Selected (book one)

one

Deciding to forget about her, I leave my room and make my way down the stairs, pausing quickly when my mothers panicky voice reaches my ears.

"She can't know." She sighs, my eyebrows furrowing at the weird statement. "It will ruin our relationship Sam. You know how much I love her."

Taking slow steps down the stairs to reach the bottom, I try to strain my ears to hear the other person, supposedly Sam, on the phone but failing miserably when my werewolf hearing doesn't come. I glance around the corner and find her sitting at the island, a hand resting on her forehead with the other holding the phone.

"Goddess no." She looks up and I fling myself back to avoid being seen. "I could lose my job! Or worse get killed." She hisses, emotions turning dangerously towards anger.

What did my mom ever do to have a threat like that on her shoulders? She's the pack doctor for goddess sake. Everyone should respect and care for her as if she has alpha blood flowing in her veins.

"Yes... maybe... no." I have to cover my mouth to stop a laugh from erupting from her obviously confused answer. Whoever was talking on the other side must have asked a personal or difficult question, and knowing my mother, she cant handle those type of things.

I hear nothing for a long minute, questioning myself if she has moved to the living room or heard my rapid heartbeat and hung up to avoid me hearing anymore. Sighing with relief when her voice meets my ears from a distance, I run back upstairs and grab the monstrosity of a invite off my desk and make my way back down.

"Those bitches killed him. What did you expect me to do?!"

I round the corner and make eye contact with her, tilting my head to the side like a lost puppy. "Mom?"

At my voice she hangs up and gives me a smile, the falseness of it evidently there. "Hi." She squeaks, coughing to clear the drainage resting in her throat. "What do you need?"

"Why do you think I need something?" I ask, giving her a gleaming look with my brown eyes that says I-heard-what-you-just-said.

"Um... I-I don't kn-"

Throwing the paper that was in my hand onto the table, I watch her reaction closely and bite my tongue as she gives me a big true smile. "I got it last week."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She laughs, grabbing the thing that has been keeping me up at night in her hands and opening it to read the contents.

"I first thought it wasn't true, that I was somehow in a wicked nightmare. Now? I'm supposedly living in it."

3 Weeks Till Pickup

"Luciella meet Kendra. Kendra meet Luciella."

I almost make a comment about her caked on makeup but Lilah would slap me, drag me to the corner by my ear, and scold me like a child that just ate all the brownies. Terrifying friendship, I know.

"You both are competing in the Choosing Festival which means you now have an ally. Who knows how many fake ass bitches will be there." Lilah rolls her eyes dramatically and grins at the both of us. "Talk! Get to know each other! Create a plan!"

"A plan?" I quiz.

She looks at me and glares. "Yes, a plan. I expect you both to be the final two."

I look at Kendra and start bursting out with laughter, my hands gripping my stomach in pain. "You think I'll get that far?!" I wheeze while almost collapsing. "No Lilah. Not possible."

"At least try?" She whines.

I bite my lip. "I rather no-"

"Please?"