The full moon cast an ominous light overhead as the guards escorted her towards the entrance of the tower- of the main house where the Alpha resided, before they turned on their heels and left her alone in the cold, darkened hallway. The tower was like a chasm, deep and dark with narrow hallways and a circular staircase at the end. She was shaking slightly, from fear or the cold, or from both- she wasn't too sure. Instead she hoped it was the latter and tried to stop her teeth from chattering. She pulled the lapels of her coat tighter around her and cursed the two guards for not letting her have enough time to put on gloves. Her hands were like frozen rocks and she shoved them deeper into her pockets, trying to find any semblance of heat. She hated the cold here- the chill went straight to the bone and rattled her insides. For wolves, it was a mere breeze but for her it was torture. The Alpha's dwelling was colder than any other place in the countryside because of how open and vast it was. 

 She walked across the long corridor- which seemed to get longer every time she crossed it. Along the way, the interior always caught her attention because it was different almost every week. 

What a waste, she thought, when the lower castes of the pack couldn't even afford a small shed to live in. They lived at the far corners of the countryside, and were in constant turmoil by surprise attacks from the rebel human factions who were against the treaty and by the enemy packs that surrounded the Cerallio's region.

 All this occurred under the watchful eye of the alpha who lived comfortably at the centre of the region, surrounded by his strong elites and held lavish parties under the premise of 'fundraisers'. Apparently the stronger their wolves were, the more protected they were by the weaker wolves who they shamelessly used as scapegoats.

The architecture in the tunnel was actually quite gaudy; golden decorations lined the halls and glowed slightly even in the dark. The walls were adorned by golden edged paintings of all the previous Alphas and first families. Diamonds twinkled as they hung from the lights- which were always turned off, but nonetheless were still prominent. Still they did nothing to quell the harrowing atmosphere that imbued the hall. The darkness inside permeated the air and was saturated by an impending sense of despair and maliciousness. The rustling wind gave the backdrop of a haunted house, as if there were people buried behind the walls and were screaming and crying to be let out. 

Externally, however, it was a different story. The tower was adorned by a beautiful golden film and had large glass windows which appeared so glossy under the moonlight that they were difficult to look at. It was a shallow phenomenon; the extremely beautiful outside but the ugly inside. Much like the man who resided in it. 

She finally reached the end of the spiral staircase, having worked up quite a sweat due to her overflowing anxiety and stood before the mahogany door of her fiancés room. Before going in, she placed a hand over the heavy wood and closed her eyes slightly, breathing deeply. In and out, she instructed herself over and over until she finally managed to calm down.

She startled when the door suddenly burst open and two women in voluptuous clothing exited the room while giggling and smirking. They paused upon seeing her and eyed her appearance from head to toe, their expressions haughty as their derisive sneers viewed her as if she were an insect ready to be squashed. She returned their stare passively, standing her ground, and they eventually dropped their eyes and walked away, muttering that she was a 'freak'. Very classy indeed, she thought, while watching their retreating backs as they excitedly discussed their recent adventures with the Alpha. She was supposed to feel jealous or even angry, instead she felt dispassionate; the same emptiness engulfing her insides, as the first time she came here so many years ago as a presented slave. Her fiancé could parade around a hundred women in front of her and she probably wouldn't care. She had to have affection for him, she realised, in order to care. This made her wonder whether she really was defective or a 'freak' as they so eloquently labelled her as. Surely any normal woman would have some possessiveness over her future mate, even if he were a known philanderer. 

Taking one final deep breath, she pushed the door open and walked into the cold room.