He let go with a rough push and I stuttered back. “Hank” The Alpha said turning to the older guy. His long brown hair was pulled back now in a ponytail and his thick beard was being rubbed by his grimy dirty fingers. “Give me the knife with twelve inches long with a small handle.”

“I just made it this morning sir.” Hank said picking a sheathed knife from the table, presenting it with a low head. The Alpha took it and threw it to me.

I looked at it puzzled, my fingers rubbing on the leather belt. “I don’t know how to use it.”

Hank laughed a bit cruelly and the Alpha smirked. “You’re going to learn right now.”

Everything happened so fast and I could barely hear the echoes of voices in the open part of the meadow. The Alpha pulled me away from the tepees hidden by boulders out into a green meadow. He called the wolves over to gather. Some were in their man from others in their wolf form. Even David, a rusted colored wolf came over.

There were fifteen in total and they grew silent as the Alpha lifted his hand for them to be silent. “This woman, says that she cannot respect me.”

Growls erupted as if I was a dishonor to them, a disgrace to be alive.

I looked down not wanting to see their snarling faces. The Alpha went on circling me like prey. “I decided it’s best to tame such a beast. To live here is to respect and she made it in her word when she became part of this pack. She’ll be punished-she’s a hard spirit to break.”

My throat went dry as the Alpha had his back to me. He finished saying “She has to see how truly weak she is in this world and why she needs to learn how to fight.”

I already knew why, I was almost burnt on a tree and beaten. My legs shook, how would this teach me? To beat me some more or was this just for his pleasure.”

“Count for me David.” Alpha spoke clenching his fists.

“One.” David said, I pulled out the knife looking around frantically. The wolves blocked us off making a ring, I couldn’t escape what was coming.

“Two.” David said. I saw the Alpha’s head go over his shoulder and I wanted to scream. His face had no emotion, no pleasure of beating me. It was literally raw hatred and the need to kill. His lips curled like a wolf showing his sharp teeth.

I heard in the crowd somewhere a voice say; “She isn’t going to live through this one, you see it? It’s in his face again, I haven’t seen that look on him in ages.”

I felt my heart in my throat now as those words echoed in my ears, it rattled my brain and my knife was slipping through my sweaty palms.

“Three.” David said, and everything was quiet right before the storm.

The Alpha turned one me so fast I didn’t see him coming. He circled me coming at my side. I noticed he wasn’t using any weapon. Was it wrong of me to have a weapon and him not? I pushed the knife out as he was coming my way. He literally pushed it aside and roughly round house kicked my wrist making my weapon dropped. My wrist exploded in pain and felt sprained.

I ducked another one of his punches as I reached for my knife knowing I had to defend myself. I was panic filled and instinct impulse to live filled me. I quickly got up with my knife, but in my rising up, he scored a punch right at my face. My neck fell back and the shock of pain had tears glimmering in my eyes, my wrist and now this? He got another punch in my gut and I heard he crowd laughing.

I felt deeply shamed and feeling my pride hurt, I fell backwards. I knew he wasn’t going to stop there. His big foot was going towards my face. It was like, he was actually trying to kill me-that was what the most traumatic part was. I rolled away quickly and my knife swiped against his arm. Strangely seeing his blood satisfied me. That I could harm him, to pay him back for all the damage he did to me. How he took me away from my family, beat me now made me a lower being in his pack.

Maybe….just maybe I could do this. I kicked him in the stomach afterwards to stop his charging. It surprised him with my legs thrusted into his rock body and sadly embraced his attacks that became now full force. Waving my knife around stupidly I was able to nick him a few good times but he had tough skin, really tough. It was different than humans even with a thick kind of sculpture like he was made out of rock for bone. What really got me was when he changed forms. I was surviving with him as a human and he seemed to catch on to that quickly.

He leaped towards me after what seemed a very long time. I was exhausted with my body sore. Black hairs grew out of his pores and pushed through his jeans as he changed forms, his face growing deformed as his nose grew longer into a snout. He grew into a wolf and I wondered why, his jeans never busted, it seemed to become almost like his skin and stretched with his limbs, being covered with fur.

His eyes still had the same look right when we began and I knew, it wasn’t over. But I was already was on my knees weak, hungry and thirsty. His sharp teeth looked like ten million knives compared to mine who was in my bad hand, since he sprained my other wrist I was difficult to use. I felt the pressure piercing in my pores like little needles the stares were too much.

I stood up as he lunged for me, feeling bold I got a second wind. It was like this deep power inside of me waking up like the explosion of anger the alpha seemed to get. I held my breath, for another chance of life, hoping this wouldn’t be the end. When the Alpha wolf lunged, he exposed his neck so I was able to come forward towards him and I drove my knife in his neck. With an aggressive cry I pushed past his thick growing fur-it took all my strength. The yelp of pain made me realize what I did.

I was horrified, my eyes shooting wide open and I felt guilt on my taste buds. I never hurt anyone to this extent and I never ever wanted too. I heard the pack in whispers of shock, surprised and disgusted that I was able to do such a crime. But wasn’t it the bully, the Alpha the one who was picking on me. What did they expect from me? To let him kill me for pleasure?

The Alpha landed on the ground hard and I backed away timid. I had to hold in a sincere apology. I didn’t need to give those anymore-not here with savages who were completely out to hurt me.

The wolves began to growl at me and I saw Sarah, in her wolf form look nervous. Her silver white fur looked pretty in the dying sun. Oh….the sun….I wasn’t sure what time it was when we started, probably midafternoon, now the sky was pink. No wonder why I was exhausted. But couldn’t the Alpha kill me before hand? He could have done it a lot faster. I heard them in my village….I knew what they were capable of.

The blood dripped down the knife and fur and I stared at mesmerized by my work. The Alpha laughed and I looked around seeing even Sarah began to crouch in fear backing away. The black wolf winced at the knife looking at it then at me. He straighten his back with his head high, and his tail straight in the air. He stood up like a proud king-a little pain could never hurt such a big guy. Maybe physical pain…what about internally?

“You want to play dirty, I’ll give you dirty!” In a roar his paw slashed my body. He was so much faster than before. Maybe I was thinking right, he could have killed me beforehand. His paw reached for me so quickly and he charged with everything he had which made me fall, watching my legs bleed. It was a hot sting and scream before the official tears started rolling down my face. I struggled to get up but I was too tired, he exhausted me-that is what he wanted…yes it makes sense now he wanted to beat the submission to the surface-like I was the dog!

“We’ll keep going all night long, say it, I am your Alpha, and you respect me and are a low life who is a servant of the shadow pack!” He snarled in my face.

“You are my Alpha,” I sobbed. “I shall not betray you nor disrespect you to my abilities. I respect you and I’m a lower life form, a human, servant of the shadow pack.”

“Good” Alpha said looking at the pack who seemed tired of watching the scene. “Anyone else challenge me on my authority? Come on, I want to keep going!” The Alpha barked but most looked away. They all knew better and for the first time as I looked at them all I saw they had the same fear that I had in my eyes.