Chapter 2: How You Said "Mate"

Amarantha's POV

The howling soon became louder when I and the three black wolves crossed an unfamiliar stone bridge. It was half-wrecked, tainted by mortar rusts and carbon mixtures.

It was the road to hell in a literal meaning. My vigilant eyes started to shift from side to side. I couldn't help but puke. On my knees, I chucked up all of what remained in my stomach. I must be so dizzy from the long travel. These werewolves didn't even use their agility in taking me here faster instead, they let me suffer a long death march.

I heard the wolves growl in anger and impatience behind me. I hadn't even wiped my mouth when one of them dragged me back until I'm forced to walk again. Both of my feet were chained up as well as my hands. I walked with heaviness. My head started to feel the stirring. Everywhere I turned my head the objects in front of me started to get blurry, and the earth felt like spinning around me. I would seldom tumble. The sound of the wolves howling unearthly cries was all drowned by my dizziness. My ears clogged, breath shortened in heaviness.

The only thing I remembered as I tried to open my tired eyes was the thunder clapping, light reflecting on the group of scared humans. Then, everything went black.

*****

I gasped when a bucket of water was thrown at my face. I squinted a little, then saw five tall men in front of us. I adjusted my sight slowly and noticed their cat-like eyes.

They were werewolves in their human form.

A roar interrupted my internal thoughts. I jumped a little and slowly flinched until my hand reached something soft but cold behind me. When I turned in that direction, I shouted in fear and recoiled. A corpse of a woman was lying on the cold ground full of worms and insects. My body shivered in coldness. I wanna puke again but my stomach hadn't ground any food since the other day.

"Silence, slaves!" another werewolf shouted. All of us turned to him. It was the man in his camouflage suit. He held an old rusty iron staff that is pointy on both ends. He, then, waved it to the slaves, especially in my direction. "You must shut your filthy mouths before the Alpha King arrives. He must not be distracted by all of your cries. You already know all of your fates, did you?" The wolfman grinned. "Be blessed! The Alpha King is now ready to choose his mate from this group of human slaves. She, who has the scar of Goddess Selene, will be the chosen mate of the Alpha King. You all must be groomed well. Fetch your waters from that hand pump and choose your clothes at the back. The Iotas from Prima Tierra Pack will guide you on what to do next. For those who will oppose the Alpha King's orders, death by decapitation will their sentence be!"

The sound of gasps came from the group of human slaves behind me. I couldn't even count how many they were inside this place. To my estimate, there would be about 100 female slaves that were inside this scary place. It was somewhat like a cave. The walls and the floor texture and color were all the same. Rough reddish soil. It was not perfectly carved. It smelt like muddy clay lingering inside my nose.

"How long have you been captured here?" I asked.

"We lost count, dear! All we did was follow what they wanted. If not, we would be killed!" one of the women whispered to me.

"So, what's this for?"

"You heard the werewolf!" another interrupted. "The Alpha King is looking for his bride. His mate. From the rumors, it is going on for years and this is the last time he will collect girls. We all have been captured because of one common ground..."

"We all have scars or wounds on our right upper arms. It is his sign to determine his fated human mate. That is all that I know," another woman continued.

"What happens if the Alpha King has chosen his mate? Will he kill us all who he didn't choose?" a shaking voice behind me asked. A woman with short hair also had a scar on her arm. Her wound was already dry like it was there ever since she came into this world.

I automatically turned to her with my eyebrows creased. "Why would they do that? Won't they give us a chance to be just slaves?" I asked in a whisper. My heart was starting to pump a lot out of fear.

"Don't you know?" another woman asked, eyes bewildered in my direction. Her hair is dark and long. She was taller than me.

"Know about what?"

"Werewolves don't care about us! So, right after the choosing ceremony, most of us will be dead!" she revealed to me with a hiss.

That made my heart pound in fear; ingested a lump in my throat.

I couldn't afford to be dead right now. It's either I'll be chosen for whatever reason or I'll end up inside worms' digestive system. I have to go to Nottingham before the third Sunday of this month or else I would never meet the Human Alliance Group that was being formed.

"You!" another werewolf's voice startled me. I turned around and saw a man marching in my direction, directing his pointy staff toward me.

"Oh, good Lord! He's seen us! Move away!" the short-haired woman beside me hissed and then pushed me away.

I didn't see it coming and suddenly tumbled to the ground. That's when several mushy footsteps were slowly getting closer to me. The staff was quickly aimed at my face while a metal frequency sound seconded. I gulped and slowly looked at him who was aiming at me.

"Go to the hand pump and clean yourself immediately!" he sternly ordered.

I had no other choice but to oblige while others were watching. It was my first time taking a bath after 5 months of roaming around. The flow of the water and soap from the sponge made it so relaxing. Afterward, I went to the stall that showed many white dresses. Many humans already picked their dresses.

When I was about to pick up one, suddenly, someone pulled me away.

I gasped and found myself being dragged by a black figure. Not one soul has taken sight of my sudden running. The dragging stopped when we came to a narrow alleyway.

I turned to the one who dragged me and saw a tall man dressed in black. His face was also covered in black cloth leaving his eyes naked. He let go of me but pinned me to the wall.

I gasped and held my breath for a while. "W-who are you?"

"It's not important anymore. Our goal is to keep you alive to survive this ordeal..." he warned me which made me so alarmed.

"W-what? What will happen to me?"

The stranger turned to his side and handed me a small sack. I received it reluctantly and tried to guess what was inside it. "It's the dress that you must wear," he answered my thoughts like a psychic. "You must wear it. Never forget that. That's the only way you can survive the Choosing Ceremony..."

"W-wait. What's this for?"

Instead of answering, the stranger quickly ran away leaving me dumbfounded. I just looked at the sack with my mouth hanging open.

"What ruins am I gonna face right now?"

I didn't quite get what happened but I just obliged. This dress wouldn't hurt me if I wear it, would it?

It was a white underdress with very thin sleeves. Looking at it made me shake my whole body. The winter is coming by tomorrow. I saw the clouds from yesterday morning before I was captured by these werewolves. Wearing this dress would only mean I had to endure my uncalled death before I could even know who was chosen in the ceremony that I don't even understand. I already know that I will not be chosen. I already heard enough from the conversation a while ago.

It was believed it started two years ago when the Alpha King received the scar on his right eyebrow. According to them, a human girl was destined to be his mate. She must also possess a certain scar at childbirth. That way, he could determine his human mate.

But my scar was not made two years ago. It was made last night when I was on the border of Hull. What scared me away was the fact that I would face death once the Choosing Ceremony ended.

What will happen to me? I'll have to face my demise.

I wished I was already dead before I came here.

After several minutes, finally, all the candidates for the Choosing Ceremony were all ready. They all lined up in front of the Iotas. Suddenly, a werewolf roared in front of us.

A lady to my left nudged me. "That's the official announcement. It means the Alpha King has arrived. We should all bow straight to our arses or else they will behead us. One rule, lady. Do not look straight into the Alpha King's eyes or you will be the next reason for his wrath. Do you understand that?" she reprimanded earning me nothing but a nod.

Suddenly, I heard the loud and deep sound of footsteps. It felt like everything was in slow motion. Then, I suddenly felt dizzy.

"Behold, the Alpha King of all Alphas! The bearer of Prima Tierra's Pack. The ruler of the whole of Europe. Bow your heads and give your utmost respect to his eminent grace!" one of the werewolves announced.

Tick tack. Tick tack. His rhythm felt like my own breathing pace. His footsteps kept on echoing in my ears like they were my heartbeats. I closed my eyes momentarily.

Suddenly I, despite my difficulty in breathing, noticed a pair of shoes that stopped in front of me.

I gulped. Was it the Alpha King?

There was this magnetic feeling that tried to pull me to take a peek. Then, I found myself doing so. A strong and hypnotizing scent lingered in my nose. It was something that I had never smelt before.

The smell of the wood grass during a serene rainfall. I'd never regarded it as something so appealing before but now, I do, and it was weird.

Why would I want a scent like this? It's as if I became someone who lives in a jungle.

I found myself meeting his deep-set grayish orbs. That was when the trance strongly took a hold of me.

His aura. His eyes. I know that they belonged to a wolf, particularly to a powerful being like the Alpha King.

But why did his eyes become so mesmerizing? Why am I complementing his perfect physique that showed his broad chest and shoulders?

My hand started to move to touch his face. I saw him being drawn to me as well. I could feel it. That was when the trance suddenly halted when I heard an iron clash against the ground.

I automatically turned my head in that direction.

"Assassins! Assassins!" one of the Iotas cried.

To my horror, the whole place went into a riot. People around were screaming. Strangers wearing black started to hurt the wolves and the humans. There was something about them that was kind of familiar.

I was too engrossed in my thoughts when one of the assassins was already in front of me. I just stood there, frozen. Then, I closed my eyes and prepared myself for my demise.

But suddenly, I felt someone pulling me. I felt my face hit something solid. I slowly opened my eyes and saw his clenching jaw. He locked his eyes on his enemy sharply. His hand gripped the stranger's neck until it slowly choked the opponent to death.

"No one ever hurts my mate!" he shouted.