Chapter 1

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"Paige? Are you still here? Your shift ended 15 minutes ago?"

I looked up from my phone, into the eyes of Mr. Jones, the man-wolf- who owned the coffee shop I worked at.

"I was just about to leave," I tell him, gathering my things.

He furrowed his brows and pressed his lips together. "You better get home and get ready, if you don't show up at the mating ball everyone you've been in contact with today will be blamed, I included, and we don't want that, now do we, Paige?" He asked me, the volume of his voice lowering ad his eyes flash yellow.

I clutched my bag and phone to my chest, shaking my head frantically. "I-I'll go now... I'll leave now!" I whimpered, before turning around and running out of the shop, stumbling into a group of middle-aged men, almost tripping one of them over.

"I'm sorry! I just... I'm sorry I was just in a hurry!" I tell them, fear still evident in my voice.

The one who had almost fallen glared at me, pulling back his upper lip.

I was just about to apologize to him directly when the back of my head hit a wall. Hard. Tears sprung to my eyes as I opened them, looking into a pair of glaring orange eyes. His hand on my throat.

He came so close our foreheads almost touched.

"Now look at you, little human-" his hand tightened slightly around my neck, making it even harder for me to breath. "-I could kill you so easily, just a little squeeze-" he tightened his hand just a bit more, "-and you'll be dead. Your family will find you dead, your body molested in the curb if they can even recognize it after I'm done. I'll crush every little bone in that fragile body of yours, making it completely impossible to ever get an identification, do you understand me, human?"

The other men around him laughed when I looked over their shoulders I could catch sight of a few others. A few were humans, looking at me with pity, the rest were werewolves who seemed to enjoy the show, seeing a human being slowly tortured to death right before their eyes.

Tears began traveling down my cheeks as his hold tightened, now making it completely impossible for any oxygen to enter my lungs. I stared into his eyes, they were evil, not giving a care in the world about the life, my life, that he was slowly taking away.

"Sir, I'll have to ask you to let go of that human's neck, as the mating ball is tonight, and she will be needing to attend the party, in case she may be someone's better half." A gruff voice sounded, I tried turning my head, but the grip around my neck made it useless.

The monster holding me up turned his face to the side. "You really think this one has a mate? It's ugly and pathetic, no one would want her anyways. Had it been mine I would've ripped out its throat to make sure I wouldn't have to live with that." He growled the last part into my face, or I think he did, my vision was blackening.

"Sir, please let go of the human." the man repeated. The wolf holding me against the wall pulled his hand off me as if my skin had burned him. I fell to the ground, coughing, and as I put up my hand to cover my mouth I realized I was coughing blood.

A shiver went down my spine as I felt a warm liquid running down my back from my head. I scrambled up against the wall, only wanting to get away from the monsters. The man who had held me up kicked and spat on me, before gesturing with his head for him and his friends to leave.

I got up shakily from the ground, looking at my savior, who was, apparently, a policeman. I gave me a flat look, followed by a distasteful frown.

"Tha-Thank you," I said, my throat flaming up in pain. He tightened his lips, nodding shortly, and then turning away, walking in the same direction as the men.

I collected my things, begging that my laptop screen hadn't been destroyed when it had been thrown to the ground. I'd worked my ass off for 3 years in the coffeeshop to able to afford it, I was going to cry if it had broken.

I ran home, being careful not to bump into anyone. When I finally caught sight of our apartment building my heart filled with relief. I and my family lived in the slum. The specific part that every wolf pack had reserved for humans with no connection to wolves whatsoever. Many human parents would pamper up their daughters and sons every day, begging that their child would be the mate of a Beta, or perhaps even an Alpha, or anyone closely connected with either of the two. Despite them being generally selfish beasts, they were usually very respectful of something they considered as sacred as family. Having your child being the mate of a highly ranked wolf was a one-way ticket out of the slum, with just a hint of respect from wolves coming along with it.

Fortunately, my mom and dad would much rather for me to be happy with a human man who doesn't think he or she owns me, preferably to some disgusting animal-human hybrid who thinks an instinct gives them some sort of special right over other living beings. My parents had been fiercely protective of me ever since I had turned 16 nine months ago, having forbidden me from going to my dancing classes, to make sure I wasn't put in unnecessary danger of being anyone's mate.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and speed-walked the last few meters to the door, locking myself by entering the passcode. All slum buildings had passcodes that only the humans living in the building and the highly ranked wolves of the pack knew. Their way of 'protecting' us. This was due to some incidents of wolves breaking into the human's homes, robbing, raping, and murdering every human they met on the way.

Along with the doors that locked from the inside between 11 at night and 5:30 in the morning.'The human safety curfew' they had called it, even though every human in their right sense of mind knew it had only been inforced so they could save money on guards since they that way wouldn't have any humans trying to escape the tyranny during the night. The doors wouldn't open unless there was a fire, in which case the doors wouldn't even be unlocked before another passcode, that only the local fire department knew of, was pressing into the keypad, to prevent anyone starting a fire in the attempt to flee from the pack.

I rushed up the stairs, to the top floor, unlocking the door to our apartment.

My mom jumped up from the couch as I entered the room. "Paige! Why are you so late? If you're not ready within two hours for the ball we'll all be ki-"

She stopped in her tracks when she finally realized what she was looking at. "Oh my god sweetie, what happened to your throat? What happened to your head? No, no you'll have to tell me when you get home, you have to go take a shower and get all of that ... blood out of your hair..." she bit her lip, walking over to me. She brushed her fingers against the back of my head, making me wince. Sorrow filled her eyes before she moved her hand down to touch my neck, shaking her head carefully, then lowering her head.

"I don't know how we're going to survive if things stay like this," she whispered, before lifting her chin and pressing her lips together.

"Take a shower, try to get the blood out of your hair... thank god I bought a whole new concealer for you, we'll need all of it for your neck..."

"How bad is it?" I asked, my throat acing painfully as I spoke. She looked at me with a worried frown, her lip quivering.

"Go take that shower, it won't be long until your dad comes back from work."

I nodded, picking up some towels from the tiny cupboard by the door, walking down the hall into the shower room we shared with everyone else on the top floor of the apartment building.

I knocked twice on the door, walking in when there was no answer. I locked the door, put on the chain, and tipping down the piece of metal that was also supposed to prevent the door from being opened. I then stripped, stuffing my clothes onto the shelf that the werewolves had finally installed three years ago, after countless complaints that our clothes got wet when we had to put them on the floor.

I showered, tears developing in the corners of my eyes as the shampoo hit the wound on my head, a red shine being added to the water as it traveled down the drain.

I tried off in the tiny room, putting on my still bloody clothes. I should've brought a clean set with me to the bathroom. I sighed, walking out of the washroom.

Stepping back into my apartment, I looked at the couch, where my mom and dad were sitting, watching TV. I forced the door shut, my parent's gaze being shifted to me at the noise. My dad frowned. "It really does look bad," he looked at my mom. "Do you think you can cover up the bruises, love?"

He looked back at me, worried, and then back to my mom. "She'll be in trouble if she shows up looking like that, the Thompsons' daughter was put in solitary for a week last year after the mating ball, because she had shown up with bruises on her arms..."

I walked the few feet from the front door to our couch, a very old, beaten up rust-red one with the ugliest flower pattern you had ever seen, that scratched if you sat on it with bare thighs. I bent down, giving him a small hug. "Don't worry papa, I'll be just fine," I told him, knowing full well that he wouldn't believe me, most probably because I didn't even believe myself.

I looked at my mom, trying to put on an enthusiastic smile. "Well, where's the dress?"

She gestured with her head for me to follow. We walked the short distance of 2,5 meters from the couch, through the kitchen, and into my parent's bedroom. My mom opened the closet which there was just enough room to squeeze in between the bed and the moldy wall, and still be enough room for the doors still to be able to open.

She pulled a long white bag out of the closet, laying it out on the bed. The gowns and tuxedos for the mating ball were one of the few things the wolves ever provided the humans with.

But those were only to be used at the mating ball, because well... as a human, you had to look stunning for the beast who was going to keep you as their prisoner, sex slave, and birthing machine for the rest of your life. Obviously.

She opened the bag, the dress coming into sight. It was shimmery navy blue, showing off the shoulders, an elastic band where my waist was supposed to be, but otherwise, it seemed pretty loose and move-y (Picture at the top of the chapter). Those wolves were horrible oppressors, cruel to unnecessary lengths, but damn they could choose beautiful dresses.

My mom gently handed the dress to me, leaving the room so I could change.

"You ready?" my mom asked through the door. I told her that I was, and she came back in with a small box that could remind of the one in which you kept automatic tools if humans were allowed to own any, of course.

I straightened out the soft fabric on my thighs. I don't think I'd ever worn anything as soft and sophisticated all my life. I smiled sadly, I wish it was for a more enjoyable occasion I was wearing the beautiful dress.

My mom smiled too, trying not to show how terrified she probably was that I'd leave our home for the mating ball tonight, never to return. She told me to sit down on the bed, close my eyes and let her work her magic.

I felt hear spreading layer after layer of concealer on my neck, apologizing when I clenched my eyes in pain when she ran over the makeup with the beauty blender.

When she was done with my makeup, which consisted of foundation, concealer, a bit of mascara, some light-brown natural eyeshadow, and a bit of eyeshadow in my eyebrows since we hadn't had the money to buy an eyebrow pen.

She moved onto my hair. I had planned to just curl it a bit and then leave it loose, but due to the wound, my mom wanted to put it up into a bun, to cover it up.

After finishing up the bun with a ton of hairspray, she pulled out a few strands of hair to frame my face, a tear falling from her eye as she looked at me. My heart clenched painfully at the sight. She didn't deserve to be scared for me, no one deserves to be afraid that they send their child off to some social gathering where a deeply disturbed person will take them away just because they are a selfish brain-dead bastard with a build-in bloodthirst.

"Mom, it's going to be okay, I'll be back later tonight, I promise. No stinking mutt could ever keep me away from you, ever." I whispered, pulling her close.

She pulled back, sending me a smile that couldn't reach her teary eyes, nodding. "I know baby you just ... you just look so beautiful, that's it."

I grinned at her and squeezed her hand. A strangled laugh left her throat, just before we heard a knock on the front door. I got up swiftly from the bed, thanking whatever god decided what was going on down here that the dress was long enough for me to wear converse underneath without anyone seeing.

My dad was already at the door, opening locks, more locks, and more locks, and chains. He opened the door to reveal a muscular woman looking at him with a scowl, giving us a short acknowledging nod, before looking down her tablet.

"Human female, 16 years old, Paige Elisabeth White?" she asked, bending her head up just a bit, raising one of her eyebrows.

I nodded, not really knowing how else to respond. I told her I'd be there in just a second, to which she had let out a frustrated growl.

I hugged my mom, placing a kiss to her cheek, before turning to my dad. I threw myself into his arms, enjoying the warmth of his hug.

He kissed my hair and stroked my hair away from my face, making my head follow so I was looking into his eyes, which were filled to the brim with tears, my heart shattering, only being kept where it should be by my ribs.

"Paigey, you have to promise me, no matter what happens, that you stay strong, you stay safe, and above all else remember that we love so very much," he whispered.

I nodded, holding back my tears because god knows how the wolves would react to a human showing u looking like an absolute mess with runny mascara and puffy eyes.

I walked to the woman who was supposed to pick me up, telling her in a broken voice that I was ready to go. She scrunched her nose, rolling her eyes, before telling me to follow.

On my way out of the door, I looked back at my parents. They were clutching each other's hands, tears streaming down their faces. I mouthed to them that I loved them as I walked, a smile breaking through on both of their faces.

It brought peace to my soul to know that even if today ended up as worst-case scenario, they'd have each other.

A/N

Hello, my darlings!

I tried to make this chapter a long one, and I think it ended out that way.

For the record, I know it doesn't make sense that the wolves provide expensive, beautiful gowns, and won't even put up a shelf, but that's sort of the point, the wolves give humans things to benefit the wolves. And it's not all that expensive since they reuse old dresses from former mating balls (I have a whole system of how that works in my head for just about 0 reasons)

Have a nice and pleasant day, I hope you all have a horrible stomach ache from eating Halloween candy, and that you'll have an amazing time decorating your houses for Christmas when you reach that point!(and if you celebrate the holiday ofc)

PS; I hope you all understood the deeper meaning when I wrote; no one deserves to be afraid that they send their child off to some social gathering where a deeply disturbed person will take them away just because they are a selfish brain-dead bastard with a build-in bloodthirst. YAY GUN CONTROL! (Not gun bans, just control)


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