FTRs comment here so I can see you! Write your location, the time and your battery percentage!!
The Great Hall was nothing short of a world wonder. Large ornate fire pits lined the sides, giving inside both light and warmth on cold winter mornings like these. A giant gold polished bell hung from the wooden roof. The walls were decorated with colourful winter flowers and herbs that were indigenous to the territory- Terra Nullius, Latin for no man's land. Totems bearing the symbol of the Goddess were hung, asking for her blessing.
I stood, along with five of my sisters-in-arms, behind my Alpha in the centre of the hall while sixteen warriors of the South tribe stood on the outskirts. The traditional ceremony known as The Viewing had just started and we were the ones offering ourselves as mates.
The ceremony had been planned to stretch out over two days. It is a rite of passage for warriors that occurs once every season. Tradition dictates that a tribe from each pack and their Alpha will have to gather here in search for new pack members. Throughout the ceremony, each tribe will offer six females and six males to fight against each other. It is here that, somewhere among the frenzy, the Alphas choose individuals who are most suitable.
My fellow sisters-in-arms and I adorned identical red dresses that flowed down to our knees, two strands of our hair was braided and tied together at the back of our heads, making our faces look more feminine.
We used bright red clay, native and rare to parts of our territory, to mark our faces and arms with symbols of luck and war.
Two daggers hung from our back, crossing each other in hard leather sheaths. The only armour we wore was tied to our forearms and a long piece of malleable metal was wrapped around our necks for protection. We were all moulded into warriors since birth.
Opposite us were women of the North Orion tribe. Instead of dresses, they wore a dark green bottom with brown ribbon stitchings to keep their seams in place. Their top consisted of a matching piece of green fabric that wrapped around their upper torso.
The top of their shoulders were covered with armour that was tied to their arms. Their weapons consisted of a long sharp spear and a small hand shield. They also adorned war paint, but unlike ours, they had brown patterned stripes down their arms. They looked just as fierce as we did.
"It is time for the inspection," a female priestess announced as she walked down the gap between us and Orion's warriors. The markings on her body made me shiver.
The priests and priestesses of the Great Hall consisted of former Alphas and Lunas who have lost their right to rule and wolves who have been banished from their packs for their crimes. Those who are forced here by their Alphas are stripped of their beauty and are marked with symbols of the Goddess.
They are forced to serve, brainwashed by those who had come before them. Fear and brute force are what they endure until their spirits are broken, and they are nothing more than tiny servants- shells of their former selves.
The Alpha of Orion slowly walked down our line, assessing and inspecting each female as he looked for signs that would make us unsuitable for his pack. He did this on each of my warrior sisters, slowly inspecting their scars, turning their heads, and feeling the bones in their arms for any bones that have healed incorrectly.
With my heart pumping at speeds that shouldn't be classified as healthy, I stared at the woman in front of me and watched as my Alpha slowly inspects her. To push down my nerves, I forced myself to focus on his meticulous search.
I snapped back to reality when I felt a hand on mine. My head jerked up to the large stranger in front of me, meeting his brilliant, vibrant violet eyes before I forced myself to look away.
Taking in deep, calming breaths to settle the jitters crawling inside my stomach, I tried to relax as I felt the Alpha tracing the superficial scars I had on my arms. I felt his fingers rub against my hand, feeling my bones and checking for any permanent damage that would render me useless on the battlefield.
The Alpha grasped the side of my face with both his hand before he turned my head from one side to the other. He let go once he was satisfied.
His hesitation to move on was visible. The violet-eyed Alpha grabbed a lock of my raven black hair and brought it up to his nose. He took a deep breath in before he placed the strand back behind my shoulder and moved to the side. Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to calm my raging heartbeat and focused on the woman in front of me. She was my opponent.
"Alphas, before the fight begins, I need to ask you. Are you both satisfied with the females brought to you today?" The Priestess announced in a loud booming voice, echoing across the large hall.
Both Alphas gave her a small curt nod. The Priestess bows and moved to the front of the Hall. "I trust all you have studied the rules of this fight. Remember, you are to fight the female in front of you and only in front of you. You are to only inflict surface wounds. If you cannot control yourself, you will be excused. The fighting may begin."
I took a step back and drew both daggers from their sheaths before running towards my opponent and swinging in her direction. The metal blade struck her hand shield adding to the loud clangs of metal that blared across the room.
She thrusted her spear causing me to jump to the side to avoid being hit. My heart was racing as I spun around and swung my blades, softly slicing the covered skin on her back.
My opponent did not visibly flinch from the pain I had caused. Instead, she jumped around and used her shield to knock me away from her, putting a good metre between us. She thrusted her spear again, this time catching me slightly off balance and slicing the edge of my shoulder. I sucked a deep breath and pushed the pain away.
With a strong kick, my foot connected with her stomach, causing her to lose balance and tumble backwards, landing on her side. I allowed her to regain her upright position. It wouldn't be a fair fight otherwise.
The Orion warrior repositioned herself, taking on an aggressive stance before she plunged her spear once more. Using the armour on my right forearm, I blocked her blow, changing the direction of her thrust and used the left-hand dagger to slash her long spear in half.
The gold polished bell above chimed a disconcerting rhythm, signalling the end of the fight. Sheathing my daggers back into their place, I walked back to my position in line. The smell of blood filled the air as the Priestess announced the beginning of the second stage of the ceremony.
My heart was beating rapidly from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. In the corner of my eye, I watched as the Orion Alpha slowly paced down our line, stopping in front of Irina and Anneli. He skipped Cameron, Ceila and Jessea, before pausing a metre away from me. I looked down in submission.
He lifted my chin up. Our eyes softly connected causing my heart to skip a few beats. I had suddenly forgotten how to breathe properly.
Without wavering, he tied two strands of thin metal around my neck before moving off to the side.
With a nervous lump in my throat, my eyes wandered back to my opponent. Her wrists now decorated with small red beads. She had been chosen by my Alpha.
"Congratulations to those selected, you have proven yourself to be worthy warriors. You may go and get ready for tonight's feast," the Priestess announced, dismissing everyone.
With that, the line formation fell apart as people from the sidelines gathered in the middle. Congratulations and praises were sung by everyone.
Picking up my new piece of jewellery, I inspected the deep, vibrant purple gemstone. Butterflies fluttered into my stomach as the eyes of the Orion Alpha danced its way into my head.
" Edrei!" a familiar voice burst into my head, pulling me from my thoughts.
I let go of the gemstone and turned to my brother, Reidon. His wavy brown hair was styled to make his face look boyish, creating a deep contrast against his fearsome red warrior's uniform and war paint.
Reidon engulfed me in a hug. "I knew you'd get selected," he announced before taking a step back to admire my necklace.
"You'll get one too. I know you will," I replied to him. "Come on, let's go stitch up my shoulder before it gets infected."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the madness inside the Great Hall. Together we walked into the cold bitter air and into our assigned hut.
Once inside, I sat on the less than spacious floor and ripped the sleeve off my dress, exposing the cut.
I bit my lip at the stinging sensation as Reidon dabbed a wet cloth on the wound.
"I'm going to start stitching now," Reidon warned, giving me time to close my eyes. I tried not to flinch or howl in pain as the small needle and thread punctured the swollen skin around the laceration.
My skin felt like it was on fire but I pushed down the pain. It had felt like an eternity had gone past before my brother finally yelled "Done!"
I let go of the breath I had been unconsciously holding and looked at his work. Not bad I thought.
"You need to start getting ready for the feast. Make sure you don't wet the wound when you bathe," Reidon commanded as if I have never had stitches before. I rolled my eyes and gave him a nod before exiting the cramped hut.
I made my way past the small shacks and towards the mouth of a large cave nearby.
Inside was lit up by candlelight, giving the cave a comforting glow. The steam that emitted from the hot springs inside washed away the bitterness of the winter air, alluring me inside to get cleaned up.
I looked around and spotted Anneli and Irina in a small circular hot spring. I hesitated as I walked up to them. Could I manage Irina's bragging today? I thought to myself before saying fuck it.
I took my red warrior's dress off and slid into the hot round spring with two of my other warrior sisters. I made sure my shoulder didn't dip into the water by angling myself awkwardly to the side.
The water from the hot spring burned my skin and revived the pain felt around my smaller cuts. I scrunched up my face and waited for the aches to subside before fully relaxing.
"Congratulations, Edrei, on making it to Commander so young," Irina said with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
I gave her a shallow smile. "Who told you that I'm a Commander?" I asked before she pointed to the purple gemstone necklace I now wore.
"Purple is reserved for Alpha Kaelon's three commanders, or so I'm told," Irina paused, waiting for me to challenge her sources. "You just had good timing, that's all," she continued once satisfied she knew more than I did on the subject, "one of his commanders probably died recently, why else would he make a 23-year-old a Commander?"
Her face started to turn green with envy as she continued to talk. "It could have been any one of us," she continued bitterly. "He'll probably demote you by spring when he finds a better fighter."
"Oh shut up, Irina," Anneli shouted. "Not everything in life is a competition."
Irina splashed her "I wouldn't describe it as competition. We're fighting for survival and only those who are the best, survive."
I give her a look. "Not when you're a Commander. Being one of the first to fight will more likely get you killed."
Irina's blue eyes look at mine in realisation. "That's true," she said, "perhaps Alpha Kaelon wants to you die faster then."
A low growl emitted from my stomach as Irina's words start getting underneath my skin.
"Alright then!" Anneli yelled."I'm going to show Edrei where she can get her new warrior's uniform before she pulls out your throat."
Anneli pushed herself out of the spring before she grabbed me and yanked me up from the hot water. I comply with her, knowing I could lose control if I stayed any longer.
The two of us followed the trail of candles that lit up the long dark corridors of the cave. We arrived at a large chamber filled with priestesses who were busy with dressing other warriors.
It didn't take long for them to dress us in our new colours- Green and Brown. I found it strange to see Anneli in a colour other than red, but she does well to suit the naturalistic green material.
We both take turns to each other's hair. Anneli opted for the simple braided bun, choosing to style her hair like other Orion warriors, while I kept my two small braids- a homage to the Fucus pack.
"I think we're ready," I told Anneli before we made our way back to the Great Hall, battling against the icy winds.
We opened the mahogany doors and are immediately surrounded by the warmth of the lit fire pits and the smells of roast pork, chicken and fish. The hall had transformed from a barren bloodsoaked arena to one that is filled with table, chairs, music and laughter.
We took a seat in the middle, as guests of honour, and chat among ourselves until both Alphas arrive, starting the celebrations.
By the time I finished eating roasted pork belly, chicken, smoked salmon and a handful of fruit, people had already begun dancing behind us. The hall was filled with laughter, dancing and music as everyone celebrated.
I looked around, trying to find my brother in the crowd. My face fell as I realised he had decided to skip the feast.
Getting up, I left the festivities and walked into the woods behind the hall, heading to the direction of the allocated training spot.
Staying on full alert, I used my nose to try and sniff my brother out but I couldn't find his scent. Too many wolves have walked this path. Their scents were mixed together, creating one big scent pile of nothing.
I sighed, getting frustrated and worried at my brother's sudden disappearance. I breathed in one more time before deciding to put my training to use.
I could feel the disapproval on my mother's face as I closed my eyes. She should have never taught me if she didn't want me to use it, I reasoned, knowing deep inside, it was very dangerous to use it now.
Terra Nullius wasn't known for its safety. The wolves who lived here didn't care about the rogues or other creatures that crossed its bounds. Many warriors have been forcibly mated in these woods, while others have died crossing paths with rogues.
Taking in a deep breath, I blocked out the unfamiliar scents. By blocking out the other scents, I was now blind to them, which made me vulnerable to sneak attacks by other wolves. I focused on Reidon's scent and opened my eyes, holding my focus while also staying alert to my visible surroundings.
The further I walked, the darker the woods appeared. I could hear animals rustling nearby, but I couldn't smell them as I held onto Reidon's fading scent.
I let go of his scent once two violet orbs appeared from the trees in front of me. Instantly, I realise the Orion Alpha's scent is all around me like a thick fog.
He stepped forward, power rolling off of his dark fur and into the air. A growl emitted from his snout as he looked at me lustfully.
The forest around me echoed with the sound of broken bones as the Alpha transformed back into this human form, standing in front of me in all his naked glory.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in big trouble.
Hey guys!
Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you give this book a chance and read the next!
I'm sorry there hardly any dialogue in this chapter. I just really wanted to lay out the scene that we're going to ditch in two chapters time (LOL)
I promise it'll start to pick up :)
Pearie xx