Dusk Glow

Chapter IV: A Life Not Chosen

It's early Sunday morning in the very deep forest surrounding Spoons, and the sun is just beginning to filter through the dense canopy, casting golden light over the lodge where Jakkub and his family live.

The lodge, nestled near the edge of the woods, is a beautiful, hand-crafted structure, built by Jakkub's family over generations. The air smells of pine and earth, and in the distance, the faint sound of water can be heard from the lake deep within the forest—a place of peace for Jakkub, but also a place of tradition and expectation.

Jakkub, with his bronze skin and muscular build, is already awake and outside, chopping wood for the lodge. The rhythmic sound of the axe hitting the wood is calming, grounding him in the routine of hard work that his family values so much. But even though his body is focused on the task at hand, his mind is elsewhere—preoccupied with the pressure of the life he's expected to lead, the weight of tradition hanging over him.

Chopping wood, gathering, working the land—it's all part of life here. It's how we keep the pack strong, how we pass down our ways. But sometimes... it feels like it's more about control than tradition. The Elders, the Assembly, they decide everything for us—who we marry, when we work, how we live. And for what? To keep the bloodline pure? To avoid turning sims..?
It all feels like a cage sometimes.

He wipes the sweat from his forehead, glancing over at the lodge, where his seven brothers are emerging one by one in their short shorts and bare chests with various shapes of body hair, each of them a near-perfect physical specimen, their skin glowing bronze in the morning light, muscles rippling under the weight of their tasks.

They all look like they belong here—like they're perfectly content with their roles in the pack. But Jakkub feels different, and it's starting to weigh on him more and more.

His oldest brother Darrik shouts teasing, but affectionate.
"Yo, Jaku! You're getting slow with that axe! We're all gonna be old before you finish that stack!"

His brother, Kovin, the second eldest, grins as he shoulders a large pile of wood, effortlessly carrying it back to the lodge. The others chuckle, all of them moving with the kind of ease that comes from years of hard physical work. But for Jakkub, the teasing hits a little differently today.

They don't get it. For them, this is all there is—chopping wood, hunting, working together for the pack. They're happy here, happy with the life we've been given. But... I don't know. I don't want to be stuck in a marriage with someone just because the Elders say so. I want something... real. Someone I choose for myself.

He sighs, setting the axe down as his mother, Nilly, steps out of the lodge. She's a tall, strong woman with long, silvering hair and a presence that commands respect. Her voice is soft but firm as she approaches him.

"Jakkub. I spoke with the Elders this morning. They've chosen a mate for you."

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut, but he's been expecting them. He knew this was coming—he's known for years that the day would arrive when he'd be expected to marry like all of his brothers did, except the youngest Tori. But that doesn't make it any easier to hear.

Of course. Of course, they've chosen for me. I don't get a say. It's just like everything else in this pack—I follow the rules, I do what's expected. But it's not enough. I don't want to marry someone I don't even know, just because it's tradition.

"With all my respect, I'm not ready mother- I mean my Luna." He quickly bowed his head in shame for forgetting the honorific of his mother.

"And it's been only half a year since I turned sixteen. Can't they give me more time?" He kept his voice low, remaining respectful.