Sophie

When I woke up this morning, I raced to Amelia’s room, leaping onto her bed. “Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to see if you smell any delicious scents!” I say excitedly.

Today is my sister’s 18th birthday. As the daughter of the Alpha, my sister’s birthday will be the event of the year. Every Alpha in a 100-mile radius will be coming to her party tonight to see if she is his mate.

“Sophie,” she groans, pulling a pillow over her head. “I was up past midnight last night to see if I could smell my mate, but he’s not here. He’s not in our pack.”

“Well, that just means that you’re likely to be mated to an Alpha! Oh, I can’t wait to find my mate,” I say, pulling the pillow off her head.

I’m two years younger than my sister and this is the first time that I will really get to see what it’s like to be at a party for an Alpha female. I’ve heard the omegas whispering about it and I know my mother has been planning the event with my sister for at least a year. Decorations, dance floor, space for dining, and food preparation have all been underway for nearly two weeks. In the last 48 hours, the entire pack and packhouse has been chaotic.

“Sophie,” my mother says quietly, walking into Amelia’s room. “I need to speak to your sister. Go get some breakfast and have the omegas send some up for your sister and I.”

‘The talk,’ I mouth to Amelia so my mother can’t see. “Yes, mother,” I say out loud before hopping off the bed and walking up to hug my mother. She looks worried, which is strange because she should be excited after all the preparation she has done for the last year. But she gives me her usual hug before I step away and turn to my sister.

“See you soon, Amelia,” I say, walking out of the room.

I walk downstairs, seeing that everyone is still buzzing about the party tonight. Everyone loves my sister. She’s sweet and kind and as her younger sister, I would know. She’s never been mean or catty to me or anyone. She’s one of the kindest women I’ve ever met. I just hope that her mate recognizes what a gem she is.

I’m sure he will. And if she’s lucky, he’ll be an Alpha. That will make her a Luna and she can show that pack all the kindness that she has shown ours.

After sending trays of food up to my mother and sister and eating my own breakfast, I go in search of my father. Because I’m his daughter, I usually don’t knock on his office door unless I know he has company. I lean my ear against the door and when I don’t hear anything, I open the door to find my father with his head in his hands. I can smell the scent of scotch and I see an empty glass beside him on the desk.

“Dad, is everything okay?” I ask, worried. First my mother, now my father.

His head snaps up as he looks at me.

“Soapy, I didn’t hear you come in,” he says, snatching the glass off his desk and putting it in the drawer along with the bottle sitting beside him.

Soapy. It’s what my sister called me when I was born. My father loved it and never dropped the nickname, regardless of how many times my mother scolded him for using it.

“Why do you look so worried, Dad? Isn’t today a good day?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” he says, standing to walk over to me and hugging me.

My parents have always been very protective. No matter how many friends we had, we were never allowed to participate in their 18th birthday parties. That’s another reason I’m so excited for tonight. I’ve never actually seen anyone find their mate before. Well, I have within the pack, but usually you can tell who will be mated to whom. They start spending time together before they turn 18, like they are feeling the bond before it completely forges. Then, on the 18th birthday of the youngest of the two, they yell ‘MATE’ and rush into each other’s arms. It's very romantic.

But I’ve never seen a ranked member find their mate. All ranked members have parties like Amelia’s, or at least, I assume they are like Amelia’s. I’ve never been to one. No matter how much I begged and pleaded, I was never allowed. Amelia either. So, today is extra exciting for us.

“Is something wrong with the party? Do you need help?” I ask.

“No, honey,” he says, looking at his watch. “Look at the time. You should go start getting ready.”

My father’s voice remains sad, even though he pastes a smile on his face.

“If you need anything, let me know,” I say, as he leads me to the door of his office.

“What I need is for my Soapy to go get ready for her sister’s party.”

“Okay, Dad,” I say.

The rest of the afternoon, I get ready. Our omegas put my long chocolate colored hair into an intricate half-up half-down hairdo. They put just a bit of makeup on my face, to ‘enhance my natural beauty’, as they say. Since Amelia is the guest of honor, I’ll be greeting our guests with my parents as they arrive, so I have to be done earlier than she does.

However, I want to see my sister all dressed up before everyone else does. As her sister, I think I deserve a sneak peak of how beautiful she is. My sister’s hair is a lighter shade of brown than mine is. Where my hair is straight, hers has a natural curl and the omegas have enhanced that. She’s stunning.

“Amelia! You look gorgeous!” I say, walking into her room.

“Thanks, Sophie. You look great as well,” my sister says.

“Oh Amelia. I’m so excited for you! Tonight is going to be perfect,” I tell her.

“I hope so, Soph. I really do.”

“Well, he’ll get one look at you and there’s no way he’d ever reject you. You look like a princess.”

“Thank you.”

‘Sophie, the first cars are arriving, where are you?’ my mother asks me in the mind link.

‘Coming, mother,’ I say.

“I have to go. I’ll see you down there.”

My sister holds on to my hand as if she wants to say something as I pull away. I stop, turning to look at her, seeing the indecision on her face.

“I love you, Soph.”

“I love you too!” I say, moving out of her room and heading downstairs. I put a smile on my face as I walk out the front door of the packhouse to begin greeting our nearly 200 guests.

Hunter

“Hey, what time are we leaving to head to the Alpha’s daughter’s party?” Lucas, my Beta, asks.

“Do you mean what time are we heading over to Alpha Carter’s party? Or do you mean what time are we heading over to Alpha Amelia’s party?” I ask my Beta, my tone sharp. “They have names. You should know them and use them.”

It’s an uncalled for response and I know it, but I hate these parties. How any Alpha can find his mate and then share their first encounter with everyone in the room is beyond me. If anyone were to see my mate like that, I’d kill them. I don’t care if that meant I had to decimate every pack in this world. I don’t share. Never have, never will.

“Come on, Alpha. You know I didn’t mean it like that. It’s the way it is,” Lucas says.

“Maybe it shouldn’t be the way it is. We consider ourselves an advanced species from the humans and yet they ended this ridiculous practice centuries ago.”

I turn, looking at my Beta. “Do you really not care that every man in the room will watch you have sex with your mate on her first night? You don’t care that they’ll see her in some stage of undress? You’re willing to share the woman the Moon Goddess chose only for you with every lecherous man in the room?”

“Geez, Alpha, when you say it like that, it sounds creepy. There are ways to make sure she’s covered. I’m not like some of those assholes who strip their mate down and bend her over so the men get a front row view of him taking her as she sobs her heart out. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yeah? So, it’s better that you’re covering her body, but she can still see the room full of men behind you watching her as you pump into her?” I growl.

“What has gotten into you?” he asks me.

“I refuse to do that to my mate. The bond is supposed to be sacrosanct, and this forced act of a public mating does not fall in line with that. There is nothing about it that is sacred and don’t tell me that those males don’t get off watching that poor woman get claimed in front of them.” By the time I finish speaking, I’m snarling.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Alpha. You know that our pack, no pack, will accept your Luna if you don’t claim her publicly.

I do know. It’s why I’m glad that I haven’t found my mate yet.

My sister was older than I am. After her public claiming, she told me how horrible it was for her, how she could never trust her mate to care for her after that. She practically begged me to never mistreat my mate like that. I loved my sister, and I was devasted when she jumped off a cliff high enough to ensure she wouldn’t survive. When the packhouse doctor examined her to find out if she was pushed, he confirmed that she was pregnant with a female pup, and I knew exactly why she did it. She refused to allow her daughter to go through what she went through.

I have no intention of ever putting my mate through that. My sister was a strong woman, an Alpha female, and it was more than she could bear. If I ever do find my mate, and goddess willing I won’t, but if I do, I won’t mate her in front of a room full of onlookers. I won’t be the reason that my mate can’t ever trust me or worse, would prefer to end her life than live with me.

So, unlike my Beta, I have no desire to go to this party. If for some reason this girl is my mate, I will refuse to mate her in front of everyone. If she’s not, I have no desire to watch her public claiming.

However, I am an Alpha. An Alpha who was invited to this Alpha female’s birthday party and on the off chance that she is my mate, I’m going. I refuse to allow anyone else to try and claim my mate.

So, once we’re ready, Lucas and I get in the car and head to Alpha Carter’s pack lands. I drive because I need something to occupy my mind, something other than the possibility of what will happen tonight. When we arrive, I park in the already packed parking area and Lucas and I begin making our way to the packhouse.

When we get closer, I see Alpha Carter, his mate, Luna Amy, and a young she-wolf. I lift my nose in the air and realize that this female is a juvenile, not Alpha Amelia. However, she has the scent of the family so she must be a younger sister.

When we step up, I greet Alpha Carter and Luna Amy before turning to the young wolf. I feel a strange pull to her.

“What is your name, pup?” I ask her.

Her chin juts up and I smile at her defiance. “You’re not that much older than I am, Alpha. And my name is Sophie.”

“My apologies, Alpha Sophie,” I say, taking her hand, then leaning over and kissing it. “I meant no offense.”

Alpha Carter growls at me. “Sophie, as you stated, is underage Alpha.”

I turn and look at him. “I meant no harm, Alpha.”

I hold his gaze until he nods, recognizing that I wasn’t trying to be inappropriate with this young female. It makes me wonder who may have tried something with her already tonight. It’s not wise of Alpha Carter to let her stick around if her sister finds her mate. The males become randy and depending on how the male claims his mate, the process can put the ranked males into rut. Based on the look he’s giving me, he’s dreading tonight more than I am.

I step inside and see that the festivities are already going. There are several she-wolves in attendance who will provide an outlet to the randy males if the need arises. I don’t participate in those activities either. The entire process pisses me off. As I look around, I realize that every male here is hoping to get laid tonight, one way or another. It angers me. This innocent girl is celebrating her 18th birthday and instead of being the sweet party it was meant to be, it’s already feeling more about the ranked males in attendance than it is about the birthday girl.

There are a couple of Alphas here who aren’t falling into the craze of excitement and those are the ones I migrate to. I get a drink and go stand beside the four Alphas who are watching as the excitement in the room increases.

In some instances, even after the male identifies the female as his mate, they wait to complete their claiming until after dinner. I see that this girl’s parents, her name is Amelia, are hoping that if she finds her mate, that he’ll at least give her the time through dinner to get to know him.

“I can’t decide if I want her to be my mate or not,” Alpha Calvin says.

“I hope she’s mine. There aren’t a lot of pure Alphas left in our area. Amelia and her sister are the last two local Alpha females in this generation,” Alpha Dutton says.

“The energy in this room is getting so thick you could cut it with a knife,” Alpha Robin says.

“They make me forget that we’ve supposedly evolved from the wolves that give us our strength,” Alpha Kayce says.

As I sip my drink, Alpha Carter comes back inside and announces that everyone should move to the back room. We all move as instructed. I notice the younger sister, Sophie, standing off to the side, practically bouncing on her toes.

My wolf, Shaw, nudges me to go stand beside her.

‘Shaw, what’s up?’

‘I want to protect that girl. I like her.’

That’s unusual. He usually doesn’t pay a lot of attention at these things. For him, there’s nothing wrong with mating in front of everyone. In fact, he thinks it ensures that everyone knows that she is yours. However, he recognizes that the human side of our psyche doesn’t agree with this. He doesn’t fight me in my argument for claiming our mate publicly. At least, he hasn’t so far, but we haven’t found her yet either.

I move closer to where Sophie is watching the stairwell, waiting for her sister. The room has gone quiet. I step behind her, blocking the other males from getting too close to her. Her mother, Luna Amy, is standing beside her and she turns, glaring at me until she sees who it is. I realize that Shaw must have felt the inappropriate excitement of the other males in the room. If Ameilia isn’t their mate, Sophie is the next best choice.

I nod at Luna Amy, letting her know that I mean no harm to her daughter. She seems to understand, turning back to watch her oldest daughter walk down the stairs.

I know immediately that her mate is here. The question is, which one of these males is it. I follow her gaze as Calvin pushes forward in front of the others.

“Mate,” he says quietly, and I realize earlier that he had already smelled her. He knew Amelia was his mate and he had been watching the other males in the room get excited about watching him claim her tonight.

“Mate,” Amelia says, a tentative smile on her face. Because I’m standing so close to Sophie and her mother, I see the fearful look Amelia gives her mother. At her mother’s subtle nod, Amelia finishes walking down the stairs to Calvin.

Of all the Alphas here, Amelia could do much worse than Calvin. Of course, that may not matter. If my sister is any indication, the night of the marking and mating could set a bad tone for the rest of their lives.

We all watch as Calvin gently leans in and kisses his mate. Her cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink. She waits, obviously knowing that Calvin will decide the pace for the rest of the evening.

“Alpha Carter,” he says, turning to Amelia’s father. “Let’s have dinner.”

I see the tension drop off of Luna Amy’s shoulders. Sophie seems oblivious to what will happen later tonight, but Calvin is doing the best he can with the laws of our kind. He’s giving Amelia time to get to know him.

He escorts her to the dining room and the rest of us file in. I reach out my arm to Sophie. “May I escort you to your table, Alpha Sophie?” I ask her as Alpha Carter comes up to escort his mate into the dining hall. The two of them seem to be having a private conversation and aren’t paying attention to me and Sophie.

“Thank you, Alpha Hunter. You’re very kind,” she says, taking my arm. Shaw seems pleased that she knows my name.

“How old are you, Alpha Sophie?” I ask her.

“I’m sixteen, Alpha. I still have a couple of years before it’s my turn to find my mate. I’m so happy for Amelia. Do you know Alpha Calvin?”

“I do. He’s a good man, a good Alpha.”

“Amelia is the sweetest, kindest woman I’ve ever met. I hope he appreciates what a wonderful Luna and mate she will be for him,” she says, making my heart hurt even more.

As we walk into the dining hall, the other ranked members in the room become bold and begin chanting, “Mark, Mark, Mark!”

I see Amelia go pale and Calvin turns and snarls at the others in the room. “If you don’t like the pace of the evening, feel free to leave.”

That shuts everyone up quickly. I can see Sophie’s confusion at what is going on. I know that for my sister, she was protected from all of this until she was nearly of age. Apparently, Sophie is the same. I’m thankful that Amelia, at least, seems to understand what will happen this evening.

I walk Sophie to the table with her parents, Amelia, and Calvin, tucking her into her chair and nodding at Calvin, before going to find my seat.

Sophie

Something feels off. I can’t figure out what it is, but the air in the room feels heavy with anticipation. Over dinner, I watch my sister as she gets to know her new mate. My parents seem to relax, and my mother even smiles at Calvin.

I’m glad that Alpha Hunter said Alpha Calvin is a good man. I hope he will appreciate my sister.

I spare a glance over at the broody Alpha. He has been very kind to me, but there is an anger buried inside him, I can feel it. Rather than scaring me, as it probably should, it excites me. He looks more deadly, more intimidating, more sexy.

As dinner winds down, I notice my sister getting fidgety, nervous. I frown. My sister never gets nervous.

Alpha Calvin reaches over to cover her hands with his. “Amelia, it looks like there is a dance floor set up for dancing. Would you like to dance tonight? It is your birthday, after all.”

She nods, smiling softly. “I enjoy dancing.”

“As do I. But I will say that the only other male that I will permit to dance with you tonight is your father.”

“Thank you,” she says.

He strokes her cheek in a very intimate gesture. “I want tonight to be as pleasant as possible for you.”

It feels as if there is an undertone to his words, something that I don’t understand. Since my mother hasn’t given me ‘the talk’, I have to go by what I’ve heard from the mated females in the pack. I’ve heard that the first time can be quite painful, so maybe that’s what Alpha Calvin is referencing.

When Calvin stands from the dinner table, taking Amelia’s hand and pulling her to her feet, I feel the strange energy in the room ratchet up again. Everyone gets quiet and turns to stare of Alpha Calvin and Amelia.

“For anyone who would like to enjoy dancing, there is a dance floor available. My mate is off limits to anyone who values their life. As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t like the pace that I am setting tonight, feel free to leave.”

I frown, trying to figure out what is going on. I turn and look at my father. He’s basically turned over the direction of the evening to Alpha Calvin, as has my mother. I would think that my father would be leading this, not allowing another Alpha, even my sister’s mate, to decide what will occur next.

As I look around the room, seeing all eyes on Alpha Calvin, I’m startled by the grey eyes of Alpha Hunter, staring straight at me. I feel my cheeks heat, and I quickly look away, but not before I see a hint of a smile on his face.

Everyone stands and as the tables are moved back, I step out of the way, and into the warm, hard chest of someone. I look over my shoulder and see Alpha Hunter.

“Alpha Sophie, may I have this dance?” he asks me.

I turn and look across the room where he was sitting only moments ago. How did he even get over here that quickly?

When I turn back to him, his eyebrow is raised in question, a smile twitching at his lips again. He finds me amusing.

I look at my father, who is staring at Alpha Hunter. Alpha Hunter doesn’t look away from me, but my father turns his head to me and nods. I turn to face the Alpha.

“Thank you, Alpha Hunter. I’d be honored to dance with you,” I say politely.

His smile widens and he nods, putting his arm out for me, very formally. I take his arm and see that Alpha Calvin has done the same with my sister. As we pass, Alpha Hunter stops and leans in to say something quietly to my father. I can’t hear what he says since the music has started, but my father looks at him a moment, then nods, before Alpha Hunter takes me out to the dance floor.

‘He’s cute,’ Hedda, my wolf says in my head.

‘Very cute,’ I say. ‘How old do you think he is?’

‘Not too old, early 20’s maybe,’ she says.

“Do you like to dance, Sophie?” he asks me.

“Yes, but I’ve never had a chance to dance with anyone outside of our pack.”

He pulls me to him, as others get on the dance floor. “Meaning, I’m your first Alpha, other than your father, whose arms you’ve danced in?”

There’s something about the way he says it, along with the electricity in the air, that has me blushing again. Instead of answering, I nod.

The music starts and it’s a fast song, one that I love. “Then let’s make the most of it, shall we?” he asks, before wrapping his arm around me to take my hand and spin me around.

My smile is instant. Alpha Hunter likes to dance. Not all men do and not all men know how to dance well. I turn and look at him and his eyebrow is raised again as if in challenge.

Oh Alpha, challenge accepted.

This is a choreographed song, as most of the ones chosen for tonight will be, meant to allow my sister to show off her skills as a graceful dancer. She and I have been taking dancing lessons for years. At first, I hated it, until our instructor helped me to realize that I need to feel the music, let it guide me.

I begin dancing and I can see that Alpha Hunter wasn’t expecting me to be quite as accomplished as I am. What he doesn’t know is that my mother loves to dance, and she insisted that her daughters learn as well.

Alpha Hunter is a fantastic dancer and partner. He spins me around the room, making sure that I don’t stumble, catching me easily during times when he’s going too fast for me, and changing his pace to make it easier for me.

When the song is done, much, much too quickly, I’m panting, and I know my cheeks are now rosy from the dance.

“Excuse me…”

Alpha Hunter’s eyes move away from mine, looking over my left shoulder. “No.”

“You can’t dance with her all night, Hunter,” another Alpha growls. I’m about to say something, not wanting them to fight over me, when something about Alpha Hunter stops me. There’s something deadly about his aura. It’s not directed at me, it’s directed at this Alpha. I’m not sure why, but Alpha Hunter has been nothing but kind to me, so I follow my instincts and stay quiet.

“Alpha Sophie, may I have this dance,” another Alpha has come up on my right side. I look at Alpha Hunter, not sure why I feel the need to get his permission, his approval. He looks at me and nods.

I turn and see Alpha Kayce. “Thank you, Alpha. I’d be honored.”

Something passes between Hunter and Kayce before he passes me off. Kayce spins me away, not quite as good of a dancer as Hunter. When I turn, I see Alpha Hunter standing face to face with another Alpha.

“Are they going to fight?” I ask, worriedly. I don’t want anyone ruining my sister’s birthday.

“If they do, Hunter will take it outside.”

“Should I go…”

“No. Dance with me, little Alpha,” Kayce says, smiling down at me.

He dances me around the room and when we come back to where I left Alpha Hunter, he and the other Alpha are nowhere to be seen.

“Doesn’t my sister look beautiful?” I ask Alpha Kayce.

“Yes, she does,” he says, looking at her with a sadness in his eyes that I don’t understand. Maybe he was hoping to be my sister’s mate.

I notice that Alpha Calvin never lets anyone dance with my sister. They don’t leave the dance floor and he never looks away from her, talking to her and getting to know her. He’s so sweet.

After Alpha Kayce, I dance with Alpha Dutton, then Alpha Robin, then my father and when a slow song comes on, Alpha Hunter is back to dance with me again. Other Alphas have attempted to dance with me this evening, but this group has refused to allow them to.

I’m not sure how long I remain on the dance floor, but much too soon, my mother is waving me over. Alpha Dutton, who is currently dancing with me, leads me to her.

“Thank you, Alpha,” she says as we walk up.

“Your daughter is a wonderful dancer, Luna Amy,” he says, smiling down at me. His praise makes me smile. I know that I’ll be practicing even harder for the next two years before my birthday. I want to be the most incredible dancer my mate has ever danced with.

‘I liked all the Alphas we danced with tonight,’ Hedda says.

‘You like all Alphas,’ I joke.

‘I am an Alpha. I want my mate to be of equal rank.’

“Sophie, it’s time for you to go upstairs,” my mother says.

Sophie

“What?” I ask, shocked. “Mother, the party is just getting going! I want to dance more and there’s going to be cake.”

“I’ve already sent some cake to your room, Sophie. Warrior Julianne is going to escort you to your room. Do not go anywhere else other than your room,” she says as Julianne steps up beside her. Her eyes are tracking all around the room.

“Let’s go, Alpha,” she says.

“But mother…”

“Sophie!” my father barks roughly. He’s never used that tone of voice with me before. He sees my shock and moderates his tone. “Do as your mother says.”

“Yes father,” I say, lowering my head and following Julianne out of the room. I turn and look one more time at the party-goers. Most of them are watching Alpha Calvin and Amelia, but my eyes lock on grey ones and Alpha Hunter winks at me as I step out of the ballroom.

Hedda begins purring in my head. I ignore her, still irritated that I have to leave the party.

Even though I’m annoyed with my mother, there’s no reason that Julianne should miss the fun.

“I know where my room is, Julianne. I can get there by myself,” I say, just as one of the ranked males steps into Julianne’s path.

“Hello pretty, are you coming back?” he asks her, glancing at me over her shoulder.

“I’m afraid it’s my job to make sure Alpha Sophie makes it to her room. Move out of my way or I’ll move you,” she says, taking a defensive stance.

“Feisty, I like that. If you get bored, come find me,” he says. I’ve never seen a man speak to a woman that way. It’s…

‘Covetous,’ Hedda says. And she’s right. I realize the hairs on my arms have gone up during the exchange, leaving me feeling uncomfortable.

“Let them pass, Owen,” I hear Alpha Hunter’s voice behind me.

I turn, seeing that his face is much more serious than it was a moment ago. His hard gaze never leaves Alpha Owen’s.

“You ruin all my fun, Hunter, especially after you and your friends kept Alpha Sophie to yourselves all night,” he says, but he moves out of the way.

I see Julianne’s shoulders relax and we move past Alpha Owen.

When we’re far enough away and walking up the stairs, I look back almost expecting to see Alpha Hunter watching to make sure I go upstairs.

“What was that about?” I ask Julianne.

She turns and looks at me, then looks around.

“Your parents haven’t told you?”

“Told me what?” I ask as we get to the Alpha floor.

She looks around. “I probably shouldn’t say.”

“Julianne, everyone has been acting so weird today. Just tell me. I won’t say anything. I swear!”

We get to my room, and I can smell the scent of cake. My mom said she sent a piece up for me and it’s here, waiting. Instead of going to get my cake, I turn to Julianne.

“Please, Julianne!”

She looks behind her, as if my parents are going to catch her saying something.

“Okay, fine. But you can’t tell anyone that I told you.”

“Okay,” I say, pulling her into my room, and closing the door.

“Do you know anything about ranked members getting claimed?” she asks.

“No. Isn’t it the same as everyone else?” I ask.

“No. Listen to me. You need to stay up here. Promise me you won’t go back downstairs. Promise me!”

“Okay, I promise. What? What is it?”

She sighs, rubbing her hands over her face. “Claimings for ranked members are public.”

I frown. Public?

“What does that mean?”

She takes my shoulders, leaning down slightly to make sure we’re eye to eye. “It means that Alpha Calvin will have to mark and mate your sister front of that room full of men.”

“What? No way! My parents would never allow that.”

“Your parents have no choice. Once a ranked male finds his mate, he is in charge of when and how the public marking and mating occurs.”

I begin shaking my head just as I hear cheers begin downstairs. Julianne stands, looking at my door. “When I leave, lock your door. You had a couple of Alphas looking out for you tonight, but that doesn’t mean that one or two won’t get past them.”

Looking out for me? Does she mean Alpha Hunter?

She walks to the door, opening it slightly. “I need to get to my room before it’s done. Stay up here and keep your door locked. You’re safest here,” she says, turning to look back at me.

“Sophie! Are you listening to me?” she asks urgently. I nod, walking to the door.

The chants of ‘Mark’ and ‘Mate’ have gotten louder.

“I’ll wait until I hear your door lock but do it quickly. I need to get to my room. I’ve heard that some matings can send ranked members into rut and they’ll take anyone around. That’s why there are she-wolves here that you didn’t recognize.”

Everything Julianne is saying makes sense with everything I’ve seen today, but I just can’t believe that my mother and father would allow that to happen to my sister.

I close the door and lock it, hearing Julianne rushing down the hall. Once I’m sure she’s gone, I unlock my door and peek into the hallway. The chants are getting louder, and I carefully step out of my room and slowly make my way to the stairway banister.

I slide down the wall and carefully turn my head so I can see four floors down into the main living area of the packhouse where the chants are happening.

I watch as Alpha Calvin brings my sister to the front of the room. He snarls at the men in the room, quieting them. Then he turns to my sister. She looks like she’s about to throw up. This is what my mother told her this morning. This is why she looked so scared when she smelled her mate earlier.

I watch as Alpha Calvin gently pushes her against the wall, into the darkest part of the room. It’s not dark enough, not when you’re in a room full of ranked shifters, but it’s the best he can do.

I search, finding my parents standing on the side of the room, just watching. Why aren’t they doing anything?

I turn back to my sister. ‘Please.’ I see her mouth to her mate, tears streaking down her face.

I’m not sure what he says to her, but he kisses her tears before kissing her. I watch Alpha Calvin slide his hand up my sister’s leg, pulling up her pretty dress and exposing her bare leg to everyone. I watch, horrified as my sister begins to sob, but Alpha Calvin doesn’t stop.

I look at the men in the room, all staring, watching as my sister is claimed in front of them. As I search, I don’t see the dark hair of Alpha Hunter anywhere.

I look back toward my sister and see Alpha Calvin undoing his pants. His hips thrust forward and my sister jerks. I slap my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. As I look away in horror, my eyes connect with the grey eyes of Alpha Hunter. He’s standing outside the room, on the other side of a wall, watching me, not what’s happening to my sister.

Is this why he was being so nice to me tonight? Knowing that one day this might be me and him? Hedda whines in my head at that. While she isn’t as appalled at what’s happening as I am, she does recognize that I wouldn’t want it and because of that, she’s against it.

Everything I ate tonight threatens to come back up and as I run to my room, I hear the cheers of the ranked members behind me. When I get to my room, I lock the door and look around.

I won’t ever be put in that position. Ever.

The only way for me to escape it is to leave. I need to run away, to get away from this place.

I push away from the door and quickly strip out of my party dress. I pull my hair down and quickly brush it out, pulling it into a simple ponytail. Then I grab a bag and throw some casual, comfortable clothes into it.

I find the money I’ve been saving and put it into my bag. It won’t last me long. I’ll need to figure out a way to get a job somewhere far from here.

As I look around my room, I realize that I can’t leave without saying goodbye to my parents.

I quickly grab a pen and paper, and scribble a note to them, letting them know that I love them, but I can never go through what Amelia went through tonight. I doubt they’ll get it before tomorrow morning. My mother looked as nauseous as I felt. That’s good because it means I have more time to escape from here.

I grab my bag and take one more look around my room. I realize I’ve led a charmed, protected life up until now. But all of that is about to change.