Chapter 3
1071 Words
Betty's POV
I was finally prepared for the dreadful party after being primped and groomed by Aunt Ava and dressed in the dress Grandfather had brought. With Sonia and the others picking me up, things would be simpler for me.
My family had some status within the property; therefore, our home was in the top part of the compound. When we left, we went to the northernmost road.
Even though I had spent my entire life in the compound, I had never set foot in the Alpha's home. When the weather wasn't too awful, I was among those who had gathered at the clearing for such occasions.
However, I had never visited the Alpha's home before, and Sonia's answer suggested the same.As we made our way up the long road leading to the Alpha House, she said, "This is actually exciting."
There was a narrow road in the property's rear, but it served only as a private driveway. The last house on the property was built where the forest began. Those who are Alphas are excluded.
The Alpha House sat at the end of a two-mile driveway that wound its way uphill through the midst of towering woods. Going deeper into the woods meant ascending higher in elevation. Although not particularly tall, the Alpha House made quite an impression.
Several strands of lights were hung from tree to tree, which caught my eye. Of course, there was no way for me to be absolutely positive that they hadn't been hung specifically for tonight's party. The lights, for whatever reason, cast a hauntingly lovely glow.
Weirdly, it appeared to be fully dark outside even though we had only left at seven minutes to seven. It was too soon for the sun to set.I noticed numerous men my age controlling traffic as we approached the house.
Jeremy stopped the car, and the man got out and asked who else from the unmated pack would be there.Jeremy and I simultaneously said, "I will."Ignoring Jeremy, the man addressed me directly: "What is your name?"I said, somewhat perplexed, "Betty."
He questioned me in a severe voice, "Last name?" To the best of my knowledge, I was the only Betty in the pack.I finally informed him, in an irritated tone, "Wilson." Seeing the startled reaction he had to my name tells me that my fame has spread throughout the pack.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I nodded my head, and Jeremy drove us to the gathering. "Miss Wilson, you are in group number three.
You will be having your one-on-one and group meetings with the Alpha at the gathering in two months' time if he has not found a mate by then.
Please use this time to mingle with the other pack members. Should you happen to find a different mate among the pack, the Alpha would consider this gathering to be quite successful.Up the path we went, following the illumination.
A large stone mansion soon appeared on the horizon. It appeared to have been there since the turn of the twentieth century, but its restoration and upkeep throughout the years had made it look brand new.
At the very least, it was 10,000 square feet. It was a huge building. A tower, of all things, protruded from the top of the structure, giving the impression that I was looking at a castle.
This is like being transported to another planet.The get-together was held in the open air. That suited me just fine. Just seeing the house was too much for me, so I can only imagine what it would be like inside.
A dance floor was prepared amid the glittering illumination. All of the evening's food was stored in a wonderfully designed, if somewhat tacky, screened tent.
Someone put in a lot of effort to make it look good, but no matter how hard they tried, the bug screens still showed through.
The event was described as a buffet meal where guests may mix and mingle while eating, drinking, dancing, or doing anything else they please. Just getting back home was all I cared about. It's true that the aroma was enticing.
Everyone around me called it a party, and it seemed to be picking up steam. Sonia was forcing me to meet all of her acquaintances. It seems that most of them were interested in making friends, but they were restricted from doing so by what they had been taught or told for years.
All the people I was introduced to ended up looking down on me and wondering why I bothered to be there.When the last person Sonia had hoped to introduce me to rejected me, she said, "I'm so sorry, Bet."
I smiled at her and reassured her, "Don't worry about it, Sonia; I'm used to it by now."She almost broke down in tears as she said, "That makes it worse."I informed her as I rubbed her arm, "It's really fine, Sonia."Since I was ready to try to confront them, she started, "I'm going to go give them a piece of my mind, and you can't stop me." She bolted from my presence.
Associating with so many diverse people within the pack would only lead to disappointment. I was content with my little group of current buddies.
It was way more than I expected to get.I was on the verge of deciding to disregard the party when I smelled a hint of that enticingly hazardous perfume from earlier.
Whoever the smell belonged to was present at the get-together, and he was someone I didn't want to meet.
I hid from the spotlights with a smile and continued along the forest path. It was clear that whatever I was trying to avoid had also been in this section of the forest, but the fragrance was very stale, so I had little to worry about in terms of actually encountering him here and now.
I discovered a tree that appeared to have been brought down by a storm many years ago. It was partially buried in the forest floor, making it low enough for me to sit on it without difficulty, and the bark had been worn down, making it less harsh.
I relaxed into my extended wait, assured that the tree would not damage my clothes or bother my legs.Unfortunately, the odor became more prominent as time passed. Hugely more powerful. As he got closer to me, he accelerated.
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