“I swear I will get Di in here with more chocolate if you don’t stop moping.” Taylor’s annoyed voice rang sharply in Giselle’s ear.
“I’m not. I just lost my train of thought.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“Sorry. I do need to run. Burn off some steam. That will get my head right again.” Giselle tried to smile, but she saw the light fade from Taylor’s face. It didn’t take a genius to know why, either. “And I hope you and Di will run with me. Sister solidarity.” She winked.
“You don’t want to go with Ash?” Taylor’s voice betrayed her true feelings.
Giselle prayed her sister would get over Ash. She hadn’t even dated him that long, but her pain lingered despite her many attempts to refute it. “Why would I want to be around a boy right now? They’re dumb, remember?”
Taylor had come in to perk her up, and Giselle had ended up being the one to make her sister smile by the end. She laughed about it as she grabbed her sister by the hand and hauled her up from the bed. “Let’s take the night off and go find the dried-up stream.”
Chapter 28
Time betrayed Giselle. With her mind set on what she would do and the uncertainty of the results, time hurtled her at breakneck speed toward the full moon, when she’d be forced to go through with the sacrifice she’d have to make.
A thousand and one scenarios played out in her mind, pushing away the sadness of the loss of Damien and the stress of the upcoming trials. But what it replaced them with was the stuff of nightmares. The very real possibility of her losing herself to save her father kept her awake at night and made the day’s tasks all that much harder to accomplish.
Out in the middle of the desert, where they would be shielded by mountains and miles away from an access road, Giselle had been tasked with helping to set up the reception tents for the party.
“I heard what happened with Damien,” Asher said, as they worked to set the tables up under the large white tents.
As a punishment for all her sulking, or some secret plot by Martina to help her get over Damien, she’d been partnered with Ash, while the others found better work to occupy their time.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Giselle set a stack of chairs against the side wall of the tent.
Asher hoisted up a table as if it weighed nothing and set it right on its newly attached legs. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. Being a wolf sucks sometimes.”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” Giselle snapped at him.
Asher held up his hands. “My bad. Just trying to be friendly. We are friends. I might think you’re pretty hot, but I do care about your feelings too.”
“It’s just weird talking to you about boy things. Ya know.” Giselle tried to lighten her tone. Her negativity had more to do with lack of sleep than his good-natured flirting.
“Right. Bad topic. Let’s pick something more wolfy, then, because if I have to spent the day setting places and arranging a dance floor in silence, I will die.”
“How did you get stuck on table duty? Piss off daddy?” Giselle snorted.
“I asked, actually. I wanted to hang with you,” Asher responded.
“Why? What did I do?” Giselle said. “Or is this a rebound thing?”
“Wow. I’m hurt.” Asher thumped his chest as if he’d be shot and feigned pain.
“I doubt anything could hurt you. Not with that massive ego for a shield.” Giselle laughed.
“Okay, maybe I wanted to see how you were doing with your newly single status, but I’m not trying to be sloppy seconds. Just wanted to be there for you.”
“Right. Points for being the knight in shining armor for when I have recovered from heartache?” Giselle said.
“Right.” Asher caught himself. “I mean, no. Sort of. Is it working?”
Giselle laughed hard. “If anyone can make it out of the friend zone, I’d put money on you. But not today.”
“Either way, I get to hang out with you rather than set up the pit.” Asher’s eyes flitted over to the opening of the tent. Outside, manly grunts to the tune of Nathaniel Thrace’s shouting orders made table duty sound so much more appealing. At least inside the tent, they had shade and a cooler filled with water.
“The pit?” Giselle asked, heading straight for the cooler to grab a bottle for herself.
“Arena. Pit. Cage of death. Call it what you want.” Asher shrugged.
Barbaric. How could anyone think this was the right way to choose a new leader? Beat each other bloody until only one was left standing? Stupid!
“Are they really going to fight to the death?” Giselle asked. She understood the rule, yet she couldn’t quite imagine anyone going through with it. Not in this day and age, at least; maybe back in medieval times.
“Death or submission. But most wolves would rather die than be seen as weak. So...” Asher let the words hang in the air.
“That’s terrible.” Giselle grabbed a bottle of water for Ash and tossed it over to him before opening her own.
“Yeah. But for good reason. It does keep the applicant list small.” Asher slugged down the entire bottle in one go.
“I guess.” She hoped she wouldn’t see anyone she knew in the arena. And then her mind brought Ace’s face front and center. Her cousin. He was a good guy. His mother might be rotten, but he was a decent guy and probably better suited for the role. The idea of him having to step into the arena and kill or be killed scared her. She’d never seen him fight.
Asher had continued speaking, even though she’d nearly lost the thread of conversation when her thoughts unraveled. “You don’t want just anyone reaching for the title.”
“True, I guess.” Giselle scrambled to bring her mind back on point. “But if only the strongest muscle-bound wolf goes after the title, how does that bode well for leadership in general?”
“To be in the running, you have to be more than just a fighter. Only those with the potential to be an Alpha can try. To be an Alpha, you must have it within you to lead. All the applicants will come from good families with breeding and education. I guarantee you they will not be meatheads,” Asher assured her.
“I still have my doubts. Ace and Jay will be in the running. What did you say about them?” Giselle reminded.
Asher grimaced. “They are of the right birth and good family. I’m sure they’re smart, too.”
“You say whatever it is you need to say to convince yourself. I think this whole ordeal is insane.” Giselle rolled her eyes.
“And that’s why...”
“If you say I didn’t get the job, I will smack the fur right off your face, Asher Thrace.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Asher said mockingly, cowering in fear while chuckling.
She thought of hitting him, just to smack that grin off his face, but she knew better. His act of cowering was just that, an act – he could overpower her in a second if he wanted to. That boy was built hard and strong. “I know I’m not right for the job, despite everyone except the Council saying I am.”
“You have potential. And breeding. You just have to let go of the...”
“What? Say it. I have to let go of the need to ask questions and reason everything instead of blindly following tradition?”
Asher shrugged and crushed the water bottle in his hands. “Basically.”
“Jerk.” Giselle punched him in the arm.
“I’ve been called worse.” He winked at her.
“Well, I’m not going to watch the bloodshed,” Giselle said. “I plan to kick back and hang at home with dear old Dad.”
“Lucky. Dad demands we all witness.”
“Must be a boy thing. Martina gave us all a pass if we wanted it.”
“But you’re still going to the reception, right?” Asher asked with more interest than he’d shown in the rest of the event.
Giselle grumbled. She’d hoped to get out of every part of it, but Alpha or no, she had to make an appearance and wish the combatants and the eventual winner good wi
ll. “Of course. I have to be at that one.”
Excitement flashed in Asher’s eyes. “Then be my date.”
Giselle narrowed hers. Sneaky little wolf! Trying to turn this into a formal thing. No! Even if she wanted to. Hell, no! She was in no position at the moment for that kind of thing. And he was a jerk for even trying to play that game now.
“Not a date date.” Asher stumbled over his words. “I just wanted you to... ah... help introduce me. You’re much prettier than Dad, so it will make me look better.”
It was hard not to laugh at him totally trying to pull his foot out of his mouth, and she snorted. “Keep going. This is epic backpedaling.”
“Shut up. Yes, I want us to go together; and yes, I am trying to get on your good side. You happy?”
“Yep. Totally. But I have to arrive with my sisters. So I’ll meet you there, and we can just hang out together. The four of us.” She emphasized that last part to make sure he understood how not a date this would be. Even if she wanted to entertain the idea of Asher, she couldn’t. There were other far more important things she needed to do, and in a few short nights, she’d find out exactly what the repercussions of her sacrifice would be.
“Works for me.” Asher forced a smile and turned his attention back to the tables that still needed to be built.
His ego might be bruised, but he’d recover. Giselle’s thoughts turned back to the task at hand, counting down the hours until go time. She’d have to make an appearance at the reception, but the night of the full moon would be the start of the trials. With the family all watching, it would be the right time to execute her plan and bring over the witches to wake her father up.
Chapter 29
The light of the moon called to her. Simple, pure, and true. Giselle couldn’t explain the connection between the moon and the strength of the wolf within her, but as each cycle came and went, it was unavoidable.
Nearly full as it was, the urge to shift and bask in that silvery light took hold, and she was powerless against its pull. No one in her family could, in fact, especially under the amount of stress as they all were.
Martina called the family together and even invited Nathaniel Thrace and his pack to join their run – the first joint pack run Giselle had ever been a part of. Which by itself was an oddity. Their packs had become friendly, but they’d never run together in the time she’d been there.
“How long are we going to wait?” Giselle asked impatiently, wanting to shift and take off the moment she stepped outside.
Strategically placed as it was, the last home in a development on the edge of open desert, the Hernandez pack house was the perfect place to meet. Straight out the back gate, a service alleyway led right to the empty land that had somehow managed to remain undeveloped. For miles it went on and on until it met with the base of the Sheep Mountain range. Other developments were nearby, but there was plenty of space for her pack to roam and avoid being seen.
“Mr. Thrace runs on his own time, apparently,” Martina responded, just as impatiently.
Giselle, her sisters, Martina, and Gavin were all waiting out in the back yard for the Thrace boys to show. Christina and Jeffrey had opted to stay behind with Orion.
They all could do with a little stress relief, and nothing worked better than fresh air and a good hard run in the desert. Martina, though, looked ready to snap.
Di pulled Giselle close and whispered in her ear, “Something’s up.”
“I know,” Giselle said. “I can feel it.”
“Word is the city is overrun with wolves for tomorrow’s reception,” Di put in.
“I know. It’s all Martina’s been talking about since we left today.”
“It’s worse than that,” Di whispered. “But no one is saying why.”
Giselle shrugged. “Just nerves. So many people here for a fight. That’s all. And honestly, I couldn’t care less. I want to be as far away from the fighting as possible.”
Di’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “Please tell me you’re not causing trouble for the Alphas.”
“Nope. Scout’s honor.” Giselle held up her hand in salute, hoping to appear as genuinely innocent as she could. “I’m staying home with Dad.” She chose her words carefully, knowing how easy a wolf could smell a lie.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Di asked.
“Because you never do.” Giselle giggled. A half-truth was not technically a lie.
“But you would tell me if you were planning something stupid. Right?” Di asked.
“Of course.” Giselle smiled innocently.
“So?” Di asked.
“I’m going to invite Cassandra over too,” Giselle said. “She is Orion’s wife, you know.”
Di narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“I don’t feel like dealing with the wolf politics. So I’ll babysit Dad while you all go be wolfy,” Giselle said.
Her sister continued to look suspicious but did not pry further, a fact Giselle was quite happy about. She hated keeping her sisters in the dark, but she knew what would happen if she told Taylor or Di what she was up to.
Besides, there was no point in her being part of the Alpha tournament now that she’d been disqualified.
Di was right about one thing: something was up, at least with her adoptive parents. The whole time they’d been waiting outside, Gavin paced the yard like a caged animal.
“They’ll be here soon, I’m sure.” Gavin sounded as if he were trying to convince himself as well as calm Martina’s nerves. “This was a last-minute request, after all, and we did put in a full day of work on the site.”
“Not enough, clearly, for the Alphas who expected to be chauffeured around today,” Martina resentfully. “Forget all the hard work we’ve done to coordinate this whole affair.”
“My love, let it go. You’ve worked very hard. We all have,” Gavin said from the sidelines of the back yard. “They’ll be impressed when they see the results.”
“Will they?” Martina threw her words back at him.
“Yes.” Gavin’s tone sharpened with a finality that almost dared Martina to continue her spiral into self-loathing.
Naturally it was the Hernandez pack’s fault that the arriving Alphas had to fend for themselves for transportation. Giselle had listened to Martina and Gavin arguing over it all afternoon. That had set the tone for the whole rest of the day, and no one escaped Martina’s anger.
“We run as a pack tonight,” Martina said, her gaze landing squarely on Giselle as a target for her negativity. “I don’t need anyone stepping a paw out of line. Do you understand?”
Having taken more than her fair share of solo jaunts, Giselle wasn’t surprised that her adoptive mother would single her out, and as the warmth of embarrassment rose to her cheeks, she turned her gaze away. Better not to say anything and further anger her mother.
Footsteps approaching in the alley had Giselle breathing a sigh of relief. Reinforcements. And not a moment too soon.
“Excuse our tardiness.” Nathaniel Thrace opened the gate and allowed his boys to walk in past him.
He was always so rigidly proper that Giselle wondered if he ever let loose and relaxed. From the look of his family, the answer was a clear no. They filed in like perfect little soldiers, coming to an almost military parade rest, awaiting their father’s order.
“If we’re all ready...?” Martina replied, rather than greeting her guests. She, more than anyone else, needed this run. “Let’s go, now.”
Giselle couldn’t even muster up teenage attitude to throw back at her mother. Stress had been the name of the game these last few days, and as head of the family, Martina had taken more than the lion’s share. And Giselle had been in her own world, thinking of her father rather than helping to hold up her end of the bargain. She was, after all, the reason all this had come to pass. That more than anything else made Giselle hold her tongue in the face of Martina’s temper.
“We’ll follow your lead.” Nathaniel Thrace’s head dipped slowly once, as
if bowing to her wishes, but not enough to drop his eyes in submission.
“I’d like us to stay closer to home this time,” Martina said. “With so many others in town, I’d rather avoid any potential confrontations.”
“Are we expecting problems?” Giselle asked with genuine curiosity.
“I don’t anticipate any,” Martina started to say, but Mr. Thrace cut her off.
“Where our kind are concerned, it’s better to be safe; especially when the reason for the influx of wolves is a tournament to establish new leadership.”
Martina nodded. “In old days, it would have been a worry. We’re much more civilized now, but I won’t risk anything with you pups.”
Giselle couldn’t remember the last time Martina had called her a pup. It was a word Jeffrey was fond of, and even Mr. Thrace when making a point to age and seniority, but Martina had rarely used such a belittling word. She cast a suspicious eye toward the Thrace group.
Asher stood with his brothers like soldiers at attention waiting for their general’s order. Life in his house had to be unbearably strict. Martina might be on the warpath at the moment, but even at her worst she was hardly a drill sergeant.
“We’ll all run a tight group.” Mr. Thrace looked at Martina as he spoke, but Giselle saw the nod of agreement from his boys.
A sigh of relief escaped Martina’s lips, and Giselle began to wonder exactly how worried her Alpha was. This should have been a simple run; sure, they had the addition of the Thrace pack with them, but that meant little more than a few extra people in the group. With the signs Martina was giving, she seemed ready for a fight, even though she’d just spoken to the contrary. Were the Alphas really that mad at her for not being there to greet them? That seemed such a tiny infraction to get their fur all mussed up over. Maybe Di had been right, and something else was up.
Fearless Little Werewolf Page 17