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Her eyebrows drew together. “What, you want me to name off all the packs?”
“Yep.” I laughed when she shook her head, rolling her eyes once more. I didn’t know what it was about that irritated gesture I liked so much. Maybe it was just a breath of fresh air to have a woman be completely herself with me, to call me out on my bullshit, and not just giggle and bat her eyelashes.
“Pacific Northwest, Central Pacific, Southern Pacific, Southwest…” She rattled off all twenty packs in under a minute, her eyes locked on mine, a satisfied expression on her face. Her lips curved upward when she finished, and I was distracted for a moment by the memory of how soft they had been.
“Believe me now?”
I chuckled at her petulant tone. “Sorry for doubting you. Clearly you know your trivia.”
Just then, Elizabeth, Holly, and Ashley returned, their arms full of items, and I realized I hadn’t even been paying attention to the video feeds. They set the items out in front of the judge, who just so happened to be Holden himself.
“How did you get him to be part of this?” I asked Jessica, leaning forward to watch as my best friend studied the items. He’d been working even more than normal lately now that he’d forbidden me to do my job.
“I didn’t. It was Kayden’s idea.”
“That explains it, then,” I said with a laugh. He did practically anything she asked of him. Maybe I should talk to her about me taking on at least some of my workload again—she’d be the only one who could convince him.
Casey ran up to join the three women, depositing some of her own items she’d collected. And a moment later, Holden nodded. They’d successfully found the required items, including the envelope with the next clue.
Willow instructed them to open it, and Elizabeth read it aloud. “I go up and down, but I never move. I hold your next clue, if your skill you can prove.”
The women frowned then debated among themselves for a moment.
“The clock is ticking, ladies,” Willow reminded them. “Bring back your next envelope quickly if you want to stay in the running.”
They took off again, this time as a group, but it wasn’t long until they were bickering again.
“Someone needs to take charge,” I muttered, not very impressed with how things were going so far with this group. After a couple of minutes, they disappeared around the side of the house.
“It’s not just trivia, you know.”
I turned to Jess again, confused. “What?”
“Knowing the packs? Have you forgotten that my father is an alpha? I grew up with this knowledge being drilled into me.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “He had big hopes for me—he was greatly disappointed when Holden and I showed no interest in each other as teenagers. Though that didn’t stop him from sending me to the Contention, anyway.”
I frowned. “I’d forgotten about that.” It had been at least ten years ago, probably more. A young, shy, completely introverted Jessica had come to the estate with her father many times over a summer, and she and Holden had always been paired up at events. I hadn’t realized her father had wanted something to come of it. Then again, I’d been too busy training and chasing girls.
Something else she said stuck in my mind—or rather, the way she’d said it. “Surely your father has no room for disappointment now, though. Just look at you. Holding an important council position. Running incredible events. You have a lot to be proud of, and so does he.”
When she met my gaze, there was sadness in her deep blue eyes. “One would think so.”
Not liking that look, wanting to wipe it away and replace it with a smile, I said, “Let’s see what else you know.”
To my delight, Jessica crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “Bring it.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “How much do you know about shifter law?”
“I took all the same classes as Kayden during the first Contention,” she said. “I knew enough to put this competition together—the next question isn’t nearly as easy and relates to pack law.”
I gestured for her to continue.
“Okay.” She huffed out a breath. “I’ve asked each team to come up with a solution, within the law, of how an alpha should handle it if another pack’s members sought refuge with them.”
“Nice.” It was actually one of the many things Holden and I wanted to revamp, and I was more than a little interested in hearing Jessica’s answer. “So, what would you do?”
Her eyes widened. “What would I do? I’m not an alpha.”
“Neither are these women, and that’s not what I want to know. I want to hear howyouwould handle it.”
