"They are coming."
The words made Ellie go still.
She leaned forward, peeking through the crowd of humans to see for herself.
The air was freezing. Snow had been falling for a fortnight without stopping. The cold made her sickness worse, but that didn't matter. Like the others, she had been dragged from her tent to stand in the open.
Every year, this happened. A ritual.
Everyone who had turned eighteen was brought to the field near Crescent Territory. The humans stayed at the edge, guarded by their soldiers. But what good was that protection when they were only raised to become slaves?
Ellie sniffed. Her whole body was shaking. The thin brown dress she wore did nothing to keep her warm. Her bare feet curled into the snow. Her teeth chattered. Her fingers clenched tight.
Last year, her illness saved her.
This year, the werewolves had something else in mind.
She prayed they wouldn't pick her.
If they were satisfied with their choice, they usually left the rest behind.
Ellie had watched it happen before. The screams of other girls still haunted her. She had always wondered what happened to them.
Were they eaten?
Were they given as sacrifices during some dark festival?
She didn't know. No one ever came back.
For once, Ellie had been thankful for her illness. No one would want a weak slave, she thought. She had expected a different fate, but here she was, lined up like a beggar, waiting for the werewolves to make their selection.
"Here they come," someone whispered next to her. It was a young girl with round dark eyes and brown hair braided into two cornrows. She looked fragile, just like the others.
Ellie peered through the gap, her gaze drifting across the field. The mountains loomed around them, but the wide open space made it easy to see what was coming.
And then she saw them.
They came in their wolf forms. The sound of their hooves striking the snow sent a chill through her.
Ellie coughed, pressing her hands together. Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to stand and watch as they drew closer.
It was well-known that the werewolves hated humans—especially the weaker ones.
As they approached, fear gripped her. Normally, there was a large brown wolf among them, leading smaller ones, but today there was one bigger—a massive grey wolf.
The grey wolf led the others, his steps steady as they followed.
And then, in a flash, they shifted into human form.
Ellie gasped.
"Don't look," a guard snarled, hitting her. Ellie groaned and quickly lowered her gaze to her bare feet.
From a distance, she heard their footsteps approaching. Each step brought a new kind of fear.
"Are these all the maidens?" a cold voice asked, and Ellie wondered if it belonged to the massive grey wolf.
An incoherent murmur followed.
She couldn't make out who was speaking, her eyes fixed on her curled, trembling feet.
The voices spread out around her. Beside her, she could feel the other girls shaking, some of them crying silently.
"Good. We'll be picking twenty slaves."
Twenty?
Ellie's eyes widened, and without meaning to, she lifted her head.
Twenty seemed small compared to previous years, when the selection was much larger. But this year, the number of maidens who had turned eighteen was barely enough. She looked around—there could be maybe twenty, or even thirty, girls present. Would she be lucky again this year?
"Begin rounding them up," a cold voice commanded, and the warriors started dragging the young maidens.
Most of them screamed and cried, but none fought back, none ran, and none looked anyone in the eye—knowing from birth that this was their fate.
Ellie, however, ignored the guard's order and stared in horror as the warriors hauled the maidens away.
The warriors wore fitted black pants and loose black shirts that parted at the neck, revealing their toned skin. They were muscled, intimidating.
Ellie's eyes followed them. They weren't near her row yet, but her heart pounded so hard she feared it would burst.
"Don't look. They're not merciful," the brown-haired girl whispered, grabbing her hand in fear.
But Ellie, shaking with fever, still couldn't look away. Then, she heard that cold voice again.
"You."
She turned her head and met his gaze.
She stiffened
"Come here."
His eyes were as grey as his wolf form.
His hair was messy and black, his face strong and well-defined. But what caught Ellie's attention most was his intimidating presence. It was the kind that stirred fear in one before you even heard the cold voice.
"Come here," he commanded.
Ellie took a step back.
This never would have happened if she hadn't looked. Now, she was caught—red-handed.
The other werewolves turned toward her, and she inched backward.
A long silence passed as her gaze stayed locked on him. He stood at a distance, a row away, his arms crossed as he watched her.
But she didn't move as ordered. She didn't want to.
She didn't want to become their slave.
So, she did the only thing she could think of—run.
Even though she knew she was weak and couldn't outrun them, she pushed herself to run with every ounce of strength she had.
She heard a low laugh, but she was too terrified to turn around, too afraid to accept this fate.
How could life be so cruel? To bring her into this world only to make her suffer.
"Going somewhere?" That cold voice spoke again, but it was so close she wondered how.
She looked up—and gasped.
He was right in front of her, big, muscled, and intimidating. His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer.
This time, Ellie didn't run. She could only grit her teeth.
What could she do?
If she ran again, he would catch her.
"You're quite brave, even though you're weak," he said, his lips curling into a smirk as he reached her.
Then, he ran a hand over her skin.
It burned—scorching hot. Her fever had only gotten worse, and now she wished more than ever that he would just let her go.
"Hmm… You'll do," he murmured, then turned to his warriors. "Take her."
Ellie's eyes widened, her lips trembling as she searched for words, but only tears fell.
What was he thinking?
She was weak.
She clasped her hands together, feeling the cold biting deeper. "I'm sick," she whispered, hoping he would hear, hoping he'd let her go.
He stared at her face longer than she expected. Then, instead of letting her go, he said again, "You'll do."
Fear surged through her. Ellie staggered and nearly collapsed, but he caught her waist, drawing murmurs from the crowd.
The alpha frowned, watching the weak human. It hit him then—she had fainted.
His beta rushed forward, brown eyes fixed on the girl. He glanced at the alpha. "She's weak."
"Gather the other slaves and bring them to the pack," the alpha ordered. He glanced down at Ellie, his lips pressed tight. Then, to the beta's surprise, he added, "This one is mine."