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"It's happening..." mumbled my father as he flipped over the letter in front of him, scanning it slowly, a nervous glint hidden in his eyes.

"What is?" I asked, picking at my lips.

"When?" asked my mother, wrapping her arms around herself worriedly.

"Tonight. They're already on their way. All packs participating will already be nearby."

Shaking his head, my father slammed down the letter on the kitchen counter, breathing heavily. "I haven't heard of one of these happening since my great grandfather was a child. What kind of sick Alpha still does this?"

"Does what?" I asked, furrowing my dark brows.

"The Whipping."

I started to nervously fiddle with my fingers and subconsciously chewed on my bottom lip. "Like the actual whipping?"

My mother glanced at me, tucking my chestnut brown hair behind my ears. "I never wanted one of my children to witness one of these, but all over eighteens must attend."

I swallowed nervously. I had a sensitive soul. Watching the whipping wasn't something I had ever worried about. My mother and father had told me it no longer happened.

"There is no way in hell you are volunteering Eliza!"

I stepped back at my father's sudden outburst. "Obviously not! I would never volunteer for something as sick as this!"

My father sighed in relief, pushing his hair back off his forehead. "Good. My child is not going through something like that just to become a Luna of a pack she doesn't know anything about."

I nodded. Becoming a Luna had never been an interest of mine. I was happy where I was- having the friends and family I had and living the life I had. However, I knew watching something like this would stay with me for the rest of my life. Our pack was rather small, so I knew that the volunteer would be someone I knew, and most likely liked.

"What if there are multiple volunteers?" I asked.

"The Alpha picks one out of all the volunteers- only one wolf per pack is allowed."

"Who do you think is going to volunteer?"

My mother and father both shrugged. "It's hard to tell. Nobody expected this, so it's never been spoken about."

"Speaking of that, I've got to get over to James' place. No doubt he will be calling a council meeting any second now," said my father as he kissed my mother's forehead.

"Okay, see you later," I said as he rushed out the door, heading down towards the Alpha's house. My father was part of the pack council. Our pack was a fair and relaxed pack. Alpha James wanted some members of the pack who didn't have high ranks to join him in making decisions, that way, he could get the opinion of everybody. I knew other packs didn't have it so well. Some Alpha's ran their pack using fear. There was a clear line nobody stepped over and if they did, they would get killed.

Alpha James had never killed. He said he would only ever banish a wolf, but never kill unnecessarily. Other Alpha's called him weak and spineless, but I just knew James had pride. He wanted to be respected because his pack thought he was a great leader, not because they were afraid of him.

Our pack was small and close-knit. We were minuscule compared to some packs that had hundreds and hundreds of members. We probably had about sixty at most.

"Go get dressed in something nice Eliza. We want to represent our pack well," said my mother.

"For who? Who's hosting this?"

"Alpha Logan Black."

I shook my head, furrowing my brows. "I don't understand. Why can't we just say no? What gives this Alpha the power over all the others to host such an event?"

"It's how it is Eliza. In order to keep the bloodline going, Alpha's have to mate with someone eventually," my mother sounded sad, as if she knew what she was saying was wrong, but the truth was the truth, and I needed to hear it.

"Why like this? Why can't he just pick some random wolf to mate with? Why put all these wolves through this pain and suffering?"

"Alpha's don't want the weak Eliza. They want a wolf who is strong both mentally and physically and this is the way they test it."

My mother's voice was growing harsher and I could see her eyes start to shift from her usual light blue to a smokey grey.

"Mom, what happens if nobody volunteers?" I question.

My mother turned to me, her eyes now a rich black. She stared at me for a few seconds, her lip quivering before she finally spoke. "Then the wolf will be chosen at random."

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Question for my readers! When's your birthday? Maybe you'll find your birthday twin :)

Also, I know this chapter is short, but I really wanted to leave it on this cliffhanger as I think it's quite powerful. However, the chapters will be longer from now on and I am writing it as we speak. Please leave a comment below if you have enjoyed it! I'd really appreciate it!