A deep breath left me, as I followed the woman down the stairs, and outside the building. A line of 20 limousines was parked down the road, as I imagined it was on each of the 158- next year 159- slum area streets, each with 122 tiny apartments.

She opened told me to walk down to the 4th limousine, the one in which I was supposed to drive. I opened the door and got in, looking at the 4 others in the car.

A girl with the most beautiful pitch-black eyes I had ever seen was fidgeting with her fingers in her laps, the girl sitting next to her, whose name I knew through my mom was Everest, had her petite body wrapped in a suit, a preference we had been able to choose when we had to order the clothes for tonight. The third girl had short brown hair, in a pixie-like haircut, a dress the same color as my own, but shorter and with spaghetti straps instead of off-shoulder sleeves. Her nails were bitten down to the roots, but she had still apparently tried to put on some nail polish, not very successfully.

Fear flooded my veins, should I have worn nail polish too? Was it one of those requirements they expect us to know so they don't write them down? I looked at Everest and the dark-haired girl. Everest wasn't wearing any nail polish, but the dark-haired girl was, but it was crackled and old, so perhaps it wasn't a requirement. Thank god.

The last person was a boy, who was sitting next to me, with a white button-up shirt, black dress pants, and a rashly tied tie, tears in his eyes.

The door I had just closed opened again, revealing a guy, my age, perhaps a bit older, wearing a tux. He shifted his eyes to beside me, before looking at me.

"Uh, do you mind moving? We'd like to y'know, sit together..." his voice fainted into a whisper, a blush traveling up his dark-colored throat.

I nodded, getting out of the limo for a second, getting mean glances from the guards nearby as the boy got in, sitting beside what I realized was his boyfriend after they braided their fingers.

I got in again, returning a smile from the couple. The guy in the tuxedo, who was the tallest of the two, pulled the blond-haired boy closer, kissing the top of his head as a soft sob had left him.

My heart broke for the two. I hoped for them they neither of them would belong to a wolf so that they could live a, perhaps poor, but at least happy life together. I smiled at them again, resting my head against the seat, begging to who or whatever that I would return home tonight.

A shiver went down my spine as the car started driving. I looked out the window, at the groups of parents and siblings who were waving goodbye, some with tears in their eyes, others hoping that their child would take them away from the life in the slum. I couldn't catch sight of my parents, but I knew they were there, probably trying to catch sight of me too.

We drove out the massive metal gates, all the limos in one long row. After a few minutes of driving, we drove onto the highway, and just as the car accelerated to

75 mph, the speakers in the doors started scratching from channel to channel. The driver apparently wanted to listen to music. He left the radio on a scratchy channel, that suddenly came to life.

"Humans of the Eclipse pack, this is your Alpha speaking. I just want to put down a few guidelines for you to follow, in order to not embarrass me, the pack, nor yourselves. If these guidelines are not followed, immediate punishment will be carried out for the enjoyment of the other attendants at the party.

First of all; nothing but your absolute best behavior will be accepted tonight, you are all expected to be polite and welcoming towards your possible soulmates, and superiors. If someone tries to initiate a conversation, you must politely take part and answer any questions they may have.

Second; the point of the mating ball is, as you all know, for your better half to find you. If this happens, you legally belong to your mate 100% without any exceptions, to say it artistically - body, mind, and soul. If you are found to be the mate of a wolf, the wolf is required to let you have a single phone call, to inform family and friends about the happy news.

Third; if you are found to be the mate of a wolf, you are required to answer all the questions the wolf may have about your life truthfully, lies will immediately be exposed, and punishment decided by your better half will be carried out.

Fourth; any attempt of leaving the ball without your mate, or specific permission coming directly from me, your Alpha, will be punished by execution of a family member, meaning that you are not risking only your own life, but also the one of your parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

... twenty-seventh; in case of being anyone's mate, any present partners you may have, are no longer your partner, as you, as I've previously mentioned, belong wholeheartedly to the wolf you're the mate off. You may request your wolf for a chance to bid your goodbyes to a previous romantic partner, but it is not your right. A granting of a farewell shall be considered a kindness and luxury the wolf is giving you, and you will be required to act thankful for the opportunity, both by me, your Alpha, and the wolf you belong to.

... forty-fifth; this is more a suggestion than an order, enjoy your evening, and if luck is with you, the life-long love you  will be granted.

That was all, have a pleasant evening, sincere regards, Alpha Elriam."

A shiver passed all the way through the car as the speakers went dead once again.

The blond-haired boy began sobbing once again, cuddling closer to his boyfriend. I heard him whispering something, but I couldn't hear exactly what it was.

Poor guy.

I looked out the windows, which were so dark you had to almost press your entire face against the bulletproof glass to look out.

Cars in all makes and models were driving by. Many of them were overly fancy ones, keeping close to the limos. Security. There had been cases of people throwing themselves out of the limos at just the right time to get hit by a car.

The loud bass of bad party-music suddenly appeared in the silence, and it got louder.

Not long after a car drove up to the side of our limo. A bunch of teenage boys were hanging out the windows, flashing with signs, and spitting towards our cars.

'A mate? The only thing I need is a maid'

'Who's the animal now, bitches?'

'Who needs a lover when you can get a human hooker?'

I hiccup sounded from in front of me, and when I looked up, the girl with the pixie-haired girl had tears running down her cheeks, and a runny nose.

Shit. I rummaged through the tiny shoulder purse I'd thrown over my shoulder on my way out the apartment, pulling out the little pack of handkerchiefs, handing it to her.

She sent me a puzzled look. "Your makeup is running, they'll get mad if you don't clean yourself up," I whispered to her. She nodded frantically with wide eyes, pulling the pack out of my hand, dubbing a bit under her eyes and nose.

She asked me how it looked, and I helped her smudge out the foundation she was wearing just a bit so it would cover up the parts of her cheeks where the tears had washed it off.

"Thank god I wore waterproof mascara..." she whispered, and I nodded to her with half a smile. She sniffled, before resting her head back a blinking fast to keep herself from crying.

I moved my gaze back at the window, watching the trees and fields pass by in a blur. An hour passed, and I watched the sunset down over the horizon. A dim automatic light was turned on inside the car, and we slowed down, driving off the highway.

The security cars drove in on small dirt roads, while another row of limos, probably from a slum area in another pack, drove up beside us. The windows so dark and tinted that it was absolutely impossible to see who was sitting in there. Perhaps they were from the Dawn pack. I had a cousin who lived there, but we hadn't seen each other since we were, what? 10...11? Perhaps she'd be there too, if she wasn't already dead or kidnapped.

My heart skipped a beat when the cars slowed down in front of a massive modern mansion. We all sat completely quiet in the car, except for sobs coming from the brown-haired boy. I looked at them. The dark-skinned boy had tears in his eyes now, too. Poor things. The pixie-haired girl's chest was moving up and down, deeply and slowly. Everest was staring straight ahead, only moving her eyes when the door beside me was opened.

"Get out."

A/N

^ well, ain't that one rude bitch.