12

Aspen

“Mic check,” the attendant spoke into the little speaker he clipped on my shirt, brushing my hair over the cord as I adjusted my seat on the round chair in the center of the trifold green walls.

Cameras moved on either side, carried by wheels and positioning themselves with black lenses pointed at me. In the dim light behind them sat Molly with two other human males at a table. I knew Molly was the PR consultant, but she wore too many hats here. It was making me nervous as I thought back through our interactions so far.

Actually, everything was making me anxious.

Having the cameras pointed at me made this feel real and not some fancy vacation like I was imagining. I shouldn’t have eaten so much for breakfast. My stomach was churning.

Relax,my wolf reminded me. I was working her up too and she couldn’t understand why.

I forced myself to smile, pretending this was a job interview. Though I’d never done one of those before. Alpha Derek assigned our roles in the pack and when I requested to change from the custodial team at the prison to the Education Director when Ellen retired, he just grunted an affirmative at me.

Ha. I thought I was nervous then.

“Aspen from Nuva Pack,” the human male with thick rimmed glasses said.

I nodded, wiping my palms on my skirt and hoping the dark material wouldn’t show the sweat stains.

“Act normal. We want to see that sweet personality of yours shine.” Coming from anyone other than Molly, those words might have sounded kind.

I didn’t know how to tell them I wasn’t normally this soft-spoken or sweet like the fans were saying. But I guess everyone acts a little differently in a situation like this.

“Ready.” The director nodded. I tried to get a good look at him in his seat behind the cameras since I was sure I’d be seeing him a lot. All I got was the whiff of some sort of bird and the silhouette of willowy limbs. I wasn’t a huge avian person so I didn’t want to offend him by guessing wrong. But I assumed he was some kind of crow shifter.

“3, 2, 1.” A crewmember clapped a production slate.

The spotlight blinded me for a moment and I blinked, clearing my vision, but kept up my smile.

“Aspen, thank you for joining us today,” Molly’s voice was crisp and clear. No wonder they used her for the interviews. “Can you tell us a little more about yourself? What made you decide to come to the show?”

Was this a trap? She said to act natural, but the only way I could answer that was to lie. There weren’t a lot of shifters in the room, but I didn’t want to be sniffed out so soon.

“My Alpha thought I’d make a good contestant,” I panic answered, not sure if it was okay to say that I didn’t want to be here.

“And why is that?” the male next to Molly asked.

Hell if I know. “I’m young, unmated, and I stay out of trouble.” Wow. I didn’t realize how boring I sounded. I could tell them I loved to sleep, but that would make me sound even worse.

Molly grinned, propping her elbows on the table. “Is that a problem in your pack?”

My eyes briefly flicked to the cameras as I imagined Alpha Derek watching. This was not the line of questioning that put my pack into a good light. “Not at all. Nuva Pack boasts some of the most disciplined shifters in the region. We need order and control to maintain Holton Penitentiary.”

Molly’s grin widened like a predator going in for the kill which was a hard look to pull off for a human. “I’ll be honest, we love the contradiction. A sweetheart like you coming from a maximum-security shifter prison. What is it like living there?”

I guess I could see how that angle would bring in viewers, but this wasn’t about me. Alpha Derek would kick my ass if I put down Trenton or any member of my pack. Sweat beaded on the back of my neck and I tried to ignore it.

“I grew up there. It’s home.” Even I could smell the wisp of the lie.

“That’s nice.” The human male with glasses nodded. “You have to tell us what it’s like teaching all those dangerous beasts.”

“Beasts?” My eyebrows shot up to my forehead. We called ourselves beasts, but coming from a human, it sounded like a derogatory term.

Molly waved the insult away and the cameras moved, changing angles. “As you know, Holton Prison is the only institution of its kind where dangerous shifters are sent. These are the worst of the worst. The criminals who can’t blend into modern society. Yet here comes you, this pretty little thing, who teaches the GED program for them.”

She was painting a picture I didn’t like. True, there were some shifters who deserved to be in there, but others like Clara and Bishop weren’t all that bad. They got harsher punishments just because they were shifters. Tell me how that was fair.

I could feel my blood pressure rising and I struggled to stay in control of my breathing. Now wasn’t the time to lash out.

I chose my words carefully, making sure to smile. “I think everyone deserves kindness and at least an education. Don’t you?”

“Maybe.” The man beside Molly chuckled, taking the lead again. “Can you tell us more about your grandmother? The one who gave you the trunk. Our viewers are asking about her.”

My smile faltered. “Gram passed away when I was young. My papa, her husband, raised me. And he gave me the trunk along with some material she kept for my own future nest.”

A camera zoomed in on my face.

Was I supposed to cry or something?

“And where are your parents?”

I looked to my feet. “Also gone.”

Well, one was gone and one was dead, but my bio-mother might have been dead for all I knew or cared. It was easier to explain it that way instead of saying she ran off, abandoning me when my father couldn’t give her the life she wanted.

“You poor thing.” Molly sighed as the cameras rolled backwards. “Alone in this world, coming from a cutthroat pack, and now you’re here for the chance of a lifetime. You must be so excited.”

I laughed quietly to myself. While I’d been looking for her trap in the questioning, I completely missed the lead rope and she’d led me straight to where she wanted me to drink.

I guess I had to play the part.

Raising my face, I gave her my sweetest smile and let a few tears shine in my eyes.

“It’s a dream come true, like a fairy tale. I’m praying to the Goddess that I’ll be good enough to pass the Luna Trials and earn my spot here this season. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.”

*

Damn their stupid no-full-shifting rule.

I needed to let my beast run free.

With the mood I was in, I kind of saw the merit in the whole don’t-wolf-out thing. I don’t think I would have attacked any of the staff or production crew. Though I would’ve liked to have a woman-to-woman conversation with Molly alone.

Just a little chat…

I swear I wouldn’t even extend my claws.

Frustrated and over this already, I pushed open the heavy wood doors of the lobby. The front grounds of the resort spilled out onto a gravel circular driveway with the fish head fountain I’d seen when we arrived. Past the open lot, it was a straight road down the mountain. Somewhere out there was bound to be the property border where legally I should’ve been allowed to shift.

I seriously thought about it.

But I wasn’t sure if I should be pressing the rules this early in the game.

If my teenage wolf-girl self could see me now, she’d probably kick my ass.

Even my wolf sighed as I rounded the entrance, making my way to the back of the resort. The air in the woods was colder and wetter than the high desert. It made it seem like spring was nowhere near. And the sun seemed to set earlier than it did where I was from. Strange how that works.

The back right of the property had manicured gardens with a stone bench and some kind of rose hedge. The flora was strange here too, so different than the dusty sage and hardened pinyon trees I’d grown up with. I was surprised it stayed so green in this chill. Thankfully my shifter blood kept me warm despite only wearing a sports bra and leggings.

The gardens led to a concrete patio and huge pool with loungers at the back of the resort. I kept walking past it, following the trail through the woods and hoping for a sign that read, “You can shift here.”

Because that would be a nice thing to have.

No such luck.

The trail did kept going and I jogged along it, leaning into my wolf’s senses and letting her breathe in the new smells. The rich scent of moss and earth and hearty pine was overwhelming. It carried notes of…

I was not going to think about him.

I am.My wolf pouted, pissed off at the world.

That made two of us.

This whole show was a joke. I knew that before I even signed my name on the contract. But I didn’t like being made the butt of that joke. I’d convinced myself when Jesse put me in new clothes and had done up my hair that maybe I would fit in. That it wouldn’t be so bad. Seeing all the support from the fans of the show might have done something to me too. Made me think I belonged here.

I was an idiot.

It was all about ratings for these people. The poor girl gets a makeover must have touched the right tropes. I was only a charity case. Sweet. Naive. Except they didn’t understand how things worked in my world. The “sweet” wolves never got ahead. You had to be tough to survive. Which was why I had to take care of myself. I wasn’t going to mate with some wolf prince and live happily ever after. And I definitely wasn’t going to force some male to take care of me or die trying like my biological mother did.

I needed to remember why I was here. Pass the Luna Trials. Get Trenton through the Alpha Games. Take my money. Move somewhere safe with my papa where he could live out the rest of his life in peace and I could do the same.

I slowed my pace as the trail rounded back to the resort and put my hands on top of my head. A rabbit scurried across the path and I smiled.

He was a big one. Nice and fluffy. Maybe I could get some brochures while I was here. My papa might like Colorado. I could sniff around, see what the human/shifter territory negotiations for land was like. Fifteen thousand wouldn’t buy me property, but I did have some money saved up. And I could work.

Does being on this show have any employment perks?

I sure hoped so. My potential resume could say I was sweet. It was all over the internet so it must have been true.

The resort grounds were up ahead and I started to walk, seeing the sun set over the mountains in the distance beyond the wooded lot. A purple sky clashed with red clouds that faded to yellow over the peaks.

At least it was beautiful here. Too bad the trail was nothing more than a dog run sectioned off to herd me back to the resort.

Sneak off in the back.My wolf itched to be let free. I turned around at the concrete, intending to make another loop and look for a break in the forest where I could stash my clothes to let her run while still abiding by the rules.

Something heavy splashed in the pool. A wave of chlorinated water rushed under my shoes. Male laughter followed and I froze, feeling a tugging in my core that rooted me to the spot.

“Hey Aspen! Come join us.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Fallon. She was wearing a one-piece black bathing suit with strings that tied up the sides. Edith was with her, dressed in a blue polka dot bikini and followed by a slightly younger girl who I assumed was her sister Lilith wearing a striped blue bikini to match. They looked like supermodels as they took up loungers by the side of the pool.

More water rolled over the concrete under my shoes as black hair and broad shoulders broke the surface of the pool. Dark brown eyes locked on mine.

The air rushed from my lungs.

Ranger’s nostrils flared as his scent drifted toward me, the masculine fragrance causing my wolf to whine. I took a step forward and he continued to stare. The intensity of his eyes was drawing me in.

I shook my head, trying to break the spell, and took a step back. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

Chad climbed to the diving board, looking over me like I’d spoken to him. “Come in naked.” He winked before he leapt. The water splashed with his cannon ball.

Ranger started growling as he pressed his palms flat on the concrete, lifting himself out of the pool. I wasn’t sure what I did to piss him off, but I took another step back.

“You don’t have to swim,” Fallon called out from her spot on the chair, waving a bottle in my direction.

Ranger kept walking toward me.

Water rolled from his bronzed skin and his tattoos were on full display. The curved wings of an eagle brushed over his ribs and disappeared behind his back. A cross sat on his shoulder. An intricate carving of swirls rose up to touch his collarbone.

I never knew tattoos could be so hot.

My knees grew weak as he came closer. I was caught in a predator’s gaze. And I hated myself for it. It was like my body refused to listen to me. I couldn’t force my feet to move. Some dumb reason that went against self-preservation was making me stand my ground.

He could plow me over.

I’d try to take him down with me though.

“Where’s your shirt?” he asked.

It took a heart fluttering second to realize he was talking to me. “My shirt?”

His dark eyes tracked down my body, lingering over the exposed skin between my leggings and sports bra. Shivers pebbled my chest under his scrutiny.

“I was out for a run.” It wasn’t like he needed to know why I was shirtless, but my first instinct was to defend myself. Besides, he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

What was the problem here?

“I’ll get you my shirt.” He moved to grab my arm and I tensed, stepping away from his touch.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

His eyes flashed with his wolf. “I wasn’t asking.”

And this is why I hated Alphas.

I sidestepped him, quicker on my feet than he was, and dodged his outstretched hand. “Go take your commands somewhere else. I’m not your pack.”

Ranger started growling, walking beside me as if he could block my view of the pool. My instincts told me to bare the neck and defer to his dominance, but there was something ticking me off too much to think with common sense.

“Can I help you with something?” I stopped walking and crossed my arms over my chest.

His eyes dropped to my breasts which I’d inadvertently pushed up and his nostrils flared again.

“You can help me with something.” Chad laughed as he gripped the edge of the pool, giving me a buttery-warm dimpled grin that would make most females swoon.

“Shirt,” Ranger bit out.

I waited for the Alpha command to hit me, but it never came. Interesting. I guess it didn’t work if I wasn’t pack.

“No thanks, but I will take that drink.” I patted his shoulder awkwardly, stepping around his massive form, and walked over to where Fallon sat on the lounger.

She was biting her lip, eyes dancing with humor, as she held out the bottle to me. “This is going to be fun.”