Choices

Thankfully, the Summit was ending after the farewell luncheon. Adrienne and I had just enough time to return to the trailer before we had to go. Both of us packed our bags, leaving comfortable travel clothes out for when we returned. A driver would be taking us to the private airport shortly after things wrapped up, and we were in a hurry to get back home.

Mom had packed the dress for me with this meal in mind, and it was classy but comfortable. The four of us shared a table with Amy and Kai, who were sitting with their Alphas. Steve and Carolyn Dauntless were proof Luna liked opposites; he was tall and thin with a deep tan and bright white hair, while she was short and muscled like a gymnast, with a fair complexion and raven-black hair to her waist. The males stood up as we approached the table and got introduced.

“So this is the infamous Sharkbabe,” Steve said as he brought my hand to his nose in greeting.

I blushed, thinking he had misheard my nickname. “Sharkbait, although I think I’ve outgrown that nickname by now,” I said nervously.

“Sharkbabe is what they are calling you on social media now,” Amy said. “You’ve gone VIRAL! First the rescue, then the interview this morning? Have you even turned your phone on today?”

I shook my head, no. “I turned it off before the interview, and I couldn’t use it while I was flying the helicopter! I kind of forgot about it. I left my phone with my travel clothes.”

“People are posting memes about you everywhere,” Kai said.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook, and half the boys at school want me to get them a date with you,” Amy said with a chuckle.

“Oh, Luna,” I said as we sat down. “What the hell did I get talked into doing?”

Leo pulled me into a side hug. “You did a great job this morning; everyone was proud of you, and you planted a seed. The real question is what you do with your newfound fame.”

I sat back and thought about it; I didn’t know. “I never planned on having to deal with ANY of this stuff. I just wanted to finish my shark tracking project, graduate, and go to college!”

Kai just laughed. “You’ll never be able to go back to the way it was, Vicki. Like it or not, you’re a celebrity now. You either OWN it, or it owns you. Just like this morning, when you used your platform to talk about your project. You can take your fame and turn it into money and awareness, or you can wait for it to fade away.”

“It won’t fade away,” Amy laughed. “Have you SEEN yourself in that bikini? Shit, girl, you looked like a model! I wish I had abs like yours!”

I shook my head because Amy’s body was just as hot as mine. “I just need time to think about what to do next. I’d like to find a way to push my project forward. If I can build on this morning, maybe that can help.”

Adrienne just chuckled. “I bet those people you talked to earlier this week are DESPERATE to ride your coattails now. Not even Ocean has that kind of audience, not anymore,” she said. “You should talk to them about how we can fast-track your idea, or at least turn the notoriety into donations to shark conservation funds.”

“I will,” I promised. “Amy, what are you two doing next?”

“I would like to hear this as well,” Alpha Steven said. “You both have school to finish, and Kai’s active duty stint begins shortly after graduating from Oregon.”

She got a little nervous. “I’d like to bring Kai home to meet my family,” she said. “Alpha Leo, could we travel home with you?”

“Of course,” Leo said. “You will always be welcome with our Pack, so don’t worry about that.”

“I can do my classes online until Thursday morning’s lab, so I plan to stay with her and fly back Wednesday night,” Kai added.

“And when will you be bringing your Mate to your family, and to meet her new Pack,” Steven asked.

Amy held his hand, and they looked at each other before he answered. “We honestly haven’t figured it out yet,” he said. “She rightly wants to finish her schooling. There is nothing like the Zoo School in Oregon, and we don’t know if she can do all or part of it online.”

“I need to talk with my Mom, and Kai has to talk with his parents,” Amy said. “We’ll figure it out in a week or two.”

Carolyn clapped her hands at this. “Excellent. I like her,” she told her mate. “She has enough backbone to stick up for what she wants, and not just roll over and do whatever her mate wants. She’ll be a good addition to our Pack.”

“Your time together will face many challenges in the next five years,” Steven agreed. “There will be multiple moves for his training plus deployments for six months at a time or more. You’ll rely on the relationships you build with our Pack members, as well as the family and friends you have in Minnesota.”

“Especially when you have children,” Carolyn added.

As they talked about pups, I started to understand just how much my best friend’s life had transformed since we arrived on Friday. Us going to school full-time together was not even possible. From their talks, Kai would relocate at least five times in the next two years. After that, they may be at the same base, but he would be gone the majority of the time. She wouldn’t be able to attend college except online and still be with her mate.

I shuddered at the thought of how close I’d come to disaster.

If Amy and I hadn’t walked past that trailer, if I hadn’t seen Timothy and Traci rutting without concern for their potential mates, things would have been very different. I would not have approached Traci to find out their plan; like everyone else, I would have avoided the slut who was stinking up the place with another man’s seed. Timothy would have found me in the line, and if Traci wasn’t there watching, he might even have marked me. This afternoon, I’d be having the same conversation about completing school, and I bet I’d get a different answer. Timothy’s father would insist on me going there immediately and having my things shipped out. Some Alphas didn’t even allow the new female to return home for years. I let out a sigh; my dreams would have vanished like a shark into the depths.

“Don’t you agree, Vicki?”

I looked up, panic on my face as I realized I had NO idea what the question was.

“That she should finish high school in Minnesota,” Leo bailed me out.

“You know, I love spending time with Amy, but it’s none of my business. She and Kai need to work out the boundaries of their new relationship as they learn about each other and grow. I’ll support whatever decision they make,” I said.

“Very diplomatically said,” Steven agreed.

“And she’s right,” Carolyn said. “They have enough on their plates as new mates without everyone telling them what to do. Let’s give them time and space to make the decision that is right for them.” With that, the servers came out, and the speeches began.

I wanted to talk to Amy in private, so I gave her a signal with my eyes. “Excuse me,” I said as I got up.

Leo was about to get up to escort me when Amy jumped up first. “I’ll walk her there,” she said. We quietly exited the room and went down the hall to the bathroom. As soon as I shut the door, she pulled me into a hug. “Thank you,” she said.

“For what?”

“For supporting us,” she replied as she let me go. “It seems like no matter what I want to do, I’m disappointing someone. It’s tough standing up to a new Alpha and Luna I barely know.”

“You’re my best friend, Amy, and nothing is going to change that. I meant what I said. You’re eighteen and mated; Luna, that sounds like a bad reality television show!” She laughed. “I’ll always be a phone call away.”

We finished our business and went to wash up. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to finally turn my phone on when we leave and see just how bad it is,” I said. “I don’t know if I should be proud or embarrassed by the ‘Sharkbabe’ thing.”

“Does it matter,” she asked. “Cheryl Tiegs is eighty-five now, and she’s still making money off posters she made in the seventies. You’re smart, sexy, and confident; use that to kick open some doors and make some money. Shark research is a lot easier when you own the boat,” she teased.

I was grinning about that idea as we walked out the door. I should have been paying more attention.

A flash of movement from behind Amy caught my attention, just in time to see something hit the back of Amy’s head. She pitched forward and started falling towards the carpeted floor as I caught sight of her attacker. She fell hard, but I didn’t reach out to her. I moved into an attack position as he backed away from me, his face hidden by a mask.

“LEO KID…” and I felt the link break at the same time a bag went over my head from behind. My vision went away under the thick burlap. There was a cable or chain at the bottom that must have been silver, and a second attacker started dragging me towards the door with it. I got a sniff of chemicals, so I held my breath. Trying to get it off was foolish, so instead, I started sending elbows into the stomach of my captor while my feet blindly lashed out to kick his shins.

“Punch her,” the man behind me said as we exited the building.

His punch was like a hammer to my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I took a breath before I could stop myself, and I felt the blackness coming. “LEO,” I yelled, and then it was done.