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.

head and

creases on his face, and hair

finely, in a pressed navy suit and a tie that

he was clearly of higher status,

was that he was a werewolf, but the woman standing behind him told

woman, about my age, stood behind his shoulder with her

wasn't for the shiny gold collar wrapped around her neck and the chain that snaked from the collar to

just

She was a pet.

meant the man standing before

don't see many of his kind in the werewolf world, as the supernatural species tend to

seen a vampire as physically old

in his late forties,

much less common

were

outlawed pets when he took over for

moderate view

packs and from other countries who

guess no one

is conference room

vampire spits out, clearly angered

fully on the man, not wanting to

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

strike me, and no one would do anything, assuming

let go of

up in my thoughts I hadn't realized he had

was left of the man after he stormed

was clearly going to bruise, as my skin usually did whenever I had contact

a kind way,

people and direct

the incident with the vampire was the only

whispered

the words and come face to face with Adam.He was nice enough,

what's up?"

darlin?” he

"Lunchtime."

as I tend to get lost in

would say, it's one of

follow Adam through the lobby and back into

into the dimly lit and rather dingy little room the human employees were given to eat

the back wall are paper

grab our bags and go

chair rocks and

and clear, he obviously found my almost

was so not funny,'' I grumble as I open

usual hunk of bread and

was too funny.’’ Adam laughing