It was only a ten minute drive from Artemis's house to the Alpha's home where the ceremony was being held. Being an Omega, I'd only been here a handful of times for important pack events such as this one.
The monstrously large house seemed to be looming before us as we pulled in closer. We had to wait in a line of cars to get to the entrance, but with every slow inch we went forward, the more my anxiety would claw at my insides.
Too soon, we were at the entrance. I stopped and examined the building. It was a three story stone house with upgraded Victorian style windows and a dark metal roof that came to a sharp point in the sky.
The outside was lit with modern torches and hanging tea lights that gave off a soft glow and ivy clung to the walls in elegant bunches. Two guardian wolves nodded to us as they opened the large, mahogany doors to permit us entrance.
The first level consisted of a large dance hall with intricate spiraling stairs to the left that led to the rest of the house. I'd never been on the higher floors, as I was not high enough ranking in the pack.
The floor of the dance hall was a checkered black and white, while the tables, chairs, and decorations seemed to take on a golden theme. There were vases of blood red roses on every table, along with garlands made of the same flowers littering the walls. Twinkling golden string lights cascaded from the ceiling.
Farther toward the back of the room was a stage that had been set up with a lone mic stand occupying it. A long black curtain was used for the backdrop. There were also the same golden string lights around the base of the stage. I assumed this was where the acceptances and speeches would be happening tonight.
With that thought, my palms became sweaty and my heart began to race. I had to make some sort of speech tonight since I was top of the class, but I was seriously nervous and underprepared. Everyone in the pack looked down on me, and I really didn't want to have to face their disapproving stares. Artemis sensed my tension and squeezed my hand.
"Don't worry about it, just party a little, dance a little, and when the time comes, you'll kick ass on that stage. I know it. You deserve this. You've worked too hard to shut down now," she whispered gently in my ear.
I took a breath and straightened my shoulders. "You're right, I may not be much right now, but after tonight that's all going to change. Thank you, for keeping me grounded," I replied to her.
She smiled and led me over to the table where her parents were seated. To my surprise, Aunt Maddie was there as well.
"You made it!" I exclaimed. She hadn't been feeling well recently, and I was worried she might not be able to attend tonight.
"Of course I did, I'm not missing my baby girl's big night," she said while beaming at me with tears in her eyes. "You look so beautiful. Just like your mamma."
Tears pooled in my eyes as well as I leaned down and embraced her. "I love you Aunt Maddie, I wouldn't be here without you," I whispered in her ear.
"Hush now, you could do anything you set your mind to and more. You just have to believe it, too." I smiled at her again and took my seat as the Beta of our pack, Alexander, ascended to the stage. He stepped up to the mic and cleared his throat.
"Good evening fellow pack members. Tonight, we are here in celebration of another generation of fierce warriors who have been working diligently to prepare themselves for the battles of the real world. With that being said, I'd like to invite you all to partake in a meal before our acceptances. We will reconvene in an hour."
He held up the crystal wine glass in his hand as a dismissal, and suddenly people were shuffling out of a set of doors in the back carrying plates loaded with food. The Alpha- or should I say King-Â and his family were served first. I averted my eyes as a small pinch of pain radiated through me.
Next, the Beta's family was served, and then the Gamma's. It went down the line of ranking and important families, until it finally came to us.
We were served a delicious looking pot roast, with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. We were also brought glasses of red or white wine for the werewolves who were old enough, and plain water for the pups in attendance.
After the Alpha had taken his first bite, I did not hesitate to dig in. It was customary to wait for him, but after that it didn't matter and I was definitely going to take advantage of that. I was starving. As I was whole heartedly enjoying the savory meat on my tongue, Artemis elbowed me in the side. I looked over and raised an eyebrow at her.
"The King keeps looking in this direction. Does this have anything to do with tonight?" She mind-linked me.
I glanced over, and sure enough, the King was watching me closely with a twinge of disgust in his cruel stare.
"I'm not sure," I mind-linked back. "He's never paid any attention to me before, nor has he ever asked to speak to me, but I doubt him glaring at me over dinner is a coincidence."
I spared one last glance back at his table and shuddered as I found his eyes directly on mine. I quickly lowered my gaze so he wouldn't see it as a challenge and turned back to my meal. A short time later, Beta Alexander took the stage once again, clinking his fork against his glass to gain everyone's attention.
"I hope you all enjoyed your meals, courtesy of the house staff," he began. Many members muttered their approval.
"Now that the meal has come to an end, its time for the acceptances. Our students this year have been working extremely hard, and we've had more failures than usual due to the new testing and training tactics we have implemented. However, a select few were able to overcome these challenges and really excel, gaining the right to be given the title of warrior before the whole pack tonight. One student among all has truly proven her worth and excellence in all forms of combat. Not only that, she has shown resilience and determination through the years and grown farther than we've ever seen," he paused and took look down at the paper in his hand, and upon seeing the name, his face contorted in confusion. "Please, give a warm welcome to our top student of the year, Indigo Murray."
The crowd fell silent aside from a few shocked intakes of breath. I straightened my shoulders and rose from my seat. As I began making my way toward the stage, I could hear people whispering about me.
"How did she of all wolves make top student?" one said.
"Something must be wrong, she must have changed the card so it said her name," another replied.
"She's so tiny, it doesn't make any sense."
I sighed, but continued walking with a blank look on my face. I took the stage and Beta Alexander moved away from the mic to give me room to speak.
"Thank you, Beta Alexander, for that wonderful introduction. Thank you as well, to the master trainers who gave me the honor of top student. I know not all members of this pack may agree with the decision, but I can assure you all that it is not a title I take lightly. I pledge my life and blood to protect this pack, and will do whatever it takes to make sure we remain in harmony and peace, and to fight for all at times where we may not. Again, thank you for the honor and I hope you can all see this as a promise to keep you safe," I said with more confidence than I felt.
It was silent for a beat, before Artemis began clapping, her family and Aunt Maddie following just behind her. Reluctantly, the rest of the pack clapped as I exited the stage as well. I dared a glance to my father, who was regarding me coolly. I quickly looked away and took my seat.
The rest of the announcements went by quickly, and soon we were all gathered again on stage and being presented with medals that signified our status of official pack warriors.
We all received small golden pins with a crescent moon enveloped in a circle and a long intricate sword in front to signify protection. However, mine differed a tiny bit, as there was another circle of silver wrapped around the gold one to prove my abilities.
I looked down and the small pin in my hand and grinned. It would take a lot to gain trust and respect from the pack, but in this moment I couldn't be more proud of myself and what I had accomplished.
****
What felt like hours later, the party was finally coming to an end. I had mostly been in my seat all night, aside from the times Artemis dragged me out to dance, but despite it all, I felt happy. This was a chance for me to really change mine and Aunt Maddie's lives.
We would finally be able to move out of our shabby little cabin, and get her the care she needs. My thoughts were broken up as Aunt Maddie approached me.
"Come, dear, it is time," she said in a lowered tone.
I frantically scanned the room for Artemis, but she was no where in sight. With a sigh of defeat, I linked my arm in hers, and we made our way to the spiral stair case. I supported most of Aunt Maddie's weight as we made our way slowly up the stairs. When we finally got to the top, we had to take a seat for her to catch her breath.
Just after she sat down, the double doors at the end of the hall were thrown open and Gina was making her way toward us.
"I hope no one saw you come up. Get in here, in case people start snooping their way up here," she commanded while looking at her perfect nail polish.
Aunt Maddie rose, taking me with her and we stepped into the King's office. It was a large, well cared for room with dark wooden walls and a large window on one side. There were bookshelves on either side of the large wooden desk in the middle of the room and two chairs were placed in front of it.
That's where we were to sit, I presumed. I glanced around and saw the Queen and Jackie and Jamie lounging lazily on soft white couches near a roaring fireplace.
"Sit," the King's voice boomed. We did as we were told. He turned his chair so he was facing us and linked his fingers together. He leaned forward and said,
"Do you have any idea why I've called you here today, Indigo?"
"No, your majesty. I am not aware of why," I replied with my eyes trained on my hands.
"As you know from your studies at the academy, our kingdom is one of the largest in all of werewolf history, rivaled only by the DarkBlood kingdom."
I glanced up, the question clear in my eyes.
"DarkBlood and Moonlight have had an uneasy alliance for many generations, but regardless, their savage ways seem to get the best of them. They have some demands that they want met in order to keep the alliance active and not delve our packs into war," he continued.
"I do know this from my studies, but what does this have to do with me? What kind of demands are they making?" I asked.
He smirked at me. "DarkBlood has demanded my first born daughter, the heir of this kingdom, as a trade for continuing our alliance. You, Indigo, are to fulfill that role. They believe you will be the mate to one of the princes."
I couldn't breathe. I was shocked. I was being traded? Just like that? Just as my life seemed to be looking up in this pack? Aunt Maddie shifted beside me.
"And what if she is not one of their mates?" she asked.
My father waved his hand. "Then they are free to do whatever they please with her. If she manages to earn their respect, they may keep her alive. Or they may send her off. Or kill her. In any case, its not my problem anymore. You're set to leave. Tonight," he said while looking at me.
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Not only was he sending me off, he didn't actually care what happened to me.
"Wait, I'm a secret heir. No one knows of my lineage. How will you explain my absence to the pack while your other daughters are still here?" I grit through my teeth.
"Simple. The pack does not know of this. Beta Alexander and my family are the only ones who know anything, and they have been sworn to secrecy. We'll just make a cover story up for why you left. No one will care much either way," he said dismissively. The pain I was feeling was beginning to burn into rage.
How dare he?
"I can't believe you," I spat at him.
He growled in response. "You better watch your tone. Did you not just proclaim you would do anything to keep this pack safe?"
He had me there.
"This is how you're going to do it. What becomes of you after that is none of my concern." I could hear Gina mutter a snicker from the back of the room.
"And what about Aunt Maddie? And Artemis? What happens to them?"
"Artemis will remain a warrior, and Maddie shall live with the Henley's from now on. Maybe they can find some use for her."
A growl escaped my lips. I couldn't help it. I had spent too long trying to protect Aunt Maddie to have her disrespected right in front of me. He growled back.
"This is not up for negotiation. Now, go say your goodbyes and pack your things. You are to leave in an hour." With that, he stood from his seat and opened the doors for us, indicating that this conversation was over.
I grit my teeth and stood, then helped Aunt Maddie out of the room and down the stairs. Artemis was waiting for us at the bottom.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Pull the car around, I'll explain on the way home. We don't have a lot of time," I whispered back to her. She nodded.
We made our way to the front and waited a few minutes for Artemis. When she finally pulled up, I helped Aunt Maddie in, then took a seat in the back. I leaned my head against the cool window and closed my eyes.
How did things come to this?