I listen to the birds calling from far away as the river rushes just outside the forest. When would Master arrive? What would we be doing here? I hope we leave before sunset.

I catch his voice ringing through the trees. There are many footsteps – Master is not the only child here. I stand from the rock, ready to greet the others. I look around the trees and see him with children I do not recall seeing before.

Master stops. “Hey, Kai, come on.”

I take a step, but he pulls the leash so quickly I stumble towards them to avoid falling.

“Is that the dog you were talking about?”

“Yep.” Master smiles. “See that? It’s the leash. I can pull it like this… and he can feel it.”

“Isn’t that bad for his neck?”

“Nah. He can’t feel pain. Right, dog?”

“Correct, Master.”

“Holy shit, he really is your slave!”

“I know. He does everything I tell him.” Master tugs. His voice is lazy. “Kai, why don’t you introduce yourself? Look, he’s gonna bow to everyone.”

“Yes, Master.” I do so, but only to the whole group. “Good afternoon. I am Kyrov, or Kai, and I am an omega. I am servant to my master, Alair.”

“Yeah, see. I’m the master.”

“Can he turn into a wolf?”

“No, he’s an omega. It’s impossible.”

“So he’s not really a werewolf?”

“No, this is what he looks like all the time!”

“Okay, whatever. So, can we do it now?”

Master grins. “Yeah. So, Kai, we want to see how fast you are. We want to see stuff.”

“What kinds of things, Master?”

There are giggles from the other children.

“Mm…” Master stretches and looks up at the sky, then to the children. “You guys wanna play tag?”

“Isn’t that why we’re here?”

“Mm-hm.”

A boy cracks his knuckles. “You better not be lying, Alair. He better be the real thing. Strong, fast, does your orders.”

“He is. Can’t you see his ears?” He pulls down my shirt. “His collar?”

“Come on, hurry up.” A different boy’s voice.

“Okay, okay. Kai, basically, you run as fast as you can and we try to get you. Got it?”

“I understand, Master.”

“Don’t stop running,” says a boy.

Another giggle. “I can’t believe we’re gonna chase him.”

Then, quieter, “I can’t believe he bought him for this.”

A louder voice. “’Kay, we’re ready.”

“Good.” Master pushes me. “Ready? Go. Run!”

He yanks me so hard I stumble to the ground. My hands and knees are scraped by sharp rocks and sticks, but I feel almost nothing. Children laugh and clap.

I scramble to my feet and run through the opening the boys have made.

“Run, slave!”

“Look, his tail!”

“Don’t fall!”

I dart between trees and leap over small bushes, going around fallen branches and thin parts of the river. My chest heaves as I begin to tire, my lungs begging me to stop running so fast. The boys’ laughter is far away, but it still echoes in the forest. I hunch forwards, breathing hard. Where are they?

I am knocked to the ground again by the invisible leash. I cough and choke, my eyes watering, my entire body being pulled through the leaves. I almost hit a rock and wrap my arms around me as I move through a large branch, then scramble over a log and swim through a puddle. I cough up muddy water, wipe the hair from my face, and see sunlight coming again, or maybe it is just from coughing and choking so much. Finally, the pulling stops.

I suck in air as I lie on the ground, my heart racing, my stomach aching, then push myself to my feet as the yelling and laughing grow louder. I dart past bushes and thin trees, my wet feet picking up dirt and dust and leaves, and run away from the sounds, still panting and trying to not collapse from exhaustion. I feel the leash’s pull, but continue to run away from the children’s clan-like sounds.

The forest is so large – where would my clan be, if not here in the day? I slow and lean against a tree, wiping sweat away, the blood pounding in my ears. I sink to the ground, my coughs tasting like blood, and vomit up muddy water.

- - - - -

“You should’ve told him to go easy on us.” He pushes me and I hit a tree. “Use your leash again.”

“I am,” I say, my head throbbing. “Guess I can’t pull him if he’s too far away.”

“So, you bought him because you just want to play with him?”

“Well, he’s a servant, so I got him so he can do all the work I tell him to.”

“So you can read and stuff?” Someone pushes me again. “Isn’t that what those university students do?”

“You think you’re above everyone else here, Alair? You can’t grow food if you’re just studying all the time.”

“Exactly why I got a slave,” I say. “He does all the work, and I do the school stuff.”

“Maybe your parents like him more than you,” says a girl, laughing. “He’s the one that can actually survive on his own.”

“Alli’s gonna die before his wolf does. And then no one will come to his funeral.” They start fake bawling, complete with fists wiping their faces. “And then his parents are gonna buy another slave for the lonely slave!”

I pull hard on the leash.

“His mom gets around.”

“Shut up!” I scream. “She is not a slut!”

“Well, it’s true. You don’t look like them.”

“Who fucking cares!” There aren’t even that many of them, but they’re all around me. My whole body burns. “Fuck off!”

“Why don’t you just call your dog for help? You can, you know…” He drags his fist through the air multiple times. My face flushes even more. The other kids shut up in confusion, but their eyes widen and mouths drop when they finally get it. They laugh even louder than before.

“Oh, maybe he still does all that studying so he can finally go to university with Merle’s brother,” says the guy that pushed me. He knocks me against the shoulder again. “He wants to marry him.”

My entire body burns with embarrassment, even though none of it is true. None of it! But what could I say? They just want me to do something stupid.

“Look, his face is red.”

“He’s gonna cry for real this time.”

“How does it feel, Alair, to be the victim?”

I shove the nearest kid as hard as I can. “Go fuck–”

He shoves me back and I try not to trip.

“Oh, my god!” Her squeal breaks my ears. “What if he wants to marry his dog?”

“I’m not–”

“He does!” The other kid’s laugh booms in my ear.

“He wants to fuck a wolf!”

“Shut up!” I scream. “I’m gonna fu–”

“Doggie fucker!” he croons, and he puts his entire hand on my face. “Doggie’s bitch!” They all join in. He shoves me again and I hit the dirt. There’s a retching noise, and I barely dodge the blob of mucus. He kicks the dirt and turns to walk away. The others follow, their middle fingers sticking straight up. “Doggie fucker! Doggie’s bitch! Doggie fucker…”

They don’t look back.

…

Where the fuck was Kai?

- - - - -

His pull was so strong, but where was I? I sniffed the air, but there was only the smell of drying leaves and damp earth. I heard the scuttling of mice and squirrels, and birds singing above. The light was growing darker, too. I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to sense anything.

The pull again. I started in the direction where he pulled, walking faster and then running, my heart skipping from fear.

“Kai!”

His call echoes through the forest. I run faster, my chest heaving. “Master–”

I feel a hard push on my arm and I tumble and slip on the leaves. I smell the dried vomit on my shirt. The blood on my lip. The earth is sideways. “Master–”

My entire stomach caves in from the kick.

Air rushes out of my ears, my mouth. I cough… cough…

I see only darkness…

I breathe… breathe… and the earth comes back.

I get to my knees and hands, my throat dry, still panting. Where was Master? Where were those children? Were they hurting him?

There are footsteps crunching over the leaves. I sit back on my feet, panting, my head bowed, and I look up.

It is Master. Alone.

I choke when he pulls the leash up, and I force myself to my feet. He is angry, but it is the slow kind that burns stronger over a long period of time. His breathing is calm, but deep and forced. He releases the leash, and I breathe easily again.

“Where were you, Kai?” He smiles, his voice low. “I was waiting for you.”

My hair prickles. A static rush flows through me, as if I had just woken up from a bad dream. I bow slowly. “I am sorry, Ma–”

He drops me. My backside aches. “Don’t say you’re sorry! You left me alone with those stupid kids! I fucking hate you!”

And then, I see his hand move in a slow blur.

And he slaps me. Again. And again. And his hand around my throat. And I am on the ground again.

I touch my cheek, a slight sting on my skin. The nail bites around my throat. I look at him just below the eyes, speaking quickly. “Master, what happened? What did those children do to you?”

He yanks me by my shirt and our faces are too close. His voice is hushed and forceful. “Just that you have to fucking stay away from me any time we’re outside!” He shoves me backward, swings his fist at me. I dodge it. “You’re a fucking embarrassment. No one likes you. I hate you!” He kicks the front of my leg, and I grit my teeth as a shock runs through me.

“Master, please stop. This is not like you.” My voice cracks. I dodge another punch and he growls. I move behind a large tree. I turn and jump when he shows up in front of me.

“It’s not?” he sneers. “It is, you fucking bitch! I–”

I place my hand over Master’s mouth. The sun. It is almost sunset. “We must leave the forest, Master. My clan will be here soon.”

“Fuck your clan.” Master pushes my hand down. “I’m gonna fuck you up, right now.”

“Master, please.” I grasp his hands, my ears pulled back. I am begging – a true embarrassment for a servant. “Let us settle this outside the forest. It is not safe after dark.”

“What, you’re scared of the dark? A wolf?” He pushes my shoulder. His face is very red.

“Master, we must go. We must be back for dinner.”

He exhales loudly. “So you just want to go home and get fat? You don’t even want to defend yourself first? You are a pussy, Kyrov!”

I start walking in the direction I feel is correct. But I turn around to face him. My voice is quiet. “Master, I am an omega. I am not allowed to defend myself.”

“Liar! You just don’t want to fight me!”

“It is true, Master. I was raised to be like this. Do you remember? I receive the bites and the worst of the punishment from my clan. Let us go.”

He stares at me, like he refuses to believe me. Like everything we spoke about on the day we met was all a trick. But all I can do is continue walking to the edge of the forest. Because I am scared. The sun is setting quickly. I sigh with relief when I hear him running towards me. He shoves me again, then runs past me, pulling the leash along. All I can do now is follow.