Page 69 of Luna Trials

“Smile more.”

I bared my teeth at the mirror, ignoring my wolf’s snicker.

Dressed in a simple sundress of soft yellow and daisies at the bottom from Jesse’s rack, I braided my hair and headed downstairs for breakfast.

It couldn’t hurt to try and smile more.

My smile might as well have been a grimace for all the good it did me. The heady rush of Alpha pheromones was tolerable this morning in the cafeteria so I made a point to look at all the differentAlphas available. I was no stranger to keeping my gaze direct–one of the traits Alpha Derek had tried to beat out of me–but for some reason, every gorgeous Alpha I saw averted their eyes.

“Is there something in my teeth?” I asked, defeated as I took a seat at Edith and Fallon’s table.

“No. Why?” Fallon looked at me from over the rim of her coffee cup.

“No reason.” I glanced over my shoulder, imagining that every Alpha instantly turned away. This place was making me paranoid. First the thought of being watched in my bedroom and now this.

*

I decided to take Jesse’s dress out for a spin instead of sticking to my room until the public speaking portion of the trials started. My smile wasn’t working so I tucked that away and instead took my time people watching.

With Karen gone, there were forty-five of us Luna candidates left. Twenty Alphas mingled with them. The cameras were everywhere, filming moments in the cafeteria and lounge and bar.

I pushed open the back doors to the pool.

Early spring sunlight reflected off the clear water, but there was still a bite of frost in the air that wouldn’t clear until around midday. Shifter blood kept us warm. Still, I don’t think I would have hung out on the loungers with Stef and the other women this morning even if I’d brought a bathing suit.

I walked over to the gardens on the side of the resort, admiring the water fountain of fish that stood in the middle. It was a smaller replica of the one out front, but the water trickling was still a peaceful sound. Butterflies danced on the tops of the newly budding cherry blossom trees planted around the rose hedge and birds called in the forest beyond.

I breathed in the tranquility, taking a moment to think. The public speaking didn’t worry me. It was like when I was teaching a class, I’d adopt a persona that was a little more extroverted than I normally would be. I hoped this was a test of my knowledge and I could answer questions that would make a difference.

My papa was right. I did have ideas. And despite not being here for the right reasons, I could still use my few minutes of screen time to maybe do something bigger with my life.

“Why are you here?” The deep voice startled me and I jumped as my heart tried to leap from its cage.

I wasn’t used to this. The racing, warning impulse that burrowed in my skin as my wolf turned traitor, panting, when Ranger came walking from the woods with his bare chest glistening with sweat.

“Because I want to be.” I swallowed past my dry tongue, refusing to lower my eyes even though there was so much else I wanted to look at. It wasn’t like he owned these gardens and I wouldn’t let him intimidate me into leaving them until I was ready.

Ranger’s wolf flashed in his eyes as he looked me over and I felt naked again, uncomfortable in this flimsy dress that really wasn’t me. “You look nice.”

I blinked, not sure I heard him right. “Thank you?”

“You need a jacket on,” he said.

My eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“That dress shows a lot of skin and it’s cold out here.” His fists clenched at his sides like he was struggling to make his tone less harsh.

I looked down at my new dress, feeling mortified. It wasn’t like I was out here in a bathing suit, but I guess I offended him by showing myskin.This was the second time he commented on what I was wearing. “Screw you.”

“What did you say?”

I raised my chin to glare at him. “I said you could go screw yourself. I’m a shifter. It’s warm enough. And if you don’t like what you see, look away.”

Ranger chuckled. It was a dark and menacing sound as he narrowed his heated gaze. “Who says I don’t like what I see?”

There was a tug in the center of my chest, a deep primal pull that urged me to tease him and draw this out. To see if I could make him smile or if he’d frown. The intensity of that feeling was frightening and I crossed my arms, taking a step back. “Could have fooled me.”

Ranger stilled as if I were prey and he didn’t want to make a sudden move. “Why are you scared?”

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