Natalia
I stood on one of the sidelines and watched as my body was being pushed, no, being dragged forcefully towards the line of people that were preparing to go back to their pack.I am a tribute item from my pack, so I have to be amongst the slaves who had come with Beta Heimdall to our pack.The elite warriors from Devil Claw Wolfpack had taken up their positions at the head of the procession while several others also took up strategic positions on the sides.Behind the lines of warriors, Beta Heimdall was seated on a horse along with two other warriors who were on either side of him.Behind him on foot were the slaves and Omegas which had come with him from Devil Claw Wolfpack. They had the tribute items from our pack arranged and well packed.Behind those slaves were people like me who had been forcefully uprooted from their packs in the name of being presented as tributes. I looked around and noticed I was the only lady among the tributes.I looked behind and saw wooden horse drawn carts which had most of Devil Claw Wolfpack's belongings and utensils and was also used to convey the tributes from my pack land to the dreaded Devil Claw Wolfpack.About fifty guards brought up the rear of the procession in order to deal with any threat coming at the group from behind.I could see myself wincing with horror and fear laced on my petite face as the realization that I was seeing my parents, friends and pack members for the last time sunk in.Nobody knew what was going to be my fate in the hands of the Devil Claw Wolfpack Alpha. It was no news that he was the most dreaded wolf to walk among the packs in this area.Alpha Draco treated his slaves like they weren't humans. Rumors had it that he often referred to them as things and spoke to them like they weren't worth the time and attention he should give them.I could see as several members of my pack looked on in pain and those who couldn't hold in their emotions were already crying or moreso, gnashing their teeth.I knew that most of them were already blaming my actions as they were wondering why I had to act the way I did knowing the brutality of the Devil Claw Wolfpack.I was also beginning to doubt and blame myself as my earlier display of bravery was beginning to look like stupidity to me.Not only did I speak out of turn trying to stand up against a practice that had been in place before my birth, I made things turn out for the worse by standing up to the second dreaded man among werewolves.Now, I had no one to blame but myself. I had committed the offense and it was now time for the price to be paid by me and me alone.A long horn sounded which signaled that the trip of no return to Devil Claw Wolfpack had begun. I turned around from where I was in the middle of the procession to take a long, last look at my pack and I felt tears choke me.My father stood bereft at the bottom of the stairs that led to the entrance of the pack house looking like he had just buried his only child.His gray hair and wrinkled forehead became more pronounced and he suddenly looked like he had added ten more years. Those ten years to me were like sorrowful years.Of course, my fate was no different from being dead to him. There was no telling when he would get to see his little princess again. If there was any eventuality that we would meet, I doubt it would be in great circumstances.This was the first time Devil Claw Wolfpack were taking a human tribute from my pack. My fear wasn't the tributes but that they would make it a habit and start demanding for human tributes from us.They had only taken items from us and some of our lands. The lands were used to grow crops and my pack members were tasked with tending and making sure the crops yield well.During the harvest, they were expected to make sure every grain was reported and bagged to be sent to Devil Claw Wolfpack.A sharp cry turned my attention away from my sorrowful father which made me look beyond where he was standing to see my mother thrashing about.A group of women were trying to constrain her but she, being an Alpha's daughter and Luna , was able to throw them off. She dashed towards my father and fell at his feet, pleadingly.By now the procession had begun moving and I saw myself being left behind. All of my mother's pleas fell on deaf ears as my father, Alpha Talon, was powerless to change the mind of the Beta of Devil Claw Wolfpack.I knew I couldn't leave like that. Like lightning, I broke through the ranks of the procession, disorganizing it in the process.I ran in a zigzag manner and came out at the side before heading towards the direction my father was standing with my mother at his feet.I could feel the heated and killing gaze Beta Heimdall was sending my way from behind but I cared less. The guards on the rear of the procession came after me but it only enabled me to run faster.I got to where my parents were and threw my arms around my father's neck. I wept profusely, unwilling to accept my reality.The guards chasing after me had gotten to me and they tried wrestling me away. I managed to evade them until I felt the clanging of a chain on my wrist.Before I could bat my eyelids, the other wrist had been tied. Now, I was bound like a captive. I looked behind and saw the chain was being pulled by one of the front line guards who were with the Beta.Now, I was no longer a tribute who was to move to the land of her captivity freely, I was now a captive. One that needed to be aced on bonds and chains.NataliaThe journey seemed unending. I was still chained and walking along with the front line guards of the Devil Claw Wolfpack. We've been walking for about four hours now without any rest. The only pause we had had had been about an hour ago when Beta Heimdall wanted to relieve himself and that had been for less than ten minutes. The trip was more difficult for me because I wasn't walking at my own pace. It was like I was being dragged along by the guard holding my chain in his hands. The guards were walking briskly in military formation and I, not having any previous military experience, found it difficult to keep up. I furrowed my brows while thinking of what I could do to make the procession stop. My left eye twitched rapidly and I smiled to myself as I thought of what to do. Once I had made up my mind on what to do, I eagerly took in a deep breath in order to steady myself. I stopped walking all of a sudden and the guard with my chain felt the pull. As he attempted to dra
NataliaThis was a typical example of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Heimdall was the devil and my inability to shift was the deep blue sea. "Phew! Think about the devil and he appears." I thought to myself as I tried to put on a wolf's equivalent of a pitiful look. However, that wasn't possible as animals didn't have much skin to show the emotions they were feeling. The only way to know any wolf's emotions was to look into their eyes but I doubt Heimdall was patient enough to check out what was going on with me. The rage was still present in his eyes and I was already hearing whisperings about me flying from one Omega to the other. " I wonder what's wrong with her always trying to flout Beta Heimdall's rules." " She's not the only Alpha's daughter to become a tribute so I don't know what's so special in her case."Another voice which I hadn't heard earlier spoke up. She must have just joined them, I thought. "I'm not sure she really knows who the Beta i
NataliaThe darkness was overwhelming. I tried clawing my way out of it but it only seemed to envelope me the more. I stretched out my hands trying to see if there was a wall or door I could use in getting my way out but everything seems to be a phantom. Since there was no way I could trace my way out, I decided it was better I move forward, a little bit at a time. I did so and took about twenty feet when I felt myself transitioning. My eyes flew open when this began to happen and I saw the darkness all around me.The surroundings felt different from where I was coming from and as my eyes began to adjust to it, I saw the outline of a tent. "Do you think she would make it before we leave in the morning?" I heard a voice speaking outside as I became familiar with the tent where I was. It was the medical tent of the team that moved with Devil Claw Wolfpack. "She had better be or else she would have herself to blame when Beta Heimdall reports her to the Alpha as his reason for retur
Natalia povFurious was an understatement to what I was feeling. It wasn't enough that I was collared with a silver chain and left at the mercy of the elements but even in my unconscious state, someone still thought it was okay for me to be chained down. Knowing myself, if I wanted to escape, it was easy for me. I would have done it during the battle between the Devil Claw Wolfpack and the rogues. I had seen one or two openings I could have taken and escaped into the underbrush. I had no fear that I would be discovered by my scent as I had one or two tricks up my sleeves to hide my scent. I pushed my right leg and then pulled it back towards me which made the chain clang against each other loudly. I waited for a few minutes but nobody seemed to hear. I repeated the action, this time more furious and louder. A head poked into the section of the tent where I was from a makeshift doorway and I saw surprise on her face."Oh! I see you're awake. You should have called out for help inst
Natalia PovBeta Heimdall stalked out of my room after delivering what he considered to be a missile. He, obviously was expecting a sort of reaction from me but got none. I was as calm as a dove when I heard what he wanted to say. The minute he finished speaking, I promptly adjusted the bed and laid on my side, facing the other side while my back faced him. He had probably expected me to jump and shout at him while bemoaning my Alpha's daughter status and that would have been satisfactory to him. "Someone would come to lose your chain in the morning. Note that maids wake up earlier than the others on the procession and you better don't entertain any funny ideas. My eyes are on you." He told me and went out of the tent. I made sure he had gone for about ten minutes before I turned around and stared at the empty makeshift doorway as I blinked back tears. Beta Heimdall sure knew how to break a person but he never really put my own die hard spirit into his calculations. He was doin
Natalia Pov"Why do you think Beta Heimdall took her as a tribute? Could there be another reason we don't know apart from becoming a maid. I'm saying this because there's no shortage of maids at the pack house."I heard a maid whisper behind me and I smiled gently. From the look of things, I won't have to bother myself in searching out answers to my questions. The answers would come naturally. By now, the procession had come a long way. A detour was made about thirty minutes into the journey that left me wondering why. The reason was because there was another small pack on the way they had to visit in order to get their tribute from their Alpha. We were already done at the pack since there was no resistance from them and now, we were back on the trail that would take us to Devil Claw Wolfpack. "I don't know although I'm also thinking in that direction." A second voice replied nonchalantly before she seemed to remember something. She suddenly yelped in an excited voice and spoke t
Natalie PovEveryone around me is quiet and tense. I know this because I could feel the tension in the air. Ahead of me, the Beta and the two elite warriors with him have their heads bowed slightly to the side. Among werewolves, that meant one thing. An Alpha was approaching. I am standing on the open courtyard in front of the pack house so I didn't get a close up view of him yet. The distance between where I am standing to where Beta Heimdall is close to about fifty metres so it affords me the opportunity to spy on the approaching Alpha. He emerged from the shadows of the pack house like a lone eagle flying among the clouds. He took a minute to survey the entire courtyard and I could feel his icy stare on me, even from that distance. He gradually descended the short flight of stairs from the verandah of the pack house and approached his Beta with a stoic expression on his face. They conversed in low tones and dart surreptitious glances at me where I stood among the others. Diver
Flashback continuesHe died on his way back to his pack and upon hearing of his death, we took the document he had signed and presented it before his pack members claiming their Alpha had signed that. We claimed he had known of his sickness and had come to our pack to seek protection for them. However, that didn't seem to satisfy a few of them. Their Alpha had obviously confided in his Luna and when she heard the news, she had expressed her doubts and raised her objections without fear but we weren't bothered. We had irrefutable evidence on our hands. Together with a few loyalists, she became antagonistic and resisted our taking over of their pack. Together with the elders of Devil Claw Wolfpack, we came together and began a round table discussion. We hadn't expected the stiff opposition the Luna had put up. At first, we decided to send sone rogues to spring an attack on them and make it seem like the death of their Alpha had spread and now, rogues were now trying to take over th