Chapter 7
The lust in their eyes was deeper than the depths of the Atlantic and they made no attempt to hide it. Dark eyes swirling with blackened strings portraying love when in actuality they all wanted the flesh and not the feelings.
His hand came down hard on her ass and the yelp that left her lips had my jaw clenching tighter.
“You have to meet them,” Iliana rasped out. Her hoarse voice was shaking and she took careful steps out into the large room; she was limping as though each step hurt her.
I had to meet the alphas. I shouldn’t be staring- I knew that was what she meant. But I couldn’t stop looking at Liv and wondering if I should intervene.
“And do what? You alone up against a room full of alphas?” Trixy spat.
“They’re going to- they’re using her,”
“Look around, Hazel. You’re all being used! it’s the fate of the game, you’re nothing more than puppets to them and us wolves your faithful servants who in the minds of these alphas are no match to their power,”
The alphas looked at Iliana and practically salivated. They could smell it on her; that another wolf of power had been with her and it only made her more attractive to them for the simple reason of dominance. If a girl is craved by a male then she must be something special and of course if others want her then she must be worthy to fight for. When that male was an alpha…or a king, they needed to assert their dominance over said male by taking the girl. I hated the way they were looking at her. She was hurt, vulnerable, and they enjoyed the weakened girl that strutted in front of them- holding her head high through the pain.
Come on, Hazel, you have to partake.
“If they touch her I will kill them!”
“They won’t, they respect the rules.”
Determined- and fearful of going home without a claim- I stepped out into the room and walked closer to the Alphas who stood separated in different corners. The girls were gently dragging their hands gracefully over their arms, some even went as far as to lick a part of the alpha’s skin to leave her scent.
There was no other way out but with one of them on my arm and seeing what I had to choose between I could tell immediately that I would be better off
alone.
Despite my better judgment telling me to not to, I turned and looked at Liv. Her hips were swaying over his lap, his hand still entangled in her curly hair pulling her head back. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away. Hide the fear, quench it quickly.
Some of the Alphas were playing cards, one had a cigar in his mouth and blew out tiny clouds as he bet against the other alpha. The smell of smoke and gin mixed in the air of this sophisticated establishment but if I looked closer- if I tried and see this for what it was- it was no fancier than a whore house where the girls begged for a touch to gain a decent dime. The men knew that they held the power even if there were rules set in place that they were obliged to follow. They knew what this night meant to us girls and how they would need no physical advantage to get our attention. No girl wanted to go home alone, un-claimed and ashamed- the men knew this, they knew they didn’t have to try until the Hunt and that was when they would shine.
It was like the metaphor of ‘falling in love’ only there was no love involved and it was more of a tackle to the ground with a big sweaty wolf hovering over you with pride.
Pride.
Was there anything less sexy on a man than when he was so full of himself that he left no room for another name to be uttered?
But this was the dream, the joy and the hope that we had to look forward to.
A gust of wind blew in and lifted my dress, I could pull it down and keep it plastered to my skin but I saw the lust in their shadowing eyes when my flesh was exposed to them. It was fun, to have power, us girls don’t usually get to experience it and I felt my stomach clenching at the realization that this would probably be the first and last time that any of us did.
1/2
The Alpha’s Hunt
