I've cleaned multiple times again today. Alpha Draven has been watching me unusually closely, and I feel like something is coming. I don't know what, but something.
He never usually pays this much attention to me outside of the bedroom. So why now?
I followed their orders last night despite the immense pain I was in. I didn't refuse or say no. So I know I have not done something wrong with them, or at least I hope not.
"Mutt." I move and kneel at his feet. "I am busy; ensure the guest room is cleaned and ready for guests who may be staying tonight."
"Yes, Master." He stands and walks out. I walk through to the bedroom and fight back the vomit. The memories of last night are more potent in this room.
The blood is still on the floor and the bedsheets. Along with actual vomit because Alpha Ethan seems to have a fetish for gagging women to the point they are physically sick.
I began to clean the room, removing every trace of evidence of what had happened to me in this room last night. It takes far longer than it should due to my body hurting. The bruises are far more prominent today.
They cover every inch of my body, and my face isn't excluded; it didn't escape the torture of abuse. Carrying the sheets through the house to the laundry room, the maid looks at me and takes them. I stop when I see the Television on. I rarely get to see it or watch it.
It's the king, Alpha Prime Darius.
"Anyone is welcome, yes." He stands tall, his hair dark, and his eyes bright emerald.
"Does that include those of poorer backgrounds, without strong packs, or without a pack at all?" The reporter questions him, and the camera zooms in.
"Yes. There is no restriction on it, except the contestants can not be bitten and claimed." What is going on? I look towards the maid.
"You didn't know? After the king had died, Alpha Prime Darius took over. He's holding a sort of game, a trial for females between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. He's looking for his Luna."
I didn't know.
"No, I shall not be personally selecting. How would that be fair?" He chuckles and leans forward, looking directly at the camera, almost like he is looking through the lens directly at me. "Magic will be used. Fifteen women, one winner. However, there is a chance a lady may be lucky and picked up by Alpha Kellan."
I hear claps and gasps. Alpha Kellan is his younger brother, the prince. So, while one will become his Luna and the queen, one will possibly be chosen by Kellan to be his Luna.
"It's easy. Those wanting to take part, go online, answer a few quick questions and await to be whisked away to the castle." His smile widens. I mentally record the website link.
I can find time, I'm sure of it. Turning, I leave the laundry room. I have twenty-four hours or less. The rules are simple: the entry form will be locked in twenty-four hours or when ten thousand women apply. Whichever comes first.
More than likely, the ten thousand women applying will be what closes it, not the time limit. I walk through and pretend to be cleaning; I briefly check the Beta's rooms, finding them empty.
Rushing, I sit at the computer and type in the address.
The form begins easily. Name. Age. Date of birth. Pack name if applicable. Questions regarding my appearance. Questions regarding my occupation or standing within my pack. Then it gets interesting. It asks about sexual partners.
That question, I lied on. I couldn't possibly answer the truth anyway; I don't know the exact number of men I have slept with or how many times I had sex.
Then it is the question about being bitten and claimed, I again lie. I will keep my mark hidden. Ten minutes later, I finished and submitted it.
Quickly deleting the history, I walk out and try to make it look like I am doing the regular jobs I am meant to. I doubt anything will come from this. He said everyone can apply, but even I know that those women will all have wolves and a pack and be high up in their pack. The daughter of another Alpha.
Me? I'm sold. I don't know who my parents are. I don't know if I came from a strong pack. I know nothing.
So of course I won't be chosen. If it was truly picked using magic, why require answers to so many questions? It feels more like it is so they can ensure the woman selected will be as good as Luna.
"Mutt." I walk through and kneel, lowering my head. I wait. "You have a gift." I don't raise my head, even though I want to. I have never been given a gift before, and I'm unsure what to say or do.
"You may raise your head." I lift it and look at Alpha Draven. "Apparently, you made a good impression on Alpha Ethan. He requested that he be allowed to give you a gift, and I agreed."
"Thank you, Master."
"We spoke, and he suggested you may find a blanket more beneficial than a gift such as a bracelet." He holds out the giant blanket, and I have to be honest, I would rather have the blanket than a bracelet or anything else.
My cell is cold.
"You may take it." I reach out, taking it from his arms. "You understand, I only agreed because he has decided to go ahead with our deal and felt you should be treated for your part." The words are almost growled.
He didn't want to agree. I can tell by his tone he wanted to refuse but couldn't. Instead, he agreed to get the deal signed.
"Thank you, Master. I understand."
"Good, you may leave." Standing, I walk out; it's late now. Returning to my cell, I unfold the blanket and wrap it around my body. It feels amazing.
Sleep takes me instantly; the warmth and comfort of the blanket are the perfect gift; I rarely fall asleep quickly; I need to either be in tremendous pain or be extremely tired as the coldness of my cell prevents me from sleeping.
It's been three days since I completed that application. My mind considers it as I wipe the table, ensuring everything is clean. Alpha Draven has been visiting Alpha Ethan and his pack.Apparently, the deal they are making is going well. Well enough for Alpha Draven to leave his own pack and travelIt's good, though; it means I haven't been touched for three days. I have barely had to kneel as Beta Luca and the others are busy doing Alpha Draven's work.Hell, I have even managed to get out of the constant cleaning and finally had time to consider the implications of that application. I'm sure Alpha Prime Darius will punish me for lying about it. I could be killed; I lied to the king essentially.It was an order to answer honestly, and I didn't. So will Alpha Draven have fun telling them I lied if he ever finds out the truth? Finishing cleaning, I sit on my mat, my eyes close, and I try to relax; I was told he is returning today. So I've made sure I cleaned at the hours I was required
"Why me?" I look at the guards as Beta Luca pulls me to my feet."You're to join the other candidates at the Luna Battle. Alpha Prime Darius has requested that you attend after your submission made the finals."My body stills as I’m shocked by their words. I never expected to be chosen. I feel Alpha Draven's eyes on me, and I know his anger is rising because of this. He can't refuse, he can't go against Alpha Prime Darius's orders, but he has the power to announce that I am already bitten and claimed by him.Standing, I wait for his words, and I wait for his refusal or acceptance. Surely he will speak soon?"Mutt, I suggest you pack your bag." I move quickly through the house and to my cell, packing the few items I have. Pulling off the top I am wearing, I winch and hold in the screams.Someone steps into my cell as I begin to pull on my top."He sent me to cover your lacerations." Alex smiles, and I turn. "At least you are free." His words are whispered as I bite my lip to stop the s
We stand quietly and wait. The camera pans across the women as we stand waiting for the king. I notice the camera lingers on the other contestants for a longer time than they do me.The producer smirks at me; I don't need time on screen; it isn't down to the public who is Luna. So, him purposely cutting my time down is fine with me.I watch the door open, and the king walks in with Alpha Kellan. His eyes scan the contestants as he makes his way to the stage. He barely settles on any of them for longer than a few seconds. Then he reaches me and stares; I shift uncomfortably; no doubt this is him noticing I have no wolf.He steps onto the stage and keeps his eyes on me the entire time. I try to be confident and look back. Yet, it cracks, and I fail. My eyes drop quickly. I'm so used to having to kneel to Alphas and Betas. I don't even feel like I should look at him without permission."Ladies," William calls our attention back to him. "After the rules are explained, you will face your f
I sit with the camera in my face; it's far closer than it had been for any of the other candidates, and I feel like it's a way to try and make me nervous. It's working."Elara, we don't have a last name. Why is that?" He smirks at me. I knew it."I do not have one. I was an orphan."He glances at his papers. "An orphan? It says here you were sold?"Shit. How much does he know?"I was, yes, but I was first an orphan.""Hmm." He looks at me. "Elara, is it true that you were a servant and prostitute for your past Alpha?"I freeze, and I watch his smile widen. Opening my mouth, I close it again."End it here." I watch him turn the camera off. "You're done.""Wait." He can’t cut it off already."Sorry, but you couldn't answer a simple question. Not only that, but you sound bored and highly unworthy of watching. You’re finished, I think you beat the candidates. One minute, well done." He laughs."Ahm." He raises his head, and I watch the roll of his throat as he swallows. "Delete it. All th
When I wake, I get myself ready. May had brought me some clothes this morning. All the contestants were given general clothing as they were only allowed to bring one small bag each.Breakfast was awkward. Some of the women were looking at me like I didn't belong here. I heard the whispers and complaints because Alpha Kellan had sat with me during my interview.That alone has already started to make the women complain and pinpoint me as a troublemaker. Yet, I've noticed they are more brutal to the other ladies.It appears they think I'm not a threat. Which is likely correct. They don't think I can possibly get through and become Luna, so while they are all taking bites out of each other and trying to make each other feel like crap.I'm here untouched. Sure, I get called mutt and Tramp, but it's far less than they are throwing at each other.~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~I'm sitting in the garden with Sage. It's still snowing. Something tells me this isn't going to stop any time soon. Yet the palace
After our casual chats, we all went back to our rooms to get ready for tonight's dinner. I haven't seen the producer since, but the cameras still stayed.They didn't get close enough to hear personal conversations. Still, they most certainly aimed to capture everyone's responses to what was happening in the room.I hadn't noticed that they were filming, so no doubt the footage of me and Lyra will get some views. From what I heard, the cameras picked up on our confrontation and were close enough to hear as they weren't warned to stay back at that point."Your dress for tonight." May holds it up. It's ocean blue with a sweetheart neckline. It's the most beautiful thing I own. It's simple, which is what was required for tonight's meal.Once I'm ready, I walk out, Sage meets me, and we walk down together. We walk in and see Darius and Kellan at opposite sides of the table."Okay, ladies. I will read out the name of those whom Alpha Prime Darius wishes to sit with him." William opens the p
I spent hours talking about dresses, looking at materials and colours. May has begun to work on it. I watch her from across the room. While I slept, she did some work on the dress, then got some sleep but returned to it this morning."What do you think?" She turns to me. Walking over, I pick up the fabric; it's beautiful. It's a gold fabric with black sheer fabric over the top. The two colours mix perfectly."It looks amazing, so do it." I smile and sit with her, talking about random things. She turns and smiles at me."You know, they weren't lying. Your video got the most views, comments and everything. Barely anyone mentioned Prince Kellan, just you."I highly doubt it makes a difference."I won't be winning this May. Even I know the public will change their view when it gets close to picking the final winner." I'm in no way a Luna."Oh, I don't know. People saw the showdown between you and Lyra. It made people question things. The way you spoke." She nudges me.Even so, I am far fr
I escaped to my room quickly, unwilling to give the others a chance to ask questions or assume they knew what our conversation was about. It feels like Kellan is purposely going against Darius' words when it comes to me.Why though?I spend the rest of my day with May, helping and watching her make my dress. Today is a day without an event, and that's a good thing. The ladies will need time to calm down and hate me less."I've also sorted out gloves." I look at May. "You need to wear gloves. They need to be a certain length. Gloves that are too short or not wearing gloves is against the rules. The King’s Luna needs to wear them." I nod at her words.She has made sure the dress covers my shoulders. I explained I have a scar there, one which isn't appealing, so all clothes she creates will ensure the scar is covered. I can't risk it getting seen.Later, I began walking down and saw Sage. I caught up with her, and we walked down together for dinner."So, Prince Kellan?" She looks at me.