1944

~Aria

Macie clung to me the entire drive there, and after awhile, it got extremely uncomfortable.

However, I wasn't about to call her annoying or tell her to get off me. Perhaps this strange meeting just for the cameras had secured me a friendship while I am apart of this competition. Someone on my side, to help me deal with the other girls that will be there, who I am not looking forward to meeting, let alone living with.

Macie didn't seem stressed about our lack of information, about what was going to happen next. She just nonchalantly sat back in her seat, brushing back the fur on my coat, while I threw rapid fire questions at Eliane.

There is no way I am about to walk into this like a blind man.

"So we will be staying with Malik then?" I question. I knew that his estate would be where our home would be for however long we were chosen to stay, but I couldn't fathom how living next to Malik would ever be even considered. Especially with members of the Purity Pack being apart of this too.

Elaine sighed, having already answered a multitude of my questions. "Would you please refer to him as your Alpha?"

My jaw clenched, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Elaine gave me a decent lecture around ten minutes ago about how we are to refer to Malik as our Alpha until he states otherwise. It only made me feel even more trapped under his power, making me think uneasily about what may be in my future.

"And yes, you will be staying within the Alpha's estate, although, you will not be staying in the same quarters as him. You will have your own," Elaine explains.

That was a relief, that I didn't let show on my face.

"I am so excited!" Macie squealed in my ear. We are getting close to his property, having to backtrack the way we had came from when coming to meet Macie. Malik lived at the far reaches of the Pack, to where it snowed most, and a lot of people weren't allowed. It wasn't about wealth, but about the position in a hierarchy.

The fact that we are being granted permission into a place that once forbid our presence, is admittedly, a little exciting.

"What is happening the moment we get there?" I decide to ask, feeling as if we were getting closer with every passing second. The snow on the side of the road was getting thicker, and trees were starting to swallow up what was once farmland. Really, it does suit an Alpha to live somewhere so obviously beautiful, compared to the rest of the Pack.

No wonder he doesn't really come out much.

"You may meet some of the other girls. You may be sent straight to your rooms. You may even be sent to meet the Alpha. We do not know, and neither will you until you are told when you get there," Elaine tells me, a bite to her words the suggests she is sick of me asking so many questions.

In defeat, I slump back in my seat, while Macie stares out the window, awe written all over her face. She doesn't seem bothered in the slightest about walking into this with information unbeknownst to us. As a person of careful planning and thought, this doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

When we made it to the outside of the Alpha's property, we were told to stop, and get out.

An unfazed Macie hopped out into the snow, protected by her aptly worn outfit, her golden heels clanking noisily against the road we were told to stand on. Despite this being a mildly frightening experience, I knew it had to happen. They were checking us for any incriminating evidence that might lead to us being criminals trying to get our way into Malik's home.

Sorry...The Alpha.

The three Guards who were standing post at the gate of the Alpha's property wore thick coats, with an emblem on them that showed their allegiance to the Love Pack. They were frightening to look at, as they avoided all eye contact, looking only at where one of us may be stashing something illegal. Guns were even strapped to their back, and I shivered at the thought of them using to need them.

"Is this necessary?" I whisper to Elaine, once the both of us had been searched. Macie was being questioned about a ring in her pocket, that she was trying to explain was very important to her.

Other men were scouring the car, so we were left to stand in the snow, shivering while a soft set of fresh snow fell from the sky. All I want to do is crawl under a blanket and warm my freezing limbs. At this point, anywhere would do.

"Of course," Elaine whispers back. "Wouldn't want a delinquent getting in here, would we?"

I told her one thing, while my mind begged me to tell her another. They are letting a delinquent in, who is about to steal from her own Alpha. The more I try to convince myself within my mind, the more I am beginning to believe it for real.

Finally, we are ushered back into the car, the wrought iron gate swinging open with slow valour, which another intimidating factor, that contributed to the look of the Alpha's Guards. There is an extreme amount of security that the Alpha is ensuring, which isn't helping my nerves. They are taking this seriously, which poses the question, of what would happen to me, if I got caught stealing from the Alpha?

Alpha Malik's property was large and extravagant, with lawns stretching to meet the edge of his estate. Both Macie and I's jaws dropped at the sight of it.

There is no way, to sum up the extent of someone's wealth in just a few words. It seemed as if this place boasted it. The exterior of the extensive home was covered in a heavy amount of snow, which hide plenty of the place from a far distance. However, a small canopy of trees protected part of the house from the burden of snow and ice, allowing me to see a small portion of it.

It almost seemed as if the outside was made of fine glass, however, you could not see past it. Still, despite the clarity of the outside, the privacy of the home was protected, giving off an inexplicable look about it.

It was a perplexing sight, that both myself and Macie tried to fathom in the few minutes it took to drive down his driveway. Elaine, however, picked at the edge of her nails, not at all as stunned by this as we are. Will we seriously be staying here? I couldn't believe it...

"My new home," I heard Macie whisper under her breath. I ignored it.

The car stopped in the courtyard, and the moment it did, Elaine turned to me in her seat, and the cameraman stepped out. The only other car that was here, was the one carrying Macie's assistant she refused to show up in. That surprised me since I thought all the other girls would be here too.

Elaine seems to notice as I look around expectantly. "Many of the other contestants will be arriving tomorrow. Pack's on the other side of the Pack Quarter have to travel far to get here. However, some may be here already."

"Already?"

Elaine glances at Macie, who was still looking out the window. "We are late, due to our little...Interruption."

It occurred to me that Macie argument with her assistant had put us behind in time. What a great first impression this must make to the Alpha and his family...The first to be late, on the very first day. Not that Macie cares at all since she seems to caught up in the mesmerising sight of Malik's home.

Two men wearing neatly tailored suits stepped out into the falling snow, walking toward the car. Elaine steps out, talking to them for a few moments before we were ordered to follow. One man helped me out of the car, while the other helped Macie.

The man who held my hand wore a glove. It was made of a strange material, which instantly made me feel uneasy.

His eyes were a warm brown, that drew me in almost instantly. They were a contrast to the cold blowing insistently around me, which was a shock to my system. For someone from the Love Pack, he definitely lacked features I am familiar with, that's for sure. Was the Alpha suddenly hiring people from other Pack's to work for him?

After helping me out, the man walked to the back of the car to get my belongings.

"When we walk in, I assume everyone will be there, so make sure you take note of your posture...:"

The moment Elaine started listing off things that were essential for me to do, I stopped listening. I've decided this is about being myself, otherwise, I won't make it far. And I know for a fact that posture isn't my best feature.

Not that it matters. Macie will command the attention in the room.

Elaine took it upon herself to stay behind myself and Macie, as the two men lead us to the door. All I can assume is that they are to lead us up a few stairs to the same door, which would open to reveal us to whoever is inside, which would basically pronounce us as late to the party.

If you exclude whoever is coming tomorrow.

"I'm Fynn," the man with the big brown eyes whispers in my ear, as he helps me up the last ice crusted step. "By the way."

Glancing up at him, I observe him with surprise. Why is he telling me this? Am I being come onto right now, despite being in a competition where I'm supposed to be vying for the Alpha's love? The sweet smile on his face and the way he presses his hand to the small of my back suggests that much, but right now, I'm not about to question it.

"Interesting," I murmur under my breath, still unsure of him.

We stop before the main wooden door, that stood proud and tall over us. The other man, who worked with Fynn was the one to step forward and open it, pulling back the latch. I could feel Fynn sidle up to me a little more, his side pressing gently against mine. All my muscles tensed up at the feeling.

"Good luck," he says again, right by my ear. Does Elaine notice this?

Then suddenly, the doors were flung open, and we were faced by a small group of girls and the entirety of the Alpha family.

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💐💐

Midikacrane

Midika

~Midika 💜🐼