Every girl at the age of eighteen, if left unmated, is volunteered for the Alphas Hunt. Hazel is no exception and also the only one who sees it not as a chance to find a strong Alpha to take care of her, but rather as a ceremony that strips you of your free will and sends you out into the woods to be hunted like a deer.

If she is claimed she will be his. If she is not, she will return in shame and be shunned from her pack.

Hazel knows the ways of the Alphas, being the daughter of a Beta but what she doesn't count on is the presence of the Lycan King. The leader of all is participating in his first-ever hunt and she is his prey.

***Warning: This book contains a LOT of mature content such as strong language, explicit s*x scenes, BDSM, etc.***

The angelic music played in the speakers around the pack. The torches were lit along the streets and the moon shone brightly in the center of the sky.

A shadow was cast over the edge as the blood moon began to form and once it was fully merged it would be time, and later on when the the blood moon begun to pull from its form the horn would blow- indicating that the Hunt had begun.

“Are you nervous?” My little sister, Mathilda, asked me.

“Hazel isn’t nervous, sweetheart, this is an honor. One that you too might experience in a few years if you’re lucky.” I shifted on the bed and suppressed the growing anger towards my mother.

I looked into Mathildas hopeful eyes and cupped her tiny chin.

“I hope you never do,” I said and cast a fierce glare at my mother when I turn my head.

If a female didn't have her mate by the time she turned eighteen, she was to be a volunteer for the Hunt. It wasn't her choice but somehow, through the centuries that this tradition had been alive, young girls had been brain washed to see this as an honor.

If we were unmated our names were automatically placed into the Chalice of Choice that the ring leader would later pull from. The name had always boggled me, Chalice of Choice, it was ironic because we had none.

You would never see a parent more proud than when their daughters names were read.

The blinding joy in their eyes when they saw their girls being taken away, thrown into the truck and driven out of the pack. It was rare that they were ever seen again but their absence was taken as a good sign.

“You’re all finished, dear,” my mother stroked her hands gently over my shoulders.

She walked over and grabbed the white under dress. It was barely a dress, it looked like a nightgown but thinner and more exposing.The thin straps were pressing into my shoulders, my skin turned red when my chest was to big for the size my mother had gotten. We also weren't allowed to wear bras, our legs had to show and no shoes or socks were allowed.

We had to be as bare as possible, shamed and belittled to our core before we arrived at the house.

I had witnessed the Chalice ritual more than once in my life and each time there were factors that never deviated; The girls were lined up next to each other, their hands clasped behind them to give a good overview of their bodies, their hair fell in braids-either one or two- down their back but could never cover their chest or their face. When a girls name was called she was to step forward without speaking- not a single word or sound except for the subtle breath exhaled between her scrubbed lips. They were evaluated by the Lady Hale who then ranked the girls from 1 to 10.

It was rare for a girl to ever get below 3.

You see, in order to get below 3 you would have to be a weak-as-hell omega without any redeeming qualities and to be thought of as nothing more than a waste of space. Or you had to be wolf-less; my stomach churned becuase one of the girls tonight didn't have her wolf yet and that hadn't happened in over a century. Those who were given anything three and under were forbidden from participating in the Hunt, they were cast aside and many times shunned by their packs and their families as a result of the shame.

When I tell you that those are the lucky ones…

The others, those who get rated 4s and up, are blindfolded, their hands are bound and they are led to the truck that will later drive them away.

The scary part for me wasn't the ceremony, I knew what happened at the ceremony, what frightened me was what happened after when the truck drove away and the girls were unloaded at the house. How it was to meet the Alpha’s that were meant to hunt them, when they got that first sniff and everything else that they had known their entire lives became obsolete. All for the pleasure of the Alphas. Nobody knew what happened there because you’re never allowed to hear about it, the girls that leave don't come back.

“Let’s go,” my mother reached out her hand. I took one last look in the mirror, my hands slightly trembling at my sides and my toes pressing into the cold floor.

“Sure,” I ignored her hand and walked out of the house.

I stoped on the staircase leading up from the garden and watch the lines of girls marching toward the cliff. The amount of white dresses and bared bodies was almost scary...they looked like gosts haunting the streets but they were happy. I was terrified. I knew it wasn't sunshine and roses that awaited us. It wasn't a fairytale ending with an all powerful alpha; it was hell, where the men ruled and we followed. If you, as the chosen mate, didn't obey...there were no rules for the alphas and their prey after the hunt was over.

I took a step, about to descend the three step staircase and join the girls when I was stoped by a small hand grabbing my arm. I turned around and looked into the doe eyes of my sister. I hunched down in front of her and fixed her floral cardigan before pulling her in.

“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered so only I could hear. It would be seen as disrespect if anyone heard her, she should be happy for me but luckily my sister had listened to me more than my parents in her years.

“I know, baby, but I have too. I promise I will be fine,”

The first tear fell from her eye.

“Will you come back to me?”

I squeezed her shoulders and swallowed the burning lump in my throat. How do I tell her that it isn't up to me anymore?

“Do you remember when I promised that I would never lie to you?” She nodded her little head and wiped her red nose so I continued, “I don't know if I can come back to you but I promise to always think about you and to do everything I can to come and visit. Is that good enough?”

I saw her trying to smile through the tears and it broke my heart that I couldn't take her inside and close the door, to promise her that I would never leave.

Never in my life had I wished for a mate or a man but right now I kind of wished that I had met my mate here, because then I wouldn't have to go.

“Yes,” she whimpered out.

"let's go," Trixy said as she stood in the front of my mind.

***

The spot where the ritual happens had always been the same. It’s the edge of a mountain surrounded by the forest overlooking the pack. The stabbing stones under our feet were said to draw out any impurities before we reached the top of the mountain.

I always used to roll my eyes when the girls bled on the stones as they walked this path- they would smile and look enticed at the blood trail behind them. However, walking the trials myself, I felt every sharp cut stone under my feet and pressed my nails into the palms of my hands to keep from growling.

We walked in the circular pathway, our feet were covered in blood and the more you bled the more sins you had committed that needed to be washed out. Apparently I had managed many sins in this lifetime. I grunted and tried not to think about the pain.

The moss covered rocks around us were damp from last nights rain and the cool breezes sweeping in were piercing my skin like razors. I’m a werewolf and we don't freeze easy but I hadn’t eaten for two days so both my wolf and I were weak and not at all our best selves. They say the two days of fasting is so we look as lean and perky as possible but I say it is to keep us weak, tired and meek for the Alphas.

“Can you believe it’s our turn?” Iliana sang and pulled her braid through her fingers.

“No, i really can’t,” I answered.

I dug my nails into the palms of my hands to redirect the pain that swept through my body. Nobody here could see me shiver or be cold, that too would be seen as a weakness and anything you do to bring shame upon yourself will also be reflected on your family. I couldn't do that to them- especially my sister who would be the one suffering the most from everyone turning their backs on her. All of her friends would be forbidden from ever talking to her again, or even playing with her. No boy would look her way when she became of age and our family would be marred forever.

“There now! Gather around. Accompanied families you make take your positions around the cliff but please do not interfere once Lady Hale begins her evaluation of the girls.”

Our family members, the ones meant to protect us and love us, skiped in joy to stand behind the white marker painted in a circle on the ground.

“Line up!” said captain Tala.

We moved into formation, each girl from tallest to shortest stood in a half-moon inside the circle.

I stood next to Iliana, our height measured the same but she was thin and tight where as I was curvy with a big chest and a round ass. I inherited my curves from my mother, she said it was a gift and would frequently explain to my sister and I ’how boring it would be if every female looked the same with their long legs and symmetric proportions’.

Boring indeed to look like a walking model with the strength and stamina of a werewolf.

I bit back a chuckle looked around the circle.

“I’m so nervous,” Olive said and fixed her bust, she lifted her breast and unbuttoned two buttons on her brasier.

“Not me. Just think about the Alphas, close your eyes and imagine arriving at the house,” Liv said and closed her eyes, “you step inside and see them, big, tall and powerful and they’re all yours. They will chase you and not the other way around,” she said and bit down on her glossy lip seductively.

She shouldn't be wearing lipgloss, it’s against the rules and that was all I could think about now whereas the girls around her were getting giddy thinking about what was waiting for them.

Why couldn't I have been as brainwashed like them? Then I would stand here and dream about big hunky men chasing me, wanting to claim me, instead of panicking over the fact that it wasn't a fairytale we were walking into. We were giving everything up, every ounce of free will is stripped the second they put a number on your head. And just when I thought that I had scared myself to the core, they spoke.

“Lady Hale everyone.” Captain Tala stepped back.

The blood in my veins felt like it froze to ice when I heard the footsteps come at us. Lady Hale walked out from around the covered shed and she held her signature cane in her hand, the eagle head on the top would always be stained in blood after the ritual but it was spotlessly polished in the begining.

“Hello girls,” He voice was smooth and spoken through a smirk on her red lips. Her long black hair sat high on her head and fell in a braid to her lower back.

She’s wearing a black leather corset and black jeans that cling to her body like a second skin.

“We shall begin right away, I hear the Alpha’s are more than eager to meet this years selection of girls,” she purred.

Like we’re priced cattle up for auction.

The girls smiled but kept their eyes stuck on their feet. We obey the rules or we get punished and we have seen this happen to many times to mess up now that it’s our turn and we’re the ones who can get in trouble.

The small notes with each girls name on it was being sifted in the chalice. They took their sweet time choosing, wanting each girl desperate and sweating before the first name was called.

“Anna Winston,” Lady Hale walked up to her and scanned her from top to bottom. Anna was nervously pressing her toes into the dirt and pulling them in. She was fidgeting, something that was seen as a sign of weak nerves. Everyone stiffened when Lady Hale stabbed her cane down next to Annas foto and she froze. We all froze from the sound of the sharp tip slicing through the wind.

She lifted the cane and the eagle-head pressed under Anna’s chin and her head was lifted. Only now was Anna allowed to make eye contact.

Lady Hale always watched the body first, evaluating everything she saw and she ranked you on four factors; chest, waist, hips and ass. The face was a whole other factor, one she looked at last. Over the years Lady Hale had made remarks that stuck in our heads, we would recite them later- for me it was mockery but for the other girls it was like reciting a whole scripture.

One of the remarks that stuck was three years ago, one of the girls had a big scar running from her eye to her lips and Lady Hale said ’I can sell an ugly face but not an ugly vessel. You may not bare his children but you will make him happy’

“Turn for me,” she said. I shivered and returned from the memories that plagued me.

Anna turned, her hands fell to her sides when she did a full spin before stopping in front of Lady Hale.

“Hm,” the eagle head landed roughly on her colors bone and pulled down over Anna’s chest, the wings pressed down over her nipple and Anna gulped while looking for a sign on Lady Hales face to see what she though.

“Lovely,” Lucy Hale watched with contentment and scribbled something on her board.

She raised the cane and stabbed the sharp beak of the eagle into Anna’s side. The pain had her bending over, she was weaker due to the lack of nutrition- that wouldn't have hurt her otherwise. Her eyes glowed when her wolf stepped forward, agitated by the pain and Lady Hale was watching with pride. Her eyes glimmered and she smiled as she turned the beak and the drew the first drop of blood from her first victim.

“Very well, seven,” she declared. Anna gasped and shifted her head, her mother was clapping from the sidelines as Anna’s hands were tied behind her back by captain Tala.

The fear in her eyes twinkled when she looked at her mom and her dad stood behind smiling proudly. It wasn't fear of being taken from her family, it was fear of disappointing them.

*Only if a girl wasn't chosen by an Alpha would she return home. They would be taken back as soon as the Hunt was over and would forever live as castaways. Unwanted by any pack, even their own. It was unfathomable the shame that would be brought upon the whole family if a girl returned unmarked. Many parents hoped to never see their girls again after the ritual.

Anna looked down at her feet as Lady Hale continued the rounds with the girls.

She stood in front of Jess, a girl i’ve been close to since we were kids and also the one I’ve feared for the most the whole of last year. Jess was the kindest girl you’ll ever meet but the fear in her eyes wasn't a reflection of her ranking but rather the fact that she won't get one- Jess doesn't have a wolf. She was the first pack member in a century to be born without a wolf and I felt my heart beating faster the longer Lade Hale stood with her.

Just one glance was all it took.

Lady Hale stepped back and tilted her head.

“Shift,” she gave the order.

I could see Jess fighting to tell her, I told her to be honest immediately and be grateful that she didn’t have her wolf. She’ll get to stay, her parents would never shun her, they were good people, and if the Alpha did then they would go with her. She would never be alone. The silence was deafening as everyone waited for the inevitable. I watched her parents press up abasing each other with tears pooling in their eyes in fear of how Lady Hale would handle their daughter.

Jess gulped and called on all of her courage.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

Lady Hale stepped aside with a scowl.

It went to fast for anyone to see but the eagle ornament strikes Jess’s face and she fell to the ground.

“Such a waste of a pretty face.” All she had to do was flick her head and two warioirs were by her feet in a second. "Dispose of her."

"Yes, Lady Hale."

I heard her cries as the warriors dragged her away into the woods. They would leave her there and after the ceremony her parents would be able to go and get her; I saw them in the corner of my eyes, they wanted to run after her but there were rules and certain ones couldn't be broken without causing further consequents. I could still hear Jess’s screams and only when she was far enough away did it stop.

One by one they were ranked and rated and now Lady Hale stood in front of me. I look down at my feet, refusing to disobey even though it’s taking every one of restraint I have not to raise my head and meet her contending gaze.

I hear the faint sound of a chuckle and even then I still don't look up.

“They will most certainly have fun with you,” she said. The cold of the metal abasing my skin made me shiver as she slid the cane up my leg, lifting the dress as she went. The beak would occasionally made slits on my leg and my hip, drops of blood made a cooling path down my leg.

“Spin.” she ordered and the change in her voice was instant. The gruff change and demanding tone had me sucking my teeth and focusing on the pain to stay obedient.

I turned on the spot, the dress rode up further and she watched every angle of my body. I felt the hairs rise on my thighs as the wind blew in and brushed against my bare skin.

“Very nice. Eight” she cooed.

Capitan Tala came up behind me and my hands were pulled behind my back and bound with rope dipped in wolfsbane.

I ground my teeth to dust when I felt the poison seep into my skin.

Once everyone was ranked, Lady Hale ordered for the blindfolds to be put on and complete darkness followed when I was being led to the truck.

This was it, this was the end. My parents were probably waving, my sister pressing back against my fathers legs in fear and I couldn't say goodbye to any of them.

It happened quickly, the grading and grabbing, I was already in the truck sitting on a damp wooden bench with splinters poking into my thighs.

Sweat and fear filled the air, it was a scent unlike any other and one we had grown accustomed to acknowledging.

The truck was driving over a bumpy road and with each bump I felt my body lifting from the seat and the taller girls slammed their heads against the low ceiling.

We continued for what felt like forever and not a single source of light manage to penetrate the truck walls.

The car eventually stoped and I listened in, trying to hear something that could give me a hint of where we were but all I heard was the footsteps on moist ground. The feet that pressed into the water filled grassed, like stomping on wet moss.

Someone opened the doors and small rays of light danced on top of the blindfold.

I smelt the damp grass, bark and the oak. We had to be in the woods, it made sense considering that’s where the hunt took place. I never knew where the house was though. Any time someone returned for the briefest moment they were forbidden from ever discussing what went on after the ritual.

We were all pulled from the truck one by one and led over the grounds to a smoother surface.

I felt myself being jerked to a stop and my arm brushing against another. For some reason I still heard the gleeful squeals of the girls around me.

Don’t they realize that we were on the threshold of the beginning of the rest of our lives? This wasn’t a fairytale where we meet a prince that would take us to his castle and love us forever. This was more like Shrek where Fiona was locked in the tower and no prince ever came to save her. She saved herself but the analogy ends there because there was no saving of any sorts. There was no prince charming in that house. There were however Alphas, some of our worlds strongest and most fear leaders who take pleasure in the hunting of young girls to later groom and use. Some marry and actually fall in love but it’s rare. And then there is the leader, the Lycan king. He’s not known for his loving tenderness or his wonderful leadership, he’s known for the tyranny he reins on his people and the iron fist with which he leads.

The shiver going through me right now was no joke, my shoulders spasmed and my spine did a slithering shake.

“Bring them in.” A dark voice tossed the order behind me. He was elevated from the ground, that much was clear.

My body jerked when someones hands came around my head and undid the blindfold. It was like every nerve in my body was on high alert, all because they took away my ability to see. Normal it wouldn't bother me but I was weak right now and so was my wolf so to remove a sense was not optimal.

The light from the sun immediately blinded me and I closed my eyes to allow them some time before they adjusted.

“Move!” Ordered Captain Tala and pushed my shoulder to get me going.

The other girls were looking excitedly at the surroundings. We were deep in the woods, I saw the goblin moss that covered the rocks as far as I could see.

The crowns on the trees were thick and bushy, preventing the sun from reaching the ground most hors of the day. I was too busy looking around at the trees and the plants to notice where I stepped. I stubbed my toe on the widened stone staircase and cursed as I fell against the steps. Captain grabbed my arm and forced me up to my feet. She glared with a fierce frustration when I slowly stood in pain and bit back a wailing whine.

“That bitch needs to be put in her place” Trixy said and my eyes widened for a fraction of a second out of fear of captain Tala overhearing. That was until I remembered that she couldn't hear my wolf though the fear was very much visible.

“Don’t say that,” I bit back.

“Why? It’s not like she can hear me,”

No she couldn't but it frightened me still. Words like that could get you killed. Captain Tala was respected, high up in rank with the council and a true force. Rumor has it she used to work with the Dark Guard, they were the councils last line of defense and the last people you wanted to see on your doorstep. If the Dark Guard showed up, you knew that your minutes were numbered.

Captain Tala was one of their enforcers, she was their most skilled killer and had taken down more creatures than anyone could count.

The door to the house closed behind us and the sound of the lock being turned echoed in my head.

We were led through the rundown rickety house which was not at all how I had envisioned the meetup spot to look like.

There was a giant hole in the roof and through it I could see the sky as clear as if I were outside. It was the only spot where trees didn't cover the view.

Layers of dust were gathering on the surfaces of the broken wooden boards and the decaying bureaus. A big closet in the corner of the first room had a door that hung of its hinges and inside hung clothes that seemed to have been eaten on by something.

I dragged a deep breath and held it when the smell of rotting flesh seeped up my nose.

The girls all covered their noses and its moments like these that being a werewolf was a curse.

Our heightened smell unfortunately allowed us to smell the scents of everything, including sweat, blood and sex. All of which were mixing in my nose right now.

Captain Tala held open a door and we all piled through it into a cold room. The windows were broken and faced the leafy forest, no light came in and the chilly breeze swept around from the vent.

“Face the wall.” She said without stepping inside with the rest of us.

We lined up and faced the wall as ordered.

There was s a white linen sheet that hung in the ceiling, blowing subtly by the breeze around the room.

Pieces of lace were stuck to the wooden boards and if I stared at them long enough I could se them dancing in shapes of a woman in heels swigging in the wind.

It was beautiful and cut short by the sound of heavy steps pressing against the squealing floor boards. No one spoke as they shifted position and I heard someone leaving as another one entered.

The door behind us slammed shut but us girls weren't alone, someone was inside the room with us.

He held a high rank, our wolves felt it in their core and Trixy reluctantly fell in a submissive bow and bared her neck.

His eyes warmed the back of my neck as he scanned me from where he stood. He walked behind each girl, taking her in and undressing her with his eyes. The white linens we wore did little to hide our bodies and I felt on my skin where his eyes were wandering as they left behind a heated trail. There was only one male in our world that would be allowed a peak before the others but I had never heard of him participating in the Hunt. He stepped back and I could hear how everyone in the room held their breath, myself included.

“Turn.” His voice was dark and low with a controlled calm I had never heard before.

I spun slowly until I face him. We got a good look for a second but Trixy forced my head down and I could feel her backing away instantly with her tale between her legs.

My breath was caught in my throat and my legs were shaking, fighting to hold me up. My head was still down but I managed to peak at the girls to see how they were holding up.

Some were holding their breaths, others were happily waiting for a formal introduction but me? I was terrified, replaying the rumors I'd heard about the Lycan King and dreading finding out wether or not they were true.

He clapped his hands behind his back and ran his eyes over each and everyone of us. We were all pinned to the spot without anyone keeping us here. Our feet pressed heavy as if glued to the floor and our heads were down, almost impossible to raise unless we were told too. I flickered my gaze for a split second and him stand there stoically. He raised his head and I was met with eyes colder than a glacier.