The car ride was quieter than I ever could have imagined. The air in the car was still. It felt as though everyone was holding their breathes. I know I was. I wish I could've said something to make everyone feel better. I wish I could've taken the anger, sadness, and confusion away from my family, but I didn't know how. There was nothing I could do. There was nothing anyone could do. I also wish I could've told you how many times I adjusted, cleaned, or moved my glasses. It's a nervous habit I have. I wish I knew what to expect from The Sorting but those who leave never come back to tell the tale. Most of the women in the human camps don't come back.
Now, I am sitting in the middle of an auditorium with about 50 other women my age. We all know what is to come, but we also don't know at the same time. We are surrounded by our families, sitting on the bleachers around us. They all look on, hoping we are all the few that stay. The stage is in front of us and is currently empty of people but held five chairs, arranged with two on each side and a giant one in the middle. A screen rolls down in front of the stage and we all await patiently for instructions.
The lights suddenly go down, and it quiets us all. We take our seats for the show.
Every year before The Sorting, there is a video played to explain the history of it all, like we could ever forget.
September 8th, 2026 was a day of great sacrifice and great order. We thank our King Alpha Lennox for our freedoms and happiness.
Werewolves and humans use lived together in this world for many years. Humans, however, had started to participate great violence and anger, not only towards werewolves, but to other humans as well. King Alpha Lennox noticed of all the violence committed by humans and wanted to find a way to help us all in the long run. He found that humans were detrimental to both werewolf and human survival and it was due to the high population of humans. Because there were so many humans, there was a higher chance of violence. The only way to save the future was to cleanse the human population. Though many humans were cleansed for the greater good, we still remember the sacrifice they made for all of us to live better lives. Now, under King Alpha Lennox's rule, humans and werewolves live in harmony and violence has dropped significantly. This year we celebrate five years of harmony.
The video stops. I refrain from rolling my eyes. A lady walks out on stage as the screen rolls back up. She stands, rigid, and starts her very own monologue.
In order to steady human population, every year females who are 21 by September 8th, are sorted. Each female is moved to one of four packs of Alpha King Lennox's choosing, where she will live the rest of her life and the pack will decide where she fits in best. Only 5 females are allowed to remain with the human population.
We will start this process by introducing the four packs that will be in attendance today.
First, we have the North Pack, with Alpha Jonas in attendance.
The North Pack was known for their intelligence and Alpha Jonas was one of the smartest werewolves around. He sauntered on stage, slowly and nodded his head towards the lady and then towards the crowd. We stay silent, waiting for something and on edge about everything.
Next, we have the East Pack, with Alpha Brett in attendance.
The East Pack was known for fighting. They had amazing warriors and were feared by many humans and werewolves. Alpha Brett was very large and very intimidating. He took long strides on stage and kept the straightest face I had ever seen. He didn't address the lady or us. I am glad he didn't.
Next, we have the West Pack, with Alpha Celeste in attendance.
The West Pack was known for spies. It was a mostly female pack, having taken many of the females from last year. King Alpha Lennox wanted to use them to get intel from threats around the area and what is better to get information from a male than a female. A female Alpha was very rare, but Alpha Celeste definitely earned it. She was not born into the position but that didn't matter. She was a strong and fierce leader. She didn't let any man walk over her and I had admired her for that. She strutted across the stage with such elegance and confidence. She smiled at the crowd, and some smiled back. I didn't.
Finally, we have the South Pack, with Alpha Paulson in attendance.
The South Pack was known for protection and defense. A lot of threats came from the south, so it only made sense to use them as such. Alpha Paulson was an odd one though. He was always to happy and bubbly, which did not reflect in the other alphas. He bounced on stage and waved to us all before verbally expressing his greeting. We all stayed silent again, not knowing how to respond.
The four Alphas took seats in chairs spread around a larger thrown of sorts. The lady continued.
And now for the guest of honor, please welcome your King Alpha Lennox