Onward

Alexis stared at her reflection in Cynthia Davis's ruby-encrusted floor-length mirror. It had never hit her harder than in that very moment how much better off some people in her village were than her own family. The Davis family obviously fell on no hardships with the decline of tradable goods coming into town, she was tempted to ask how they managed to stay afloat, but she reeled in her tongue. Manners, that is what she would have to remember this whole night, play the proper lady. Alex detested pretending to be something that she was not, but like her father had said, "You catch more flies with honey." He had always told her this when she would retort something salty to one of her sisters. Blinking back the memory, she exhaled a deep, drawn in-breath and really took in her appearance. The dress that Cynthia had let her borrow was a little loose in some areas, making it painfully clear that Alex had indeed wasted away to practically nothing over the years. Not eating and constantly on the hunt had made her small stature seem even smaller. The red dress hung off her shoulders. The only thing keeping it up was her ample-sized breasts that seemed to be the only area she had not lost weight in. Coincidentally that section fit rather snugly. The top pushed her breasts up to overflow the top almost embarrassingly, though Alex supposed that for tonight's mission, that would go in her favor. Where the gown was meant to hug her curves, it flowed loosely around her, not flattering to the rest of her body type at all. Beggars could not be choosers in cases like these, so she would take what she could get and be grateful. The maid had chosen the dress to bring out the red of her hair, which to Alex's surprise, looked beautiful, what a world of difference soap and water could do. The ringlets of her curls flowed like a waterfall down her back, the deep rich fullness almost overwhelming. Inspecting her face, she winced a little bit. Even the layers of makeup that the Help had applied could not hide the dark smudges under her brilliant baby blue eyes.

"You look…nice," Cynthia muttered, plastering a fake smile on her perfectly lined lips.

Alex shrugged, "I guess it will have to do. Thank you for allowing me to borrow your dress."

Walking over to the vanity, Cynthia picked up a crystal bottle and sprayed the contents on her skin, "It wasn't a problem, that dress was from two seasons ago, I wore it once. It would have just hung in my closet, so I'm glad it can get worn again."

"Girl's it is time to go." Mrs. Davis called from down the stairs.

Cynthia squealed in excitement, but Alex could only swallow in dread. The thought of walking into a room full of Alpha's was ludicrous. The last thing she wanted was to be mated off for a season to one of those brutes. Rumors of their crassness were infinite. Alpha women were the only ones that could handle the aggression that an Alpha male presented. They were the strongest, built to accommodate the dominance of their breed. Beta's like herself and Cynthia were gentler in nature, and it was in our blood to be the peacekeepers. An Alpha man would chew us up and spit us out. Obviously, her companion did not realize the danger they were stepping into; the greedy hunger in her eyes was proof enough. Cynthia grabbed her arm and dragged her down the steps. When they reached the bottom, she did a little twirl, showing off her short blue dress and the pumps to match. Alex had to admit that she was beautiful, her shoulder-length auburn hair slowed around her, and those dark brown eyes twinkled with delight. There was no way that Alex could compete with someone as beautiful as her.

There was a slow, deliberate clap. "Gorgeous." Alex looked at Sam standing beside his mother, "You two will be the talk of the season. Those Alpha's will not know what hit them."

"Definitely beautiful." Mrs. Davis agreed.

Cynthia clapped her hands in glee, "Let's hurry up and get this show on the road."

"Alex, wait, let me borrow you for a moment." Nervously Alex let herself be stolen away to the side. Samuel leaned in close to her, his mouth a whisper upon her ear, "Make this Alpha your bitch. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You have all the power; use it." He lingered for a moment longer. "Do not worry about your family; I will take care of them." He promised.

Tears of gratitude weld up in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She wrapped her arms around Sam's middle and hugged him tightly. "Thank you." Was all she could get out, and then she stepped out of the embrace, dutifully walking towards the carriage that Cynthia was already seated in. The last image was of Mrs. Davis and Samuel waving them off, their lovely Victorian-styled house faded in the background.

"Look, my goal at this event is to find an Alpha to spend the season with, do not get in my way."

Alex blinked slightly at Cynthia but nodded, "I wouldn't dream of getting in the way of something that you wanted, Cynthia." Watching the other girl smile smugly, Alex continued, "Just so long as you do not get in the way of what I want."

There was a dangerous look in her eyes, "What is it that you really want, Alex?"

Taking a deep breath, she found herself staring out the window as they passed into Alpha territory, "I want to save our village, to save my family, and if you get in my way." Alex turned back to look at beautiful creature before her, "I will kill you."

There was a moment of silence but both girls nodded to each other quietly acknowledging where one another stood.