”
“Seriously?” I yelled at her. “You’re going to call him into this? What are we, five?”
“I’m right down the hall. I’ll be there in a second,” Trenton answered through the pack link.
I inhaled deeply through my nose, trying to calm my wolf. “What’s your assignment anyway?”
“It’s with kids. You like kids.” Stef sat on the couch, crossing her legs and smiling a smug grin like she’d already won.
“What makes you think I like kids?”
“You’re a teacher.” She shrugged.
“I teach adult inmates.”
Can we hit her now?
No.
“Same difference.” Stef smoothed down the wrinkles of her short skirt as the door swung open.
“It is not.” I growled at her, turning to Trenton. “And why do you have a key?”
“You’re both under my protection unless you find a mate. I need to be able to check on you.” Trenton carried a brown bag over to the small dinette table like he owned the place.
I hated Alphas.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“Stef doesn’t want her assignment so she’s trying to force me to trade,” I rushed out, beating her to the punch as she jumped to her feet.
“What’s the assignment?”
Stef’s heels dug into the plush carpet as she marched over and handed him the paper. “She’s perfect for this.”
Trenton read it over and glanced up at me. “You don’t want to go to the children’s hospital and visit sick kids?”
How do you answer something like that without sounding like a total dick?
“But, puppies.” I clung to my page.
“I’ll take photos for you.” Stef’s smile was sugary sweet as she plucked the paper from my hand.
“Good. Now that’s settled.” Trenton ripped into the bag. The tearing echoed like the sound of my fluff-filled dreams being pulled away. “Our first sponsor sent you girls some shirts.”
*
It didn’t matter to me what clothes I wore, but I took a sick sense of pleasure in watching Stef pout. She ended up using her claws to rip the neckline of the “Jim’s Big Garage” t-shirt so it exposed a little cleavage.
I wasn’t sure if she’d read the back that said, “No matter the size, it’ll fit,” but I couldn’t stop laughing like I was a twelve-year-old boy.
“Shut up,” she growled as we pushed open the doors to the cafeteria.
The Alpha pheromones that seemed to come with each meal had faded, replaced with the eager scent of female motivation. There were smiles and giggles everywhere. I eyed the women cautiously. A few hours ago, it was every shifter for herself as they raced to their assignments. Now they batted eyelashes and spoke softly to the camera teams making the rounds around the room.
“Tits up,” Stef reminded me.
I chuckled as she pressed out her chest and the monster truck on the back of her shirt shrank a bit under the slogan. Oh Jim.
A rush of relief went through me when I saw who was sitting at the table with my non-puppy assignment placement card to the children’s hospital.
“Are you with us?” Fallon asked.
“Looks like it.” I took a seat.
Fallon arched an eyebrow. “Big Jim’s Garage?”
“Don’t ask.” I laughed.
Edith looked up from her phone and gave me a tentative smile. “How did you manage to land this detail? Pure luck?”
I thought that was the point of handing out the assignments in the convention room this morning, but maybe I missed something in the frenzy. “Honestly, Stef drew it. She wanted to trade with me.”
“Pure luck then.” Fallon nodded. “It was meant to be.”
“Huh?” It was starting to bother me that everyone seemed to know something I didn’t despite the fact that I was feeling more confident here.
Edith stared at me, searching for something, and then sighed. “The children’s hospital is prime filming location. Contestants would kill for this gig.”
I had to assume she was joking, though the mad rush earlier had me rethinking things. “Well, I guess I can thank Stef for getting me in.”
“Yes. Let’s thank her.” Fallon winked.
I smiled awkwardly, looking to the side as the smell of fresh spun cotton candy teased my nose. The woman from the basement storage room yesterday moved quietly and stood by the table. Goddess, her scent was sweet. It reminded me of that one time the fair broke down on their way past Nuva Pack and we got vendor food at a discount.
“Hi. I never caught your name.” I extended my hand to shake hers. “Are you coming to the hospital too?”
“Yes. I’m Opal.” She moved her silky black hair over her shoulder, fussing with the strands and staring at my hand a little too long before she took it. “And you’re Aspen.”
“I sure am. This is Fallon and Edith.” I glanced over to see them staring at me strangely. What did I do now?
She smells good. My wolf sighed.
“Nice to meet you.” Fallon blinked up at Opal, sniffing the air as her wolf flashed in her eyes.
A pretty blush bloomed on Opal’s porcelain skin and she took her seat. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but since I was already in the dark on so many things, I tried to change the subject back to more pressing concerns.
“So, this hospital?” I asked. “Do we have a plan on how we’re going to help? Or is there something we’re meant to do?”
“It’s for the photos mostly.” Fallon shrugged. “They’ll take us on a tour to meet the human kids and brighten their day. Record a few scenes. Snap pictures. That sort of thing.”
“Do the kids even watch the show?” I frowned. It seemed a little pathetic to be bringing in a film crew to a hospital just to prance us around. I was kind of hoping we’d actually do something to help.
“Most of this is public relations anyway. That’s basically the whole show. We entertain the humans, give them a glimpse into shifter life, and in turn, we put them in our pocket when it’s time for policy change.” Edith dropped her phone into her purse and looked away like she hadn’t just blown my mind. This is a dating show… “The cameras are coming.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly self-conscious of Jim’s Garage. I knew Mating Season was a big part in bridging the gap between shifters and humans. It was one of the most viewed shows on television which is why they kept renewing it every year. But I hadn’t realized it was like government level big.
“Hello, ladies.” One of the cameramen directed the lens at our table and smiled at Edith like he knew her. “Sorry for interrupting. Go back to acting natural. What were you saying?”
Edith checked to make sure her hair was in place. “We were talking about maybe doing something different for the hospital this year. Weren’t we, Aspen?”
The camera panned to me and I froze. My tongue was thick in my mouth. This was not what I was expecting. Why hadn’t Alpha Derek told me more if he expected me to be a representative of our pack? Or had he said something like that and I’d chosen to ignore it?
“Aspen?” Edith frowned.
Under the table, Opal’s leg brushed mine and a sense of peace enveloped me. I sighed, breathing it in, and gave her a grateful smile.
“I was just thinking it might be nice to bring some sort of gift bags or something.”
“Maybe.” Edith nodded.
Fallon shot her a curious glance. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Me too,” Opal agreed.
I watched Edith, trying to understand the power move and waiting to see how she’d respond.
“We’ve definitely got to bring them something.” She smiled bright, looking directly at the lens. The cameraman gave her a thumbs up and moved to the next table.
I chewed my bottom lip. If this was all for show, maybe I was doing things wrong. “We don’t have to–”
“Sorry I’m late.” A tornado of fiery red hair and curves sat down hard at the table. The woman looked to me and Opal, her nostrils flaring a bit, before she remembered her manners. “Hey, y’all. I’m Cindy.”
Someone is hurt. The coppery scent of blood riled my wolf.
My gaze went to the line of red under Cindy’s French manicured nails as she gave us a little wave.“Looks like I’ll be coming with you to the hospital.”
*
I mouthed the words “What the fuck” as I closed my bedroom door behind me and took my first real breath away from the cameras.
This was some next level craziness.
I needed answers and inside information and I wasn’t sure if Tweedledee or Tweedledumb from my pack would know exactly what we’d gotten ourselves in to. Alpha Derek’s warning rang in my mind. Help my son through the Alpha Games.
I thought he was talking about protecting his heart. Not his life.
Okay. Think.
We knew that Alpha and Luna titles were political as they dealt with leading the packs. It made sense that this dating show was more than just your standard hookups. We were wolves. Things were bound to get bloody. I wasn’t scared of the fight.
But the thought of going in blind like I’d been doing was starting to worry me. I didn’t know these people. Didn’t know their pasts or strengths or weaknesses. I was diving headfirst into a pool way out of my depths.
I needed the internet. Never in my life had I thought I’d miss it this much.
I grabbed my phone, seeing the missed call from the unknown number, and mentally kicked myself. If anyone could help me right now, it was Clara. Too bad I had to wait for phone hours to talk with her again. One day I would make friends who weren’t incarcerated.
The phone pinged with a new text.
Papa: How’s my girl?
Aspen: Hanging in there.
I hit send and stared at the phone, wondering if I should…
Aspen: Can you do me a favor?
I waited a whole three minutes for him to respond after it showed as read. The reply dots kept blinking at me.
Aspen: Are you still there?
Papa: I was waiting for you to tell me the favor.
Laughing, I typed out my request.
Papa: If I get rabies from the inmate coyote shifter, I’m blaming you.
Aspen: You can’t say things like that! And Clara won’t hurt you.
Papa: I didn’t say it. I text it.
Goddess help me.
I wasn’t cut out for this.