MICHEAL'S POVMy gaze moved from one elder to the other as speak, uttering words I knew I was going to put down at the end of everything. They have been trying to get me to have a meeting with them for ages and this was the first meeting we are having in a while, if not I could have dismissed them and left the room.I shouldn't be here when I have far more troubles to deal with and as I followed them with my eyes, I was wondering if there was any way at all that I could follow to ease all of these positions. It has been a tradition for every pack to have an elder whereas I see no point in it. They help in no way. All they do is bring up problems that will stress you even more even when you think you are managing the pack really well. There might be no way to get rid of them but I know for a fact that I am not going to tolerate them in any way. If they were tolerated by the past rulers then they should get ready for a change."I think reducing the rate of the tax at this point will b
NataliaThe sun's rays filtered through the canopy of trees, dappling the forest floor as I ran through the woods. My paws thudded rhythmically on the leaf-strewn ground, the wind ruffling my fur. As I leaped over fallen logs and ducked under low-hanging branches, I felt utterly free. This was my element. My name is Natalia and I am the daughter of the Alpha of the Wild Crest Pack. For as long as I can remember, I have been groomed to one day take over and become the Alpha myself. It was my solemn duty and greatest honor. I had just finished my training for the day with some of our best warriors, working on combat skills and battle tactics. As the future Alpha, I needed to be ready to defend our pack at a moment's notice. My mentor Rylan was impressed with how much I had improved, even beating him in our last sparring match. "You're getting fast, Nat," he had chuckled, picking himself up off the ground. "Pretty soon you won't need me around at all."I had grinned, shifting back into
Natalia Weeks had passed since the devastating attack that ruined everything I held dear. The Night Walkers had taken all our food supplies and weapons, leaving us to scavenge like starving dogs. We struggled to survive on what little game we could catch, my pack growing gaunt and weary. Although no longer the Alpha's daughter, I still did what I could to help my packmates. I knew they looked to me even now for some shred of hope, a glimmer of the strong leader I had been training to become. I owed it to my father's memory to not give up on them.One morning I joined a small hunting party to seek food. There were three of us - me, Marco, and Amanda. We slunk through the underbrush, every sense straining for signs of prey. My pack hadn't eaten properly in days. We were desperate.At last we came across a young buck grazing at the edge of a meadow. Silent as shadows, we fanned out and began stalking towards it from downwind. Closer, closer...I held my breath, muscles tensed and ready
NataliaThe van came to a jolting halt, tires crunching on gravel. As the doors were wrenched open, I blinked against the sudden brightness, taking in my new surroundings. I was at the heart of the Night Walker's pack grounds - a sprawling, heavily fortified complex. While it appeared modern and almost civilized, there was an undeniable sinister edge to the entire place. Heavy gates and high concrete walls topped with curled barbed wire surrounded the compound. Guards with guns and fangs patrolled constantly. Everywhere I looked, the Night Walker's symbol was on proud display - a menacing black wolf with blood-red eyes.As I was forcibly dragged out of the van, raucous jeers and taunts rose up from the crowds of Night Walkers milling about. I kept my head high, refusing to show any weakness, but inside I was trembling. I was deep in enemy territory now, completely at their mercy.The guards hauled me straight to a administrative building and into a sterile white room. A bored-looking
Natalia Another bleak winter morning descended on the Night Walkers’ compound. I awoke shivering violently on my rickety cot, body aching in protest after yesterday’s endless hours of kitchen work. The frigid air stung my raw, cracked hands and feet as I hurried to dress in my threadbare slave’s tunic. I eyed the flimsy fabric critically, doubting it would provide any protection from the icy wind outside. Just one month I had suffered here, but it felt like an eternity already. Gone were the simple comforts of a warm fur coat and the sheltering forest I once called home. Now my life was an endless grind of backbreaking labor and cruel torment.In the loud, sweltering kitchens, the head cook immediately singled me out. “You there, girl! Take this slop bucket out to the hog pen and dump it. Then haul firewood back for the stove.”I simmered with resentment at her imperious tone, but silently picked up the heavy metal bucket brimming with rancid leftovers and kitchen scraps. The frigid
NatalieThe harsh clanging of the wakeup bell jolted me from uneasy sleep. Bleary-eyed, I sat up on my thin mattress, the frigid morning air raising goosebumps on my skin. Around me, the other slaves were rising sluggishly to start another day of endless menial labor. I quickly splashed some water on my face from the basin in the corner and got dressed. The roughspun slave uniform, a plain black knee-length dress. It offered little warmth or comfort, but it was all we had. At least today was Distribution Day - the one small bright spot in our otherwise dismal existence. Once a week, the Alphas granted us slaves a slightly larger meal as reward for adequate service. It was the closest thing we had to a celebration. Stomach growling, I joined the procession of slaves trudging toward the dining hall.Inside, long wooden tables and benches filled the drafty room. Harsh fluorescent lights cast a sickly glow over the scarred wood and concrete floors. The hall could easily seat two hundred
NatalieA weak sun filtered through the narrow window of the slaves' bunk room, rousing me from a fitful sleep. I dressed quickly in my roughspun slave uniform, wincing as the fabric irritated skin that was still raw and tender. It had been three days since Lucas forced me to kneel naked before the entire pack and eat scraps from his hand like a dog. The humiliation still burned fresh, along with the urge to shred his smug face with my claws. But I buried that futile anger as I headed to the kitchens to start another grueling day of work. Survival here meant accepting that I was utterly powerless. I was a slave - my life belonged to the pack now, to do with as they pleased.At least the kitchen work itself was straightforward. As long as I kept my head down and followed orders, I could lose myself in the routine. I set immediately to scrubbing a towering stack of pots and pans, keeping my eyes averted and my responses brief as the rest of the staff trickled in. I could feel their
LucasSunlight streamed into my suite, stirring me from luxurious sleep. I stretched lazily beneath the silken sheets, reveling in the feel of the superfine threads against my bare skin. Only the finest for an Alpha in the making.With a yawn, I rolled out of bed and headed for the massive walk-in shower, already imagining which of my cars I would take out for a drive later. The sleek midnight blue Ferrari, perhaps, or the classic cherry red Mustang convertible. Choices filled my world.Steam billowed around me as I stood under the dual rainfall showerheads, going over my plans for the day. As one of the triplet Princes of the Nightwalker Pack, I held a position of power second only to my father, the Alpha. And with his health in steady decline, my brothers and I had taken over most of the day-to-day leadership duties. It was a responsibility I wore casually - being obeyed and admired came naturally to me. As did the finer pleasures in life.After showering, I pulled on dark fitted j