THE SORTING

THE MEETING

Vivienne Lee Windsor.

I froze.

I didn't breathe.

I didn't blink.

Everyone slowly turned to look at me. I didn't turn to look at them, but I could hear the chairs squeak as people got curious as to why I wasn't moving. The lady repeated my name and I was brought back to reality.

Vivienne Lee Windsor

All of a sudden, my mouth got really dry and I started to sweat, once again. I took a deep breath, ignoring all the stares and confused glances my way, and stood. I fixed my glasses on my nose, smoothed out my dress, and looked towards the stage, getting ready to seal my fate. As I stood there, unmoving, I felt myself breathe again. The King Alpha looked around, like he couldn't believe that I was taking so long. I saw some faces look scared, as if taking this long would have consequences once I got to my pack. I looked towards my family. My mother was crying, and my father gave me a stern look, telling me to get it over with, not to show fear.

I noticed people were still looking at me and I realized I still hadn't moved. I straightened my glasses for the umpteenth time, and slowly started to make my way to the stage with my head down, trying to minimize the fact that I just ruined the flow of the event. My body was cold and rigid. The auditorium stayed quiet, as if any sound would cause me to disintegrate. I felt the same way. As I approached the stage, I started to feel weird, almost exhilarated. My stomach was in knots, but a different kind. Not the nervous kind. The butterflies kind. The closer I got to my fate, the more my heart sped up, in a good way.

It made no sense. Shouldn't I be feeling scared and anxious? Not excited and giddy?

I had a sudden urge to look at the stage. I didn't want to, but my body was telling me something else. Telling me someone had their eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I felt cold and hot at the same time. Before I had the time to think about it, my head shot up, and I made eye contact with him.

I was finally close enough to see his eyes. And they almost made me stop and freeze again. They were green. Dark and foresty. Mysterious. Empty and surprised at the same time. I could practically see the wall he had built up behind them. I had never seen eyes like his. I could stare at them all day and never know all of the things they had seen, all of the pain they have blinked off. I had hoped one day I would.

He never looked away. He never broke eye contact. He watched me intently, his eyes saying something his mouth never would. He was afraid but he hid it well. The only reason I know that was because it was a familiar look. I had seen it in my own eyes many times before. With his eyes on me, it felt as if I was floating. I couldn't feel my legs moving but I knew they were. I was getting closer to him and my heart was going insane. My brain was confused. My feelings were almost primal towards a man I had never felt before.

And then, I fell.

Tripped actually. On my face.

I hadn't realized that I was so close to the stairs of the stage until I was face first on them. I heard mixed reviews about my performance. Some giggled at my misfortune, and some gasped as though this was all I needed to completely vanish out of sheer panic. I slowly rose to my knees, straightening out my dress as best I could in the position and noticed my glasses were not on my face anymore. I tried reaching out for them, my head down, not finding them anywhere near me. My breath sped up out of embarrassment, not because of the other alphas, the other people in the room, or even the King Alpha, but because of him. I didn't want him to see me like this, so vulnerable and pathetic. I felt weak, and stupid. Maybe I was. I heard a throat clear. I slowly tilted my head in the direction of the noise.

There was a hand in my face, holding my glasses out to me. I reached for them, hesitantly, keeping my head down to show respect and placed them on my face without cleaning them, not wanting to waste any more time. I wasn't sure who this was, and I didn't want to disrespect them if they were as important as most of the people on this stage were. I went to thank the person who handed me my glasses, not really seeing their face, and my heart stopped. And then raced. And then fell to my stomach.

His dark green eyes were only a few inches from my face, his lips so close I smelled his breath. Spearmint, my new favorite scent. I couldn't say anything as he held my gaze, not caring about what was going on around us. My body was freaking out to say the least, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I hope he felt it too otherwise this would be really awkward. Then, he spoke. His voice was so soft, yet so demanding, caring yet dark. And he said one simple word, a word I never thought I would hear thrown in my direction, especially from someone like him.

"Mine."