Shackled

Chapter Three

The sun rose before she knew it, time having slipped away as she took solace in the outdoor air. The sky was painted in brilliant hues of pink and orange as slowly but surely the large ball of fire made its way across the sky. She could hear the sounds of the pack rising, preparing for the day's work.

Omegas were rushing around in the kitchen, making breakfast and coffee as warriors rushed through, grabbing food on the way to the training fields. The pack ran on an organized system, everyone with a job and a place to be. It was what made pack living so successful, like a well-oiled machine that ran seamlessly and allowed members to live productively amongst one another. It was a process that ensured friendships were made and that people were social.

The pack thrived off of its ranking system. Omega wolves were known for being the calmer more submissive wolves. Not weak as many chose to think, but rather unmotivated by the bloodlust that ran through most wolves naturally. She admired the control they had on their more feral nature, they stamped it down and prioritized their human side. Most Omegas chose to work in the kitchen and around the pack house, helping out with higher up members of the pack's hierarchy. They knew how to deal with the dominant wolves, as they didn't pose them a threat to their positions within the pack.

Thetas – more commonly called 'warriors' – were driven, self-motivated members of the pack. Those that chose to put others before themselves, dedicating their lives to training and the protection of the borders. There hadn't been too much inter-pack rivalry lately, as a fragile peace had been instated, but rogues and pack safety were always an issue to consider.

The Rogues were wolves that had lost touch with their human side. Wolves that chose to let go of their humanity and submit to the bloodlust and adrenaline that came with living wild and without pack structure. They often banded together, thriving off of each other's madness. That was what would happen to her if she let it, if she let go of her delicately balanced control and allowed her wolf to be set free. The thought almost paralyzed her in fear, she knew that no one in her pack would survive her shift, and that she'd be lost to the world forever.

Her life was on the verge of miserable, but it was a thousand times better than what it would become if she were to forget her restraint. She made the best out of her situation, living her life to the relative fullest within the constraints of her responsibilities. She knew she wouldn't wish her wolf on anyone and couldn't stand to live with herself with the slaughter that her wolf enjoyed.

The last and arguably most important wolves in the pack were the Gammas, Betas and Alphas, the top tier of the pyramid. Alphas were the head of the pack, the ultimate voice in decision making and delegation, whereas Betas and Gammas were second and third in commands. They ran the pack with iron fists, making sure everything stayed under control and that the pack felt safe and secure.

They were all important, but only if they did their job correctly. The pack worked because of the smooth way it ran, and that meant that it was just as reliant on Omegas and Thetas as it was on Alphas and Betas. Humans might consider it a constraining way of life, living beneath rulers and having a role to fill, but it was the opposite. With the wild and untamed nature of their wolves, they needed structure, it gave them relief from the stressful decision making that could come with sharing a mind with an animal.

She tread lightly into the house, feeling no need to hide herself from the others. For some reason, she felt like being seen, as she passed through the kitchen. She could feel the heat of their stares, hear the way conversations stopped as her fellow wolves set their eyes on her and relished in it. Normally she chose to go unseen, but that morning her wolf was scratching at her, begging for even the slightest bit of pack comfort. For even though the stares were ones of fear and uncertainty, they were at least looking at her, and her wolf could feel the slightest most faint caress of the pack bond.