The bus grew quieter as we left the city behind.
At first, it had been full....wolves heading out for the night, humans going to work late shifts, the usual mix of people living their lives. But as we crossed into Blackwood territory, passengers got off at various stops until only a handful remained.
All women.
All heading to the same place.
I could tell by the tension in their shoulders, the way they avoided eye contact, the nervous energy that filled the air like static electricity. We were all going to the Rite. All of us had made the same impossible choice.
Sell our bodies or lose everything.
The city lights faded completely now, replaced by dense forest on either side of the road. The trees were thick, ancient, their branches forming a canopy overhead that blocked out the stars. It felt like entering another world....darker, more primal, where different rules applied.
Where monsters lived.
I pressed my forehead against the cool window and watched the trees blur past. My reflection stared back at me....a girl I barely recognized anymore. When had I become this person? This desperate, broken thing willing to spread her legs for strangers in exchange for gold?
Six months ago, I'd had a father, a future, hope.
Now I had nothing but this....a one-way ticket to Obsidian Hall and whatever waited inside.
The woman sitting across from me kept glancing at her phone, then looking away, then checking again. She was older than me...maybe late twenties....with blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her hands shook every time she moved.
Another woman near the front sat perfectly still, staring straight ahead with the blank expression of someone who'd already checked out mentally. Dissociating before she even got there.
Smart, probably.
I wondered if I should try to do the same. Separate my mind from my body, let them use the shell while I floated somewhere else.
But I knew I wouldn't be able to. I'd feel everything. Every touch, every thrust, every moment of being claimed by three Alphas who saw me as nothing more than a warm body.
The thought made my stomach clench with fear.
And something else.
Something I didn't want to examine too closely.
"First time?"
The voice startled me. The blonde woman was looking at me now, her expression a mix of fear and bitter camaraderie.
"Yes," I admitted.
She nodded. "Me too. I've heard stories though. About the Rite. About what they do."
"Me too."
"Are you scared?"
I considered lying, then decided there was no point. "Terrified."
"Yeah." She looked back at her phone. "Me too. But what choice do we have, right? I've got two kids and no job. The gold from one night... it's more than I'd make in a year. If I can survive it."
"You will," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "We both will."
She gave me a sad smile. "You going to the Cursed Alphas?"
My heart skipped. "How did you know?"
"Only a handful of women get called to their private chambers. The rest of us get paired with other Alphas in the ritual rooms. Consider yourself lucky. Or unlucky. Depends on how you look at it."
"What do you mean?"
She leaned forward, lowering her voice even though no one else was listening. "The Cursed Alphas pay more. Way more than five gold bars. But they're also... intense. I heard they take all three women together. All three of them, all three women. At once."
My blood ran cold. "What?"
"That's the rumor anyway. Maybe it's bullshit." She shrugged. "Either way, you'll find out soon enough."
All three Alphas. All at once.
The hooded woman had said they'd requested me specifically. Singular. Just me.
Which meant...
Oh god.
"Are you okay?" the blonde woman asked. "You went really pale."
"I'm fine," I lied. "Just... processing."
She nodded sympathetically and sat back, returning to her phone.
I tried to breathe normally, tried to calm the panic rising in my chest.
Three Alphas. Just me. All night.
What had I agreed to?
The bus slowed, and the driver called out: "Obsidian Hall. Last stop."
My heart hammered against my ribs.
The bus pulled to a stop in front of a massive black building that seemed to absorb the moonlight rather than reflect it. Obsidian Hall. Exactly as imposing as I'd imagined....all sharp angles and dark glass, like a cathedral built for sin.
The doors hissed open.
Nobody moved.
We all sat there, staring at the building, none of us ready to take that final step.
"Ladies," the driver said, his voice gruff but not unkind. "This is your stop. Time to get off."
Still, we hesitated.
Then the blonde woman stood. "Fuck it," she muttered. "Let's get this over with."