"Attention, Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of Alpha Lord Ryker, it is my esteem honor to welcome you to Tartarean Manor." The man stood on the second floor, overlooking the crowd below him. He held a crystal flute in one hand, smiling widely. "This years' mating festival is a three-parter-
1. The Bidding
2. The Shift
3. The Mating
As many of you are aware, this is the first time we have had Beta females in the Alpha territory. For that reason, it is important that everyone stick to the itinerary as best they can. To make things flow smoothly, you all will be handed a dance card; on it is a list of Alpha names. Through the night, you will each be partnered with different suiters, giving everyone the chance to mingle. Toward the end of the night, I will call each Beta up to join me on the second floor, and then the lucky ladies that have caught an Alpha's eye will be available to the highest bidder. Once pairs have been selected, we will all make our way outside for the shift. This will ultimately decide if the pairs are compatible enough to make it an entire season together. Finally, of course, The Mating, and I probably do not need to explain what that entails." Alex watched in stunned silence as the man gestured to the table below him; on it were nicely laid out cards. "Your names were acquired from your coachmen when you arrived. Every lady should have a card available with her name on it. Please step forward now, and find yours."
Panic started to settle in. This is not what she signed up for; she needed to find the Alpha Lord quickly and get the hell out of there. These brutes honestly planned on auctioning them off like common sex slaves, sold to the highest bidder for a few weeks of, what she could only imagine would be, unsatisfactory rutting. They called it "Mating," but to Alex, Mating did not happen unless you found your true-life mate, which had not been done in many years. What these savages were doing was a simple, down-to-earth hook-up, making it sound more alluring by playing it off with the promising word Mate thrown in the mix. Looking around, Alex realized that it worked. All the girls there were eating it up, the look of longing written on their prettily painted faces. Irritation grew in her chest, but she willed it down. She would stay for the dancing, only because it would give her a chance to talk with people without it being too obvious what she was fishing for. These men would know where the Alpha Lord was; she just needed one of them to point him out to her. With lead feet, she approached the table and made her hand move to pick up her card. To her mortification, it was not hard to spot, seeing as she was one of the last women to claim hers. The heavy stationery burned in her hands as she looked down at the names written down; there were only five.
"Alex, there you are!" Cynthia's grating voice rank as she barreled to her side. Alex could tell that she had been drinking, "How many names are on your card?"
Alex shrugged, "Five."
"Oh dear, only five! I have at least ten on mine. They must have run out of men with the hoards of women that are here tonight. I wouldn't take it too personally if I were you."
"Of course not," she gritted, forcing a smile to her lips, "Five is plenty for me."
Cynthia gave her a look of pity and touched her hand to Alex's arm, "Not everyone will be mated this night, but I am sure that you will find…someone to take you."
Narrowing her eyes, Alex opened her mouth to tell Cynthia exactly what she could do with her condescending words, but at that moment, the man from before spoke once more. "It is time for the first dance ladies, please take your spots on the ballroom floor."
Biting her bottom lip, she looked down at her card; the first name was Tyler. Wiping her palms down the sides of her dress, Alex could feel them clam right back up; she had no idea how to dance. Doubt crept in at her ridiculous plan; she should make a run for it now before anyone had the chance to come looking for her. Alex turned to do just that, and her face planted into something hard. Looking up, her eyes clashed with a soft brown pair. Blinking stupidly, she found her voice, "I am so sorry." She breathed.
The man smiled down on her, and his teeth gleamed in the light. She could not help but compare him to a cat. "Alexis?"
"Uh, yeah." She nodded.
Taking her hand in his, he brought it up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles, "I am Tyler. I believe this dance is mine." He did not let go of her hand but instead led her to the floor. All the women stood on one side of the room and the men in a line on the opposite side. The music started, and Alex had absolutely no idea what to do next; when everyone started moving around elaborately, she tried keeping up as best she could, but when she felt the solid form of a person's foot under her own, she knew that she had made an error. Looking up at Tyler's face contorted in pain, she pressed a hand to her lips, "I am so sorry, I should have said this earlier, but I can not dance." She muttered.
"It's alright, just a little stubbed, just need to dance it off." He took his position on the opposite side once again, and Alex took a deep breath. How was she going to ask him any questions when this damn dance had her switching partners and moving so swiftly? The motions were quick-paced, and Alex was grateful when the song was over, the thrums of the last note ended, and Alex could barely look at Tyler, who was slightly hobbling. Not once but multiple times had she stomped on the poor man's feet; he took it with good spirits, but she could tell that he was going to be sore. Standing off to the side, she fanned herself with her hand. It had grown entirely too hot for her liking; she was used to the cold. After embracing it every day, one got used to the biting chill. It was the warmth of a well-insulated area that had her squirming in place. Alex had just enough time to take a sip of champagne, before the next dance was to be started.
Alex looked around the area of people, making sure that no one watched her as she reached into the top part of her dress, pulling out the card she had folded and stuffed in between her breasts. There had been no where to put it and she did not want it to go missing if she sat it down. Ace was next and she made a mental note to forewarn him of her two left feet.