Ivy’s Point Of View
One of the wolves is a lighter color, so I think that might coincide with Chase’s blond hair. One is red, so that might be Julian. The darker gray-colored wolf could be Adrian since his hair is the darkest, but Grant’s hair is also dark...
In all honesty, I could be wrong about all of them. And then, it really doesn’t matter to me who wins anyway. It’s not as if any of them seem any better than the others when it comes to who I want to sleep with first.
Although, I do have to admit that Julian seemed really nice to me when I first met him.... Maybe he would be the most gentle, thoughtful.
But I have no idea which one will give me the best experience. So I will leave that, like all things, up to the Moon Goddess.
It doesn’t take long at all for the crowd to go crazy cheering, and I realize that the wolves are coming into view around the edge of the loop.
It is so close, I can’t tell who is winning. The four of them are all basically in one line across in a row. I see that there is a camera placed at the finish line, so we may actually need to have a photo finish.
"I bet all of them are running as slowly as possible," I hear a familiar voice snarl behind me. I don’t have to turn my head to know who it is. It’s Marissa. "They probably want to come in last—or die on the way so they don’t have to fuck that ugly bitch."
Fighting the urge to turn and look at her, as her friends burst into laughter, I keep my head pointed straight ahead.
She’s just jealous she isn’t getting any action.
The red wolf surges ahead, but then, one of the darker wolves charges forward, lunging just a bit ahead of him. Then it’s the other dark wolf ahead by just a few steps, with the blond hanging back just a bit.
As the finish line comes into view, they all pick up speed, and to the naked eye, it’s impossible to tell who finishes first.
Everyone leaps out of their seats or into the air if they are standing, clapping their hands and cheering. "We have a winner!" the king announces. The moment of truth: which Alpha will be taking my virginity?
In the chaos after the race, I learn nothing. I have no idea who the winner is. I don’t know the order the Alphas have finished, and no one can tell me what is happening.
King Victor claps his hands frantically, clearly happy with the outcome, though I don’t know what it is.
How does he know? Maybe he doesn’t care either.
He stands to congratulate all four of the Alphas, who are still in their wolf forms, on a great race and then says, "Thank you, everyone, for coming out!" and the crowd begins to disperse.
I stand, dumbfounded, still at a loss for words.
What is happening??
"Well, that was exciting!" Callie says, grabbing hold of my arm. "To think, they all finished within one second of one another! They must have all been trying so hard to win!"
I think of what that other girl said behind me. Or trying really hard to lose.....
Callie leads me back toward the castle, but there’s such a crowd around us, and I feel stupid telling her I don’t know who the winner is.
I still can’t figure out how everyone else seems to know.
As we walk back to the castle, I hear some villagers discussing it. "I swear, it was Alpha Grant!" the man says.
"No, no, he was a full step behind Alpha Julian!" his wife protests.
So perhaps I am not the only one in the dark.
Callie is chattering on about the clothes everyone else is wearing, mentioning names of people I don’t know. "Gladys looked nice in that pink dress, but her hair was a mess. And then there was Syble. What was she thinking? White shoes? It’s way past Workers’ Day."
I nod, hoping we get a chance to be alone for me to ask her what is happening, but the crowds are busy with servants scurrying around, in a rush to prepare for... something.
I don’t get a chance to ask her before we reach my room, and then, as we are standing at the door, she says, "Well, I have to go. I’ll be back later, though."
"But—" I stammer.
"I’m sorry," she says. "It’s just... I have to go help Owen with preparations for dinner tonight. He hates that sort of thing." She rolls her eyes.
"Dinner?" I repeat.
"Yes, you’re having dinner with the king and all of the Alphas. And then... well, I suppose you’ll find out what your first man’s plans are." She winks at me, and I feel my stomach tighten up.
Could I be expected to sleep with one of these Alphas tonight?
I don’t even know who won!
"But Callie," I protest.
"Don’t worry. I know he looks intimidating, but he’s very sweet. He’ll take care of you." She smiles reassuringly at me and takes a few steps away.
"Who?" I ask her.
She laughs. "Very funny, Ivy. As if you’re not all in a fizzy over this. I know I would be." She mouths, "He’s hot!" and spins around to leave.
Sighing, I walk into my room. Willa is there, waiting for me, her eyes wide. "Who won?" she asks me.
"I don’t know!" I fall face-first into the bed.
"Miss Ivy, if you don’t wish to tell me, that’s fine. I was only wondering what shade of gown to put you in for the dinner."
I grumble into the bedspread. "I really don’t know!"
"What?" she asks.
Flopping over like a fish out of water, I explain. "The race was very close, and everyone leaped up in front of the finish line. I honestly don’t know how anyone knows who won!"
She smiles at me. "Well, we will just have to go with a neutral color, then, one not associated with any of the packs."
"The packs have colors?" I ask reticently, worried about sounding ignorant.
"No, but the Alphas have favorites. It’s fine."
"How do you know the Alphas’ favorite colors?" I can’t help but ask.
She shrugs. "It’s part of my job. I know their favorite scents as well." Her smile is bright, and she seems proud of herself. As she should be.
I have several hours before I have to get ready for dinner, so I spend much of the day trying to occupy my mind. I don’t want to think about the Alphas, and I don’t want to think about my family.
Here, I have time to read, which is something I always enjoyed at home but never had a spare minute for, so I curl up in a chair and lose myself in a book. I decide on a steamy romance I found on the bookshelf. It makes sense that I would read that. Perhaps I will find some tips.
It’s all rather explicit, though, and by the time I’m through the second sex scene, my face is red, my heart is pounding, and I’m thinking, "I can never do that!"
But I read on. This is my future!