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05:

The man in the lab-coat sat on a stool between my legs. He kept glancing behind him, at the closed door. Cool air lapped at my bareness, causing my entire body to shake. My hands rested on my abdomen. The hair on the back of my neck stood painfully on end as I realized that soon, I would have someone poking and prodding at areas I’d rather have left alone. It all seemed pointless given that I’d never be the one to complete the Selection— whatever that even was.

Nausea roiled again. Well, I knew it was supposed to be what determined who would be surrogate for the three Alphas. But if looks and heritage had almost nothing to do with it as both my father and the Alpha King suggested, then what could possibly determine it? Clearly it was something to do with these exams and if it was something predetermined it meant it was out of my control and if it was out of my control then it meant I could—

I sucked in a deep breath. It didn’t matter because it wasn’t going to be me. Though, if the wolves around here looked anything like Nikolai and Darius, maybe I would find a way to at least stay near to the castle. My skin tingled slightly. They were so different, but so alike. Oddly kind as well. Their suits were immaculate, well-tailored. Despite being perpetually exhausted and full of fear, I had been able to admire them— was currently admiring them. They’d seemed so powerful, so dominating. A flush rushed up my cheeks. Where were these thoughts coming from? At no point in the last six or so years had I found anyone even the slightest bit attractive.

I’d learned about intimacy from crude farmhands with their jokes and insults. They’d always been so gross that the idea of having anyone get that close to me was enough to make me ill. But… if there were wolves as kind and handsome as Darius and Nikolai out there, maybe there was hope.

The door to the room opened, wrenching me from my thoughts. Another man in a lab coat and a woman who’s face resembled a horse stepped in. She scrunched up her nose when she looked at me, then looked at a chart, “Ada Lennox?” I gave a curt nod, averting my gaze. She sighed, “You’ll be received a vaginal exam and an ultrasound today from the doctor and I, then—“

I looked behind her as a third figure stepped into the room. This individual was older than anyone I had seen in the castle so far, including the king. He had stark white hair and milky white eyes that on any other person would be considered a side effect of something like cataracts. But the insignia he bore that was carved into a an obsidian amulet hanging dead center over his chest — a Tree of Life— let me know that he was a seer. I froze. For a seer to be present at examinations that meant there had to be a magickal element to what they needed to know. It almost made me breathe a sigh of relief, as I had never shown a propensity for magick of any kind. Almost.

The horse-face woman cleared her throat and continued, “There will also be a blood draw and then the royal seer has something he needs to do as well.”

Without any further explanation, the man that was between my legs opened a speculum and squeezed a tube of clear liquid onto it. He glanced up at me, “Slight pressure here,” and inserted it into me. I bit back the curse on my tongue as he spoke and the other man looked over his shoulder, “Hymen intact. Triple cervix is present. No signs of infection,” another glance up to me, “Surprisingly,” the urge to close my knees and crawl into the corner of the room tripled, “You can complete the blood draw while I move onto the ultrasound.”

The speculum was removed briskly. I could feel the lubricant he’d used sliding coolly down my center and silently wished someone would either wipe it away or provide me with the means to do so. Instead, the doctor yanked my feet from the stirrups and lifted another portion of the table beneath my legs. The nurse grabbed my arm, shoving a needly into the crook of it roughly. Tears pricked my eyes as I watched blood shoot into a vial. As she pulled the needle out, my arm healed rapidly.

She made a note in the chart, “Healing function intact despite malnutrition being present,” she held the vial up to the light as a cool gel was squeezed onto my lower abdomen, making me jump, “Doctor Erikson, can you come confirm the werewolf gene is the only one present?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. The only gene present? What other gene would there be? A handheld device was pressed over the gel. There was a loud whooshing sound that echoed through the room. A small smile crept up onto the first doctors face as the other was hunched over a microscope, “Three separate wombs identified.”

The seer gave a small nod as Doctor Erikson stood up straight, “Werewolf gene is the only one present. It’s your game now, Connor.”

The milky-eyed man, who I could only assume was Connor, stepped forward. He reached into a drawer in the table and pulled something from it, “You may put this on, Miss Lennox.”

A hospital gown was placed in my lap. I sat up slowly, “Thank you.”

He waited until I had the gown on fully before motioning for me to lay back down. I complied, more than a bit curious about what he was going to do now. Connor help a hand over my forehead and one over my lower abdomen. A warmth radiated from his palms, bringing me a sense of calmness. Wordlessly, he removed his hands and walked over to the blood sample. In under thirty seconds, he turned around grinning.

With a quick nod at the doctors, he stated, “The proper gene mutation is in place. One final test,” he motioned for me to sit up. I followed his order, a hot ball of dread taking root in my stomach. Connor tugged at the gown and clucked his tongue, “Birthmark is present. We have found the surrogate.”

There was a sense of giddiness to his words. I had questions, starting with what birthmark he was talking about. I’d had my body my whole life and I’d never had any birthmark present. Was he lying? I looked around. The other three in the room exchanged looks that seemed to share my sentiment— why couldn’t it be anyone other than me? But Connor’s excitement seemed to outweigh any of our negativity.

The Seer stepped in front of me and grasped my hand, “Come, Ada. We must see the King at once.”

“But—“ I started, yet still climbed to my feet on wobbly knees, “But I have no birthmark.”

He grinned, “It would have only appeared once you came of age, which was recently, yes?” my eyes widened and I gave a small nod, my mouth bone dry. Connor pulled me out of the room, doctors on our heels, “You meet all the criteria. You are the destined surrogate.”

No. I absolutely was not. There had to be some mistake. Maybe there were multiple people that met all the criteria? They could simply go through every shewolf that had been sent to go through the Selection and find someone else.

Despite wanting to shout those words at everyone around me, I remained silent. Nothing good was going to come out of any outcome here. If I spoke up, I could be forced and kept as an unwelcome captive. Something told me that as nice as everyone had been so far, I wanted to stay in their good graces. Life otherwise would be a living hell— even worse than the farm.

Connor led me down the hall quickly. When I stumbled into the Throne Hall behind him, I froze and rooted my feet in the ground. Nearly a hundred women were in the room, all conversing quietly. At the seers presence, all conversation ceased immediately. The quiet filled the room with anticipation. I looked around at all the women in exquisite gowns and nice hairdos and hung my head. Was the seer absolutely sure it wasn’t one of them? They all seemed like they would fit in a lot better here.

The King stood from his throne, “Seer, what news do you have?”

“Miss Lennox is the one, your majesty,” Connor bowed his head, “We have confirmed everything.”

Unrest ran through the waiting crowd. Those nearest to me whispered, “What are the odds that the first girl they bring in is the Surrogate? She must have fooled them somehow.”

But the King simply announced, loudly, “The surrogate has been found!”

A round of applause sounded through the room, despite the looks I was getting. I swallowed hard, eyes fixed to the ground. My heart thumped loudly in my chest. This was not good. On any level. Every woman present in this room hated me now— if they didn’t already. Not to mention this wasn’t something I wanted to do. There was no way this was going to end well. Besides, I was sure the three Alphas were used to women like the others present. They wouldn’t want me. This surrogacy would be unsuccessful. It would end in my demise, surely. Even if they somehow managed to impregnate me, there was no way my small body could handle all of this.

There was snicker beside me. I looked back up, meeting the gaze of three women that were across the room. I’d seen their expression countless times on Francine— scrunched nose, furrowed eyebrows, pursed lips… and their skin red with rage. It was beyond just blush. It was a red that consumed every inch of skin. The thin sheen of sweat on their faces let me know I had made new enemies. Based on their dresses and them emblems etched into them, they were powerful enemies.

The King’s voice echoed through the hall, “Everyone is dismissed to return home. Leave us.”

People started to filter out. I shoved myself into the crowd, trying to rush forward toward the door that would lead me out. Some of the girls shoved me back, sending me sideways glares. Still, I kept trying. I didn’t stop even when my heart was thudding painfully and I was drenched in sweat, or when the hospital gown ripped open almost fully.

The only thing that stopped me was when I glanced over my shoulder and saw the King, sitting on the throne once more. He smiled slowly, darkly. I froze, every hair on my body standing on end again. He hooked his finger, motioning for me to come toward him,

“Now, Ada, darling. You need to stay.”

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