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She sniffed. “Well, I had a report that she has something in here that isn’t allowed. I insist you search her room, Enforcer.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered. He kept his eyes averted, which only made me more embarrassed. “Close the bathroom door, and I’ll search out here.”
“No,” she sneered. “Leave it open. She’ll try to get rid of something. She’s sneaky, this one. Comes from trash, and lives like it. Look at this place.”
I blushed as Luke scanned the room. It was true; I didn’t have much. Just a few books I’d scavenged from the pack’s garage sale when everyone else had done their shopping and the remainder had been put out with the garbage, the nubby ends of some pencils, and my drawing supplies. Luke actually thumbed through a couple of the pages of my sketches before I growled and he backed away, nodding an apology.
My clothes were the worst. Watching Holly paw through my drawers—holding up my saggy, bargain basement underwear for Luke to see, as if they might find drugs in the torn crotch—made my stomach churn.
I pushed down my rage, my humiliation. Holly picked up my one good pair of jeans and tore at the pockets, ripping them down the side seams as she pretended to search.
Could I make it three more days? I had to.
It was only days until the Conclave, and then the Enforcer Games. A few short nights before I could fight my way out of this hellhole pack and win a spot in another one. I’d go anywhere. It couldn’t be worse than where I was now.
“Get up,” Holly growled. “Get off the toilet. I need to search in here.”
“I don’t have a pad. I’ll bleed… more.” I stared at the floor.
“I’d like to see you bleed more,” she muttered.
Luke gave her an odd look, like he wanted to intervene, but he didn’t. I wasn’t mad about it; Enforcers had to be seen as impartial. And Luke had never been a friend. He was eight or nine years older than me, and we’d never spoken more than a few words.
Recently, though, he’d been the Enforcer on guard more than once when some random shifter had decided to hunt me during what were supposed to be my safe hours. I had the feeling that might be one reason I’d made it this close to the Conclave without getting forcibly mated. Luke was all about the rules.
“Stand up, girl,” Holly demanded.
“Get her something for her period,” he requested quietly. “I’ll check this room.”
She stomped away, grabbed some of my ruined underwear, and thrust it at me. “Use this.”
“I’ll need space to move, ma’am,” Luke insisted, gesturing for her to leave the tiny bathroom. She left, still snarling. “Can you stand now?” Luke carefully kept his eyes on the wall. Face flaming, I stuffed the underwear in between my legs to staunch the imaginary blood flow and stood. I hoped the wad of toilet paper I’d thrown on top of the knife had been enough to cover it.
He peeked down at the bowl, slid back the mildewed plastic shower curtain for a moment, then made a fuss of inspecting the cup that held my toothbrush while Holly watched. He opened the mirrored makeup cabinet and stepped back with a scowl. It was empty, except for a few mini tubes of toothpaste the pack dentist had handed out for free. Before he could stop himself, he shot me a questioning look.
“What?”
“No… girl things?” He let the question slip, then clearly regretted it.
“Tampons, pads, makeup?” I shrugged. “No job, no family, no money. Not all of us get to experience the protection of the pack.” For emphasis, I flicked the small steel tag that hung from the top of my ear, denoting just how far down the pack hierarchy I sat. “Welcome to life at rock bottom, Your Heir-ness.”
He frowned; the nickname bothered him. Good. There was nothing I could do to repay him for tonight’s humiliation, but it was a tiny start.
His face twitched as he fought to respond. “The pack keeps us safe.” It was the creed of every pack, the foundational reason packs existed.
I couldn’t help it. I laughed so hard, I gasped for air. “This pack? This pack doesn’t give a shi?—”
“Shut up!” Holly’s screech interrupted the grave mistake I was about to make. I was almost grateful.
“You’re right,” I replied, keeping my tone soft, feminine. Submissive. Fake as fuck. “I should be grateful to have the strength of the pack behind me. I’m sure the pack will keep me… as safe as it always has.”
Luke’s eyes had gone hard, his scent slightly bitter, and he dropped the lid down on the toilet before he left. Taking my first deep breath of the evening, I sat back down on the lid, listening as Luke and Holly exited my room, then the hall.
I sat there for a few minutes, shaking for many reasons. Trevor’s attempted attack. The blood all over that stung my nose, all iron and salt. The knowledge that now I didn’t even have a window that would lock, and three days left to survive. The effect of Luke’s presence on my nerves.
Ugh. Crushes were dumb.
I wrapped a washcloth around my hand, wiped a few drops of blood off the floor of the bathroom with a handful of toilet paper and, without thinking, opened the lid to drop it in.
