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.

shook my head and looked

on his face, and

in a pressed navy

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

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

my age, stood behind his shoulder with her head bowed towards the ground

wasn't for the shiny gold collar wrapped around her neck and the

just

She was a pet.

man standing before me was

werewolf world, as the supernatural species tend to stay within their

think I have ever seen a vampire

probably in his late forties, early

less common in the werewolf

pets were a

pets when he took over for

a more moderate view of

permits those from other packs and from other countries who own pets

guess no one is

is conference

angered

was now fully on the man, not wanting to

to the left of the lobby, and the receptionist will show you

strike me, and no one would do

man roughly let go of my

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

was left of the

arm was clearly going to bruise, as my

never touched us in a kind way, at

people and direct them wherever they

the incident with the vampire was the only bad experience of the

whispered close to

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

up?"

darlin?”

"Lunchtime."

seeing as I

would say, it's one of my many flaws as a

through the lobby and back

dimly lit and rather dingy little room the

wall are paper bags filled with

go

rocks and almost knocks me only

hear Adams laugh loud and clear, he obviously found my

so not funny,'' I grumble as

usual hunk of bread

too funny.’’ Adam