“There will be no touching unless you initiate it, though they may ask.”

“O—okay.” I take a deep breath. “After I meet everyone, what happens next?”

“After that, you get to choose who you spend the rest of theevening with. At that point, the ball will be in full swing. You could consider dancing or something along those lines.”

That’s the first thing that brings a smile to my face. I just have to get through nine other interviews and then I’ll get to spend time with my guys.

“Are you ready?” The director asks me.

“Yes.”

The moment the doors to the ballroom open, I can instantly feel all of the eyes on me.

The director stops us at the top of the staircase. Likely so all the alpha packs in this room can get a good look at me, considering I seem to be the star of the evening. I take this as my own opportunity to soak in my surroundings.

I haven’t been to this part of the Omega Center before. The main part of the Omega Center looks expensive from the outside, but the modern and sterile sort of expensive.

This ballroom on the other hand? It screams excess.

There are different kinds of shiny marble on the floor, making up dancing patterns and paths within the room. There are vaulted ceilings and huge crystal chandeliers. Expensive flower arrangements line the walls, and a handful of musicians sit in the corner by the dance floor, playing some classical music.

My eyes scan the room and I catch sight of a familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes. Madden is easy to spot because of my vantage point above the crowd and his near giant-worthy height.

The smile that breaks out across my face sends murmurs through the crowd of alphas below me, but I don’t really care.

Madden looks incredibly handsome tonight with his hair slicked back. The full suit he’s wearing fits him like perfection.

I look beside Madden and see my other guys all looking just as amazing.

“You alright?” The director asks me quietly as he extends his arm to me.

“Yes,” I whisper in response, taking his arm so I don’t slip and fall down the steps in the heels I’m wearing.

As we make our way down the stairs, I lose sight of Madden and the others. My eyes dart around the room, my nose burning from the intensity of all of the different alpha scents, and I swallow hard.

With my pack out of my line of sight, I’m starting to feel lost in the sea of unknown alphas.

“Actually, scratch that,” I mutter under my breath.

“You’ll be fine. There’s security everywhere. Nothing can happen to you, I promise.”

I nod, halfheartedly. Even with his promises, I can’t exactly stop my body from feeling the way it’s feeling when I’m surrounded by this many alphas.

He walks me to a round table at the center of the room. My name is printed on a name card in elegant gold lettering in front of the seat I’m directed to sit at.

“Waitstaff will walk around with some hors d’oeuvres, so feel free to gesture to any of them if you need a bite to eat,” The director says, leading me to my seat. “They’ll also be walking around with glasses of champagne. Have you ever drunk alcohol before?”

I shake my head. “No, not really.”

“Then I wouldn’t recommend it. Stick to the food for now.”

I nod. The last thing I want is to be intoxicated around this many alphas I don’t know, even if the director says there’s going to be security here.

A tall, middle-aged beta woman in a deep maroon cocktail dress appears by my side with a bright smile.

“Hello there, you must be Luna!” She says.

“Oh, yes, hello,” I say, trying to give her a smile.