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“Stay strong,” a girl in braids says as we pass in the common room, offering me a fist to bump.
“Stay strong,” I agree, bumping my fist to hers, grateful to be here with these people.
I’ve always identified with the underdogs, but never more than here. These people are some of the best the shifter world has to offer, each with unique skills and abilities wolves and big cats don’t have. Wolves should be rejoicing that they have people with different shapes and powers willing to be their allies, not trying to kick them out of Lost Moon and force them to the fringes of shifter society.
When I’m Zion’s Alpha, I’m going to make sure Variants know my pack is a safe place for them. And I’ll make sure my pack knows there will be hell to pay for acting like Beck and his cronies.
I return to the room and start toward my cracked window with the steaming paper cup, only for Layla to tumble out of bed and race to cut me off. “Okay, okay,” she says, taking the coffee from me like a precious chalice. “I’m up. See? I’m even half dressed.”
“Only because you slept in your jersey. Shorts. Get some. We only have forty-five minutes to get to the dining hall and to the starting line.”
Layla growls around her first sip of coffee. “I also don’t see why we have to wear uniforms pointing out that we’re easy targets. We should all wear the same color. Or go naked. Do they know how many uniforms we’re going to ruin today if we end up having to shift on the fly? Some of us are a lot bigger in our animal form than our human one.”
“I think that’s why they gave us back up jerseys,” I say, sipping my coffee as I watch the moon slide behind the trees outside our window and the horizon begin to glow in the east. “But you’re right. Might be worth swapping colors if you find a spare jersey on the ground on the course. The people who know you’re a Variant might not notice in all the excitement and the people who don’t will just assume you’re a wolf or big cat.”
Layla grunts as she wiggles into her shorts and pulls a sock cap over her fuzzy corkscrew curls. “Devious. I like it. I’ll keep that in my back pocket. Now, let’s go eat. I need protein and pancakes. If I’m getting kicked out today, I’m going with maple syrup in my belly.”
We hit the dining hall, load up our trays, and take them to the Variant corner of the room. For once, I’m glad we’re stuck by the trash and the dishwashing station. The sound of dishes clanging helps cover the cheery laughter from the wolf side of the room.
“Heartless,” Catherine hisses as she swings by our table. “I’m so glad I had no idea wolves could be like that before I came here. My father and brother and the men in my pack are worth twenty of every one of them. Bunch of horse pee holes.”
I arch a brow at the choice of words.
She sighs and bobs a shoulder. “It’s an insult from back home. Makes more sense in my first language.” She bends, kissing Layla on each cheek, and then doing the same to me. “Wishing you good luck, ladies. Remember, you might not be as big or strong as some of these people, but you’re smart and quick on your feet and you’re going to come through just fine. I’ll be waiting at the finish line with ice water and cupcakes.”
Layla and I thank her, and she heads off to pump up the rest of our dorm. I try to finish the rest of my egg sandwich, but find I’ve lost my appetite. A glance at Layla’s plate reveals the same for my roomie.
“I can’t eat anymore,” Layla says. “It was the wishing us good luck part. It made it real. We’re really about to start the first trial. This is actually happening.”
“It is,” I say, rising to take my tray to the window. “So, let’s head down early and get a place in the front.”
As we leave the dining hall, I do a discreet scan of the space, looking for Ford, but he isn’t here yet. Or he’s already been and gone. As a former athlete, Ford has all kinds of weird rituals around food and exercise. He likes to time his meals a certain distance from any physical exertion and balance his proteins and carbs.
Which is probably smart. I don’t normally have a delicate stomach, but as we reach the gathering place for the first trial, the half sandwich I managed to get down tries to come back up again. I swallow hard and close my eyes for a beat, willing my food to stay inside me where it can give me fuel, before opening them again and scanning the still sparsely populated corner of the lawn.
“No clues,” Layla mutters as we find a spot to hang out near the small stage set up by the starting line. “I was hoping we might be able to see part of an obstacle course or something.”
“They pride themselves on keeping everything top secret until the last minute,” I say, before adding beneath my breath, “Ford says not even the wolves know exactly what’s happening, only that it will be geared to make it easy for them to get through and harder for Variants.”
“You think they’re still going to try to take us out?” Layla murmurs, keeping her voice down as a group of big cat girls with oversized red bows in their ponytails settles on the grass nearby. “After what happened to Diana and the increased teacher presence in the dorms?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “Seems pretty stupid to go through with it now, but a lot of them are stupid.”
I look for Ford on the lawn, but I still don’t see any sign of him. I probably shouldn’t be worried—he’s still in tight with the wolves and is a big boy who can take care of himself—but I can’t help it. The short time I thought Diana had died has only made me more protective of the people I consider mine.
So, I close my eyes and tap into that part of me that glows whenever Ford touches me, the part that’s drawn to him like a compass needle to due North. After only a beat, I get a read on his general location.
He’s still in the dorm and he’s stressed about something.
I curse as my eyes fly open. “I should have brought my cell phone.”
“No phones allowed on the course,” Layla says, sharpening her gaze as she asks, “Why?”
“I think Ford’s in some kind of trouble. Not big trouble, just…something isn’t right. Maybe I should run over to Lupine and check on him.”
“And be roughed up by some wolf asshole before you even get on the course?” Layla snorts. “No way. Ford wouldn’t want me to let you do that. He’ll be here. Maybe he just overslept or something.” She exhales, shaking her hands and feet to loosen up. “We’re still not talking about how you know this kind of stuff, right? Still in denial that he’s the boo for you?”
“Mostly.” I’m not sure when something more than friends with Ford started feeling like a real possibility, but I’m not going to worry about it or fight my feelings right now. I’m saving all my energy for the trial.
