The Royal Bond (SAMPLE// OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED)

Chapter One|| A little bread never hurt nobody

{Scarlett's POV}

I ran as fast as my legs could take me. The growls were heard throughout the forest, bouncing off the trees, taunting me. They were coming from every direction, and I had no clue where to go.

My paws hit the ground harder as I forced my wolf to move quicker; taking her beyond her limits as her soft whimpers echoed around in my mind. The growls grew quieter, and I realized I was losing them. Seeing a river ahead, I jumped in and began swimming quickly across it, allowing my scent to be lost in the flow of the water. I continued on, forging ahead down a familiar path.

As I kept running, my wolf slowed her pace needing to rest. I took over control shifting mid-walk, bare for all to see. I quickly made my way to the small, yet familiar cottage and opened the door, slipping in and locking it behind me, panting heavily. Still on guard, I threw on some clothes and collapsed onto my bed out of breath. Phew, I need to run more.

"What have you done now?" I turned startled seeing my younger sister leaning up against the doorframe of my bedroom.

"I stole some bread from the market," I said and she sighed exasperatedly.

"How many times have mom and dad told you? We don't steal! They'll be furious if they find out!" she scorned, her face contorting into an almost sad look of anger.

Shaking my head, I leveled my sister with an irritated look, feeling my anger spiking. "I was hungry, Ashlee." She flinched from my heated voice.

"I know," Ashlee lamented, "We all are, but being in the sectors puts us in that position. We just have to hope. Like mom and dad tell us to," and she held a glint of that so-called hope in her eyes, causing me to scoff.

"Hope for what exactly?" I looked away from her and down at my dusty hands, feeling the sting of a glare building up behind my eyes. "I clean people's houses for money, dad works in the mines, and mom -" I furrowed my eyebrows, shooting my gaze back up at my sister, "- well, mom can barely even sew anymore for her job. Face it, we're poor. No one is going to accept us into a pack, and they sure as hell don't care about the sectors! They aren't bringing people up anymore! I've prayed to the Goddess and I know when to give up." I stood to my feet, shaking my head again as she stared intensely back at me.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I brought my hand up and pointed a finger at Ashlee's chest, almost poking her. "And you should too, Ashlee. We're at the bottom of the food chain and there's nothing we can do about it. I admire your strength and hope, but you're too young to understand." I brushed past her and headed towards the kitchen, which was once again empty.

"I'm sixteen!" She countered from the other room and I just decided to ignore her.

My stomach rumbled, bringing me back to the situation with the bread earlier. I was just so hungry that I couldn't help myself. I growled, annoyed. How come the packs get to live in luxury and we, the sectors, have to suffer?

Around the world there is a 'PS System', or in other words, a 'personal status system' that most would call a caste system. It was all over the world. It started in the states after the last war broke out; the war was brutal. The witches declared war on wolves for basically dominating the world, which broke the peace treaty we had with them. In short, they hated us.

At a young age, I could never understand why, but now the humans rule under wolves' command. The witches had no say. They regretted making us; creating us. I see why now, but could there not have been another way?

The monarchy started when the richest family decided it was time for a change. They found a witch that agreed to help them and performed some very deep, dark magic. Which resulted in the creation of the Royal Family. The king's pack destroyed the witches, completely wiping them out. At the time, rumors swirled that the royals had the help of an unknown witch, a witch that, still to this day, no one could identify. I never knew why she helped them. I had always thought it was a myth or legend and still kind of do.