Beta of the Moon

Chapter 3

(I'm so sorry for being inactive for so long😭😭, also, the pics of the cats are above ^, can anyone suggest names for these cuties 😍😍)

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Eloise

When we got back to where we were originally, surprisingly, we were the last to be back.

Quinn and Zoey caught some fish, they were small, but they would do.

The food that was given to us was mostly meat, and it was only sufficient for one meal per person. If we wanted more, we'd have to hunt for it.

And being wolves, we literally need meat, so hunting is a requirement.

Gio handed his bag, which was filled with branches and wood we could use to light a fire to Dex, who glanced inside before taking it.

His bag had much more than mine since I was tasked to collect the fruits we came across, and there wasn't really a lot to get.

Dex took my bag and placed both bags inside one of the now-assembled tents.

Zoey glanced at Gio and I before saying,

"So, uh," Zoey started, "since both of you obviously can't fit in one sleeping bag, we're giving you the extra pillows and blankets, you guys just work it out or something."

I could hear the hidden meaning in her words, 'We gave you some extra things to make up for sharing a sleeping bag, make it work.'

We spent the next few minutes trying to light a fire and then skinning the scales of the fish they had caught.

While we were starting to cook the meat given to us and the fish that they had caught since it would stink if we kept it lying around, I saw Giovanni staring at what we were doing, not helping at all.

I smacked the back of his head.

"Are you not gonna help at all?" I asked.

He looked up at me sheepishly, "I don't know how to cook."

I blinked several times, he didn't know how to cook? How is that possible? We were all trained to learn how to do chores at a young age.

"You... don't know how to cook?"

I turned around to see Quinn with both her brows furrowed as if she was deep in thought.

Gio scratched the back of his head and mumbled something under his breath.

"How is that possible? Where did you grow up?"

He seemed to think about it for a moment, probably deciding whether or not he should explain why to us before saying, "I was weak as a child. I wasn't sent to an Omega's House to do chores because of that."

"And they still let you take the Evaluation?" Quinn asked suspiciously.

"They did. Just because I was weak doesn't mean that I'll automatically become an Omega. They said it's only fair I take the Evaluation along with the rest," he answered smoothly, daring to raise his eyes to meet hers.

Quinn huffed before turning away, going back to whatever she was doing.

"You don't look weak to me," I said, glancing at him before looking back at the fish I was cooking.

I could see him intensely staring at me with the corner of my eye.

"Are you saying that you don't believe me?"

"Of course not! I'm just saying that you look fine to me," I twirled the stick with the fish stabbed in it.

He didn't respond, but I could still see him staring at me.

After we ate lunch, we decided to just roam around the area a bit, which was Dex's suggestion since he stayed back a while ago.

Gio was the one who stayed back this time, and he didn't seem to mind it.

We walked around, making sure not to go too far from where the tents were.

Soon, we found out that this place was quite resourceful, with little animals running here and there, trees with lots of fruit prepared for harvest, and there was even a pond nearby with some fish living in it.

But we would have to leave this place soon. We'd eventually have to go off and find the flags and also visit the checkpoints scattered around the area.

Each team was given a map, with the location of one of the three flags. The checkpoint locations weren't given though, so it's possible to miss some of them.

I could hear Zoey and Quinn chatting loudly behind me as I led the way back to our tents. I honestly felt left out.

Zoey, Quinn, and Dex were pretty much like a trio since they came from the same pack, so Gio and I were like outsiders, in a way.

Once we arrived, I could immediately feel Gio's burning gaze on me as we settled down on the makeshift chairs he created with logs and cushions that were provided in the bags.

Quinn and Dex prepare our dinner while Gio and I pick the berries from the bushes surrounding our tents.

A soft meow and a rustle came from one of the bushes.

I dropped one of the berries in surprise and a tiny little paw came out of the bushes to take the berry. A fluffy white cat (the cat at the left, at the pic attached above^) peeks at me curiously in between the leaves.

"Awww," I say as I take it in my arms. "You're adorable."

I pet its luscious white fur as it meows contentedly.

Gio gets up from one of the bushes and I see a cat that has its arms and paws wrapped around his head.

He gently took the little cat in his arms as it meowed in protest, trying to wriggle away from his grip.

The cat by my feet starts to paw my ankle, meowing loudly as I pet its head. I take the precious little fluff ball in my arms and walk over to Gio, who seems to be teasing the tiny little kitten as he raises it in the air.

Right at that moment, my ears pick up on the subtle sound of twigs yielding beneath the pressure of approaching footsteps.