Chosen

Serene'S POV

Goddess, please, let me just drop dead, I pleaded silently as the Beta of the NightHawke pack — host of this year's Selection ceremony —announced that the selection was about to begin.

You could almost hear my heart beating loudly in the silence of the hall as I and other girls filed straight in a single line, facing the rest of the hall like animals to be examined then bought.

That is what you are, something whispered inside me.

Yes. To these Alphas, we were animals. Animals that were about to be taken in for slaughter. All I could pray for was not to get chosen.

“Blindfold them, please,” came the voice of the Beta again, and within seconds, I could only see darkness, my eyes wrapped tightly with a piece of clothing by someone standing behind me.

Silence.

Beside me, I could hear whimpering, and it soon turned into full-blown tears.

“Silence!” demanded the Beta harshly, his voice loud and echoing around the hall.

The girl whimpering fell silent immediately, sniffling.

I didn't blame the girl for crying. If I could, I would cry too, but it seemed that I had lost the ability to do so, and even if I could, my tears wouldn't save me. Nothing could.

The Breeder Selection Ceremony was almost every girl's nightmare, but it was an inescapable part of our lives. In the ceremony, Alphas, who had turn twenty five and hadn't yet gotten their mate, had the opportunity to choose a girl they would use for their pleasure. She would be made into a baby making machine, always at the beck and call of these Alphas, more of a property to be used as they liked.

Some girls had it lucky. They got chosen by a good Alpha who still went on to treat them well even after the Alpha got his mate.

But not everyone was lucky.

I pushed back the sob that suddenly rose in my throat as I remembered some of the horror stories about Alphas and their Breeders.

Goddess, please, I just want to be left alone.

I just wanted to be home with my mother, making as much bread as we could to go sell at the open market.

My heart clenched at the thought of my mother — all alone without me.

My father was long since dead and I was the only person she had. What would happen to her now?

How I wish I could just walk out of the hall without looking back, but it was impossible. The Selection ceremony was the fate of any mateless girl that was of twenty years of age and above.

“The Selection can now begin,” announced the voice, and I almost did collapse dead on the spot. “We now invite Alpha Seth of the ShadowMoon pack to pick his choice,”

At the announcement, the girl beside me reached for my hand and squeezed tight. It hurt, but I let her be, squeezing her hand just as much as she was squeezing mine. I could do with the support as well.

Suddenly, I heard a loud chuckle in front of me, and I jumped.

“Holding hands, how cute,”

It was Alpha Seth, and he was standing right in front of us. He was one of the fair ones. One of the ones who you wanted to be picked by.

“Time to go, sweetheart,” he said again, and I felt the girl beside me release my hand.

It was her. She had been chosen.

“Goodbye,” she said hastily to me. “I wish you luck.”

“Thank you,” I managed to whisper back, my heart thumping to the sound of an unseen drum.

“Next, we have Alpha Azriel of the EaglePeak pack,”

I did not like this ceremony, but if I wanted anyone to pick me, it had to be Alpha Azriel.

The goddess' favourite; the charming, playful Alpha whom everyone loved — he with his sun-kissed hair and skin.

He was gentle with everyone and treated everyone equally — from the highest ranked Alphas to the lowliest of Omegas.

But that was also why a lot of people make sure never to err on his wrong side. He would shed that personality faster than a snake could shed his skin, and that ability made him almost more brutal and deadly than any other Alpha.

But he wasn't picking me. His footsteps walked right by me purposefully and soon stopped.

“Hello, Elizabeth,” he said, his voice a mere whisper, and I could imagine the smile that would accompany his words.

“H-hi,” Elizabeth stammered, somewhere down the line to my right, her voice shaking. It didn't need to. She had the best luck out of all of us, and we remaining ones had not much hope left.

Then Alpha Azriel said loudly, “I choose her,”

Loud cheers and applause followed his announcement.

When the hall quietened down, the next was called,

“Alpha Roman of the Moon Shadow pack,”

If I hadn't been praying for death before, I would start now. Alpha Roman was the most bloodthirsty Alpha of our time, and he almost rivalled the Alpha King in the numbers of deaths he had to his name.

Someone burst into tears again, and I managed not to do the same — barely succeeding.

Silence fell on the hall, and if a pin dropped on the ground, it would be heard loudly by every single person.

I swallowed and tried to steady my breathing, but I tried not to wipe my sweaty palms against my blue dress.

In, out; In, out.

You have to calm down. You have to calm down. You'll be fine, you'll be fine. He can't choose you.

No way.

I tried to follow the sound of his steps, but he moved slowly and quietly, and I soon lost track of where he was.

Then came his voice like a drop of water on the floor,

“Her,”

Her? Who?

Then I felt a hand fall heavily on my shoulder.

“Serene Willows,”