Page 55 of Mortal Shift
“Unless you have some other mate I don’t know about,” Ryker growled, and Cole quickly shook his head. “Then yes, Cali. Mates run together on the full moon hunt. I take it you don’t have a problem with that?”
“No, alpha.”
No, alpha? Was he having a damn laugh? I could think of a million problems with that.
“Uh, Ryker, I mean, alpha?” I piped up, leaning forward a fraction from the tree I’d been leaning against, but staying seated in the hope his prickly temper wouldn’t take exception to me questioning him. I mean, it had never worked before, but there was a first time for everything, right?
“What?” He rounded on me, lips pulled back in a sneer, and I battled the instinct to shrink back from him. Weakness was one of the few things he despised even more than me.
“Um, I have a problem.”
“Yes?”
“Well, yeah, I just…” I felt myself coloring under the critical gaze of every gathered shifter. “Well, I was just wondering how I’m supposed to run in the hunt. Since, um, I can’t shift.”
“Work it out,” he snarled. “And don’t interrupt my lesson again unless you have something of value to add.”
He gave me a look that told me just how unlikely he thought that was, and then turned on his heel, addressing the rest of the class.
“I have four more spaces for first years in this month’s hunt. If you want one, then earn it.”
Well, that was just great. So somehow I was going to have to run in the full moon hunt when I was stuck on two legs. Worse, since first years were banned from the first three hunts of the year, this’d be the first time the rest of the shifters ran with us, and they’d all be watching closely for any sign of weakness. Which I was about to parade right in front of them. At this rate, I was going to end up as the prey.
Cole is strong, he will protect—
Ugh, now my stupid bond-driven inner monologue sounded like it had been taking lessons from Ling. Cole had his chance to protect me, or stand up for me in any way whatsoever, and he’d just watched me flounder. Repeatedly. I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be in any hurry to protect me from being literally fed to the wolves.
Except… Well, if I could convince him it’d look bad forhim…
I cleared my throat and quickly scrambled to my feet.
“Uh, Alpha Ryker?” I said, interrupting the disapproving eye he’d been running over a shifter who’d just stumbled over her own feet. He turned slowly, his lips pressing tightly together as he glared at me. His eyes darkened with malice.
“Yes, Cali? You have something of value to add?”
“Yes, I mean, well, no, but…” Okay, words were going to be a bare minimum in actually asking for something. Get it together, Cali. I sucked in a deep breath and straightened my shoulders, letting my gaze slide just past his wide shoulders. “I wonder if you might permit me to leave class early, so as to prepare for the honor of running in the moon hunt.”
He grunted, but this time the sound seemed more approving.
“Glad to see you’re taking this seriously. Go. Take your mate with you.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I hurried away from the group, aware of Cole coming after me. It wasn’t until we were deep into the woods and out of sight of everyone that he caught my wrist and spun me around.
“What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” he demanded.
“Me?” I barked an incredulous laugh. “What am I playing at? What areyouplaying at, agreeing that I should go on a moon hunt?”
“Right. Like I can just stand there and argue with Ryker.”
I swallowed and ducked his eye, and despite my best efforts, the anger faded from my voice, leaving only hurt behind. “You could have tried.”
Cole exhaled heavily and released my wrist. I pulled it back against me, rubbing it with my free hand. The skin burned deliciously where he’d touched it, and I didn’t want to feel that right now. I didn’t want to feel like I was his when he was making it clear I wasn’t.
“If I’d tried, he would have punished us both, you know that.”
“So instead he’s just punishing me.” A flash of the anger returned, but died as quickly as it had come. “Great.”
“Running in the moon hunt is a great honor,” he said, a slight frown marring his annoyingly perfect forehead.
