Oh my Goddess, I’m so embarrassed. He definitely saw me checking out his…um…physique.
“Shade,” an all too familiar voice hissed.
I turned away from the alpha, welcoming the distraction.
“Yes, miss?” I replied as Sunny came up beside me.
“You need to stay at the back of the pack,” she instructed as she looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Don’t worry about keeping pace with me. We afford to let anyone see your wolf’s eyes, understood? Don’t forget that our alpha doesn’t want anyone to know about your affliction.”
“Of course, miss,” I confirmed. “I’ll bring up the rear.”
It’s a good strategic position anyway. I can protect the group’s back while Alpha Caelan takes the lead.
“Don’t screw this up for me,” she warned. “If Caelan rejects me because he knows you’re a freak, I’ll make your life hell.”
It already is.
I forced a smile and nodded.
“I’m serious, Shade,” she growled under her breath. “Don’t—”
“Sunny,” Taffy interrupted, her own furious glare pinned on my sister. “Are you having trouble with your shifting?”
“No,” Sunny scoffed. “I’m not a pup.”
“Well, then you should probably get to it. Wouldn’t want to hold up the rest of the group, would you?” Taffy shot back.
I tried not to let the surprise show on my face. No one spoke to Sunny that way.
Her jaw clenched as she stared at Taffy, a defiant fire burning in her gaze. But she didn’t say anything back. Instead, she turned on her heel and stomped away.
“You should be a bit more careful talking to her like that,” I cautioned as I watched Sunny begin her shift. “Don’t forget that sheisan alpha’s daughter.”
“She may be an alpha’s daughter in Thunder Moon, but here she’s just some spoiled pack princess who thinks she deserves to be luna because her daddy told her so,” Taffy growled. “Remember what I told you this morning. You’re both final candidates. You’re on equal footing here.”
“I remember,” I assured her.
“Good. Now hurry. We’ll be leaving any second, and you don’t want to fall behind.”
She turned and walked away, making her way to the side of a dirty-blond wolf that I assumed must be Beta Dillon.
I took a deep breath.If I keep to the back of the pack and keep my head low, I can do this without anyone getting a good look at my eyes.
I stripped off the oversized shirt I wore and quickly shifted. Icouldn’t be sure, but it felt like someone was watching me the whole time.
I shook out my shaggy, silver-gray fur and scooped up my bag before joining the rest.
Alpha Caelan raised his head and let out a soft howl before he started for the trees, and just like that, we were off.
I kept my gaze low but remained mindful of Sunny’s position in the group. She was doing everything in her power to move toward the front, probably eager to get as close to the alpha as she could.
I was oddly annoyed about that, but I couldn’t understand why. I’d never been jealous of Sunny around other males before. Why would I suddenly start feeling that way now?
I remained in the back of the group, which I didn’t mind at first, but it slowly grew more frustrating as several of the less-athletic wolves began to slow down. I was forced to drop behind them.
I sighed. It felt more like an easy jog than a run, which was disappointing. I didn’t get to use my full speed as often as I wanted to, always having to keep the pace that Sunny set.
Truth be told, she wasn’t much of a runner, so I’d been looking forward to the chance to really stretch my legs.
