"Are you ready for round three?" The DJ screamed into his microphone. "I can't hear you! Are.You.Ready?"

The crowd erupted into screams and whistles. The shrieks were enough to break an eardrum, but my stupid ass was right in the middle, egging the surfer looking dude on.

"Round three it is ladies! Men, you get to sit this one out you lucky dogs you! Oops, I shouldn't say that too loud."

Loud juvenile laughter filled the massive yard. During this wave of entertainment, everyone packed tightly into this one small confined section of grass that was covered by a clear makeshift dance floor. A platform was set high up in the front of the group creating a stage for the energetic DJ to stand. Our shoulders were constantly rubbing against each other because of our close proximity and our feet were accidentally stumbling on one another's shoes.

Before we had gotten to this point, I allowed Hannah to have a little bit of fun since I was here with her. I agreed to allow us each to have two beers before I cut us off for the night. My buzz was short-lived, although it let me relax to the point where I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I have never been a drinker, so even a small amount of alcohol made me unstable on my feet.

As it seems, we had unintentionally missed the first two rounds of whatever this gathering was and they were by far not as loud as this one was, and probably the reason for us missing it.

"Let's hear it for Mr. Jax Peyton" he yelled, pumping his fist into the air with every word he said. "Now ladies, pay close attention. Mr. Jax Peyton is the Alpha of his pack,"

"The what to what?" I giggled to Hannah. "What the hell is this guy talking about?"

She seemingly had no idea, but just played along like everyone else, watching the blonde-haired DJ with intensity.

"His pack has been handed down for many generations before landing in his lap on one cold winter's night."

Immediately, all the women swooned, their hands immediately finding their hearts like they were pulled by force with a magnet. Their loud "awes" would have put a reality show set to shame. I could tell it was all in good fun, but I had had enough for the night. I was tired, and being cramped in such close quarters with people I didn't know was uncomfortable.

I turned my attention away from the stage and searched for my phone that I had stuffed in a small, white clutch purse I had hanging on my shoulder. When the screen finally lit up, my eyes widened when I saw the time displayed.

"Hannah," I whispered, bending over to get closer to her. "We gotta go. It's almost 3 a.m!" I turned the phone slightly and pressed on the screen until it flickered to life. I knew she wouldn't be happy due to it being a Friday night, but we were still an hour or so from home and this whole thing was starting to feel like a human auction.

She let out an exaggerated sigh and cocked her head to the side trying to use her eyes to beg for more time. However, I was determined to get through the sea of people, and instinctively grabbed Hannah's hand and led the way. I weaved my way in and out of the women and men, even becoming the proud recipient of many dirty looks as I hastily moved through them. I could almost see the edge of the open lawn when Hannah stopped short, yanking my unsuspecting body backwards, tumbling into her.

"Hold on, Viv. I want to see who he picks!" She whined, trying to help steady my body back in an upright position.

Throwing my head back in defeat I stood with my arms crossed, like a defiant child, pissed at her mother.

"Who cares who he picks. It's not going to be either of us. Have you seen the people here? Their skin basically sparkles." I reminded her.

Shooing me away with her hands the DJ got ready to pump the energy up again.

"Who do you choose?"

The women went wild, jumping up and down begging for Jax to pick them. I could see the desperation on their faces, hear it in their voices. It was almost pathetic.

I watched as Jax took small steady steps along the edge of the stage, slowly angling his head upward from time to time. From this distance, he looked like an average guy of normal height and looks. Nothing to get all hot and bothered over. "Come on Han, this is stupid!" I started, before being cut off by the actor himself.

"I choose her!" Jax announced quickly, pointing into the crowd, pulling my eyes to his stiffened index finger.

The whole mob of people fell silent. It sounded as if the crickets even held their chirps, dying with the same anticipation as everyone else. I rolled my eyes, internally shaming him for his poor choice of words. He literally made every woman within the vicinity of his pathetic finger think she could be "the one".

"Alpha, you have to be a little more specific." The DJ laughed, trying to lighten the seriousness of his statement.

Without hesitation and beaming with confidence, he stepped off of the stage and into the ring of women that enveloped his now touchable body. One by one they each moved, parting like the red sea. His gaze stayed straight ahead, and he continued forward, not letting anyone deter him from his mission. The seriousness in which he walked and his poised demeanor kept my eyes locked onto him.

"Viv, Viv," Hannah whispered while jabbing her elbow into my side making my knees buckle. "Viv, he is coming this way."

"Big deal Hannah. He's probably going to pick one of the twins over there with the big boobs and big butts. I'm sure an "Alpha" couldn't resist that." I chuckled to myself.

And with that, he stopped, only a handful of us left within his vision. I could see the giddiness starting to grow on Hannah's face as her smile widened. Her body was gently bobbing up and down the slightest bit, much like a small child waiting impatiently for a treat. Did she seriously want this clown to pick her?

"Mr. Jax, have you made your decision? There are some beautiful women standing before you."

"I have." He answered quickly, his voice deep and as smooth as velvet.

Staring at this man up close was like staring at a model on a magazine cover. His short onyx hair was styled messily complementing his chiseled features. Even in the dead of night, I could see the faint outline of a five o'clock shadow that added to the mysteriousness of the event. His emerald eyes caught mine for a second. In that short time they seemed to bore deep within mine, diving deep with my soul. It caught me off guard, causing me to quickly drop my eyes from him and focus on my feet.

"I need your decision, man." The DJ urged.

I couldn't agree with him more at this particular moment. This hunk was killing time. Did he just want to see us women in the back of the group squirm? I had to hand it to him, he was good. I could almost see the panties dropping to everyone's ankles the longer he stood here. Even some of the men moved anxiously, their senses heightened by him.

"You." Jax finally announced.

I lifted my head and looked around curiously at the women standing around me. Who? Who was he addressing here? Hannah, the weird blonde to my left, maybe the girl crying softly behind me praying out loud to the heavens above that he would choose her?

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Yet, he continued to stand in the same spot, his eyes not shifting an inch.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to help move him on, he placed his hand in front of me. My heart fluttered before sinking to the pit of my stomach. Wait, me? Oh, no. This couldn't be happening. There is no way. This was pure insanity! My first instinct was that Hannah had to have put them up to this knowing I was uncomfortable from the start.

I watched as some of the surrounding women dropped their heads in defeat while others glared at me like they were ready for the kill. They were more than welcome to fight over him. I was single and very much enjoyed it.

But, he just stood there, staring at me with his one eyebrow raised.

I giggled nervously, taking a few steps back from his still outstretched hand. I could see in the light that now illuminated over the two of us that they were calloused, definitely not an indicator of the pretty boy he appeared to be.

I ran my hand along the nape of my neck, still unable to fully comprehend what was going on. I just stood there, like a deer caught in headlights. My hands were starting to shake the longer I stared at him. I had to say something, anything to get his emerald orbs off of me.

"I'm sure this is an honor to be picked by the Alpha or whatever you are," I cleared my throat. "But, I'm definitely not the one you want to pick."

"Did she just reject the Alpha?" The DJs voice boomed through the speakers, putting even more eyes upon us. I couldn't stop the heat that rose to my head and the flushing of my cheeks the longer they stared. I covered my face with my hand, embarrassed. I wanted to crawl into a ball and hide somewhere.

Jax quickly whipped his head back around to look at the man, his fists clenched into tight balls. He let out a guttural growl so everyone within a mile radius could hear him. As the DJ flung his hands up in a submissive manner, Jax turned his attention back to me. His sight solely locked on me.

I watched as his breathing started to even back out and his shoulders visibly relaxed. For that instant, I was thankful to the DJ for prying his eyes away from mine.

"And your name?" He asked, breaking the silence between us. His voice was sweet, yet demanding.

"Just play the hell along," Hannah whispered through gritted teeth.

She might have had no problem with this whole situation, but I did. Who in their right mind would plan a party like this? I couldn't help but bite the inside of my cheeks, irritated at the mere melodramatic play they were putting on. I placed my hands on my hips like a cocky teenager and pursed my lips together to silence them. It wasn't going to happen.

"Her name is Vivian." Hannah offered without a second thought.

I snapped my head toward her and glared at her. If eyes could shoot daggers, my dear friend would have been half dead. How could she betray me like this?

"Thank you." He nodded to her, appearing happy with her ability to answer a simple question in which I was not.

He casually rolled his shoulders back straightening his posture. From far away his height didn't seem to have been that of an extra tall man but standing in front of me, he was roughly about 6 foot, maybe taller.

He took a few steps closer, now so close that through his finely pressed suit I could see his flexed pecks outlined under his tight white dress shirt. I licked my lips and bit my bottom lip at the thought of my hands running down his chest, my nails digging into his skin leaving behind track marks as proof of our steamy rendezvous.

I could see his lips turning up at the sides the slightest bit until a smirk fully formed on his face.

I closed my eyes trying to wipe the image of my own indecency out of my mind, but it was of no use.

"Vivian, would you take a brief walk with me?"

My eyes met Hannah's once again. Even though I wanted to kill her 20 seconds ago, I still turned to her for advice, even if it wasn't the greatest. I was torn. My stomach continued to do flips and my heart wouldn't stop feeling as if it were going to burst out of my chest. She gave me a subtle nod, her way of telling me to go for it.

Without letting myself overthink it, I decided a short walk would probably do me some good.

"Sure." I agreed gracefully, as he put his arm out for me to take.

"Let's hear it for Alpha Jax and Miss. Vivian!" The DJ screamed into the crowd.

I shuttered, expecting a somber response, for everyone to be upset that they weren't chosen by the handsome Mr. Peyton. But their screams were filled with joy, stronger and louder than before. I was starting to become completely bewildered by this unusual group of suspects. They were just plain odd.

Taking in a deep breath, I extended my hand out to touch him, but instinctively retracted. I was hesitant. But, against my better judgement, I wrapped my arm around his, surprised by an excited thrill that pricked at my skin at the point of contact. Without seeming to notice, he started to lead us out of the fan filled festivity and into the open lawn.

I felt like I could finally breathe, like my lungs could fully expand and take in as much air as they needed. I could see Jax watching me with studying eyes. If he didn't feel the smothering sensation that I did when in the center of a large group, he was probably use to being in close quarters with people, a lot.

"You seem nervous. Am I doing that to you?" He asked.

His eyes were soft, filled with pure concern, yet the way the words rolled off his tongue sounded like they were dripping with arrogance. The question was sweet, but I couldn't figure out why he even cared. Why did he choose me?

To keep things civil I just decided it was best to answer his questions, no matter how weird or unethical they were.

"I apologize," I answered honestly. "I'm not good at this whole meeting new people thing, especially at parties like this. I'm only here to keep an eye on my friend back there."

"The brunette that answered for you?" He asked, amused.

"That would be her." I smiled back at him, tugging at a piece of my hair to twist around my finger. A nervous habit that I have tried for years to break but was unsuccessful.

I had forgotten how nice it was to actually have some human contact. Most days I was huddled up in my room preparing for an upcoming meeting that I would have to present to a board of members. My job was demanding and left me with very little time to myself. In all honesty, I hated it.

He cautiously reached over to me and slipped my hair out of my fingers and brushed it behind my shoulder. As his fingers lightly grazed over my collarbone I instinctively relaxed, the sensation of calm washing over me. Within the chaos, right now is the most comfortable that I have felt and something told me he knew that.

I lifted my head to look up at the sky, trying to shift my attention to something other than our awkward silence. It was a clear night with a gentle breeze and the stars appeared to shine a little brighter than they usually did. Their twinkling was always something that fascinated me. They were always so beautiful up against the charcoal colored sky with the moon seeming to enhance the effects of the twinkle.

"Do you enjoy star gazing?" He asked.

"It's not a hobby of mine. It's just hard to not appreciate the beauty of the night sky." I admitted, keeping my eyes fixated on the Northern Star.

"Do you know why they look like they are blinking?"

I honestly didn't. It was something I always wanted to know, but never found the time to sit down and research it.

"I don't." I shrugged my shoulders, hoping I didn't sound stupid to him.

"Here, lay down and I'll tell you all about it."

He unbuttoned his overcoat and carefully laid it down on the grass just behind us. He continued to rub his hands over it to release some of the wrinkles. When he was finally finished he stretched out his hand and motioned for me to take his jacket while he plopped himself down on the other side of it on the cool, prickly grass.

I smiled sweetly as I pulled at the bottom of my dress before I joined him. Jax was a larger man, his bulging muscles making up most of the bulk that he had. My head and torso was able to lay comfortably on the cloth while the grass only tickled at my legs.

"Do you see that large star right there?” He pointed. “That's the Northern star. It's the biggest star and the only one that stays fixed. Now, these stars are actually not blinking at all." He said as he turned his head toward me. I hadn't noticed that while he was talking he had inched his way closer to me, now so close that I could feel his breath on my face.

"It's kind of like a trick that our eyes play on us. The stars light, our atmosphere and our eyes are all the reasons they seem like they are blinking."

I listened closely as he explained more about the earth's atmosphere and how levels of temperature, density, and wind created layers that the star's light has to penetrate through.

He was a very smart man who I could tell had furthered his education well past high school.

"Now-.” He paused for a second, still examining the sky above when a buzzing sound broke through our silence. I could lightly feel a vibration on my leg before noticing that Jax's pant pocket was glowing. He smiled hesitantly before shoving his hand into the same pocket and pulled out a phone.

"Shit." He mumbled before pressing the answer button and bringing the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

I turned my head away from his not wanting to intrude in on his conversation, but I could faintly hear the echo of a woman and a sudden tinge of jealousy shot over me.