Lost Treasure: Into the City

Bill let me stay in the back of the restaurant to sleep. I told him I don’t require much sleep. Mainly because of the nightmares. I stopped wearing Ramon’s scent blocker, I didn’t want to draw more attention to me. However, my normal scent did cause Bill and Peggy to ask more questions.

They said I smelled like an alpha female of a pack. Which caused me to explain more about my situation to them. With a heavy sigh, I told them I was born in a pack and it’s gone, and I was the only survivor. They guessed by my scent that my parents were the alphas.

They decided I should wear a scent blocker because my scent would confuse other wolf and cause me problems. They got me a special blocker that made me smell human instead of a spice rack.

I started to work mainly in the mornings, they didn’t want me working late at night. They entertained a different kind of crowd that’s not appropriate for a fifteen-year-old.

As for school, they didn’t care if I went or not. Worked for me, back at my pack I was almost finished doing high school lessons.

Bill also told me never to open the red door that led to the basement. Then he gave me a key to the back door where my cot was located. I brought my stuff there. Peggy took me to her place when I needed to shower, I got free leftovers for meals. So, things are working out.

Peggy was actually older than she looks. She’s around 35 and with Bill. She said they’re not mates. Being a rogue makes it hard to find their true mates. They don’t like to waste a lot of time searching for them.

I asked her many questions about rogues. She didn’t mind due to the bad experiences I had with them. She said I would struggle adjusting to life as one because I was raised in a functioning pack due to my pack mentality then the ones born here. She even did the air quotations with her fingers. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

She said that there was a difference between civilized rogues, like her and every wolf that lives among humans, and wild ones. Wild ones are those who refuse to live under the government of an alpha or the laws of human. They tend to be on the clinically insane side and stay out of cities. Occasionally they wonder in and the supernatural forces of the city take care of them.

Many cities started a new program to rehabilitate new rogues or wild rogues to survive in the city. This one of the ways to deal with the large population. The supernatural force protects our secret from the humans and everyone else from the wild rogues.

Along with the population came other problems; territory, and who is in charge. There are no packs but still territories, no alphas but nominated leaders. There is only one leader chosen through a vote by current residents of the region. You had to live so long in that region before you can vote.

To compensate for wars and bloodlust they have a fight club kept secret from the human world. Each territory gets to fight one another. It helps keep disputes out of the streets and generated an income for wolves struggling to blend in with the humans. They’re held in basements of certain bars.

I can only guess that was what was behind the red door. I told her I wanted to train. I explained how our pack had daily practices and how the rogues will eventually find me, so I wanted to be able to defend myself. She said she would ask Bill about it.

We talked about what is means to be a rogue in Chicago. It was every wolf for themselves mentality. For example, they will help another wolf, but if it came down to you or me it was me. A rogue mainly cares about number one or family, and money. They have to pay taxes to the human government.

Quite different from my pack. The alpha, beta, delta, and gamma are the top tiers that govern the rest. They make sure all needs are met for each member, they provide the protection, and no money is needed to live in the pack. Each member receives a share.

The alpha was the financial backbone of the pack. Which is why Father started selling the shine. Let’s just say our pack was financial stable. I’ve got the slip from the ATM in my pocket to prove it.

I revealed my resistance to sleeping. I could never tell her what happened in them. I would go three days before I’d finally crash. Throughout the three days, I drank a ton of caffeine and energy drinks. At night I would help the dish washer or just stay up and talk.

I couldn’t help but peek out and see the “inappropriate crowd”. There was like ten muscular men all different color skin, tattoos, piercings, hair styles and all wolf. I may be only fifteen, but these guys were attractive. Damn!

I found out they went to this bar every other week. The leader of this territory is Logan Trip. Peggy said if I wanted to train, he would be the one. No one else in this region could train wolf fighters accept him.

Bill said he would call him, but it wasn’t going to be easy to get accepted. He said there was an audition, and the training sessions are brutal. Plus, I’d have to do as he says like a gang leader. It couldn’t be any harder than back at my pack. I look forward to the challenge. I’m getting out of shape and my mind is bored.

Tomorrow morning is my appointment at Nichols Park. I’m nervous but excited.