Boris was still trying to process everything when one of the men who stayed behind said, "Come with us."
"Huh? Where?" he asked, half dragging the healing kit and his coat along.
"To change."
He stopped walking. "Change what?"
The man looked at him deadpan. "Your clothes. To the Trial outfits."
Trial outfits? Didn't they hear him? "I am not going to join this selection trial but I will follow because I do not want to fight with anyone. But you have to show me first to Alpha Quinn so I can talk to him."
They didn't even give him a face or reply to him or agree to his fair deal.
He stepped into the side room where he was supposed to change into the Trial clothes and his eyes fell when he saw the 'Trial Clothes' they were talking about.
Skirts. Crop tops. Strapless dresses.
Everything designed to accentuate hips that he did not have were here in the name of 'Trial Clothes'. The fabrics looked like they belonged in a she-wolf moon dance ritual, more than a selection trial for a Luna GUARD!
Boris blinked, pointed at them, then at himself. "You know I'm a he, right?"
One of the attendants who were already there to dress, a short woman with terrifyingly sharp eyes, rolled her eyes. "You look delicate already and this is what's left. The other contestants have picked theirs. Plus, weren't you the one who chose to be here despite knowing you are a 'he'? You want to go naked?"
Boris stared. "...Not particularly."
He literally had no choice, everyone here including the females looked tougher than him. So, he dressed. Or tried to. The crop top barely reached his ribs, the skirt-thing hung wrong, and his legs were too long for whatever "elegance" this outfit was supposed to give.
"This is a hate crime," he muttered.
He was still struggling with the waist tie when he heard yelling outside the dressing tent. Female voices, mean, sharp ones, like they'd been waiting to release venom.
"Oh come on, she brought a child to the trial?"
"She's not even serious. She must think this is a picnic."
"She should've left the brat at home, what kind of Luna Guard has to babysit a kid while guarding the Luna?"
Boris frowned, yanking the tie tight and stumbling out of the tent. What would they then say if they found out a man was joining in this charade they treasured so much?
Plus, he was sure a group of ladies would beat him alone to a pulp but, bullying can also lead to one or two getting injured if they should get physical… and he was a healer… so….
A small crowd had gathered around a young woman clutching a girl, maybe five or six, who looked pale and weak. The little one's head lolled slightly, and Boris' healer instincts snapped awake.
"Pup Fever? Move!" he barked, pushing past the girls. 'Where have you been all these while?' He asked his wolf inside.
"What the… are you wearing a skirt, sir?" one of them laughed, but he ignored it.
He knelt beside the child. The mother was shaking, eyes wide with panic. "She… she just got too hot, and then she… I just had to bring her with me, but she…"
"Shh, she fainted, I know. You brought water?" Boris asked, already checking the girl's pulse.
She nodded and handed him a flask with trembling fingers.
He worked quickly, removing the girl's shoes, elevating her legs, sprinkling water on her face. His kit was still in the corner of the dress room where he left it so he ran, grabbed a small vial of salts and returned, dabbing it beneath the child's nose. Moments later, the child stirred, blinking slowly.
"She's okay. Just that she has Pup fever and the heat, doubled with exhaustion, wasn't helping matters," he murmured, brushing the child's hair back.
The mother cried in relief. "Oh moon Goddess."
Boris sat back, exhausted too, only to realize half his skirt had ripped. His knee was showing through, and his hair was sticking to his forehead. What a look.
Then came the snickering.
"Oh wow. Gay wolf in a crop top to the rescue."
"Must've thought this was a fashion show. Healers are really getting desperate."
"He smells like wet omega and old herbs. With that smell you want to be the Luna's Guard, faking like you're a girl?"
Boris clenched his jaw, standing slowly. "I can really hear your jealousy."
But they were circling now, fake sympathy on their faces. "Aww, don't cry. Maybe they'll make a new rank just for you. Luna's Nurse."
Yeah, this wasn't his choice! He was about to fire something back when…
"What's going on here?"
The voice cut through the crowd like a blade through silk.
The child suddenly sprang to her feet, her eyes wide. "Uncle!"
The crowd parted like a river. Uncle?
Boris turned, and there he was.
Alpha Malakai.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Black coat brushing the ground. His aura alone silenced everyone, thick and overwhelming like smoke made of shadow and power. His eyes, now a golden shade of brown, looked piercing as it swept the crowd, then dropped to the little girl who ran to him, wrapping her arms around his leg.
She tugged his coat and pointed. "That Auntie made me inhale salt!"
Boris felt his chest clench. Auntie? Of course. The skirt, the ripped tie, the crop top, the flushed face… oh moon. Of course, he looked like an auntie to a pup at her age.
Alpha Malakai's gaze rose and locked with his.
Boris stood there, half-dressed, herb-smelling, and still clutching an empty water flask.
~Mate!~