Alex made her exit quickly, leaving behind the suffocating walls that enclosed Ace's blasted scent, she needed to think. Closing the door behind her, she shuffled down the stairs, the stairs that had landed her in this mess. Walking up those steps had been a colossal mistake, now she was doomed to reside here, until the Alpha Lord no longer wished it. As she rounded the corner, she heard the familiar squeak of a feminine voice flitter through the air, "Alexis, you bitch! How in the world did you land the Alpha Lord?" Cynthia demanded sizing her up.
"You know Cyn, the old fashion way, I suppose." She shrugged.
Cynthia regarded her through a narrowed gaze, "It makes no sense, someone like you, should not be with someone like him. You are a no one, you have nothing to offer a man like that, why would he choose you over me?"
Alex was sick of hearing her whine, "I don't want him Cynthia, you know why I came here, to save our people. You and I will be here for a while together, you are more than welcome to brave your mates rage and trollope after the Alpha Lord, I give you my blessing."
They way that Cynthia's eyes gleamed, Alex knew that the other female would indeed set her sights on the Alpha Lord, why could she not be content with the one she had? An Alpha in himself was a prize but the fact that Alex had scored the Ruler must have stirred a streak of jealousy in the other female. The concept that Cynthia or any female would be jealous of Alex, had her feeling strange, never had she had something that another person wanted. If she had cared about such trivial things, she might have been worried about some competition, but as it was, she did not care in the least. All the other females vetting for his attention might distract him from seeking her out, if she were lucky, which in most cases she was not. "Oh, Alex we are going to have such a grand time here, did he agree to help our village?" she asked sweetly, her demeanor completely changing, she wrapped her arm around Alex's, leading her down a hall.
"Yes, though he wants to wait till after the Shifting Ceremony to make sure we are…well-suited." A blush flushed her cheeks at voicing it out loud.
Cynthia patted her arm in mock sympathy, "You have not had much practice in the art of shifting for a mate, have you?" she asked, "In school, all the females were taught at an early age the Dance of Soul's, I've preformed it once before, not for an Alpha but for Beta Wilson in our village. Nothing came from it, but it was the experience I craved."
"Oh." Alex bit her bottom lip, "What is supposed to happen then? I figured you just shifted into your wolf and that was the end of it."
Cynthia let out a laugh, "Shifting is the easy part, it is the first part that is more…difficult. Females are supposed to dance for their partners, it signifies that you are willingly giving yourself to them for the season."
Alex's eyes went wide, "Dance? You have got to be kidding me, I can't dance, I am not even prepared." She looked around her, "Where are we going, is this the way to the courtyard?"
"No, we have to change." She stated impatiently, "All females participating in the Shifting Ceremony were supplied clothes for the occasion, we are to pick an outfit that best represents us and wear it to complete the Dance of Soul's."
Everything was happening too fast, there was not enough time to process it all, the Dance of Soul's sounded too intense, not something that should be taken lightly. Yet here they were about to engage in an act that was meant for true life mates, it felt dirty, and way to intimate. Alex had no sense of rhythm, she was an utter klutz, Ace had known that about her from their previous dance. Was he doing this just to watch her humiliate herself? "This is going to be a mess," she let out a deep breath.
"Relax, when the music starts your body will know what to do, it is almost second nature. Your wolf will be brought to the surface and will sniff out her potential mate, if she rejects him, then you will be able to return home. Honestly, it is exhilarating, we hold all the power. It is the Alpha's that should be nervous, if our wolves reject them, then they will go unmated for this season."
"How often does one's wolf reject the chance to mate?" she asked curiously.
Cynthia shrugged, "Depends on how horny the little slut is," she laughed to herself lightly, "I have seen quite a few females leave The Shifting Ceremony, because their wolf rejected a mate, probably more than they have accepted them."
"Aren't you at all worried that your own wolf might reject your proposed mate?"
"Not really, even if she does reject him, I will remain here. We were bought Alex, we are permitted to stay on Alpha land, until next season. The men will provide housing and for any additional things we may need, and in that time, we can explore other options. So really is a win win situation."
They walked into a large room, all the other females had already chosen their wardrobe, to the right of the wall was a long rack of all sort of different clothing. It ranged from cotton down to leather, any fabric you could imagine, Alex eyed it in fascination. All the dresses there put the one she worse to shame, they were gorgeous, and were meant for a woman greater than her. The whole situation made her insides turn; she had the eerie feeling she was entertaining a taboo notion. The other women donned rich fabrics of dark red and bright blues, Cynthia herself found a forest green dress that was trimmed in an opulent brown, enhancing her eyes to another shade. What in the hell was she supposed to choose? Nothing really spoke to her, what colors suited her personally and did it even really matter? No matter what she wore, it would not distract from the fact that she could not dance and did not really any intention of trying all that hard. It would not be her fault if her wolf rejected Ace's and the great Alpha Lord would just have to get over himself, if that ended up being the case. Just then a material caught her eye, Alex fingered the material admiringly, it was not as fancy as what the other females had picked out by far. The top was cropped just short of the breasts, it hung off the shoulders, and was the sheerest white fabric she had ever seen. Alex took the outfit from the wrack and stripped out of her dress, in the way the other women were all stripping around each other, trying on different items. Pulling the top on, she marveled out how well it shaped her body, her breast was nice and full brimming the neckline, the material rubbed soothingly over her nipples, making them pucker. The skirt that had been paired with the top, hung loose on her hips, and swayed gently against her ankles. The sides had been slit up each thigh, letting the cool air brush against heightened skin.
"You look like straight sex." A girl stated watching her from the other side of the room.
Alex felt heat rush to her face, "Is it too revealing, I feel like I am naked, even with it on." She muttered looking at her reflection in one of the giant floor length mirrors hanging on the wall.
"That is what this night is about, appealing to the Alpha's basic desires, no man out there will be able to keep their eyes off you tonight." She stated with a cheerful smile.
"You are Natalie, right?" she asked. Alex had seen the girl around the village before, she was the daughter to the blacksmith.
Natalie gave another charming smile, "Yes that is right, it such a small village, but we have never actually gotten to talk before now. You are always in town for trading but never stay around long enough to get ahold of."
"I'm sor-," Alex started but the girl held up her hand.
"Do not apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for, lets be friends. I fear that most of the women here can be pretty frightening." She laughed and the sound was heavenly.
Alex let out a breath, the girl was so easy to talk to, her smile was almost infectious. "I would like that very much." She looked at her reflection once again and shook her head, her fiery curls dropping over one shoulder.
"You should wear these bangles; they would really make the outfit pop." She enthused sliding two golden bands onto each of her arms, they dangled and gleamed in the light. "There you look the very picture of a Virgin Queen."
Blinking a little Alex let a giggle escape her, it had been too long since she had heard herself laugh, "Thank you, I needed that." She admitted.
Natalie grinned, "Me too, do not worry all will go well, the fates smile down on us."
Alex fought back the urge to gag but smiled instead, "We shall see." She muttered.
Leaning in she embraced Alex in a warm hug, "I will see you out there, knock them dead."
At the woman's departure, Alex found herself scanning the accessories table, there was not much left to look at. The others had already all but cleared it out and maybe she was just stalling for more time, she was one of the last ones in the room, her nerves getting the best of her. The outfit was like magic against her skin and the thought of others seeing her in it was staring to make her feel self-conscious. A thumping began under her skin, vibrating her whole being, and Alex's eyes landed on a ring glistening against the embroidered silk of the tablecloth. Picking it up, it was warm against her fingers, almost to the point of singeing. Curiously she inspected it closer, it looked to have the same markings that Ace's ring had, the one she had glimpsed, on the rare occasion he had taken his hand out of his pockets. Almost against her will, she placed it on her ring finger, holding it up to the light it shimmered brightly. In its center was the darkest ruby, encrusted with small diamonds all around, then were the strange markings in a foreign language she could not make out.
"Miss, it is time for the ceremony to begin." A servant stated, braking the spell that had held Alex in place.
"Oh, thank you." She stated, in a rush she went to pull the ring off only to find that it was stuck on her finger. In a vain attempt to dislodge it, she pulled vigorously on the band, but it would not budge. Cursing in frustration she threw down her hand and hurried to the courtyard. "Damn my curiosity." She grumbled to herself, hoping against all hope that the ring was the last thing that anyone would notice. It had been on display for anyone to take but for some reason it felt heavy against her skin, weighing down her finger with so much hidden significance.