Auctioned at 18 | Claimed by Two Alphas

Chapter 15 | Initiation

Elyria

Beta Evans comes to get me after an hour. I’m grateful for him; it provides a distraction from my spiraling thoughts.

I follow behind him, closing the door to my room as we walk out into the main living area of the pack house. Beta Evans looks back at me and asks, “Do you know what to expect after initiation?”

I shake my head no, “We were given very basic information about packs, Beta Evans. I know the general hierarchy, and I know initiation will cause me to be linked, but I don’t know much else.”

“Once you’re initiated, you will have the ability to mind link your higher-ups. We can block you out, and if it’s an emergency, you can push that thought forward so we know it’s needed to allow you in. But if Leo does anything inappropriate to you or makes you uncomfortable while you’re supposed to be entertaining the Alpha, I would like you to mind-link me to let me know. I will put a stop to it.”

I smile as we walk and say, “I appreciate your efforts, Beta Evans, but I don’t have a wolf yet. That affects things, doesn’t it?”

His body stiffens as he realizes that I’m right. He huffs and shakes his head, “We’ll have to figure something else out in the meantime, then.”

We walk outside where everyone else is. There are ten men, some of them are familiar, and I know I must’ve seen them in passing back at Crucible Academy. Then there are the four women I was with earlier, and Alpha Bennett and Gamma Price are standing together. Beta Evans leaves my side to join them.

There’s one woman standing next to the men, she pushes the Alpha’s shoulder as she laughs, and a curl of jealousy unravels inside of me.

I force my eyes away from the two of them and look at the women I have been around earlier; they’re all dressed in simple dresses now, but they still have a collar. At the thought, I touch my own neck, now free, and the guilt washes over me.

I got out of that fate, but they didn’t.

Images flash in my head of the things they were forced to do. I wonder if any of them have bruises or scars from the cruelty of those men. My heart aches, and I wish, more than anything, that I could help them escape this horrid fate.

There’s some way that I am different from them, but I don’t know what it is. Is it just because I’m a virgin?

Surely, I wasn’t the only one out of the group who was like that.

Alpha Bennett looks around the room at each one of us as he says, “This night only happens once a year, where those that have been purchased from the auction are now openly welcomed into the Eclipse Pack. You all have roles and duties to fill, and you have been purchased because we believe that you will strengthen our pack. As you settle into your roles, you will realize that you might have more freedom than you expected.”

He pauses, his eyes flicker to the group of girls for a moment as he says, “No one is a slave here. You will all be compensated properly for anything you do.”

His eyes linger on them longer than the others as he says, “Some of you were purchased from the pack and will report to me, while others were purchased by individuals. The ones purchased by individuals will report to them for anything they need and only come to me if it is an emergency.”

Alpha Bennett finally tears his eyes from the girls as he continues, “You will each cut the palm of your hand, and I will cut mine. We will shake hands, and as we do, you will pledge your allegiance to me, Alpha Atlas Bennett, and then pledge your loyalty to the Eclipse Pack. If you ever cross this pack, you will be banished or worse, do I make myself clear?”

The response is loud and clear as everyone chants in unison, “Yes, Alpha!”

His voice is low as he murmurs, “Good.”

I stand still, I’m last in the line of initiates. He goes through all of the men first, and I watch carefully, for some, getting the pack established seems painful. I wonder if it will hurt me. Since I don’t have my wolf yet, there’s a chance that it won’t bother me as much as it does the others.

Some of the women look over at me, and I look back at them. I can see faint bruises on some of them as they move to brush their hair behind their ears or fidget. The dresses play a big part in covering up some of the worst things, but I know what happened. And I can only imagine how much worse it was after I left.

The Alpha just talked about how we all have a purpose here to make this pack stronger. But how does being a s*x slave for Gamma Price benefit the pack?

Suddenly, Alpha Bennett stands in front of me. He has a tall, dominating presence, yet I feel comforted by the fact that he is here.

I feel flustered by his presence, but I don’t fear him, not in the way I do around Gamma Price.

He holds the dagger out to me, and I cut into my hand and shake his. Small tingles spread throughout my hand, and my heart rate picks up. His presence has more of an effect on me than I thought.

I look in his eyes as I say, “I, Elyria Trainer, pledge myself and my loyalty to the Eclipse Pack and to Alpha Atlas Bennett.”

The corner of his mouth twitches up and then quickly disappears back into his straight face as he says, “I accept you, Elyria Trainer, as a member of the Eclipse Pack.”

There’s a bit of pressure in my mind, and it’s hard not to wince from the intensity of it. The pack link is getting established, and I stare into his eyes as I hear his smooth voice enter my mind, “Welcome, Elyria.”

He drops my hand, it immediately feels too cold without him, and he turns his back to me as he addresses the rest of the group, “Welcome to the Eclipse Pack! You may all go to the homes or rooms provided for you and get some rest. Beta Evans or Gamma Price will let you know what duties are expected of you in the morning.”

Everyone moves in different directions to leave. I turn my back to head inside the pack house when I hear one of the girls say, “She’s such a lucky b***h. It should’ve been me.”

Another girl scoffs, “She’ll be back with us in no time. Maybe then one of us can show the Alpha what fun a real woman can be.”

For a split second, I second-guess myself and my abilities. But, no, I was chosen for a reason, and I will not let those girls fill me with doubt.

Jealousy rages inside of me at the thought of another girl touching Alpha Bennett. I think of that one girl I don’t know, laughing and touching his arm. Jealousy simmers inside me.

No other girl can have his affection. He will be mine, and I will do anything to guarantee that.