Chapter 4

Shemika stood her ground. “No, Marius. I won’t be spending the next week with you. I’m here for my meat, and then I’m leaving.”

“Your meat?” he teased.

“Yes, my meat,” she retorted, her voice steady. “I’ve earned it, as I’ve mentioned ~several~ times now.” She wasn’t about to back down. “Hand it over, Marius.”

Marius rose from his bed, his lean body unfolding. It was a deliberate move, meant to intimidate. His chest puffed out as he sauntered past her, heading for his kitchen. Shemika followed closely, ensuring he couldn’t cheat her out of her rightful share.

He glanced back at her over his broad shoulder, rolling his eyes before opening his walk-in freezer. He gestured to a wall lined with freshly skinned animals. Shemika’s stomach growled in response.

She swallowed hard, her mouth watering. She tried to focus on the portion he was offering her, but the sight of so much food was overwhelming. It stirred her hunger, awakened her dormant wolf instincts.

She quickly gathered her share, eager to leave Marius’s house. But he stopped her, his hand on her shoulder. “I’m giving you one more chance, Mika. Stay the night. I won’t do anything,” he said, his voice rigid.

His threat hung in the air, but she wouldn’t be bullied. She’d already given more than he deserved, more than was fair. If she gave in now, he’d only take advantage of her again.

He was right about one thing, though. He had two large pieces of meat. One looked like elk, the other deer, and a few smaller animals. She just wanted to get them home to Mileva, to have some time to herself.

She glared at Marius, shrugging off his hand. “Not happening.”

He nodded, his arm dropping to his side. “Then I have no choice but to tell Felix what I think,” he said. When she didn’t respond, he added, “That you don’t contribute much to the pack.”

That snitch. Him and Felix, another annoying pack member who was always around. Felix was the first to suggest that Shemika wasn’t pulling her weight and should be reassigned to field work. Shemika preferred a life of comfort and minimal physical effort.

“You know what, Marius?” she started, her voice dripping with sweetness.

“What?” he responded, his voice a low purr.

“You can suck an egg,” she spat, flinging his front door open. “~And~ choke on it.” She slammed the door behind her. It felt good to say, but she knew there would be consequences.

She hurried down the back of the building, staying out of sight of the men. She could hear their laughter, their carefree existence. It wasn’t so different from human society. Men seemed to be universally terrible companions. If only she were attracted to women.

Ylenia was a decent woman. She was curvy, not as much as Shemika, but muscular. She was less…funny than Shemika, who considered herself the height of comedy.

She entered her home through the front door. Her mother was expecting her and would be pleased with the meat. But her mother was nowhere to be found. She must have gone to bed, as the house was silent.

Shemika paused at the door, listening carefully. There was no sound, not even a creaking floorboard. Relief washed over her.

She stored the meat in her mother’s large fridge. Her stomach growled as she closed the fridge door. She was hungry, but she knew her mother wouldn’t approve of her taking even a small bite. The thought of her mother’s reaction made her shudder.

Shemika returned to her room, which was even messier than before. She tidied up a bit, just enough to make herself feel better.

She fancied herself a princess, deserving of a life of luxury. She’d heard of trophy wives in human society and thought she’d be perfect for the role.

Dancescu, like many others in the pack, knew of Shemika’s desire for a pampered life. He suggested that life with him would be just that. ~Yeah, right~. If you added misery and torment, he’d be spot on.

Shemika felt a void in her life. Her pack…it wasn’t right for her. She couldn’t imagine spending hundreds more years in Ylenia’s house, pretending to be busy, or living with Dancescu. Actually, she could imagine that. Unfortunately.

She often fantasized about living in human society. Her pack had many of the same amenities—TV, Wi-Fi, electronics. But they weren’t allowed to go to shopping centers or nightclubs. Shemika dreamed of dancing in a nightclub.

She dreamed of things humans would consider mundane. Traveling the world, lounging on a beach, sipping a fancy drink, checking out attractive beach-goers.

But Dancescu kept a tight rein on his pack. They weren’t free to come and go as they pleased. Not that Shemika knew anything about other packs. There was little communication between them. Dancescu was the only one who spoke to them, and he didn’t say much. She suspected it was to prevent she-wolves from considering transferring packs.

From what she’d overheard in Dancescu’s bedroom, there were several packs in their mountainous region alone. She’d thought about running away, but she feared other packs might treat she-wolves even worse. Dancescu warned of packs that used their women for breeding, keeping them chained and pregnant.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine as she drifted off to sleep.