Chapter Nineteen

The car itself was giant, and covered in red velvet seats in the inside, filled with water bottles and all kinds of snacks which were tempting but I didn’t want to get too nervous and fuck everything up by vomiting, so I’d pass. My driver was dressed in a suit, complete with a stereotypical drivers hat. He leaned forward and pulled the door open for me, nodding once “In you go, madame”

Climbing inside the car, I thanked him and took a seat in the front. The car was big enough for all of the girls fit in and being in here by myself felt illegal. I assumed that the other girls were also doing the same thing.

The ride to the ball was quick and after five minutes or so the car pulled to a stop, I could hear the driver getting out and coming around to my side. I quickly fixed my dress as he could opened the door and I straightened up, trying to be as ladylike getting out as possible.

“Where do we go now?” I turned to my driver.

“All of the contenders will enter the Ball one after the other, so if you go up that staircase and turn to your left you will find your peers” His hand pointed to a stone staircase that ran up the side of the massive building that I assumed housed the ball.

“Thank you, sir, have a nice night!” I called to him as I ascended up the stairs, coming to an unlocked door that I carefully pushed open and was met with the girls that were going to absolutely hate me in a few hours.

“Bella?” Ruth walked over and pulled a face at me. “How are you here? I thought that you were only helping out”

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I tried to calm her down. “Ruth, I’ll talk to you about this later, okay?”

“Fine” She snapped at me, going back to her place in line and chatting quietly with the other girls, them all turning to look at me every so often and laughing with each other.

I clasped my hands together anxiously, wanting to run away at that point and never come back but I stood my ground, holding my head high and showing them that they didn’t scare me.

“You think he will actually go for her?” A brunette who was taller than me spoke in my direction, followed by an uproar of murmuring and giggling among them all. My shoulders straightened up and I didn’t take my gaze off the wall in front of us, hoping that somebody would be here to collect us soon.

“She’s a liar, that’s what she is,” Ruth snapped at me. I didn’t make eye contact with her. She was right, I was a liar.

I didn’t deserve to be here at all. These girls had dreamed their whole lives about this moment. I was an impostor and a whore.

Snapping around to run out the door, I collided into a hard body. “Oh!” The woman in front of me was the first person that I had seen when I first got here. “Are you alright?”

I looked up at her and shook my head. “Sorry, I was just leaving”

“My dear, you cannot leave now, you’re all about to be introduced to the crowd. This is your big moment!” She rubbed my arm and smiled at me. “No need to be nervous, you’re all naturals!”

Nodding slowly, I swallowed hard and went back into the line, staring at the ceiling.

“First in line please!” She looked at her clipboard and ushered the first girl in line, a dirty blonde named Ashlynn, through a curtain that was next to us that lead directly to the Ball.

“Introducing Miss Ashlynn Pierce, from Alpha Jaxon’s pack,” A male's voice sounded loudly from behind the curtain as music started to play, and the unseen crowd erupted into claps for their potential Luna.

My stomach flipped in circles with anxiety at all the unknowns, how many people were behind the curtain? Where was Theo? Was I going to be made a fool of when I came out?

Another two were introduced and all that was left were me and Ruth in awkward silence. “Ruth Green?” Ruth stepped forward before stopping herself, turning around to me and snapping in my face.

“You’ll get what’s coming to you if you ruin this for me”

Sucking in a breath, I looked her up and down, smiling at her. “Good luck”

She huffed and turned on her heel, walking into the curtain where all the others had. I could hear her being introduced and I knew that I was next.

“You ready honey?” The woman drew me a worried look.

“Yes” I lied. “I’m ready”

“Very well then. Off you go.” Her hand gently pushed the small of my back, and before I knew it, I was on the other side of the curtain, with hundreds of royal faces staring at me.