Chapter 1
I walked down the old stairs slowly, grimacing every time one of the steps creaked, the sound ringing in my ears. I fiddled with the sleeves of my soft gray sweater, it was almost 6 in the morning and I didn’t want the teary goodbyes from last night to be repeated. We all knew that I’d be chosen, most likely by the wolf we all hated deeply.
I entered the kitchen, I had about 5 minutes before I had to head to the entrance of the Ring. Myself and 19 other female wolves would have to wait at the large solid steel doors of the entrance. That would only be after they took us to a seperate building to be scrubbed down and then clothed in a white shirt and sweatpants.
The kitchen was cluttered with dishes and some food from last night’s goodbye. We hadn’t bothered to go to the pack house, keeping it a close family affair. Many people had stopped by earlier in the week some of them giving condolences and others giving congratulations.
It seems some thought being chosen out of hundreds of other girls was impressive, I hadn’t even known I was going to be though. Only wolves from 18 to 25 can be chosen. Females almost always get chosen only one or two haven’t. For the males it all depends on the rank of the wolf. An alpha gets to go three times, a beta gets to go twice, and so does a gamma. Any wolf with a rank lower than gamma goes only once.
I went to the fridge and grabbed an apple before shaking my head and putting it back. I know I should eat, but my stomach was turning at the thought. Fear rolled through me, but I just took a deep breath and pushed it down instead of succumbing to it.
I checked my phone and frowned down at the bright screen. I only had a few minutes before I had to leave. The Ring was a two hour drive from my pack’s land. It was located in a neutral ground that no pack was allowed to claim.
I walked out of the kitchen and saw my dad sitting on the couch in the living room. He looked up at me and stood. No words were spoken between us, but I knew what this meant. He was my dad and he was going to be there for me.
We walked out the front door together and got into his old pick-up truck. I looked back at the standard log cabin that all families of the pack were given. All of them varied in size, but had the same basic features. When a wolf turns 18 they normally move into the pack house until they find someone they want to mark and claim.
Our pack structure was actually very similar to that of a wolf pack. We had an alpha pair, a beta pair, and a gamma pair. The rest were lower ranking wolves who took care of various jobs to keep the pack going. The older people in the pack became babysitters and teachers for the pups. Some females became warriors others became hunters, the more ambitious wolves went out and became doctors or lawyers.
The males had the same options as the females and often chose to stay and defend the pack. In our pack the title of alpha always gets handed down from father to son or daughter, though in my opinion it wasn’t a very good system. It was the same for the beta and gamma. We didn’t have an omega in our pack...at least not one that the pack knows about.
My dad pulled out of the driveway and I shook my head to clear it. He glanced at me and often worry creasing his brow. My entire family was worried for me, an omega in the Ring could be dangerous. Wolves would fight for me and I could get caught in the crossfire.
Omegas were valuable and it put a target on my back. If a wolf found out what I was he would want me for what I could do for him not because he actually loved me. When I was younger I always dreamed of having a love like my grandparents had. They were hopelessly devoted to each other, my grandmother and grandfather are no longer with us. Without them I had felt lost for a long time. They passed when I was 16, that isn’t something you could get over in just 2 years. My heart still aches when I remember my grandmother’s smile.
My dad turned on the radio and a soft smile came to my lips when I heard it. Put Your Head On My Shoulder by Paul Anka was one of my favorites. I have always wanted to slow dance in the kitchen with the male of my dreams. Sadly it was a fantasy that has never been fulfilled.
The small disappeared when I remembered that my sad hope to one day do that died. It died the day I found the wolf -who I had thought had been the one- on top of my ex best friend his back muscles flexing as he moved inside her the same way he always did with me. The female underneath him saw me and had grinned, delighted at being able to hurt me.
I had backed away and closed the door softly behind me, her loud faked moans filling the air. I had run into the woods going to a secluded spot most didn’t know of, tears fell from by eyes. I hadn’t bothered to wipe any of them away letting myself cry for a lost love. I had only let myself cry for an hour.
When I finished I had been so surprised at the sense of relief I felt that it was over. That blue eyed demon put me through so much. In the first three months everything had been amazing, I had thought he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was only 5’8, but had soft blond hair and what I now know to be sadistic blue eyes.
I had been entranced by him, I had been so excited to have someone finally want me that I didn’t realize how he had been manipulating me. Cutting me off from the few friends I had managed to make and I let it happen. After the three months is when he started letting his anger show, he never laid a hand on me, but now 2 months after everything ended I got the feeling that he was still holding himself back.
He would punch holes in the wall right beside my head. I could still hear his snarls echoing in my ear. He would tell me how I am not doing enough for him. The hateful blue eye staring me down until I broke and did what he wanted.
My dad touched me on the shoulder and I realized we were parked. Probably someplace near the entrance to the Ring. I got out slowly, trying not to focus on my surroundings. If I focused on the large pine trees I might be tempted to run.
I could try to hide and wait until the two weeks are over, but I had a high chance of him finding me… If I hid in the middle I might be able to keep away from other wolves. My thoughts were cut off by my dad wrapping his arms around me. Tears sprang to my eye as I realized this might be the last time I got a hug from my dad.
“You’re strong,” My dad said, pulling away to look me in the eyes. “Don’t forget how strong you are Adalyn.” He gave me one last hug before getting into his dark grey truck and driving away.
I turned and noticed a tall dark form standing about ten yards away. I walked over to the tall female, her stony expression turning kind when she saw my short form. She stared down at me before stepping aside and pulling out a clip board with a bunch of names on it.
“Name?” she asked, glancing at the papers before smiling at me pleasantly.
“Adalyn Mason.” The tall blond haired woman nodded checking next to what I assumed was my name before opening the steel door for me.
“Straight ahead you’ll find the waiting room for the females. Once it is 8:30 and everyone is here they will take you through the process,” she paused to look at her watch, “You only have a few minutes left so go on in.”
I nodded and stepped into the brightly lit corridor. Unlike the door everything inside was made of concrete and painted white. I instantly hated it. It was too sterile, all the white reminded me of a hospital and I couldn’t help my cringe at the thought.
Memories of my grandmother flashing through my mind. Her old body being carted through the pack hospital, but they were too late to save her. The strongest woman in my life was taken from me forever.
