Chapter Five

Why was he nervous?

Ace didn’t get nervous. He couldn’t even remember a time he’d felt this fidgeting agitation.

He paced to the firepit and back to the tree line to alleviate the weird energy his animal was giving off.

Perhaps it was because of all the dominant shifters around him.

Owen, the boar shifter, was sitting on the pile of stones near the firepit, watching him.

“What?” Ace demanded.

“She’ll be fine.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” he gritted out, and then took off for another lap to the trees and back.

“Girls respect steady men,” Owen said when he’d returned.

“Don’t care what any girls think,” Ace said low.

Owen arched his blond eyebrow and rested his hand on his hip, stretched his leg out from where he was sitting. “Where did you learn to fight?”

Ace blew out a steadying breath and checked the front door of Gunner’s single-wide again. He didn’t get any bad vibes from Owen, and hadn’t all day—he just wasn’t in a talkative mood. Wasn’t the boar shifter’s fault though.

“Mostly self-taught. Had a dad who was a good fighter, so that helped.”

“Same. My dad was on me since I was little. Preparing me for the world and all. I used to hate him for it, but now I see the value in it. I’ll probably do the same to my sons.”

“Teach them to fight?”

“Teach them to protect themselves from the world.”

“First Crew?” Ace asked curiously.

“Maybe. The competition is stiff,” Owen said, scanning the others.

Ace shrugged. “You’ve got a chance. I don’t recognize you from around here?”

“You wouldn’t. I’m from Montana. Never been to Laramie before.”

“How did you hear about the Fastlanders?”

“Word spreads fast when a new Damon’s Mountains Crew opens up. Rumor is the blue dragon is expanding territory. Anyone with brains in their head would want to be a part of that.”

“You and your dad were rogue?”

Owen nodded. “And my mom and my brothers. Unregistered still. You?”

“Just me and my dad, but same. How many brothers do you have?”

“Twelve.”

“Holy shit, man.”

“Yeah.” Owen laughed. “My parents were breeders. It was like being born into a Crew.”

“Did any of them come with you?”

“Nah,” Owen said, shaking his head and looking toward the house. “They said I was crazy. Said Damon wouldn’t allow any more of us in his territory. Mason was the only boar shifter here for a long time, but I got a job in the mountains a few years ago and I’ve been doing all right for myself. I understood my peoples’ concern though. We boars don’t have the best reputation.”

Fair enough. He’d never heard anything good about boar shifters outside of Mason, who was Damon’s best friend and at times bodyguard. The rest were rough. Owen seemed cool though.

Owen twitched his head toward the house. “The cousin is cute. And she brought you beer. That’s a good sign.”

“We’re strangers. Just met today. Friend-material.”

“Yeah, well, don’t say that too loud. Every male here has been looking at her. She’s funny and outgoing, and the honesty thing she has going?” Owen nodded. “She says shit to turn men off, but it does the opposite.”

“Does it do the opposite for you?” Ace asked testily.

“Hey,” Owen said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I fought you, remember? I don’t want that smoke. I’m saying if you like her, you should put your bid in early. She’s an attention-grabber for sure. Plus, half these dumbasses think catching her attention would give them a better shot at being picked for the Crew.”

“The final decisions aren’t being made today?” Ace asked.

“Word is Gunner will cut us down to twelve, and we will be camping here for a week to see how the dynamics shake down. After that, he will choose the Fastlanders.”

“Shit,” Ace muttered, eyeing the pile of new tents still in the bags off near the woods that now made sense. Camping was fun with people he knew. Not a bunch of dominant shifter strangers in someone’s yard.

“Feels like fuckin’ summer camp, man,” Owen joked. “There she is.”

Ace swung his attention to the front door of the trailer. Corey came straight out, eyes downcast, and jogged down the stairs. Her dark eyebrows were knitted in a thoughtful expression.

Gunner and Hallie and Damon came out onto the porch, but Ace was more interested in checking up on Corey. She was heading for her car.

Uh-oh. He jogged toward her.

“What happened?” he asked as he got closer.

“I don’t…” She frowned deeper and looked up at him. “I don’t know how I feel about all of this.”

“About Damon? Or Gunner?”

“Hallie is going to be Turned.” Her eyes went wide. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know if that’s common knowledge. They didn’t tell me not to talk about it, but that feels personal. I’m sorry. I’m…” She shook her head and locked her gaze onto her cousin up on the porch. “I just don’t know how I feel.”

“Okay—”

“Ace Longdong,” Gunner called out.

“Gah, that’s me,” he murmured.

“You should go enjoy this moment,” she said absently.

“Owen Carson,” Gunner called.

“Do you want to stay and hang out?” he asked.

She forced a smile onto her face and huffed a breath. “Ace, I’m really happy for you. You’re doing it.” She stuck her hand out for a shake, but for some reason it didn’t feel right. It was such a formal and cold goodbye. Her hand hovered in the air though.

He slid his hand around hers and marveled at the small size of hers compared to his.

“It was really nice to meet you, and also to drink Ratsquatch beer with you.”

“And almost eat a celery stick with me.” There was that pretty smile. “Can I text you later?”

“Ummm, I think you are all going out tonight. Hint, Gunner is going to test you. He is going to see how all of you behave in a busy bar.”

“What bar?” he asked.

“Didn’t catch that part.”

Gunner was still calling out the names of the finalists.

Ace inhaled deeply and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I should probably get a shirt before then, huh?”

“If you want the attention of every girl in the bar, you should go just like this,” she said. “See you when I see you, Ace.”

She was sad, and confused. He could tell. He didn’t like her feeling down as she walked away. It didn’t sit right with him.

Hallie was being Turned, and that was her right. Honestly, she would do better in this Crew as a shifter instead of a human. She would be safer.

But he also understood Corey’s confusion over it. She’d already told him she felt like she was losing Hallie.

In a way, she was.

He parted his lips to tell her he didn’t want other girls’ attention at the bar tonight, but then stopped himself. She was checked out and wouldn’t care about that admission. He wished he could tell her he was sort of interested in her attention, but it was too soon, and too fast.

And she was having a hard moment. He needed to be a gentleman and let her sit with her feelings until she figured them out.

“Hey, Ace!” Owen called, gesturing him over.

He gave the boar shifter a two-fingered ‘I-will-be-right-there’ wave, and watched Corey get into her car. He watched her pull away, and didn’t leave the mouth of the gravel road until she had disappeared down into the woods. Only then did he turn and make his way back to the others to get his instructions on what he would need to do for the final round.

The whole time Gunner and Damon spoke, he couldn’t keep his mind focused on anything but the look on Corey’s face as she’d told him about Hallie Turning.

He didn’t like the sadness on her. It didn’t fit.

Time and time again, he looked to the mouth of the gravel road, but she was gone. He couldn’t even hear the engine of her car anymore.

When he looked back up, Hallie was watching him. He cleared his throat and straightened back up, tried his best to focus on what Gunner was saying.

As soon as the Alpha of the Fastlanders dismissed them, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and texted Corey something his dad had always messaged him on a bad day.

Everything is going to be okay.