TAKEN BY THE UNKNOWN ALPHA

AMELIA'S POV

"Do you have a ride?" The office secretary asked.

My mom was at work, so that meant I would have to walk home. Drenched to the bone in pool water. I smiled at her and nodded.

"My mom's outside right now." I lied straight through my teeth.

"Alright, have a good day then. Get warmed up!"

"Thanks."

I quickly left the school, in my damp shoes and soaked school bag. I wiped away the tears that were forming in my eyes and trudged along the path to my home.............

It all started in swimming class. I failed the last test I took, making my grade plummet to a C-. I talked to my gym coach after class to sort it out.

A huge mistake.

"Mr. Richards, is there any way I can retake this test? I believe I could have done better than this." I explained.

Mr. Richards sighed.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. It can't be changed. Just come in for help when you need it... hopefully you'll do better on the next test."

I sighed. "Alright. I'll try to do my best next time."

Just as I turned to leave, I lost my balance and slipped on the side of the pool, causing me to land head first into the water. I gasped as I went down in the water and nearly failed to swim up to the surface. I coughed, trying to catch my breath while the pool water entered my system once again.

Suddenly, I heard Mr. Richards shouting. My nerves settled a little, knowing he had seen me fall into the pool. I tried to remove my bag from my shoulder, but the weight of my binders wouldn't allow me to lift it.

"Hold on, kiddo. It'll be okay!" He immediately threw the life saver ring, which conveniently landed over my head. I noticed the hordes of students surrounding the pool, which made me curse myself for being so clumsy.

Right here was everyone I knew watching me struggle.

I was so thankful that the school allowed me to go home early. I wouldn't be able to face anyone after the embarrassment of being pulled out of a pool, let alone walk into class with my mascara running down my face.

The whole thing was mortifying, and I promised myself never to go near a pool again.

As I was walking home, I turned the corner of my street to go straight home. As I turned onto what

I thought was my street; I furrowed my eyebrows, expecting to see my house, but there was an unfamiliar street with people scurrying everywhere. I slowly walked down the sidewalk, and eyes began focusing on my figure.

My heart leaped through my chest as almost everyone on the street was staring at me. It's okay, just keep walking, Amelia. Just keep walking. There's got to be a familiar road ahead.

Just before reaching the end of the street, a girl stopped me in my tracks. She looked at me in confusion, her large blue eyes twinkling at me. She looked so ethereal, untouchable, unbreakable.

"What are you doing? It's time to get ready!" She exclaimed, acting as if I were confused.

"Excuse me?" My hoarse voice whispered.

She laughed, her blonde hair swaying as she leaned over to my ear.

"Everyone's staring at you because you're not with all the girls getting ready!"

I backed away from her, completely freaked out.

I didn't sign up for this, and I was not ready for the embarrassment that would follow.

A few minutes later, I turned back to glance once more at her.

"I think you've got it all wrong-" She cut me off, grabbing my hand and dragging me with super strength to a black limousine.

I tried to free my hand from hers, and once her grip relaxed, I pulled myself out of her grasp only to be shoved into the limousine. I panicked, pounding on the windows. Groups of people peered over at me, horrified, as if I were a lunatic.

"Let me out! I don't know where you're trying to go, but you've got the wrong girl!" I screamed as loud as I could with my hoarse voice.

"Geez, so dramatic."

"If I had known the party was going to be that bad, I would have ditched it !"

"What are you crying about?"

I looked around to see many girls sitting around me, each with annoyance plastered on their face.

Suddenly, the blonde from earlier hopped into the limo and squealed. My chest felt like it was caving in on itself. Where were they taking me? How could they act so at ease?

"Time to go!"

At the sound of her voice, the rest of the girls immediately forgot about me and began screaming and squealing as well.

"Excuse me, I really think you've made a mistake! Where am I going?" I questioned.

The group became dead silent. All eyes were on me, making me shift uncomfortably in my spot. The red-haired girl across from me scoffed, breaking the silence.

"The mating ball." She stated. All the girls began rambling about this ball.

"She must me nervous! I heard that if you overthink, you're likely to forget a bunch of stuff!" One girl piped up.

"Makes sense! But how could you forget you might meet your true love?"

"I know, right? I heard that the hottest guys are going!"

I blinked slowly, trying to process the whole thing in my head, but nothing made sense.

All the girls began swirling around me, their voices laughing and talking nonstop. Dots began filling my vision, and within seconds everywhere was dark.

AMELIA'S POV

I woke up with a throbbing pain in my head. I rubbed it gently, trying to relieve some of the pain. I was probably coming down with a cold.

That would be fun.

Wait. What happened after the limo ride?

I picked at the satin sheets and furrowed my eyebrows. From all the fancy detailing of the room, it looked like I was in some kind of palace.

Suddenly, there was a knock coming from the door. I got out of bed to see who it was.

"Who is it?" I quietly asked.

There was no response.

"Who's there?" I spoke a little louder.

"It's Megan." A female voice responded.

Megan? How was I supposed to know who that was?

The door opened, and I backed away from it. Standing there was the blonde girl who forced me into the limo. My eyes widened in shock.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Megan said in a harsh tone.

I looked Megan up and down and noticed that her hair and makeup were done. An ocean-blue mermaid gown hugged her slim figure.

"Let me call the maids in to help you get ready."

Megan grabbed my arm.

Instantly, I pulled away. "No! Tell me where I am."

Megan looked frightened at my words. "What do you mean?"

I laughed humorlessly. "What are you talking about? You brought me here!"

"That can't be right. You smell like a - You seriously do not know where you are?" Megan questioned.

I shook my head. "No, I don't." I smell like what?

"Take me back home." I snapped, narrowing my eyes at Megan. Megan paused, seeming to be making up her mind about something. All I want is to go home. Please take me back. Please.

"I can't take you back. You'd expose all of us!" Megan's eyes grew worried.

I scoffed, "For kidnapping? Of course. How about this? You take me back, and I won't say a word about any of this."

Megan shook her head. "It's too late. You've already been guaranteed a place at the mating ball."

"The what? Can you please explain what this is all about? Why did you even take me?" I took a step closer to Megan, furious.

Megan held her hands up in surrender. "Alright! Just promise me you won't say a word of this to anyone. No human can know this. Only then will I let you go."

I raised my eyebrow. Human? What was she getting at?

"Fine. Tell me." I stated, crossing my arms.

Megan's expression grew serious.

"Once you know about this, you must swear you won't tell a soul. If you do, I have no choice but to come and find you."

I shivered but nodded. "I swear."

Megan drew in a shaky breath. "No human's ever known this. You'd better be thankful I'm explaining this to you."

I gulped in fear. "What is it?"

Her bright blue eyes darted around the room nervously.

"You're currently at the Alpha's Mansion."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Alpha? That's a weird name.

"...it is full of werewolves. And the only reason we brought you to this ball is because we thought you were one of us."

Megan sighed in relief, like she just took off a huge burden from her shoulders.

I stared at Megan for a while. "Is that what you came up with to fool me?"

Megan's mouth dropped. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! I want the truth!" I demanded.

Megan let out a low, animalistic growl.

"I'm telling the truth. The mating ball is something extremely important to all werewolves. It's where you find your mate. It's like your other half."

A new courage grew in me.

"Are you being dead serious? You brought me to this ball, so I could join you all in finding my other half?"

Megan grabbed my shirt roughly by the collar. I watched in shock as her blue eyes became gold.

Yelping, I pushed her away. It took me a few moments to collect myself.

How was this happening? Werewolves aren't real. It's a tall tale! Just like mermaids, fairies, vampires!

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves.

"So you're a werewolf. I'm at this ball where I'm supposed to find my mate, but I'm a human. Why me?" I faced Megan.

Megan groaned, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? It was a mix-up! But you need to attend this ball, uh..."

"Fuck you!" I muttered.

"Amelia, listen. Just attend the ball, stay by my side - better yet, just stay hidden, in the corner or something. Don't let a male come near you and try to claim you." She warned.

"Claim me?" I repeated in surprise.

Megan huffed, "You know! Take you, make you his, the whole end up with each other type of shit!"

"I get it, I get it. So all I have to do is attend the ball and not let a single guy come near me. Then I can go home?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Yes, yes, I promise. But you can't say a word or I swear......." Megan's eyes became gold again.

"I understand." I whispered, feeling the weight of her words.

Megan's eyes went back to blue, and her expression softened.

"Hey, Amelia, I'm sorry. Don't worry, okay? I'll make sure you get back home."

A lump grew in my throat. Why was I even crying? I was always like this. A crybaby.

Megan rubbed my shoulder and smiled in pity.

"Let's get you dressed up. But not too dressed up, so those guys won't set their sights on you."

I laughed, wiping my eyes.

"Trust me, no one would even come close to me if I were really dressed up."

Megan rolled her eyes. "That's what you say, but whatever. But I know for sure no person is going to step a foot close to you looking like that." Megan gestured towards my appearance.

I looked down at my damp skinny jeans and long-sleeve shirt. What was so bad about it?

Megan huffed and handed me a mirror. I cautiously peered into it and gasped. Mascara stained my cheeks, and my face looked ghastly.

"I told you so." She shrugged.

AMELIA'S POV

Without saying a word, Megan took me to find a stylist. Took? Sorry, I meant she nearly dragged me all the way down there.

"Scratch the maids," she said. "We're going to need the royal stylist for your case. Nothing flashy. Simple colors to keep you hidden."

Once we arrived at a large white door, Megan swung it open and marched us in to find the royal stylist.

My eyes wandered around, settling on the bright pink desk in front of us. Whoever this stylist was, she really seemed to like pink.

"It's an emergency! An all clad in black with clumpy mascara emergency!" She called out, making me feel even more self-conscious about my outfit.

A red-haired girl walked out of nowhere, head to toe in pink, and gasped when her eyes landed on me. My eyes averted to the ground in embarrassment.

"We need to get you dressed!" She exclaimed, ushering me into a dressing room.

Even the dressing room was pink. Pink chandelier, pink tables, pink coat hanger. How much pink could this lady have?

"Okay, I have the perfect color. Red will bring out those brown eyes, a little gem on the neck-"

"No, no, no! Listen, Krystal, my friend here wants to be a Plain Jane. A simple color, nothing too flashy."

Megan interrupted the stylist, Krystal.

Krystal raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, as you please. Makeup?"

"Light. Preferably no lipstick. We want natural as natural can be," Megan responded.

I chuckled silently as Krystal's mouth dropped. She wasn't expecting that, huh?

"But this is the ball! We can't have her looking so-so-plain!" She exclaimed, exasperated.

Megan raised her eyebrows at Krystal, as if to say, you got it, sister. Krystal sighed and nodded.

"One pink gown coming right up." Krystal trudged out of the room.

I laughed at Krystal's antics. She was so disappointed. I felt bad, but I knew this was what I needed to go back home.

Something to keep me hidden until the event was over. I couldn't be seen, let alone talked to.

Krystal came rushing back in with a spark in her eyes.

"I found it! And don't you worry, it has some sparkle!"

Megan smacked her forehead in annoyance.

"Remember what I told you?" Megan questioned me.

I looked down at the ends of the pink gown shyly.

"Stay in the back. Don't look at anyone. Make it seem like you're invisible."

"And if anyone asks you who you are?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Amelia Dawn from the Greystone pack in Northern Alaska. An...uh...omega." I replied.

Megan grinned.

"This might just work."

I hoped so. My nerves were getting the best of me. I barely remembered the last part, which was the most important. And to top it off, I was so shaky.

Megan linked arms with me and grinned even wider, if that was possible.

"Let's go!" She whispered, pulling me towards the staircase.

I slowly ascended the staircase with Megan, careful not to trip over myself. I couldn't make a fool of myself this time. Images of me falling into the pool filled my mind, but I pushed them away.

As soon as we reached the bottom of the stairs, Megan gave me a thumbs up and disappeared into the crowd of people. I took a deep breath and retreated to the corner of the doorway. I can do this! Just act invisible. That was my specialty. Not that hard.

After what seemed like hours of just standing there, I grabbed a drink. I poured myself some punch and retreated to my corner. Everything was going well. No one approached me, just the occasional glance, and I was all alone.

Just peace by myself.

Suddenly, a drum began banging. I winced at how loud it was and pressed a hand against my ear.

When it finished, everyone turned to look at the top of the stairs. There stood a guy in a suit, looking down at all of us.

"Announcing! Alpha Christopher Lee James!" My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as his scanning eyes connected with mine. Thankfully, he continued to look at the rest of the crowd, and once he finished, he ascended the stairs.

Pure authority surrounded his aura. It was most likely because he was an Alpha, but he had something that made him different. It was arrogance, as if he were entitled to something better.

People started whispering, some narrowing their eyes. Right away I knew he wasn't good news. I knew he had a bad reputation from the way the people were reacting.

The crowd parted, and I realized that this man was coming my way. There was nowhere to go, so the crowd of people pushing me forced me out of my corner. I gulped as I found myself nearly a yard away from this man. How did I even end up in the front? Hopefully, no one approaches me. Especially not him.

The man seemed to read my thoughts, and his steel-blue eyes flickered in my direction. I cursed myself for not acting more quickly and getting to a safe place.

"You." His deep voice rang through the ballroom.

I looked around, but everyone was staring at me. There were no mistakes. His eyes were looking straight at me, full of anger. He was talking to me.

"Pour me a drink." He commanded, pointing to the table full of cups and drink bowls.

My mouth went dry. I looked straight past him and saw Megan, gesturing with her head at the drinks table. Do it, she was gesturing.

I swallowed hard, and I approached the punch. Grabbing a glass, I shakily scooped some of the red liquid and poured it slowly. I heard a huff.

"You're shaking so much you might as well have spilled it." He spat.

I tried to control my shaking as best as I could and scooped up some more punch.

Please, please let me do this right. Get me through this. I wished to be as far away from here as possible. I wanted to be at home with my cat, watching Netflix, and eating ice cream.

"Are you serious?!" he bellowed.

I didn't have time to even glance at the man when he grabbed the cup, yanking it away, and in the process spilling it all over himself. The ballroom watched in complete silence as he looked up at me in pure hatred.

He grabbed my hand, with the ladle in it, and pulled me with astonishing strength. His eyes grew a dark blue, almost black color.

"I'll teach you a lesson you'll never-" I closed my eyes in fear, waiting for him to go all ballistic on me. I waited a few moments, and slowly opened my eyes back up. Instead of getting ready to attack me, his expression was soft, with a hint of confusion.

Like day and night, the tenderness of his expression was gone and replaced by a frightening one. The darkness in his eyes reappeared.

"Mate." He growled.

I looked at him with wide eyes. Slowly, I peered at Megan, whose face was as pale as snow.

I was in deep trouble.