Ginger Wolf

It was raining cats and dogs and Valarie knew if she didn't get back to the pack in time, she would be in danger. Her sense of smell was dwindling with every second, making it harder for her to trace her way back home but the heavens showed no mercy.

She swore to herself that she wasn't going to cry but she felt her strength failing her. She wasn't a strong wolf, and so she knew if she fell into the wrong hands, it would be the end of her.

Her mother had warned her of this severally but she never paid heed. Somehow, it felt good to break the rules, and since her mum drew in her last breath, she had plenty of time to wander.

She didn't just wander for nothing though, she had a whole plan of her life mapped out but it didn't include sitting behind on pack territory, waiting to be offered a rank when she was old enough.

The grass scratched through her fur which was drenched with water, and she shook it off to reduce the weight off her. She was scared and although her wolf form did well to hide it, all she wanted to do was go home.

She knew there would be other wolves hunting, but she prayed that for that night if she ever ran into a group of sigmas, they should be those of her pack.

She could smell a presence around her, it caused her to tremble. With determined speed, she charged into the night, her feet digging into the earth as she covered the grounds, aimlessly heading home.

A loud number of feet thundered behind her and she cursed under her breath. She was already being watched and she had no idea about it.

She dared to look back and she saw them, from her count, seven werewolves were on the hunt for her and even though she knew that this was a lost race, she kept going, her eyes on the path behind her until she felt the claws graze her thigh the first time, causing her to dash to the left.

Taking the next turn, she intensified her speed, draining the last of her strength, and when the next set of claws dug into her neck, she only made it two more steps before collapsing onto the ground.

As she drifted away, she saw them form a circle around her, before they released a howl, celebrating their catch.

*****

Valarie awoke in her human form, her eyes burning from the smoke that came from the fire that was in her opinion, a little too close to her.

She immediately recognized that she was not alone and so she maintained her position, careful to not move.

She heard a lot of movement behind her, she tried to smell but it was nothing familiar, nothing like the people who had picked her.

She was in another pack territory, and judging by the chains on her hands and legs, she was now a captive.

She fought the tears that tugged at her eyelids as she evaluated her situation. The movement behind her soon stopped after what sounded like a metallic door was pulled open and then shut afterward.

It took a lot of courage for her to turn over and assess her surroundings. There was someone else in the room with her, a girl too, only she was still knocked out. The room had a musky smell, like a brewing house, and she could see cobwebs hanging down from the ceiling.

Apart from the two huge drums in the room, the room was empty. She could see a window but it was well protected by iron bars with railings too small for her whole hand to go through.

She dragged herself to where the other girl lay and nudged her a couple of times before her eyelids peeled open, revealing a gorgeous set of hazel eyes.

The girl flinched and propped herself up, Valarie guessed she was ready to go into an all-defense mode but the chains on her legs brought her to the realization that she didn't stand a chance.

"Hey..." Valarie started as she desperately tried to assure her with her eyes that she wasn't the enemy. "I am in the same position as you are, we should try to get out of here."

The girl assessed her with suspicious eyes and then her lips parted, releasing a low growl "You really don't know where you are, do you?"

Valarie shut her eyes for a second, she didn't have time for chit-chat, all she wanted was to find a way out.

"I am guessing it's nowhere good. You wanna work with me on a plan or not?"

The chuckle came out a little too loud "You better save your strength."

Just then, the door was pulled open again and a terrifying huge man walked in "Good you're getting to meet each other. I hope you had enough time." His voice was strong enough to inflict fear on anyone.

Valarie shifted as he approached them but the girl didn't move an inch. She stared at him with those eyes of hers that showed no sign of worry in them.

He stopped when he got to her, his hands reaching straight for her hair "What's the name?"

She swallowed as she struggled to lift herself to reduce the pressure, he had on her and he laughed, tugging harder "You better learn how to speak, girl."

"Amara," she replied. The energy Valarie had heard in her voice was no longer there, and it gave her away, she was scared.

With a snort, he pulled her away, dragging her along the rough, hard floor.

They were gone for minutes before Valarie was able to bring her mind and body together. A sudden cold came over her and she curled up into a ball, glancing at the door, waiting for her fate. Her sobs began soon after as she thought of her mum, her friends, and everything in the pack. She wondered if they were looking for her, or at least worried. Her thought was interrupted when she heard the sound of muffled feet heading her way. She brought her hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming but as she heard the sound of the key lock being turned, she burst into tears.

Valarie summoned courage and moved her hands away from her eyes after the footsteps had stopped a few feet away from her. The guy in the room was much younger than the man who had walked Amara out.

He stretched out a hand to her and spoke in a hushed tone. "Come with me."

She put shaky hands into his and followed him. He didn't pull her like the other man had done to Amara, but he looked at her with pity and she instantly knew he was a good person. He didn't talk to her the whole while she followed him down the spiral concrete stairs and she wondered why.

"Where are you taking me?" She managed to ask when they had gone down the fourth step.

For the first time, he turned and took a good look at her before continuing his way down without a word to her.

"Is there a way out of here? Please, can you help me?"

"I wish I could," he said "I am sorry."

She swallowed and kept going, her eyes getting adjusted to the light they approached.

They walked through seven doors, with empty rooms, without seeing anyone. And in the eight, there were three other men, all approximately the same age as the one who had led her in, and a lady, much older than them.

"What's your name?" One of them barked.

"Valarie," she replied with trembling lips.

"What pack?''

She looked with confused eyes, unsure if to speak or not. "Young lady, don't waste our time." The most unfriendly looking of all of them spoke.

"Hanger" she replied, "Hanger pack."

"Rank?" He pushed further

"Not yet assigned."

There was a chuckle from the others around. "We can't get a good deal from them," One said to the others "Let's not waste any more time, send her to the breeding grounds, seems like a healthy she-wolf, and young too. She will do just fine." The man stared at her inappropriately as he spoke, making her shiver within.

She trembled as she was being led away by the same man who took her in. In no time, she began to sob, but he still said nothing to her.

They passed a long line of wolves chanting in the night, none seemed to have noticed them walk by.

As she walked, she remembered the cases of wolves that had been caught trespassing and kidnapped by their pack. Each pack had its method of operation, it all depends on the alpha of the pack. For the Hanger pack, they were used as slaves, left to handle all the hard work that was above the pack members. They were treated as beasts, both male and female, and others were sent back to their pack in exchange for a ransom.

Never had she heard of a captive being used for breeding, the thought of it alone disgusted her, but that was still bound to be her fate because even after having her first shift for over a year, she hadn't found a mate.

She was too tired to speak for they had walked a long way and as Amara had warned, she had to save her strength, for whatever was to come.

She thought of Amara and she wondered where she was. But other questions came to her mind, why did they assign her for breeding? Didn't they already have a breeder?

And what was the talk about breeding grounds? They reserved a part of their territory and called it breeding grounds?

She was puzzled but she didn't want to disturb the man who had been the only person to talk nicely to her since she got there.

They got to a bend and he stopped and then turned to her. In low tones, he spoke. "For your good, do whatever you are told to do, don't fight."

She nodded.

His mouth opened like he wanted to say some more things to her but thought otherwise.

"What?" She asked, concern written all over her face.

He resumed walking, and when Valarie realized he wasn't going to say anything more, she decided to ask one final question. She could see they were very close to a huge metal gate that had two guards protecting it.

"Where are we?" If she was going to be held here, at least she deserved to know where she was.

"Travana territory." He raised a hand "No more questions."

She searched her mind but she couldn't make out the name. There was usually gossip about the other packs and she had heard of some names but never Travana.

His attitude changed immediately as he grabbed her by the neck of her dress and pulled her after him. She released a faint cry as she struggled to keep up with his increased pace.

"You're hurting me..." she pleaded but he paid no attention to her.

The soldier in front blew a whistle and the gate opened as they approached, revealing a hefty man. He held a sticker and waited as they got closer.

"Ooooh.... This one's a fighter," he said and released a whistle, causing the others standing with him to laugh. "Did she give you much trouble, Josh?" he asked.

"Not at all, so easy to tame." The man who brought her said and she made a mental note of his name. She was smart enough to tell that he was just putting up the show of a tough man for them, that attitude was nowhere close to his real self.

He pushed her forward towards the man, causing her to trip. "Her name is Valarie, she's all yours."

"All mine, indeed." He licked and smacked his lips. "Come on, let me welcome you properly."

She could feel the tears building again as she staggered her way in his direction. Her strength was failing her, she was tired, hungry, and felt like the most hated person who existed but she tugged along, her eyes squinting to get used to the semi-darkness that invaded her, and with one look around when she got in, she understood why they called it the breeding grounds. Her jaw dropped.

She-wolves flooded the place. There were about three hundred of them.

Valarie followed the instructor as they walked past the mini rooms that each held about fifteen women. On the right were those nursing, she could hear the loud cries of babies as the women did everything they could to keep them from crying.

On the left were the pregnant women, some, already too heavy to move. They stared at her with tired eyes as she walked by.

"You are to take a bath every day, make sure you look nice and clean for the people who would find you worthy." As he said "worthy", he cast another offensive glance at her.

"Look nice and clean" but the women she had walked past looked nothing close to that. They were barely covered, their clothes worn out, eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets.

She held her breath, the atmosphere was stuffy and breathing was hard and even before she was assigned to the room where she would stay, she had to accept the fact that there was no leaving this place.

Through an adjoining door, they walked into a clearer space. The women here were even more, but less crowded, and better dressed. They sat in packs and watched her as he tried to find a place suitable for her.

She was still in chains and it hurt but the man didn't seem to care. He just kept barking instructions at her. "Here I am boss and by the time I come in, you should be in line, ready to perform your function."

He stopped in front of one of the rooms and peered inside, chuckling as the women quivered at a corner, afraid to make eye contact with him.

"Gina," he called out

A blue-eyed, dark-haired woman emerged from amongst them, her hair was disheveled and she fondled her dress in a failed attempt to hide her breast that poured out from a tear.

"Yes, General." Her voice was faint but she didn't look scared. Valarie took it to mean that she had been there for so long.

"I entrust her to you, put her through, and do it right. If she is bad at what she does, you will be held responsible."

Her head moved in numerous nods "Understood, general."

He turned to face Valarie and her heart skipped as she met eye-to-eye with him. For a moment, her wolf jolted within her and she could sense that he had already mapped out every dirty intention he had for her.

She shut her eyes for a minute to block out the connection and put her hands forward as he instructed. The chains were taken off her and she could feel her wolf's relief.

With a loud smack on her behind, he pushed her towards the entrance of the room "Off you go, get all the rest you can, while you can."

His laugh rang out through the hallway as he made his way out.

Valerie stared wide-eyed at the people around her. They stared back, assessing her for some seconds.

"So, I suppose I should say welcome." One of the girls said with a chuckle.

"Shut up, Tatiana, let her be." Another girl said. This one was brunette and too beautiful, even in rags, she dazzled. She turned to Valarie "Sorry, she thinks she is the funny one among us."

Valarie forced a smile. She didn't know what to say.

"At least I try, this place is miserable enough already," Tatiana replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Valarie," Valarie introduced herself to the nice girl.

"Brandy" the girl replied, this time with a smile.

Before she could say another word, Gina interrupted. "That's all right. I guess we've seen enough of the new girl. Valarie, you say, this is Yaola, Doris, Sarzene, Camila, Caro, Tatiana, Brandy, Dahlia, Olivia, and me, Gina."

Valarie didn't get all the names but she nodded and tried to smile.

"Sit," Doris said, pointing to a clear spot on the floor "You look awkward standing like that."

The others giggled and Gina gave Doris a stern look.

"Well, all I can say is you should get ready. There's a lot to do and no one hears excuses." She paused, bringing her lips to a tight union. It made Valarie wonder what her next sentence was "So, have you ever?" She laid much emphasis on the last word and it took Valarie some time to understand what she meant.

"Oh, no." She shook her head in embarrassment "I've never done that."

Gina's eyes were consumed with pity for her. "I will have a word with you soon. You aren't ready for what's to come."

The other girls had moved back to their groups of twos and threes to talk, all except Brandy who sat at a corner, peering at her through her heavy caramel eyes.

Valarie noticed her staring but she tried to not pay attention. She was already uncomfortable as she was but she didn't need them seeing that too.

Her wolf was unsteady within her, she felt her try to come to the surface now and then but she suppressed it with all her might.

"Not now" she cautioned.

She took in her surroundings, there were too many she-wolves, and if she were to include the pregnant and nursing ones, that was overpopulation in her opinion. What exactly was the purpose of this so many women? She wondered.

"I know, it's a lot of breeders, right?"

She jerked and turned in the direction of where the connection came from and her eyes landed on Brandy.

"What are you doing? I gave you no right." Her wolf replied.

"It's the only way to communicate safely here, too many ears." She nudged her head at the other girls who were clogged up against each other.

"What do you want?" She asked, rubbing her arms together to shut out the weirdness in her mind. Her mind had only been invaded a few times by only very close people, and she knew the dangers that could bring, she couldn't risk anyone knowing her history, and how much of a failure she had been all her life.

"To be friends, you look like you could need one."

She glanced around and she hated to admit that Brandy was right. There were a thousand people but she felt the loneliest she had ever felt in her life. There was a torrent of tears standing behind her eyes and she knew if she kept dwelling in her thoughts for too long, she would break down and let it all out. So maybe she wasn't ready to be friends with anyone, not here, not in this condition, but having someone to talk to wasn't a bad idea.

She turned to Brandy and nodded "Fine."