She’d actually brushed her hair today and piled it up on top of her head in a messy bun that, if she said so herself, looked cute with the actual make-up she’d applied and her aviator sunglasses.
The nerves were there, though, fluttering in her stomach like dry leaves in a stiff wind. As she laced up her boots over her skinny jeans, she checked the clock on the nightstand for the hundredth time this morning. It was 9:50, and still no call from the dragons.
What if she was out on the first round? Even with Ben vouching for her, what if she didn’t make the cut? Then she would have to go back to Red Havoc with her tail tucked between her legs and settle into a life she couldn’t imagine anymore. That, or she would have to search for another crew. But that put her hackles up because the dragons now knew the grit she’d gone through, and she really didn’t want to explain that to another alpha again. Plus…Logan.
With a sigh, she stood and made her way out of her small motel room.
Logan was sitting outside of his room a couple doors down, his knees drawn up, arms resting over them and his phone dangling from one hand. He slid her a glance and, to her shock, a little smile that disappeared almost immediately. But it had been there. It counted.
“You get a call yet?” she asked.
“No, you?”
Winter shook her head.
Dustin appeared between two cars with a massive sack in his hand. Grease stains at the bottom said whatever he’d brought was probably delicious. When the scent of Chinese food hit her nose, her stomach growled.
Without an invite, Dustin sat down next to Logan and started unloading little cartons of food from the bag. Beast was now making his way toward them from the other side of the motel parking lot, and Emma came out of a room about ten doors down.
Winter reached for a carton of noodles, but Dustin slapped her hand and said, “No,” sternly like she was a dog taking from the dinner table. “You still owe me money from yesterday’s failed food run.”
Winter pulled out a wadded twenty from her pocket and threw it at him. It bounced off his forehead, but he caught it neatly and said, “You can have one bite. Don’t give me mouth herpes.”
Winter rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the pile of condiments he’d upended onto the sidewalk. Emma didn’t even ask, just sat down and grabbed some fried rice. Beast sat on the curb a few doors down, glaring across the parking lot at another group of shifters from yesterday—the competition.
“Hey deaf girl,” one of them yelled. “You get a call yet?”
“She can’t hear you, dude,” one of his friends said. The A-Team cracked up. High fives were exchanged, but Emma ignored them and kept her eyes on her food.
“What if I yell louder?” the idiot called. The others snickered again. “No? No call then?”
Winter wanted to claw their smirking faces off.
“Keep talking,” Logan dared them. He smelled like fur.
“Okay. All six of us got calls an hour ago.” The boastful B-hole gave one of his friends a high five and then cupped his mouth. “Looks like the handicap squad didn’t make the cut.”
“False,” Dustin said nonchalantly. “I haven’t got my call yet, so they aren’t done with them. Kane’s just trying to scare me. I know I’m in so not all the calls have been made.”
Logan turned on his phone and glanced at the time that flashed on the screen. “You sure seem confident that Kane will call you back.”
“Oh, I know he will.”
“How?” Beast asked in a gravelly voice. Why were his eyes glowing gold like his animal was riled up? No one was even threatening him.
Around a bite of eggroll, Dustin said, “Because I have something he wants.”
“Blackmail?” Emma said. “Good luck with that angle. Kane’ll burn you for trying.”
Dustin snatched the carton of fried rice from her hands and glared at her, but Emma didn’t even miss a beat, just grabbed another container of food and started eating that.
Winter liked her. Human she might be, and a little differently abled with her hearing, but Emma didn’t take shit from anyone. Winter wanted to be more like her.
Beast’s phone dinged and, a moment later, the other four phones chirped with text message alerts.
Looking borderline terrifying, Beast glared back at them. “Rejection?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
“Should we all check at once?” Logan asked quietly.
Winter sighed, so disproportionately nervous to what she should’ve been. It was just a crew rejection, not the end of the world. A few days ago, she hadn’t even wanted to try for this crew. Why did everything feel so different now?
“One,” Dustin drawled out. Then he opened his text and pumped his fist. “I’m in, suckers.”
“I thought you were counting to three, asshole,” Winter muttered as she navigated to the right screen.
A group text came up titled D-Team.
This is your call-back. We’re doing more group interviews with the others over the next couple of days, but want to do something different with the D-Team. Horseback riding on Saturday. Smokemont Riding Stable at six and then dinner after. You guys were a hard no from Kane, but I’m pushing for you. Don’t make me regret this.
Rowan.
“Horseback riding?” Logan asked. “No horse is gonna sit under me.”
“Me, either,” Dustin said, eyes narrowed at the screen of his phone.