The Assembly at Alpha's Residence

Charlotte POV

I was ready for the dreadful event after Aunt eve had done primping and petting me and had dressed me in the dress that Grandfather had provided. It would be more convenient for me if Willow and the others were there to pick me up when they were heading there.

We went to the northernmost road after leaving my house, which was situated in the higher part of the compound due to my family's status, or prior position. Despite having spent my whole childhood in the compound, I had never visited the Alpha's home. Unless the weather was extremely severe, everyone normally congregated at the clearing for significant meetings and activities, which is where I had met up with everyone. However, neither Willow nor I had ever visited the Alpha's home, based on our exchange.

She said as we approached the Alpha House and saw the lengthy driveway leading up to it, "This is actually exciting." There was a small road at the back of the compound, although it was really a driveway. Before the forest began, all of the residences within the compound came to an end. with the exception of the Alphas. The driveway led to the Alpha House, which was situated at the end of a two-mile stretch of road that curved upwards between towering, dense woods. You descended deeper into the mountains the more you ventured into the jungle. Even though the Alpha House wasn't particularly tall, it was nevertheless striking to view.

Several light sKins were stretched between the trees, as I noted. Although I had a strong suspicion that they had been hung just for tonight's meeting, how could I be sure? Whatever the purpose of the lights, they radiated a lovely, unsettling brightness. We had only left at quarter to seven, so it was odd that it appeared to be completely dark outside by now. It wasn't supposed to be so dark outside.

I noticed that a few males my age were pointing folks in the right direction as we approached the residence. A man questioned who would be there as an unmated pack member as Rowan brought the car to a stop.

Both Rowan and I simultaneously said, "I will."

Ignoring Rowan, the man asked me, "What is your name?"

I said to him, trying to seem a little perplexed, "Charlotte."

With a firm tone, he asked me, "Last name?" I was the only pack member named Charlotte, as far as I knew.

I informed him, getting irritated now, "Hayes." I saw the startled look on his face when he heard my name. I notice that everyone in the pack is aware of my legacy.

"MissMadden, you belong to group number three. If the Alpha hasn't found a mate by then, you will have one-on-one and group meetings with him at the gathering in two months. 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 the success." I had no idea what the man was talking about, but I nodded, and Rowan pulled into the parking lot he had indicated for us.

We proceeded up the walkway, following the lights. We soon arrived at a massive stone home. It had been tastefully restored and kept up over the years, giving the impression that it had been there since the beginning of the. It was quite possibly square feet. It was a huge space. even more impressive was the tower that stuck up through the roof, resembling a castle. It feels like a totally different universe here.

The meeting was taking place outside. I was okay with that. even the mere sight of that house overwhelmed me; entering would be too much. A dance floor was built up amidst the flashing lights. All the food for the evening was being served under a gorgeously furnished, if somewhat tacky, screened tent. It was nasty since those mosquito screens are impossible to hide, yet lovely because someone tried so hard to make it look amazing.

Seemingly, the event was a supper buffet where everyone was free to mix, converse, dance, and engage in any other activities. All I wanted was to get home. It was true that the food smelled really good.

I could feel the celebration, as everyone around me was referring to it, just getting started. To introduce me to all of her pals, Willow was dragging me about. The majority of them gave off the impression that they wanted to be friends but were unable to defy the lessons they had been taught for years. In the end, all of the people I met scoffed at me and asked why I had bothered to come at all.

When the final person Willow had hoped to introduce me to turned her down, she was on the verge of tears and said, "I'm so sorry, Charlotte."

I gave her a comforting grin and said, "Don't worry about it, Willow, I'm used to it by now."

She nearly started crying, "That makes it worse."

I gave her a gentle arm rub and said, "It's really fine, Willow."

I was about to try to give them a piece of my mind, so she said, "I'm going to go give them a piece of my mind, and you can't stop me." She rushed out of my sight. I understood that trying to connect with so many different pack members would only lead to failure. Even with the small group of people I now called friends, I was content. It was more than I ever imagined achieving.

I had no desire to attend the celebration. Not to mention that without me, Willow would be hanging out with Kyran and her other buddies. Grandfather would never find out that I had completely blown off the celebration and disregarded everyone there if I just stayed out of everyone's way. For me, it was win-win.

The smallest hint of that addictively deadly aroma from this morning captured my attention just as I was about to disregard the party. I really did not want to see the person whose scent it was, but he was present at the event!

I crouched beneath the sKin of lights and proceeded to follow the tree line deeper into the forest. It was evident that the person I was trying to avoid had also been in this area of the forest, but since the fragrance was so old, it seemed unlikely that I would encounter him right now. I came upon a tree that appeared to have fallen during a very long storm. It was low enough to sit on comfortably because it was partially hidden in the forest floor, and the bark had been sanded down to make it less uncomfortable for me to sit on. I settled in for a long wait, feeling certain that the tree wouldn't scuff my dress or cause discomfort on my legs.

Unfortunately, it didn't take me long to notice that the smell was growing stronger. incredibly powerful. He was rapidly approaching me from the side.