Page 38 of Luna Trials

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 leggingsand 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.”

13

Ranger

I slid back into the pool to cool down the raging inferno that was my beast as he thrashed around inside my soul. Fedrick’s voice came to me then, the mentor of my youth if you could call him that,berating me for losing my grip on the wolf as I made my way through the fight circuits when I was twelve or so.

I don’t fucking lose control anymore.

That was child’s play. Something I counted on happening during the Alpha Games when I made my carefully calculated moves. I was waiting forthemto be taken over by the rut while I handled business and then left this place.

Yet here I was, tense and anguished because of some pretty little she-wolf prancing around in a sports bra. Her tanned skin peeking out of the tight leggings. Curves on display for every horny Alpha wannabe to see. Something was wrong with me.

It'd been a while since I’d gotten laid. An oversight on my part. Things had been busy while I was consolidating a few of the older businesses that didn’t turn much of a profit but employed a good number of wolves from my pack. I wanted to hurry and tie those loose ends up before I took thisvacation.

That was my fault. I’d come into this situation amped up without giving my wolf enough freedom tostretch his legs. I just didn’t expect my beast to act like a feral mutt on the end of the leash.

Calm down,I commanded him as he continued to growl.

Go to her.He snarled.

There was something about Aspen’s smell, all dusty sage and soft like poppies without the usual sharp bite of a female floral scent. It was irritating my wolf, riling him, as the sweat dried from her skin and drifted on the cool night breeze.

“You good, Ranger?” Chad asked as he dangled his legs off the side of the diving board. The heir to the Tulia fortune sat like a prince surveying the little scene at the pool.

“Living the dream.” I smirked, gripping tightly to my beast. I refused to be affected by his demands, refused to give into the lack of self-control.

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