“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.

When I was ten my mother sat me down, looked into my innocently naive eyes and proudly said, ’Hazel, in a few years you will be apart of our worlds most grandest tradition and be chosen by an Alpha.’

My response was always ’no thanks, mama’. I was happy gliding through life in school, with my friends, chasing and hunting in the woods.

My only dream was gaining my wolf and going on real hunts and maybe one day, if I were lucky, join the Shadow Guard and work for the council.

That all chipped away slowly as I grew up and before I knew it I was eighteen with no mate being told it was time I partake in the Hunt. Not as a hunter, no, girls couldn't be hunters. Us girls were the prey, hunted like a deer in the woods until caught by an Alpha and becoming his claim.

I shiver as I stand thinking about this tradition, the one I had been told was an honor and that I now was part of.

There wasn't much time to ponder on the past when the Lycan King suddenly moved toward us. He had been watching for minutes now and I thought that maybe he was just getting a glimpse and then he would go.

He walked closer and started at the end of the line.

Her head was forced back with a rough pull of her chin, a quiet gasp left her lips and his chilling cold eyes circle down her chest.

“Turn.”

His voice sent my nerves into overdrive and they tingled in my arms as I pressed my hands tighter together like it was an order for us all.

Lily start turning.

“Slower.” He said calmly but it was the darkness in his voice that had us all covering.

She gulped and slowed down, each step thought out with a small pause to allow him time to see her.

Lily was the epitome of a healthy female werewolf. She’s tall, the tallest of us all, with model-like legs that were tight and firm. Her hips were narrow and her stomach flat with visible muscle and her chest were perky and filled out her clothes nicely. He moved closer and grabbed her shoulders to stop her from spinning any further. His lips hovered close to her skin and he pushed her down.

“Kneel.”

I saw something moving on her face, a smirk that shadowed her lips. Her eyes sparkled now and she did as she was told. She was in a squatting position when he told her to stop and he raised her dress. He told her to continue down on her knees.

The dress fell around her like a flower and her back was facing him.

Darian moves to the next girl and I lowered my head further. He was five girls away and then it was my turn.

“Kneel.” He orders without sparing her a second glance.

The girl kneeled and he moved to the next.

My nerves were tensing the closer that he got and I felt my wolf trembling with her body so close to the floor that she almost laid down.

I lifted my gaze an inch when I heard his groan and watched as he reached out his fingers and snapped her brazier open to expose her chest. The chill in the room bushed over her skin and he watched her nipples stiffened. I wasn't thinking as I shot out my arm to to over her but luckily I'm stopped before it reaches anywhere.

Iliana holds my arm and her eyes bore into mine with a loud warning.

But it was to late and Darian turned his head and glared at me. His eyes gently lower to where Iliana was holding me and she slowly let go of me and folded her hands behind her back.

Many say as a joke that certain animals can smell fear, it is very true that fear has a scent and at that moment I was reeking of it.

“Do you oppose me undressing her?” Everyone looked up as subtly as possible and stared with widened eyes at me.

I shook my head and lowered my gaze, “No, sir,” it came out no louder than a whisper.

Darian moved closer to me, with each step his eyes took in more of my body because in the end it was how we look that determined our chances in the Hunt. Nothing else mattered to them but what he saw and it appealed to him.

“You stoped her.” He said and moved to Iliana.

Panic was slowly starting to creep up on me.

“I-i’m sorry.” She stuttered.

“Why did you stop her?” He moved like a predator and his words were calm but it wasn't like a calm breeze, no it was a lethal poison that was calm until ingested after which it would kill you with ease.

“Because i- i didn’t want her to get hurt.”

“Smart girl.” He’s standing in front of her, his eyes cast glances at me and the ones I meet sent chills down my spine. How could a person seem so cold? It was as though his heart didn’t beat as ours. I didn’t feel any warmth from him.

“And what if you were to get hurt because you protected her?”

My eyes were now as wide as saucers and my breast are rising high as I'm getting choked by the dress.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly.

I pressed my nails as hard into my skin as I could to stop my legs from shaking. Maybe if one part of me is hurting it will draw attention from the others and I won't think about how my legs are nearly folding underneath me.

Darian stands staring soullessly at Iliana and it’s all because she looked out for me.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear something inaudible. I feel my brows pressing down when I realize that I can't listen in on his words.

Iliana’s head shot up and she stared in fear, frozen in her spot and doesn't move a single muscle.

Darian makes a quick move and I look up to see his hand wrapped around her throat and Iliana was up on her toes.

He pulled her in and I see his eyes changing color.

“Now.” He barked by her ear and turned to face us, “stay, don’t move until I get back and do not make a sound.” He ordered.

Iliana fell to the floor and coughed as she scurried across the room to a craggily door that opened with a force.

She walked inside and disappeared in the darkness that lurked in there. I heard a squeal and then noticed Darian turning to walk after her. His fingers worked his belt and slipped it out from its loops.

The leather was snapped in his hands and stretched as he walked into the room. My head snapped to the side and I see the girls looking as confused as myself.

The door slammed shut and I jump from the sound.

Every bone in my body was telling me that something bad was going to happen and if it did, it would be my fault because she protected me.

We had no choice but to wait because that’s what we were told.

The orders were clear and Trixy couldn't disobey them even if she tried.

Our faces contorted in fear when we heard the sounds. The sound of leather landing on her skin with a whipping sound that bounced against the walls and made me clench my eyes.

She screamed, one quick scream that filtered over to a choking sob. I wanted to move, to run in there and knock him to the ground- just long enough for Iliana to run away.

“He’ll kill us”

“I know but he’s hurting her.” I said and try to reason but I knew it wasn't her fault that I couldn't move. The kings orders were different than an Alpha’s. Our Alpha’s orders were strong but could in certain situations still be disobeyed. Darians orders were different, it was physically impossible for us to defy them.

It was quiet for a while before Ilianas choked screams filled the room and seeped out through the cracks of the the broken boards, cutting into my ears like razorblades.