Chapter 2 His choice

My body jolted as I opened my eyes once more.

"Move!" A man growled, as his whip landed on my back. I whimpered, feeling weak. I looked around hurriedly, and my eyes twitched. It was a chilly evening.

Behind and in front of me were different gorgeous girls, dressed in pretty robes. I was, too. As we moved forward in a single file, the shackles around our feet and hands shook. We were bound like slaves.

I frowned. I was already dead.

"The body you possess is a young werewolf of twenty-three." A breathy voice said, and a warm surge flowed through my mind. My head buzzed with the different memories that were rushing into my brain at that moment. When it was finally over, I opened my eyes. I soon realized what was going on.

We were being led to Sanctum– the most powerful pack in the werewolf race. The Alpha was going to select his mate out of either of us. The previous owner of this body had been excited at the news. So excited. Yet, she'd ended up dead. My eyes narrowed. She'd been poisoned. Lost in thought, I didn't notice that we'd arrived at Sanctum, and were in a large hall. It wasn't until a burly man growled "Bow to the Alpha!" I snapped out of my thoughts and examined the surrounding.

The hall was exquisitely designed, the walls stretching high above. The floors were made of marble, and my eyes were drawn to the large and only throne in the middle of the hall. The man seated on it was young. I could tell that much from his body. He was wearing a silver mask, leaving his eyes open. I froze.

Those eyes.

They looked oddly familiar. I'd seen them before. Unwilling to draw attention to myself until I made enough sense of what was going on, I knelt to the floor, mirroring the others.

"You may all rise." The Alpha said. I frowned. His voice was obviously altered. He continued speaking.

"I invited you all here to pick a mate. Thank you for honoring my invitation," he began, and I almost snorted. It wasn't like any of the women there had a choice. Like the previous owner of this body, they'd been dragged out of their homes and shackled to one another. My frown deepened once more. If indeed I had a soul swap with the young lady, that meant she died when I opened my eyes. If that was the case, the poison didn't act up until the men had dragged her out of her home.

I turned my attention back to what the Alpha was saying, while trying to drive my powers. First try didn't work. So did my second and third trials. On the fifth trial, my face was as dark as the surface of lead. It was obvious that my powers as a demon were gone. At the moment, I was a pure werewolf. The realization almost made me fly into panic. That couldn't be.

"Unbound them!" The Alpha commanded with a wave of his hand. He was done speaking. His guards moved to obey. As the shackles dropped from my hands, I stepped out of the ones on my feet.

"Step forward one after the other." He leaned back against his throne, his sharp eyes trained on the space in front of him. I was the fifteenth person in line. I slowly stepped forward after the lady before me returned to her position, but a yell halted my steps. A woman pushed past the guards in front, and ran into the hall. Her eyes were reddened– evidence that she'd been crying

"Alpha, pardon my insolence, but I had no choice." She knelt, her head lowered respectfully.

"Speak." The Alpha merely said.

"Thank you, Alpha. I came to carry the corpse of my daughter, and I hope you forgive us for our carelessness." She went on. My lips curled up. I knew who she was, and her actions made me almost burst out in laughter.

"The corpse of your daughter?" The Alpha questioned in confusion.

"Yes," she nodded, turning her head around. Her eyes landed on me, and she froze. Her body began shaking, as her lips twitched. "Y-you," she gasped, her words failing her. She blinked and her face turned white as if she'd seen a ghost. Well, technically, she had.

I smiled. "Hello, mother."

She fell to the ground, but as expected, she gained her composure almost immediately, and came over to me. She hugged me, and I almost rolled my eyes. All the Oscar award winners would hide their faces in shame at her top notch acting. Seeing her crying and hugging me so passionately would make one think that she cared for me. Her dead daughter had too. Until the moment of her death, she didn't suspect or think that her mother had anything to do with her poisoned drink.

"Adele," she whispered. "You're alive–" her eyes widened upon realizing what she just said. "That's a relief." She let go of me, and moved back to study me once more.

"Are you done?" The cold unfeeling voice of the Alpha sounded at that moment, and she turned a startled look back to him.

"Y-yes, Alpha. I'll get going now." She bowed.

"Well, your trip here isn't wasted. Your daughter is the mate I've chosen." He declared, and anger fleeted across her eyes for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry, but my daughter has no wolf." She said, sounding meek.

Gasps filled the hall, as everyone directed their gazes at me. My face darkened.

"Silence!" The Alpha demanded, and the noise stopped. "I believe whether or not I'll choose your daughter regardless of her status, is my choice to make. My decision still stands."

"Oh, thank you Alpha." She knelt, bowing as many times as possible.

I sneered inwardly.

"Mother," one of the ladies called, and Cayla rose to her feet, going over to her.

"Lead the others out, and bring the maiden to my room." And with that, the Alpha left.

The lady who'd spoken earlier came over to me, her face an ugly mask. "You're really alive." She whispered beneath her breath.

"Shouldn't I be?" I retorted, with narrowed eyes.

"That..."

"You heard the Alpha. Everyone has to leave now." I gave her a cold smile.

"Arrogant! How dare you speak to Margot in that manner?" Cayla's other daughter questioned, her chest heaving. I ignored her. That fanned the flames of her anger. "Y-you...''

"Your daughters must be tired from our journey down here. In fact, I'm baffled at how you managed to catch up with us so quickly, Mother. Were you following us?" I asked, still smiling.

Cayla's eyes narrowed, obviously understanding the meaning behind my words.

"You dare speak to Mother that way? Who do you think–" Margot began, when her mother pulled her away.

"Let's go." She said, leading the way out of the hall.

They'd barely left, when three servants came into the hall. "Please, come with us." They said to me.

I followed their lead out of the hall, and down the large hallway, while discreetly looking around. I had to admit that everything was beautiful. Chandeliers hung up on the ceiling, casting warm golden lights around. I tried striking up a conversation with one of the servants, but none of them would speak to me.

"I'm certain you're so excited, aren't you?" A woman asked in a kind voice as we stepped into a large room. Bathroom, I soon realized, as I looked around closely. A bathtub with bubbling water was at the far end of the room. The woman who'd spoken was seated on a chair, her face loosened in a smile that matched her voice. Although she looked advanced in years, the features on her face betrayed the hint of the beauty she held in her youthful years. Her hair was held up in a bun, and she was wearing a dress that looked the same as the ones the servants were wearing.

"Excited?" I repeated.

"Of course. The Alpha has chosen you to bear his kids. It's an honor." Her smile grew.

I was irritated by her words. To bear his kids? Was I some sort of baby machine?

Oblivious to my anger, she went on. "If you bear him a son, your prestige in Sanctum and the werewolf race will surely grow." She turned to the other servants, and clapped her hands. "Get to work." She instructed.

An hour later, I was seated on a large king-sized bed, my legs pressed together. The servants had dressed me up in a white nightgown, and packed my hair up with ornate accessories. My body smelt good. Prior to my arrival into the room, someone had decorated the bed with petals, and I couldn't help but feel like a wife on her first night.

"Stupid," I muttered.

The door opened just then, and the Alpha walked in. He wasn't wearing his mask, and he'd changed into a silk shirt and pants. He walked fully into the room, and as his face came into the light, I stiffened.

"You?" My surprise gave in to anger, and my body trembled.

"Do you know me?" He frowned.

My rage mounted. The man who'd walked into the room was none other than the man who'd killed me.

Alpha Loic.