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

his

in a pressed navy suit and

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

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

my age, stood behind his shoulder with her

average, if it wasn't for the shiny 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

She was a pet.

that meant the man standing before me

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

ever seen a vampire as physically old as he

probably in his late forties,

less common in the werewolf

were a

pets when he

moderate view

from other packs and from other countries who own pets to bring

no

is conference room

clearly angered by my

now fully on the man, not wanting to

floor, take the elevators to the left of the lobby, and the receptionist will show you to the room,’’ I spoke as softly

could strike me, and no one would do

man roughly let

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

in my arm was all that was left of the man

clearly going to bruise, as my skin

in a

people and direct them wherever

was the only bad

hear whispered close to my

spoke the words and come face to face with Adam.He was nice enough, and since friends were hard to come by I brushed off

what's up?" I

noon darlin?” he

"Lunchtime."

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

would say, it's one of my many flaws

follow Adam through the lobby and back into the

the hallway and into the dimly lit and rather dingy little room the human employees were

paper

grab our bags and go to

down my chair rocks

hear Adams laugh loud and clear, he obviously found my

I grumble

of

too funny.’’ Adam laughing