She walked down the aisle and stepped off the bus.
One by one, the rest of us followed.
I was the last one off, my legs shaking as my feet hit the pavement.
The bus doors closed behind me with a finality that made my stomach drop. The driver pulled away, taillights disappearing into the darkness, leaving us stranded.
No going back now.
About fifteen women stood in a loose cluster outside the entrance to Obsidian Hall. Some I recognized from the bus. Others must have arrived earlier or come by different means.
All of us were silent, staring up at the massive building.
The entrance doors were huge....solid black wood carved with intricate designs that I couldn't quite make out in the darkness. Above them, three wolves howled at a crescent moon, their eyes seeming to glow red in the dim light.
The Blackwood crest.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Jesus," someone whispered. "What the fuck are we doing here?"
Nobody answered.
What could we say? We all knew what we were doing here. We'd all made the same desperate choice.
The massive doors suddenly opened, and a figure emerged.
A woman in a crimson cloak, her face hidden beneath a deep hood. She moved with an unnatural grace, almost gliding across the ground.
When she spoke, her voice was cold and clinical, cutting through the night air like a blade.
"Welcome to the Rite."
We all stood frozen, waiting.
"You are here of your own free will," she continued. "Inside these walls, you will be paired with unmated Alphas who seek to claim you for the night. You will submit completely to their desires. In exchange, you will be compensated with gold as promised."
She paused, her hidden gaze sweeping over us.
"This is your final chance to leave. Once you enter these doors, there is no turning back. You will do what is commanded of you. You will not refuse. You will not resist. You will surrender completely."
My hands clenched into fists at my sides.
"At the end of the night, you will receive your payment and leave in silence. You will speak of this to no one. These are the terms. Do you understand?"
Murmurs of "yes" rippled through the group.
"Any who wish to leave may do so now. No judgment. No consequence. But choose now, because once you cross this threshold, your choice is made."
Several heartbeats of silence.
Then two women near the front turned and walked away, heading back toward the road. Nobody tried to stop them. Nobody said anything.
The hooded woman waited until they'd disappeared into the darkness.
"Anyone else?"
I wanted to raise my hand. Wanted to run after them, away from this place, back to my shitty apartment and my impossible situation.
But my feet stayed planted.
My mother's face flashed through my mind....pale and still in that hospital bed so i forced myself to I stayed.
"Very well." The hooded woman turned toward the entrance. "Follow me."
She glided back toward the open doors, and after a moment's hesitation, we followed.
The blonde woman from the bus walked beside me. "Good luck," she whispered.
"You too."
We crossed the threshold into Obsidian Hall.
The doors closed behind us with a heavy, final thud that echoed through my bones.
Inside was overwhelming.
Opulence everywhere....black marble floors polished to a mirror shine, crystal chandeliers dripping from vaulted ceilings, gold fixtures gleaming in the low light, walls lined with dark velvet and expensive artwork.
This wasn't just wealth. This was power on display. A reminder of exactly who we were dealing with.
The air was thick with incense...something heady and intoxicating that made my head spin almost immediately. Sweet but musky, familiar but foreign. It filled my lungs, made my skin flush warm, heightened every sense.
The hooded woman led us deeper into the hall, our footsteps echoing on the marble. We passed through corridors lined with closed doors, and from behind some of them came sounds that made my face burn....moans, gasps, growls, the unmistakable sounds of bodies joining.
The Rite had already begun for some.
Soon it would be my turn.
We turned down another corridor, this one wider, more luxurious. The doors here were larger, the artwork more expensive.
The hooded woman stopped and turned to face us.
"You will each be escorted to your assigned Alpha," she said. "Remember the terms. Remember that the alphas get to use you how ever they want and your job is to please them in any and every way possible, Also remember that, your pussy is not the only thing you can please them with, your mouth, your hands and any other ways they demand for so, Submit completely. Do not refuse. Do not resist."
She pointed to different women, directing them to different doors with other cloaked attendants who'd appeared from nowhere.
The group grew smaller.
The blonde woman was led away, giving me one last nervous glance over her shoulder.
Then it was just three of us left.
The hooded woman studied us for a long moment.
"You three," she said finally, pointing to me and two other women. "Come with me."
My heart pounded as we followed her down yet another corridor, this one even more elaborate than the last.
She stopped in front of a massive door....different from all the others. Larger. More ornate. Carved with three wolves beneath a crescent moon.
The same design from above the entrance.
The Blackwood crest.
"Wait here," the hooded woman commanded.
She led the other two women to different doors, leaving me alone in front of the massive carved door.
When she returned, she stopped in front of me, her hidden face tilted as if studying me.
"Lilith Thorne," she said, and my blood ran cold. How did she know my name?
"How...."
"The Alphas know everything about the women they choose." She reached for the door handle. "You should be honored. They rarely bring women to their private chambers."
"What does that mean?"
"It means they sensed something in you. Something... different. And they have demanded that they wanted to have you first for the night" She pushed the door open slightly. "Do not disappoint them, Lilith Thorne. The Cursed Alphas are not known for their patience or mercy."
The door swung open fully, revealing darkness beyond.
"Enter. Your night begins now."
Before I could respond, before I could prepare myself, she placed a hand on my back and pushed.
I stumbled forward into the darkness.
The door slammed shut behind me.
Sealing me inside.
With them.