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    “ Hey, that kid has got a bright head on his shoulders. I wouldn't write him off. Besides, he did decent in the archery. Those two things combined will be enough to pull him out of omega.”
    Emmett thought back. “I didn't really pay attention to how he did in any of the events except for tug of war.”
    “ Well I did, and he did well,” I insisted, though I couldn't recall who had done worst.
    “ All I care about right now is the after party.” Emmett smiled in anticipation.
    Rick rolled his eyes.
    “ The after party?” I asked.
    “ Yes, the after party. All the food you can eat and all the beer you can drink. It's the best part of the hierarchy trials, except for me winning, of course,” Emmett boasted arrogantly. “I hope they don't cut down on the alcohol because you're here.” He narrowed his eyes at me for a second.
    “ Oh, calm down.” Rick patted him on the shoulder. “It wouldn't be the biggest loss. We do tend to get rowdy after the hierarchy trials,” he told me.
    We bantered for a bit longer. Eventually, Margaret and Terry came to join us, and we had to listen to Terry cry about how she knew she had lost her spot as female alpha. None of the other werewolves offered her comfort via disagreement. It was important to do well in all the events if you wanted a power spot. Blowing one of them guaranteed that you'd be stuck in the middle on the hierarchy. I couldn't help but wonder what blowing two of them meant.
    At five o'clock, everyone piled into the cafeteria for the crowning ceremony. John Edward, the compound coordinator, somehow managed to sneak in unnoticed. He was standing at the front of the room, holding an envelope with the results of the trials. A microphone had been set up so that he could be heard throughout the cafeteria as he read the results.
    Once we were all settled, John began, “Welcome everyone to the thirty-fifth hierarchy trials' crowning ceremony. There was some fierce competition this time around and lots of memorable moments. I'm sure you'd all like to know the results, so I won't make you wait.” He tore open the envelope with his finger and pulled a card out from inside. “Your male beta for this hierarchy trial is . . . Rick Bettis.”
    A cheer rose up from the crowd when Rick stood to claim his prize. As he walked up to the stage, a woman in a gray jumpsuit put a blue ribbon around his neck with a silver charm in the shape of a wolf's head hanging from it. It seemed like a cheesy prize, but Rick obviously took great pride in wearing it.
    “ Your female beta for this hierarchy trial is . . .” John continued, “Margaret Fitch.”
    Another round of applause followed Margaret up to stage as she claimed her similar prize. The only difference with hers was that her ribbon was red instead of blue.
    “ Betas get to live in the duplex, receive all luxury items, and are allotted fifteen free job points a month,” John announced. “Congratulations to both of you.”
    My eyes darted around the room to all the smiling faces. Most of them seemed genuine, though there were a few that were disinterested in the crowing, knowing that they hadn't placed well enough to earn a high title and not really caring who placed above them. If you weren't alpha, beta, or omega, that put you somewhere in the middle of the hierarchy where placement only really mattered in relation to who got the preferred jobs first.
    “ And now, for our alphas,” John continued. “Your male alpha for this hierarchy trial is . . . Emmett Kennedy.”
    The crowd seemed a bit less elated about Emmett's crowning, probably because they were used to him winning alpha so frequently. He ran to the front of the room, oozing enthusiasm with every step as he bowed his head for the woman in the gray jumpsuit to place a fake gold crown on his head. It looked silly on him, but he wore it with pride, waving to the crowd as if they were all his adoring fans.
    “ And your new female alpha for this hierarchy