Macie clings to me the entire drive there, and, after a while, it gets extremely uncomfortable.
However, I’m not about to call her annoying or tell her to get off me. Maybe this strange meeting just for the cameras has secured me a friendship while I’m a part of this competition.
Someone on my side, to help me deal with the other girls who will be there, who I am not looking forward to meeting, let alone living with.
Macie doesn’t seem stressed out about our lack of information, or about what is going to happen next.
She just nonchalantly sits back in her seat, brushing back the fur on my coat, while I throw rapid-fire questions at Elaine.
There is no way I am about to walk into this blindly.
“So, we’ll be staying with Malik, then?” I ask.
I know that his estate would be where our home would be for however long we were chosen to stay, but I couldn't figure out why living next to Malik would ever be even considered, especially with members of the Purity Pack being a part of this too.
Elaine sighs, having already answered a multitude of questions. “Would you please refer to him as your Alpha?”
My jaw clenches, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Elaine has already given me a lecture about how we are supposed to refer to Malik as our Alpha until he states otherwise.
It only makes me feel even more trapped within his power, making me think uneasily about what could be in my future.
“And yes, you will be staying at the Alpha's estate, although you will not be staying in the same quarters as him. You’ll have your own,” Elaine explains.
That’s a relief, but I don’t let that show on my face.
“I'm so excited!” Macie squeals in my ear. We are getting close to his estate, having to backtrack the way we had come after meeting Macie.
Malik lives at the far reaches of the pack, to where it snowed most, and a lot of people aren't allowed there. It’s not about wealth, but about the position in a hierarchy.
The fact that we are being granted permission to enter a place that once forbade our presence, though, is admittedly a little exciting.
“What’s happening when we get there?” I decide to ask. The snow on the side of the road is piling up, and trees are starting to swallow up what was once farmland.
Really, it does suit an Alpha to live somewhere so beautiful, compared with the rest of the pack.
No wonder he doesn't come out much.
“You might meet some of the other girls. You might be sent straight to your rooms. Or you might even meet the Alpha.
“We don’t know, and neither will you until you are told when you get there,” Elaine tells me, an edge in her voice suggesting that she is sick of me asking so many questions.
In defeat, I slump back in my seat, while Macie stares out the window, awe written all over her face.
She doesn't seem bothered in the slightest about walking into this with no information, but, as a person who likes to plan things carefully, this doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.
When we arrive at the Alpha's property, we are told to stop and get out.
An unfazed Macie hops out into the snow, protected by her outfit, her golden heels clicking noisily on the shoveled road.
Despite this being a somewhat frightening experience, I know why this is happening.
They want to check us for any incriminating evidence that might lead to us being criminals trying to get our way into Malik’s home.
The three guards standing at the gate of the Alpha’s property are wearing thick coats, with an emblem on them that shows their allegiance to the Love Pack.
They are frightening to look at, as they avoid all eye contact, looking only at where one of us might be stashing something illegal.
Guns are even strapped to their back, and I shiver at the thought of them needing to use them. “Is this necessary?” I whisper to Elaine, once we have both been searched.
Macie is being questioned about a ring in her pocket, which she was trying to explain was very important to her.
Other men are scouring the car, so we are left to stand in the snow, shivering, while a soft set of fresh snow falls from the sky. All I want to do is crawl under a blanket and warm my freezing limbs.
At this point, anywhere would do.
“Of course,” Elaine whispers back. “Wouldn’t want a delinquent getting in here, would we?”
Finally, we are ushered back into the car, and the wrought-iron gate slowly swings open intimidatingly. They are ensuring a tremendous amount of security, which isn’t helping my nerves.
They are taking this seriously, which poses the question of what would happen to me if I got caught stealing from the Alpha.
Alpha Malik’s property is large and extravagant, with lawns stretching to meet the edges of his estate. My jaw drops at the sight of it.
There is no way to sum up the extent of his wealth in just a few words, but it seems as if this place was boasting about it.
The exterior of the extensive home is covered with a lot of snow, which hides plenty from a distance.
However, a small canopy of trees protects part of the house from the burden of snow and ice, allowing me to see a small portion of it.
It almost seems as if the outside is made of fine glass; however, you could not see into the house.
Still, despite the glass, the privacy of the home was protected, giving off an inexplicable look about it.
It was a perplexing sight that both Macie and I try to take in, in the few minutes it takes to drive down his driveway. Will we seriously be staying here? I can’t believe it...
Elaine, however, is picking at the edges of her nails, not at all as stunned by this as we are. “My new home,” I hear Macie whisper under her breath. I ignore it.
The car stops in the courtyard, and the moment it does, Elaine turns to me in her seat. The only other car that was here was the one with Macie’s assistant and the cameramen.
That surprises me, since I thought all the other girls would be here too.
Elaine notices as I look around expectantly. “Many of the other contestants will be arriving tomorrow. Some of the packs have to travel far to get here. However, some may be here already.”
“Already?”
Elaine glances at Macie, who is still looking out the window. “We are late, due to our little... interruption.”
It occurs to me that Macie’s argument with her assistant about us driving together has made us late.
What a great first impression this must make on the Alpha and his family... to be late, on the very first day.
Not that Macie cares, since she seems to be caught up in the mesmerizing sight of Malik's home.
Two men wearing neatly tailored suits step out of the house into the falling snow, walking towards the car.
Elaine goes to them and talks to them for a few moments, then one man helps me out of the car, while the other helps Macie.
The man who is holding my hand is wearing a glove made out of a strange material, which instantly makes me feel uneasy.
However, his eyes are a warm brown that draw me in almost instantly. They are a contrast to the cold blowing insistently around me.
For someone from the Love Pack, he definitely lacks features that I am familiar with, that's for sure. Does the Alpha hire people from other packs to work for him?
After helping me out, the man walks to the back of the car to get my belongings.
“When we walk in, I assume everyone will be there, so make sure you stand up straight...:”
As Elaine starts listing things that are essential for me to do, I stop listening.
I've decided that this is about being me; otherwise, I won't make it far, and I know for a fact that my posture isn't my best feature.
Not that it matters, as Macie will command the attention in the room. Elaine takes it upon herself to stay behind us, as the two men lead us onward.
I can assume that they are going to lead us up a few stairs to a door, which would open to reveal us to whoever is inside, which would basically pronounce us as late to the party.
If you exclude whoever is coming tomorrow.
“I'm Fynn,” the man with the brown eyes whispers in my ear, as he helps me up the last ice-encrusted step. “By the way.”
Glancing up at him, I observe him with surprise. Why is he telling me this? Is he coming on to me, despite me being in a competition where I'm supposed to be vying for the Alpha's love?
The sweet smile on his face and the way he presses his hand to the small of my back suggests that much, but, right now, I'm not about to question it.
“Interesting,” I murmur under my breath, still unsure of him.
We stop before a big wooden door that stands proud and tall before us. The other man is the one to step forward and open it, pulling back the latch.
I can feel Fynn sidle up to me, his side pressing gently against mine. All my muscles tense up at the feeling.
“Good luck,” he says again, right in my ear. Does Elaine notice this?
Then suddenly, the doors are flung open, and we are faced with a small group of girls and the entire Alpha family.
