THE harsh stadium lights imported from the flatlands of Bluestrike sent a jolting shock through my body. Above the entrance, a spotlight was positioned directly over the doorway alongside an accompanying camera.
My heart hammered in my chest as I weathered the brunt of the glaring light when I stepped over the threshold into the main area of the event hall. I blinked furiously, adjusting to my surroundings.
Once I was out of the spotlight's path, I was led to my seat. The event hall was packed to the brim. Stadium-style seating surrounded the event hall's main floor, which had been filled with metal, folding chairs. On the far end of the main floor, a makeshift stage had been built with a bright projector screen nestled in the middle, displaying each member of Bluestrike who walked in the spotlight's path.
The sound of hushed chatter filled the air, a dull mix of indiscernible voices. After taking my assigned seat, I peered around the stadium in hopes of spotting my family's cheesy smiles among the hundreds—maybe even thousands—of families.
But my brief sweep around the room proved to be useless. I could not locate my family amongst the hundreds of other pack members shuffling in their seats to try and locate their own family members down on the floor.
To your left! Dad yelled through the mind link.
Turning my head to the left, I squinted my eyes. Still distracted by the subtle scent of my mate, I could not pick up on the familiar smells of my family. I still don't see you guys. Are you sure you're in the right place?
Violet, while I may be old, I am not quite old enough to show up at the wrong location on such a special day.
Well, I don't see you guys, I responded.
We're to you right, Henry laughed, and I rolled my eyes, turning my head in the opposite direction.
Amongst the vast crowd, I finally pin-pointed my family. Once I knew where to look, spotting them was easy. They flailed their arms side to side. Henry even jumped up and down in his seat.
Shaking my head, I waved back at them with a budding smile. Dad, Henry, and Grandpa Campbell were amongst the growing crowd.
Grandma Campbell seemed to be missing in action. More often than not, Grandma had more bad days than good ones. I was sure when her next good day came along, Grandpa would fill her in on my placement ceremony. Suppressing a groan, I knew that also meant Dad and Grandpa would pester me relentlessly for pictures—for Grandma's sake, of course.
My smile fell slack as I looked at my well-dressed family. They all had on their Sunday best, dressed in various shades of black suits. Seeing them dressed so properly startled my heart. They had not worn their suits since... since one of the worst days of my life.
Swiftly turning my heart toward the stage, I blinked away the incoming tears. Today was not the day to get lost in the sorrows of my life, I told myself.
But that was not entirely true. Mom should have been here, and her absence was felt especially today.
Sighing, I tried to use my mate's scent as a distraction, but I could not catch a good whiff of the tantalizing scent. My entire body went rigid, and I grasped the edge of my metal chair.
Had my mate left? I wondered as I looked around the room.
Before I could conjure an excuse to leave my seat, the crowd grew quiet, and the lights dimmed. The spotlight drifted toward the center stage as Beta Finn waltzed to the podium.
"Welcome! Welcome!" He clapped his hands together. "Welcome Bluestrike members. Today is a momentous occasion. After a rough year or two for our pack, we are finally gathered here today to let the placements commence."
The crowd erupted in cheers as Beta Finn's face lit up with a smile. Beta Finn continued to hype the crowd with his words, but I zoned out. My mate's scent grew weaker with each passing second.
I had missed my opportunity.
Gripping the edge of my seat, I tried not to think myself a fool because I sure did feel like a gigantic one. I had latched onto my mate's scent earlier in the day—when it had been at its peak—but I had convinced myself that I had more time.
I should have had more time.
But the scent was fleeting, and time was not on my side.
I was being dramatic, I told myself in an attempt to reassure my worries. But, no matter how hard I tried to rationalize it, there was a very real possibility I could have missed the opportunity to find my mate.
Never before had I smelled anything similar to my mate's scent, which led me to believe my mate was not from around here. Who knows when our paths would cross in the future.
Tears brimmed in the corners of my eyes, and I blinked repeatedly to wash them away. Sinking into my uncomfortable chair, I vaguely listened to Beta Finn drone on and on about placements. Once he finished his introductory speech, one of the school teachers came up to say a few words of her own. When she was done talking, a fierce Warrior took to the podium to say his peace.
This cycle continued for longer than necessary. Each person would reminisce about their time taking the placements and offer a few words of wisdom, many of which I thought had been copied and pasted from the first search result for motivation sayings.
The ceremony dragged on, many of my fellow pack members dozing off around me before Beta Finn re-entered the stage to commence the announcement of the placement results.
The podium had been moved to the side of the stage where Beta Finn would hand each participant a slip of paper to accompany their specific result. Meanwhile, the participant's name would be called, and their results would be broadcast on the projector screen.
"Drew Adams," Beta Finn read off the first name.
Drew Adams, a gangly-looking man a year younger than me, stood up from his seat and walked over to the stage. As he walked up the steps, his results were displayed on the screen.
He got assigned to Business.
All the results were vague, like Business, Training, Kitchen, and Farming. It wasn't until you went through a few rounds of training that you could further specialize in your field—or retake the placement exams if you didn't find your job to your liking.
Another slue of names were listed off. When a new pack member walked up on the stage, their family would hoot and holler with congratulations.
My leg started to bounce up and down as my turn neared. So far, no one had made any indication of distaste toward their placement results, and I really hoped I would not be the first one to break this streak.
I wanted so badly to be placed in Training. I could feel the ache in my bones, the calling in my soul.
Ever since I had lost Mom a couple years ago, my future had become clear—it was one of the only certain things during that dark time. I wanted so badly to be placed in Training so that I could specialize to be on Patrol.
"Violet Campbell," Beta Finn announced.
Rising from my chair, I focused my attention on not tripping my way to the stage. I took a deep breath before I scaled the stairs, eyes locked on the projector screen.
Without delay, Training flashed on the screen, and I walked to Beta Finn, taking the white envelope from his hand in a daze. I got the placement I had spent over a year preparing for, yet the satisfaction of achieving my desired placement had not sunk in. I was too preoccupied with thoughts of my elusive mate.
My hands shook as I looked down at the white envelope enclosed in my hands. My name was beautifully scrawled on the front in thick, black ink. The envelope had not been sealed shut. My fingers traced under the exposed flap but were never brave enough to edge any further.
As I looked around me, many of my fellow pack members had the same idea: they, too, had begun toying with their envelopes. Unlike my peers, though, I hesitated. I already knew my placement. But whenever I neared opening the envelope, my throat closed, and I had to place the envelope down on my lap to catch my breath.
There were more important things to focus on right now, I told myself, letting the envelope settle between my knees—not that I knew what contents lay inside. This uncertainty kept me from going further than brushing my fingertips along the sharp edge of the envelope's flap.
Besides, my mate's scent had not completely disappeared from the vast event hall, and now with my placement result known, I had no substantial excuse to keep away from searching for my mate.
Taking a quick glance around the room, I let out a frustrated sigh. The nearest exit was the same door I had used for my entrance. It was too far away to make an unnoticed escape.
Even with the obstacle of thousands of eyes watching me sprint out of the event hall, I knew I could not do it. I could not abandon the rest of the ceremony in search of my mate.
While today was about my placement results, it was still a momentous occasion. Dad had spent countless late nights helping me memorize tactics I had never heard of before. Grandpa had lent me some of his detailed journals about life as a Warrior. Henry, my annoying little brother, had even lent a helping hand—whether it had been intentional was debatable—but he at least would leave me free from his pestering during the hours I spent studying.
Not to mention, the last family event we all attended together had been a funeral. We deserved to have a family event go off without a hitch. I just wished my mate would save me the trouble of the search and make their presence known.
"Olivia Rourke," Beta Finn's voice jolted my attention.
Smiling, I watched Olivia beam with pride as she strode to the stage. Her navy blue dress rustled from side to side, sending a soft whoosh over the crowd. Her light brown hair had been curled to perfection. From her outward appearance, she looked ready to tackle the placement results with her eyes closed. But, as her best friend, I knew from the subtle twitch of her eye, she was nervous.
But she wouldn't have to be nervous for long.
Within seconds after her name was called, her placement, Kitchen, shone brightly on the screen. She muttered a "yes!" under her breath, which could be heard by those seated close to the stage.
Barely any time elapsed before it was Spencer's turn to face his fate.
"Spencer York."
He walked in elongated strides toward Beta Finn. Tiny beads of sweat pooled at the base of his forehead, and he wiped his hands along his pant legs before walking up the steps to receive his envelope. He was placed in Training, the same as me.
When the envelope reached his hands, he held it up high and waved it above his head as he galloped off the stage. I shook my head in his direction.
Shortly after Spencer's name was called, Beta Finn managed to exhaust the list of those awaiting placements. While the placement results had ended, Beta Finn launched into yet another tiresome speech.
This time he talked about Bluestrike, and for a moment, I thought he was setting the stage for Alpha Wade to come out and address his pack. But, as Spencer had guessed earlier, our luck ritual had not worked.
Alpha Wade never showed.