The Lycan King & I.

//one//

Part I: Chapter One
Elliette Mercer
Gibbons Pack
October

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

"You're late." Thiele remarks as I burst through the wooden door of our shared room, breathless and frazzled. Her commentary isn't helpful, I know I'm running late. My tardiness will not be without consequences. Yet, that isn't my worry. My main concern is being left behind by Thiele and the other underlings in our house. I don't like walking about alone in this Pack, I don't like walking alone amongst any wolf. Hell, I don't even like being around them.

Thiele is my roommate within the Human housing quarters. From a Southern town not far from mine, she was taken a year or so before I was. While she is not the warmest companion, she is better than being alone, and is one of my few reminders of home. It took me a few weeks at first to see past her hard shell of venom. She isn't mean spirited, just powerless to her reality. As we all are.

My work assignment today had proven difficult, minding to the Beta couples children. With the children teething and fussy, I had left their house much later than planned. I ran home as fast as I could, not pausing once to marvel at the beauty of the newly turned red leaves sprinkling the trees. I would never get used to the artistic beauty of fall here, we don't have fall back home. Just two seasons: hot and unbearably hot. Opening the leather chest at the end of my bed, I pull out my nicest dress; a dark blue number that made my skin look milky white. The cotton covered my shoulders down to my wrists, with the hem stopping at my knees. Conservative and appropriate for a pack gathering.

Thiele doesn't say anything else as she buttons her own dress, lips pursed in disproval. Us humans didn't say much, as it was ingrained into our minds not to early on.

Humans are not to be heard, and only seen when necessary.

Apparently, there was a time when it wasn't like this. I'd heard stories back in the village from some of the Elders. Once upon a time, humans ruled over the earth, and werewolves were hidden in the shadows. It wasn't talked about often, whether that be because it is frowned upon, or just too depressing. Or maybe there just weren't enough of us humans left to pass down the stories anymore. Most of us were eradicated, only the humans who served a use to the wolves remain. Somehow, I fit within that category.

"I'm leaving in ten seconds, whether you are ready or not." Thiele comments to me as she stands in the doorway.

"I'm ready," I bristle through my golden hair harshly with my brush, tossing it onto my bed next to my discarded work clothes. I'd put it away later. I follow Thiele out the doorway, hustling to keep up with her wide stride. In the main hall of the complex, a few other humans who occupied the dorm as well join us, forming a group to walk to the Pack Hall.

This current pack I'm indentured to is the Gibbons Pack, within the Middle Kingdom. While I liked the lush and green forests here, it was growing cooler each day. The beautiful colors of the changing scarlet leaves almost weren't worth the chill. But the amenities were worth it. Here, everyone has their own bed and there is always hot water to bathe with. The electricity never falters, though it runs in every room, and food is never scarce. My life in the Middle Kingdom was a life of royalty compared to where I was born.

There are three kingdoms; the Northern Kingdom, The Middle Kingdom, and the Southern Land. All humans, like myself, are born and raised in the Southern Land. It was over a weeks travel from here, arid and hot. Salty sea water was humid on the air, a coast was never out of sight. We inherited the land discarded by wolves. Wolves don't like dry and hot weather, there are very few of them there.