Page 15 of Moon Tamed

My mother cleared her throat.

My poor father sighed.

I rescued Sir Wolfston from my mother’s clutches, put my tiger ears up, and headed for the sitting room to lounge until dinner. “Maybe next time, Dad.”

I caught a nap on the couch. My father woke me when he sat on the arm near my head. “It is time for you to get up. Dinner is almost ready. Peter has lost every game of knuckle slap he’s played.”

“Does he have hands?”

“They’re pretty bruised. He’s going to have a few rough days ahead of him. We sold you into slavery, and he tried to buy you back. Now he’s sold himself into slavery, too.”

I snickered and sat up. “How many times is he doomed to play at being hunted at a practice?”

“Twenty times over a week,” Dad reported.

“I’ll miss him if he doesn’t survive. How was I sold off?”

“You get to go on a camping trip and cook for the Stephans. It will be for a week. Your mom made the mistake of telling them you’re self-sufficient and learned how to cook on a grill. Your brother didn’t stand a chance against two wolves promised food they don’t have to make. Wolves love the hunt but enjoy when someone else handles the preparation.”

What? I blinked. “Am I being punished or rewarded?”

“Both,” my father admitted. “I told them you haven’t really gone camping before but you love animals—and that you have gone on legal hunts for rabbits.”

I belonged to a family of traitors. “You told them I’m cheap?”

“No. I told them you drool at the sight of rabbit. Oh, I also told them you’re self-sufficient.”

“So, you told them I’m cheap.”

“Never once did I use the words cheap or penny pincher.”

“Mooch?”

“You only mooch on Saturdays when you come over for our weekly dinners. We did not use any derogatory terms regarding your habits. We may have stated we wouldn’t report if you ended up at their homes rather than yours.” Dad hopped to his feet. “We exposed how you need to be kept engaged on new and interesting things. They were wondering, as we’re all affiliated except for you.”

“Great. They’re going to think I’m crazy, Dad.”

“You’re not crazy. You’re smart—too smart, really. You get bored easily, and you want to experience the world while you can. You understand life becomes a grind when you first enter a faction. One day, you’ll find the work you like enough to do daily. But right now, you can get by, and that’s fine.” Dad picked up Sir Wolfston and tucked him under his arm. “Come on.”

I stretched, rolled off the couch, and followed my father. When we reached the dining room, Calden and Peter played yet another game of knuckle slap while Calden’s father observed.

“Your mother is finishing up in the kitchen. What are you losing now, Peter?”

Calden whacked the back of my brother’s hand. “He has to take you out for camping supplies.”

Nice. “Thanks for losing, bro.”

Peter sighed. “I’m going to have every penny wrung out of my savings at this rate.”

“The first rule of betting is to never wager what you can’t afford,” I reminded him. I took my favorite chair, close to escape without earning my mother’s ire. “I’ll try to avoid bankrupting you.”

“Thanks,” Peter muttered, taking the seat across from me.

Without fail, we’d be kicking each other before we finished dinner.

“Sit next to Coraline, Calden,” my father said, taking his spot at the head of the table. “Pick your favorite spot, Allasandro.”

Calden’s father opted to take the other seat beside me, effectively cutting off my easy route of escape. “I’ll be honest, I’ve been wondering why you’ve never had your children over when we’ve been visiting.”

---