Stakes Claim On Her

103 years after the war.

The murmur of the lobby, the occasional squeak of freshly polished shoes on linoleum, and the fresh scent of flowers and honey the wall air freshener pumped out greeted me as I walked out of the back room to start my morning shift.

The same eight to eight shift I worked six days a week, but I would never complain; partly in fear of what would happen if I was ever to speak out against a werewolf and partly because I know that I have it better then many in this world.

Many humans in this world know only struggle and hunger and abuse.

The pack territory you lived in almost entirely determined what your life is like.

I hear some packs treat their humans as equals.

What a dream that would be.

Here we fall somewhere in the middle.

Humans have some tights.

They are free to work, educate themselves, and own businesses.

But if you couldn't make a living within the human communities, and they didn't have an open position for pack jobs you were on your own.

Humans aren't seen as equals here and if a wolf asked you to something, as long as it is within pack laws, you had to do it.

If you didn't, you could be beaten.

The punishments for humans are mostly the same for wolves who break the laws, which is sometimes worse for us because the punishments are meant for bodies that can handle a lot more than we can.

Usually, you are given lashes, while tied to a post in front of the pack housing center, where many of the prominent wolves live.

The punishment is extremely humiliating for humans; you are stripped naked before being lashed.

Wolves are much more comfortable with nudity than humans are, so the stripping part is never an issue for them.

I only ever hear stories of what the world was like before werewolves took over.

A place where humans weren't whipped for disobeying silly orders.

The wolves don't allow the history to be taught in schools, probably fearing humans would want to bring the world back to the way it was.

Their thinking is how could we want for something we don't know existed? But they made the mistake of thinking that they could keep the history of our freedom a secret.

Not that it mattered.

Their grip on our lives was too strong.

There would be no rebellion anytime soon, no matter what we know.

A rough arm and sharp shake snapped me from my thoughts.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

A deep voice spoke to me.

and

on his face, and hair

finely, in a pressed navy suit and a tie

radiated off him, he was clearly of higher status, like the majority

initial thought was that he was a werewolf, but the

his shoulder with her head bowed

gold collar wrapped around her neck and the chain that snaked from the collar to the cuffs on her wrists and ended in the right hand

wasn't just any

She was a pet.

standing before me

world, as the supernatural

I have ever seen a

probably in his late forties, early

were much less common in

felt pets were a step

outlawed pets when he took over for

moderate view of how humans should

Bernard permits those from other packs and from other countries who

guess no one is

is conference room

clearly angered by my lack of

on the man, not wanting to upset him

lobby, and the receptionist will show you to the room,’’ I spoke

no one would do anything, assuming I must

roughly let go of my

up in my thoughts I hadn't realized he had kept a hold

left of the man after he stormed

as my skin usually did whenever I had contact

touched us in a kind way,

greet people

vampire was the

beautiful” I hear whispered close to my

person who spoke the words and come face to face with Adam.He was nice

up?"

noon darlin?”

"Lunchtime."

and gets me for lunch, seeing as I tend to get lost in my thoughts and

it's one of my many

and back

into the dimly lit and rather

are paper bags filled with

go to sit at the rounded

sit down my chair rocks and almost knocks me

laugh loud and clear,

not funny,'' I grumble as I open

hunk of

Adam laughing through his