One

During coronation day, all ladies are required to wear the state issued white halter dress. In other days of no importance, they are to wear the state issued blue shirt dress.

✾

The scar at the base of my stomach throbs.

I bite the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from throwing up.

Today is the 6th of December, coronation day. Long tables are set at the back of the square full of food and drinks, long lines of commoners at the middle, staring at us with empty eyes, most of them stick and bones and full of grime. The smell of food and the smell of the commoners mixing together forming a putrid scent no perfume can cover and due to my advance senses these scents are ten times stronger. Although some might see coronation day as a festivity, I've always seen it as a nuisance.

The time we spend here standing in front of the crowd of Cinco is pointless and wasteful.

I look to my side and see the other girls, their faces blank. Much like mine. We are all wearing matching white dresses, made with the finest silk. Our necklace that serve as detectors blinking red every now and then. Our hair a colorful display of styles and color, we all did what we can to make it sort of stand out. I tied my long black hair in a loose ponytail with my bangs framing my face, it usually reaches my waist if it's not tied up. The colors of our hair, skin, and eyes are the only things that make us unique here. In other aspects, we are all the same.

They call us Royal Consorts. Women of the rarest breed. Werewolves trained from birth to be a worthy Luna. We were all recommended to be wed to a purebred Alpha and not just any Alpha, but to a Lacroix.

Cinco's savior.

The last time I saw him was on his 6th birthday. From what I remember years ago, the future Alpha had short ruffled black hair. And try as I might, that's the only thing I can recall about his features. His birthday was celebrated at the square, everyone had a chance to eat portioned meals that were actually seasoned with spices. As a Royal Consort, I was free to eat whatever I wanted as long as I keep track of it. Every calorie equals an exercise that I must do to shred it off.

Most of the people at Cinco aren't given the same privilege, most of them only get to eat this a number of times. Some of the meals prepared they only see on newspapers thrown out to be recycled.

The only flavor they're accustomed to is the bitter taste of poverty.

I don't recall how my life was before I became a consort. My memories have been a blur the past few years. All were replaced by studies about literature, politics, mathematics and science. My actions are mostly an automatic response from all the manner and proper etiquette classes we had to master.

"Might I be so bold to say that our consorts are far more beautiful than the weather?" I stray my eyes away from the crowd and look by the podium, to where Elli Contee was standing tall and proud wearing his black suit, by his chest a pin showcasing Cinco's colors, green and silver. "Today is coronation day and we would be announcing the 6 lovely women chosen for this year's Alpha."

Royal Consorts are not just for Alpha's per se, they're made to be wives of any male with an Alpha bloodline. Last 6th of June, consorts were chosen for one of the financial advisors back at the palace. Coronation days are only done every 6th of June and 6th of December.

My professors were always praising me because of my grades and manners. I've always followed orders and did everything in me to succeed. I know that I will be one of the lucky ones whose name they have passed to be considered Luna. I know it. I was one of the few who would actually stay up to study lessons I couldn't quite understand, I was one of the few who would wake up hours before breakfast just so I could practice walking with the perfect posture.

Moments later, sounds of trumpets and thudding of paws echo throughout the square.

"He actually came," one of the commoners in front mumble.

"I guess being banished is enough to scare him."

I try my best to ignore them. We're not allowed to engage in gossip. Even though this one is close to being the truth. Throughout Cinco, the future Alpha was known as someone who didn't take his job seriously. He doesn't attend meetings organized by his father and he rarely shows up. That's why I only saw him on his 6th birthday. It's a surprise he didn't just choose one randomly to get this over with.

The air grows heavy and my eyes automatically find him.

He walks in prowling like everyone inside were prey. I could easily figure out who he is despite the palace guards alongside him almost being a perfect clone. Even though everyone in the palace has Alpha blood, only a purebred Alpha can be as large as a carriage. His fur was silver, a streak of black on the tip of his right ear. And in a span of minutes, he has shifted to his human self.

I was right about one thing, he did have black ruffled hair. However, he was no longer the small and lanky boy I remember years ago.

Staring at him now, I can sense how power practically oozed out of him.

I always assumed men with Alpha blood looked rugged, like they were born for violence. The future Alpha erased all of my assumptions. I could tell that his birth mom is a Niju native, he's tall and slender. He looked prim and proper, but it was his lips - his now curving lips once he saw the crowd, is a clear indicator that he is nothing short of being wicked.

The thing that caught my attention the most were his eyelashes - they were extremely thick that even with my vision, I couldn't tell the color of his eyes.

He was wearing a suit, much like Elli, the only difference is this was made with emerald velvet and had an embroidered seal of the royal palace, above where his heart is.

I recall his name. It's Silas Lacroix.

He finally reaches us and he starts raising his head towards the few consorts before me. He eyes each one of them, not once did his eyes linger longer than it should be. No one has caught his attention. But then he reaches me and everything felt like it stopped.

It was golden. He had slanted gleaming golden eyes. It was so much like my own golden eyes that I was actually starstruck. I don't remember the last time I stared back at my own eyes using a mirror but I would feel like this would be it. Only a few amount of werewolves had golden eyes - and to think I would have the same as the future Alpha.

My scar throbbed again and I bite my cheek to hide the pain from my face.

Silas notices, and his expression changes.

It terrifies me as much as it makes blood rush to my cheeks. His stare almost feels like a touch. I don't know how long we've been staring at each other but I know it probably lasted but a few seconds. He smirks at me tilting his head, then he drops his stare. I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding in the first place.

"My Lord, we have been waiting for your arrival! Please, do you have any words for our people here at Cinco?" Elli announces, his voice booming. Silas stares at his direction and takes a deep bow, his right hand by his heart. Elli smiled broadly "Excellent! Everyone, please give a hand to our beloved Silas!"

Silas stands at the place Elli used to be and looks at the crowd.

"Thank you for standing by me as I make my decision today," the crowd is silent, no one dared to speak. Silas' guards on the lookout for anyone who will dare to. "I pray to the Goddess that I am blessed with proper judgement today and to the days that will come."

As if on cue, everyone clapped, but no one ever dared to cheer.

Everyone was mostly silent.

I could feel my hands sweat. As gracefully as I could I wiped it on the sides of my perfectly fluffed dress. My heartbeat was the only sound I can hear. I studied for this, I worked hard for this. I know my professors would have picked me. They would have recommended me the most out of everyone here. I am the best, I tried the best.

Silas pointed to one of his guards and signaled him to move forward. I look at the interaction with curiosity - that is until the guard hands over an envelope to the future Alpha. My eyes widen a fraction, not too much, but just enough for the other girls to pay attention to me and stare at what I was looking at as well. I'm familiar with that envelope. I used to use it as a scratch paper from when I solved equations I can never understand. That envelope was from the academe. It held this month's 6 lucky consorts.

Silas slowly opened the envelope to get a little rose colored paper from it.

And he starts reading the names.

Consorts don't have last names, we are to be taking the last name of the Alpha's we will wed. Silas starts to announce the names monotonously. As if he would rather be anywhere else but here, as if he's reciting a verse from a literature book instead of a potential partner that he would spend the rest of his life with.

"Katya."

I hear a small sob then, but I was too distracted by my own anxiety to look at the source. I know Katya. We weren't exactly friends but I knew her. She might be the youngest that would be picked today, she's just 13. Her long blonde hair is always styled into two ponytails that are tied with black ribbons, she's a Cinco native and they always take pride in the color of their hair.

"Suzanne."

My eyes widen. I look behind me to where she's standing. I wasn't even surprised when I saw that she was sighing. She was the laziest of all of us, any free time she had she'll just be seen sleeping or eating. She was a Niju native, just like me. However instead of black, her hair is ash grey, she wears it in two knotted rings with ribbons entwined in them.

"Marianna."

This time, I'm really surprised. Mariana's a weird one, how come she gets called and I'm not yet? She rarely ever talks. I don't even know if she's a Niju or a Cinco native. She can fit both categories. She doesn't even try sometimes, I always see her dazing lost in thought during lessons, her brown hair stuck to her normal braided pigtails. I try to stop my glare but it was useless. If she was called, I'm sure the next one will be-

"Tarryn."

They're always together. No doubt they're going to be picked together. I peer to my side to where Lady Vita was standing and frown. They always proclaim that coronations are by talent but I know better, it's always a by favorite system. Tarryn's a mystery for me, from her auburn hair that's always tied into a high ponytail that oddly resembles fire. I don't know much about her, which is odd for me. Because I always know about my competition, it makes me figure out ways to outshine them.

"Holly."

Applause actually came from the crowd and I roll my eyes. Holly is a crowd favorite. She's from Cinco and a prodigy. Most of the Lunas around Cinco are from her family line. Her waist-length golden hair shines out the most. I bring back my gaze to where Lady Vita was, her eyes shining with awe for her niece. Holly's a lot of things but a Luna isn't one of them.

How many names were called? Five?

I could feel my heartbeat getting quicker by the minute, my palms sweating more than they should be. Silas' turns sideways and I almost thought he was looking at me. He wasn't.

He was looking behind me and he was smiling fondly. I didn't have to turn around and wonder why. Because time seemed to stop by the time he mentioned the last name, and I almost fainted at the sight.

I was stupid enough to dream that I would make it.

It wasn't me that he called. It was worse.

Far, far, worse.

It was her.