The Flame Trilogy (Books I, II & III)

1.16

As the customs of his pack demands, as a newly introduced Alpha female, I'm obliged to wear the pack colours. Dimitri chooses a red off the shoulder, floor length gown with gold trimmings along with a long white, fur cloak and a gold leaf hair wreath to match.

The exposed skin of my shoulders, arms, and neck show off of the ink and scars that I have decorating my skin. For the first time I actually feel self-conscious.

Angel and Irina help me to get dressed, along with the added assistance of Viktorya. It's single-handedly the single most frustrating experience of my life. They make the whole affair doubly uncomfortable by talking about the mark on my neck and gossiping about the development in my relationship with Dimitri. We almost chat like normal girls- it's bittersweet to catch a glimpse of what I could've had, and yet still, what I could never have.

One thing I do realise though, is that they stay consistently caring; never abandoning me, even when I cause trouble or am difficult to handle. I suppose I've come to trust them, even care for them in the way that they have for me- just like how I feel about Dimitri.

Dressing me up takes almost an hour, and I'm more than thankful once it's over. If I thought putting on the stuff was annoying, I underestimated what it's like wearing it. I'm so far out of my depth in this attire that I find myself missing my comfortable- and easy for combat- outfits of simple pants and shirts.

Dimitri's eyes bug out of his head when he sees me, I guess that's a good thing? I'm slowly coming to terms with the idea of expressions and communication that I had been hidden from during my time in Shadow Fang.

He makes a sensual display of putting on my collar, leash and fur cloak, leaving kisses and heated trails across my skin. Though any gentleness is quickly replaced with a mask of indifference once we leave for the clearing.

Most of the pack is already gathered in the clearing where the feast is taking place when we arrive. It's the same clearing that Dimitri made his earlier announcement, though now it's decked out with wooden benches that are lined with endless platters of food.

Dimitris's stump is also adorned with a throne like chair, made out of a dark wood, carved in the most intricate patterns to display his rank. The entire pack stops when we arrive, watching as he walks up to his raised platform and sits on his throne, sitting me at his feet like an obedient bitch.

It must be an entertaining show for the pack to watch him drag me behind him as he walks, or to watch as I sit at the edge of his platform with my leash firmly in his hands. There isn't much I could do in the way of resisting without hurting myself, so I sit complicit. Besides I'd be doing the same thing even if I didn't have the collar on; I'm not going to waste my energy over a pointless and futile battle.

The pack members that take up the space around the pit of unlit wood, where the bonfire will be, are laughing, singing and dancing. All joyously waiting for the moment the Alpha lights the flames. It's almost primal, but I can't deny that there's an enjoyable atmosphere filling the area. It isn't something that I'm familiar with. I would've been a lot more comfortable had there been brawling, but I'm also content to remain out of the way.

The rich smell of food elicits hunger in me. The various smells wafts across to me, causing my mouth to water with the thought of what the tender meats taste like. My eyes practically roll to the back of my head just thinking of the pleasure of filling my stomach.

I try to turn my head towards the several benches that hold the banquet of food but the sharp pain of the collar biting the flesh of my neck quickly averts my attention back to Dimitri. I don't think he even notices my discomfort or hunger, too busy in hushed conversation with Viktor and Mikhail.