22

Aspen

Papa: You making friends yet?

Aspen: Sort of. I met an Omega. She is nice.

Papa: …

Papa: …

Papa: …

Aspen: I was pretty shocked about it too.

Papa: Is she going to be on the show?

Aspen: I think we all are. That’s the plan anyway. Are you watching?

Papa: Yep. Got a six pack and a steak on the grill.

Aspen: Wish I was there. Love you.

I thought about mentioning Fallon, but I still wasn’t sure if you could consider us friends. She was super nice despite her “don’t screw with me” attitude. I liked her a lot. But she was also Ranger’s sister and that was a whole rabbit hole I wasn’t about to crawl down.

I only hoped I wasn’t making real enemies. Cindy had threatened me, but after a few minutes of walking with Fallon and calming down, I realized it had less to do with me and more to do with her fear of Opal. It would probably be smart for me to keep a low profile, but it wasn’t in my nature to stay quiet when bullies tried to strut their stuff around.

I laid back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. We had a few hours until the first elimination round. Any minute now, the season premiere would be airing. The voters would decide my fate.

A part of me thought how relieving it would be to go home and be done with the whole thing.

Alpha Derek would be pissed and my papa would continue wearing himself down bit by bit, spending the rest of his life running the trapline for the prison. I’d go back to work with the inmates, never leaving Nuva Territory just like them, and one day mate with someone. Have a bunch of Nuva pups that would be desert rats like me. Or maybe I’d never mate and go work with my papa instead. I’d carry on the trapping business after he was gone.

I could see myself now. Some old and weathered lone wolf who would scare the pups away.

It wasn’t a bad life.

Right?

Stop biting your nails. I like our claws sharp.

I pulled my finger from my mouth.

This was stupid. Why weren’t we allowed to watch the show if everyone else got to? I was about to call my papa and make him put the phone on speaker, but the thought of dealing with his commentary made me cringe.

I didn’t want to see the show. I just wanted it to hurry up and end so I could get the hell out of here. This place was making me crazy. It felt like the walls were watching me. Or I might have been delusional because I wasn’t getting enough sleep.

Yeah. That was probably it.

*

At least I was able to sneak in a quick nap because tonight was going to be a long one. My alarm buzzed, telling me it was time to head downstairs for the makeup session before they potentially kicked me out.

The phone rang with an incoming call and I was confused to see the unknown number. Even more confusing was the connection made to Holton Prison.

“How are you calling me this late?” I asked.

“Bishop worked his magic on the guards and we got to stream the premiere,” Clara yelled, trying to be heard over the commotion in the back. “You were amazing. I can’t believe how pretty you looked during your interview and you killed it at the hospital.”

“I didn’t kill anything.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What’s going on over there?”

“It’s just these stupid beasts who can’t wait their turn in line,” Clara growled, still yelling into the phone. “Alpha Derek is letting us call in our votes. Would you shut the fuck up? I’m talking to Aspen!”

The noise grew louder, catcalls and whistles sounded in the background, as the inmates shouted my name.

I pulled my cellphone away from my ear. “He’s letting you vote?”

“Why wouldn’t he? Every other pack will be calling in to support their Lunas.”

“But you’re not really pack.” Tiny ninjas must have been cutting onions in my room because my eyes misted with tears.

“Girl, I’m better than the pack you were born too,” Clara spoke the truth. “I’ve got to go. Doris is going to shank me if she can’t get her phone call in.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Clara laughed. “You can thank me when you win.”

*

“Please tell me you haven’t been crying.” Jesse dabbed some sort of gel under my eyes.

“I haven’t been crying.” I cringed at the smell of the lie.

“Good. I can’t have my star getting all emotional tonight. But just in case, we’ll use waterproof mascara.”

I stared at his reflection while he worked, wondering how close this new relationship was. Could I ask him more questions? Tell him my fears? Or was this strictly business?

Before I could come to a decision, Jesse shoved me out of the chair. “Knock ‘em dead.”

The convention center had been transformed into a recording room. The stage was larger and bleacher-like seats lined the back portion of it. Spotlights beamed down on the center of the stage. The seats in the rest of the room were darkened where the Alphas sat watching the show.

“It’s Jay,” someone whispered as we stood in line behind the curtains getting our microphones adjusted and waiting to be shuffled out.

I stood on my tiptoes to get a better look.

On stage were some makeup artists hovering around a wolf shifter who was well past his prime. He didn’t look it though, not with his shiny blue three-piece suit and dyed blond hair.

Nerves churned in my gut.

That was the Jay Renfro.

The movie star and famed show host.

My papa was going to freak out.

“Good luck, ladies,” one of the assistants pulled the curtains to the side.

Luck. I needed luck.

“Let’s hope we don’t get booted for our stunt.” Fallon nudged my shoulder as she took her place in line.

Oh, hell. I’d almost forgotten about that. Would Fallon and Edith be sent home too for shifting at the hospital with me? I’d blame myself forever if they did.

But maybe they’d donated enough to stay in the running either way and my meager cash handoff would get me sent home. The thought of all the inmates calling in and wasting their phone cards on a vote made me physically sick.

I could never show my face in Nuva Pack again if I didn’t win and it wasn’t only because of Alpha Derek. If I went back to work at the prison, they’d never let me forget that I failed.

Could you just breathe?

I took a deep inhale to steady my nerves and raised my chin. To quote Fallon, “Screw it.”

I was proud of what I did at the hospital and I knew my papa would be proud of me too. Even if I got sent home today, I’d hold my head high and accept the fallout.

“Ready to rip the band aide off?” Molly clapped as we took our seats on the benches.

Anxious laughter came from the other Luna contestants and I looked around, noticing everyone seemed as nervous as I felt. I tried to smile, hoping it would help someone else feel more at ease.

Stef took a seat next to me on the back row of the bleachers. I faced straight ahead and tried to look confident. The fear in the room was palpable. My wolf wasn’t the only one who whined.

The lights dimmed.

Someone called, “Action.”

Jay Renfro took center stage. “Good evening Luna candidates and our viewers watching from home. Welcome to the first elimination round on the 7th annual Mating Season. As you know, the trials are designed to help ensure that only the best Lunas get the opportunity to match with an Alpha who will one day lead the packs of this nation. It’s an honor to be here and have a hand in choosing which of you will go on to accomplish great things.”

A few of the girls around me sat up a little straighter and I felt myself doing the same. When he put it that way, this did feel like an honor and not just some dating show.

“And you, the viewers, get a say on which Luna stays or goes. Let’s roll some of our fan favorite clips from the show tonight.”

Just like that, I remembered why this was stupid. It wasn’t about who was best. It was who could get the most votes. This was a popularity contest. Then again, what type of election isn’t?

The video reels played on a drop-down screen beside Jay and I chuckled a little, seeing Stef scowling as she cleaned out cages at the animal shelter.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” she growled next to me. “At least I didn’t kick one of the rat dogs.”

“Someone kicked a dog?” My eyes popped wide open at the image on the screen.

There were a few gasps from the contestants as we all looked at Karen whose face was flaming red.

Jay tsked and the videos kept rolling.

Warmth filled me as I saw the clip of that two-year-old boy going through chemo who snuggled my wolf on his bed and read me the red train pop-up book at least ten times.

Totally worth it.

“Contestants aren’t allowed to fully shift during the trials for the safety of our crew,” Jay explained to the cameras.

Which was bullshit if you asked me. We were just as strong in human form and partially shifted, but I guess there was a little speciesism going on here.

I twisted my hands in my lap, preparing for the worst.

Jay smiled. “But the producers agreed that since the contestants weren’t at the resort, they didn’t break any rules.”

The sigh of relief that hissed through my teeth took me by surprise. I hadn’t realized how tense I was until Jay spoke those words.

“We have some surprising news for you tonight,” Jay continued. “It’s the first time in show history that only one contestant will be going home during the first elimination round.”

The vote tallies appeared and I barely heard Jay call Karen’s name as she was asked to leave the premises. I was too busy focusing on the screen.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Stef rolled her eyes.

My name was in the first slot, winning the popular vote of the top twenty this round. Based on a few looks the other girls were giving me, I should have been more worried about that. But it was the Alpha votes on the side of each of our names which made a stone drop in my stomach.

One.

It didn’t show the name of who voted, but I had to assume Trenton wasn’t that much of a jerk so he cast his vote for me and Stef. She had four Alpha votes even though Stef was well below the popular vote cutoff. I was the only one with… one.

My cheeks flushed with shame as I looked out over the darkened crowd of Alphas who were clapping on cue, signaling the end of the show.

None of them had voted for me.

My wolf flashed in my eyes, searching too.

Ranger?

Nope. I swallowed hard.

It wasn’t like I expected someone like him to vote for someone like me, but I just thought…

I don’t know what I thought.

Winning the popular vote was enough to carry me through the next round and I’d have to try extra hard to keep it that way. But social media was fickle.

You know what?

It didn’t matter.

I needed to stay long enough to help Trenton through the Alpha games and then I’d take my money and get the hell off this show. That was it. I wasn’t here to find a mate or love.

So why did it hurt so bad that I was the only candidate none of the other Alphas voted for?