The Run

The moon stared down at me as if mocking me, knowing that it would soon be the week of the blue moon, the week for The Run.

I hated it, dreaded it. I didn't want to run through a forest of wolves, the females dodging males as they run for their freedom. I wanted a chance to fall in love, to go on dates, not be traped by a male and taken forcefully. I wanted my life to be mine.

"Grace?" I snap out of my thoughts of self pitty and turn to look at all the wolves in the room, realizing that the Alpha was directing his statement to me.

"Sorry, I dozed off." It wasn't a lie since snores from other wolves echoed the quiet room in this long meeting that the Alpha, the Beta - my father- and the Theta called forth for the mateless wolves in the pack.

"As I was saying, either you wolves go willingly to the run or we will force a shift on you and cage you till its time for you to get mated in The Run." His eyes stayed glued to mine and I growled, standing to stare the Alpha down and bringing my arm down, slamming my fist into the table and splintering it in half.

"Who do you think you are playing with our lives like some puppet master. We may be werewolves but we still have humanity in us. We should be able to fall in love!" I shout out, my body shaking with the pent up rage as I glared at the three in the front, my father wincing from my outburst and giving me a look I have gotten used to over the years, his hard eyes looking at my own with a challenge. I knew that I was in for a form of beating if I managed to go home tonight.

"Grace Harvest sit down." The Alpha yells at me with a command in his voice, the room quiet as we glare at each other and I disobey him and the power he emanated towards me and only me.

I was the only wolf who stood up to the Alpha, not one to be told what to do and follow the crowd. I held alpha blood in my body as well from my mother's side do of course I could withstand this.

"No. I am done with having my life toyed with. I am still considered human in the eyes of the law, I am an adult and I demand the respect of one." I stated the same speech I gave the last time when I came of age to participate in The Run, but thankfully I got out of it because of a rougue attack.

"If you want to be treated like an adult then go to The Run and win your freedom. If you can make it to the lodge by the end of the week I will no longer send wolves who don't want to participate to The Run." An offer I couldn't refuse that the Alpha placed infront of me as everyone stared wide eyed at the man who ruled our pack, a smirk playing on my lips.

"Fine, but first Fuck You!" I growl out, sensing an omega behind me as I turn, but not fast enough to dodge a needle being jammed into my shoulder and my body forced to shift from the syrum inside it, leaving me weakly lying on the ground as warriors quickly cage me.

"I'll be waiting for you at the lodge Grace, make it there unmated and free and you win the bet, but if you do get mated by the time you make it to the lodge then I continue forcing wolves to go." The Alpha states as he prowls towards me, his posture already triumphant when he comes to a stop before my cage, bending down to leer at my silver fured form

"Until then, enjoy the Run." His voice is menacing and I growl angrily as darkness over takes me and I float on a cloud of nothingness.

I hated the idea of the run, I wanted to find love but as the next Alpha to my pack I had to take a mate this time or face losing my title and watch my power hungry cousin take it.

The meeting with my father had gone as usual, the speach of the future of the pack, the need for a luna who will do what she is told, the prospect of pups.

"Hey Caden, gunna get a mate this time around or am I finally gunna take the spot of Alpha from you." I bristle at the voice of a weasle as I look to my cousin Felix, his arm wrapped around a skinny blond with mud brown eyes and hollow eyes hidden behind a mile of make up that rarely covered the dark circles and bruises.

I hated him.

"Unfortunately I have to take a mate the old fashion way, but I will treat her with respect, unlike how you treat her." I growl out, glaring at him as I throw my last bag into my hummer. My cousin's mate flinching at the loud sounds and I give her a sad look of appology.

"What do you mean, I treat Linda fine, don't I baby?" I watch as Linda's eyes gloss over with fear as she nodds her head slightly, pressing herself to her forced mate.

She was malnourished and you could see the bruises left on her once full skin, barely concealed with make up and the smiling girl I remember from the first time I went to The Run gone. A shell left before me. I sighed.

When I become Alpha the first thing I would do is send Felix on a mission. I could already see the trap laid out as he aims for the biggest buck he finds, his eyes glazing over with the bragging he would do the the pack, and then the shock when his eyes realize the red blossom from his chest.

"See, I treat her right." Felix gloats as he diggs his nails into her shoulder, snapping me from my daydream that I pray will be the future as I watcher poor Linda stiffen, hiding the flinch and disgust that was surfacing, wishing I could help her.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone Felix, I don't want to deal with the after math in the end." I warn, giving Linda a hug that hope showed her everything will turn out for the beyter before I turn and walk towards the other side of my hummer, getting in and slamming the door shut.

What I really wanted to do always played through my mind as the image of me throttling my cousin and treat him the way poor Linda has been treated since the day he raped her in The Run.

I was there and I heard her please for help but I was too weak to stop him, to naive to think my cousin who was once my best friend and promised would never harm a she wolf would actually be so cruel.

With a sigh I start my vehicle, giving one last look behind me before I face the road, driving towards the forest where The Run would take place. Maybe this time I could find some lone to fall in love with.

The steady hum of an engin wakes me up from the solid darkness and I growl, the drug in my body slowly fading as movement to my limbs come back into my controle. I knew just by looking out towards the sky I had slept for a day.

The humming underneath me alleterted me to the fact that I layed in the back of a pickup truck, along with another cage, the scent of the Alpha's daughter hitting me. Guess she didn't want to participate either. I think as I stretch my limbs, happy to be drugg free but pissed off that I couldn't move frealy, stuck in a tiny cage that only fit my wolf form.

It was pathetic really.

The fact that they would cage a grown woman just to prove a point in the era we called the twentyfirst century for crying out loud.

Taking a deep breath to calm my anger scents rush into my nose and a smirk spreads on my muzzle the realization of us beinf in the outskirts of my pack, near the edge of the border. If I could knock this cage onto the ground I would be set free, given a chance to run away and hide from the event that would take place soon for mateless wolves.

With that thought in mind I crouch, focusing on the center of the bars and push myself forward, feeling triumphant until I touched the metal and howled with pain.

Silver.

Of course the bars would be silver, it sadly is the cryptenight to us werewolves, the only way to keep us locked inside the stupid cages or to harm us in any way, even kill us sadly.

With a wimper I stand and sit in the center, waiting for when my cage would be open, most likely at the start of The Run, and judging by the moon, tomorrow night will be when it takes place, sooner then I hoped but sadly it would happen no matter what.

With a small huff of breath I curl up into a ball, watching the scene change through those damned silver bars, the night quickly giving way to morning as time passes, the indigo sky coming alive with the hues of gold, orange, red, pink and violet as the sun claimed its glory.

The Run waited for me silently to join in a few hours now and if I wanted to win that bet with the Alpha then I would have to rest and save my strength, and so I let the safety of sleep surround me as who ever drove the truck carted me to the worst event ever.