Their Claim - Claimed by the Lycans

Anthenet POV I groan as I toss in bed, hating the annoying ring emitted from that dang dong as the leader of the tribe bangs his life away to awaken us. It's not an everyday occurrence, thank the gods for that, but I'll rather not be reminded of today's events which I've only been reminded of just about every day this week. Everyone's talking about it, nonstop. And most interestingly is the eagerness of the girls to be given away to complete strangers who are coming from miles away. Apparently, it all started out as a payment of some sort for protection from the Lycans since the 'evil spirits' were randomly kidnapping the females of our tribe. So the leader of that time made a plea to the Lycan King, begging for protection, and in return, the King asked to be repaid with the best our tribe had to offer- a virgin girl. Like come on, was that really the best our Tribe had to offer? We had weavers, a nice basket could have done. We had seamstresses, a lovely tailored suit could have done. But the greedy bastard wanted the thrill of wrecking the innocent and well, tradition started then and continues now. However, I must admit, there haven't been any recent reports of missing persons or random deaths since the Lycan King became our 'savior'. Hmm, come to think of it... could it have been their doing and their plan all along? "Anthenet, hurry and get the door!" A long uncontrolled groan slips from my lips as my mother's voice filters into my room amidst the constant ringing of the dong that really could shut up now, like... we get it, today's the day. No doubt my mother is already in the bathroom getting all dolled up for the occasion like she does every year. Honestly, I'm glad I can be a fly on the wall today, but I dread my turn, standing on display for the Lycans to make their pick. I shudder at the thought as the ding of the doorbell echoes through the house once again. "Anthenet?" "On my way, mom." I quickly shout back to silence her nagging tone. I sigh as I chuck the covers off me and drag my lazy ass to the door. "Hi, who's it?" I ask, as I simultaneously swing the door open. "Delivery service, dropping off a parcel for..." He glances down at the clipboard that sits on top of the box. "Amm, Mrs. Browne." He hands me the box and checks his watch then ticks the paper attached to his clipboard before scurrying down the driveway back to his vehicle. I wait by the door as he hops in his car, toots his horn then pulls off, speeding down the road. "What's it Anny?" Mom calls, finally emerging from her bedroom with a face full of makeup while pulling down on her way too-short dress that we all know would simply ride back up after just one step. "Someone just dropped off-" "Ah, your dress." Mom beams cutting me mid-sentence. "Open it." Her broad smile creates cracks in her foundation, but nothing that another hour or so in front of a mirror won't fix. I carefully unwrap the box, clearly a little too slow for my mother who then insists on ripping the paper for me and pulling out a beautiful, shimmery, white dress- wait white dress?? Shoot. The way my mother's eyes widen tells me she's just as shocked. She flips the wrapping over 'For: Mrs. Janis Browne' Shoot wrong person. My mother's name is Arthenea Browne. Seems like he got the addresses mixed up on his paper and we just so happened to be Brownes, just not the ones he was looking for. "So, what are we going to do?" I cautiously ask, slowly glancing up from the ripped wrapping paper to a furious woman who bears little resemblance to my once chirpy mother. "What are we going to do? Well, I know damn right that someone's going to be without a job by tomorrow and they better be lucky I can't give a negative rating because, darling, hmm." "Ok, but what about the dress?" "What about it? You're going to wear it and you're going to rock it." "But the other girls-" "Do you know how much money was spent to make you look perfect today?" She pauses as if waiting for a reply but I know too well she's not expecting any "Now go and get dressed, the festivities start in about an hour and you know how I hate being late." I nod as any obedient child would. Sure I'm not perfect, nor am I the golden child, leave that to my brother who's probably out with my father helping the men of the tribe add the finishing touches for today's event, but when mom is in certain moods I know just how to walk her tight rope. A quick pit stop in the bathroom and thirty minutes later, I stand in front of the full-length mirror in my room, smoothing down the mermaid-fitted dress that honestly makes me feel like a princess, but trust me, this one ain't looking for no prince. I take my time walking down the stairs like a model on the red carpet. "Aww, you look gorgeous." Mom smiles, walking up to me to adjust the dress to her liking. "Ready?" I merely nod my head, following her lead as we make our way to the tribe's main center where the entire village is expected to meet. We reach and as expected my mother quickly finds conversation with someone else, leaving me to fend on my own. I stand there idle, fidgeting with my fingers, unsure of what to do with myself as more people begin to trickle in. Everyone always goes above and beyond on this special day and soon, some of the girls meant to be in white begin to appear, each one looking like a pure goddess. Good for them. I'm not sure which one of the girls the dress I'm wearing was meant for since, despite we aren't that big of a tribe, everyone doesn't know everyone. Nevertheless, none of the girls in white appear out of place or as if they had a wardrobe malfunction, or even as if their dress code was a haphazard decision, which can only mean one thing, they planned for the unexpected because as I've come to learn from years of attending the choosing ceremony, no girl wants to miss the opportunity to be the chosen one.