Wolf Dominion

Highgrade Nesting is the term for the den where the Zrot company Wolf Beasts live together, below ground. It’s dirt, rocks, bones and dried blood while I stand at the top of the Nesting area, looking over a balcony with wide eyes.

I had never seen any of Zrot company up this close, but Xrat was due to grow this large if not larger – the size of the statues in the museum were extremely accurate. Just the fangs on these Wolf Beasts were longer than I.

I’m standing next to Skye, who is eager to tell me who is who as he points down at the den, “Zrot paces below me, his distinct marks are three blue stripes down his forehead, his mane is always silver. Rrot is Raygar’s Beast… he kills best at night, underground, due to his black fur that absorbs all light. Mila’s Beast is Mzzry, she is small but covered in scars. Mzzry attacks, she is always on the offensive, never look her in the eye, Ryder… there, in the back, is Vorth, my eldest brother’s Wolf Beast, limping in the corner, he has a bad hind leg. He is very old. Xrat is his imprint, upgraded to replace him. Vorth is the most intelligent Wolf Beast and the most legendary fighter, despite his age.”

“Zrot, your own Beast, is not the best?” I whisper, quietly, lest the Wolf Beast hears from below and understands.

Skye smirks a little at my question, but he explains, “Zrot is the leader of the pack, he has the loudest howl – and the strongest bite. He is not the most skilled, but he is the most headstrong. All other Beast that have challenged him are dead.”

“Has Rrot challenged him?” I dare ask.

“Never,” Skye answers this reluctantly, his lips thinning at the thought, “But he is much younger, like my brother, who is 10 years younger than I. Raygar is your age.”

“No way–?”

“Alpha’s are fully grown at age 12, at least in my family that’s how it works, so he’s been an adult for 6 years,” Skye murmurs.

“Where’s your parents -?”

Skye looks at me with an odd expression, not seeming to understand what I mean.

However, despite the awkward moment – we have a new arrival as two military doors hiss open behind us along the walk way that surrounds Highgrade Nesting.

“Lulu, you made it,” Skye holds out a hand to the Medivian. She is dressed in a golden robe, with a pointed chin as she steps forward, her blonde hair in braids like mine.

Her eyes skim over me and she is not impressed, but she chooses to focus on Skye instead.

“I’ve heard the rumours while I was escorted here. To assume I am a spy is against Genesis conduct, Skye – I am clearly loyal through DNA to all Genesis via a lack of bond, to no Beast, and therefore I am Medivian,” Lulu speaks calmly, although I notice a nervous tic in her cheek.

“Alpha Skye… you forget my title?” Skye smiles as he says it, while casually walking over, gripping the nape of Lulu’s neck and then forcing her forward to the edge of the balcony. I skip back three steps while I listen intently to Skye’s following words, “Only Beasts can smell deceit in our kind – no matter the variation. Zrot! Smell this Medivian.”

I feel the balcony vibrate and shake loudly as the Beast immediately lopes over to look up at Lulu.

Skye stands back, unhanding a silent Lulu as Zrot now jumps back on his hind legs and his massive head appears over the railing, blocking out my view of the ceiling.

I feel my legs turn to jelly and I collapse backwards in fright from the sight of Zrot’s head.

Skye glances back at me and smiles adoringly for a moment – but he is far more attentive to Zrot’s judgement.

Lulu holds out her hands and drops to her knees, “I am at your service, Alpha Zrot… Medivian; Lulu.”

Zrot glances at Skye, and they share a quick look.

It only lasts a split moment before Zrot’s paw comes over the side of the balcony, claws spread out as he clasps Lulu in his grip and suddenly slams her into the railing – effectively exploding her body apart from the heavy impact.

He almost does it as if he’s bored to kill.

I see warm blood leak all over the floor, but I look away as the rest happens.

Zrot tears the Medivians body through the railing to throw her shattered limbs down – while I hear the other Beasts growling in excitement as they come to inspect and clear the mess.

“Come with me now, brother,” Mila pops up behind my shoulder, shocking me out of my brief disgust for the show of violence. I look up and Mila is holding out a hand to Skye, “Your attention is needed to overlook the supplies. Vastian has already chosen the gear to bring to Ryer Valley.”

Skye nods and follows, but as I get to my feet to keep up, another hiss from the military doors open to show the Solividian hall beyond as Raygar comes rushing forward, late and without Lemeri by his side.

I try to turn and get away from him but he’s already decided to stop me.

“Hey – coward, I need your assistance,” Raygar mocks me just as he snags my elbow, his larger strides are too much for me. Raygar drags me along as he overtakes, “Why are you shy all of a sudden?”

He seems more amused than anything as he catches up to Skye in the back of a hanger, leading out into the Genesis sand dunes. There are vehicles being prepped for Zrot Company – and I see ten other Alphas who are a part of this pack – also preparing.

Skye is busy with Mila and Vastian, and doesn’t seem to mind Raygar apprehending me while we get ready for the next Wolf Dominion battle.

My first – but clearly they had all been in hundreds of skirmishes already, if not thousands. No one here was nervous.

Raygar unhands me as he reaches for a steel locker, where he takes out thick laced up boots and slips them on himself after discarding the fancy official ones. I stand back as he takes off his Alpha robes and exposes his massive physical body underneath. Now only wearing pants suitable for the mission, he seems comfortable being bare chested as he spins to me and assesses my awkward stance, one hand on one elbow.

“What do you need help with, exactly?” I ask, kind of annoyed that Raygar looks particularly handsome, and I was meant to be hating these brutal, horrible and vile species. I wasn’t meant to be blushing and staring at his abs.

How embarrassing.

“I don’t need any help, I’m just annoying you because I can, clearly,” Raygar explains, without emotion, but he does stare far too hard at my face, “…I need to paint you up…”

“Paint?” I almost choke on the word, “Why?”

Raygar doesn’t bother to answer me, he simply walks around to another locker and pulls out draws full of jars of blue and black liquid.

“Sit down, there, worm, hurry up,” Raygar motions to a seat so I take it, completely unprepared. He unscrews the lids, dips his fingers into both black and blue, then he squats down in front of me to smear it over my cheeks, two fingers under each eye, “…I don’t like you…” he growls at me as I sit very still, too afraid to blink even as I stare hard at the celling, “…war prepping is the immediate priority… murdering you when I can will be more appropriate… later on…” he speaks so quietly, “…he called you a Lunette – that’s fucking hilarious.”

“What does it mean?” I ask, while my eyes are now closed as he colours the corners of my eyes to my temples, and his touch is ridiculously gentle for a man so vicious with his words.

“You’re an autonomous soldier – you work alone on your own rules, while in war – you’re about to be as free as you ever were,” Raygar explains it lightly, but my eyes snap open and I cut him off in my excitement.

“What? Did you say I’ll be – f-free?”

Raygar steps back to grab a cloth and clean his hands, while smiling at me, warmly enough, but with total lack of real empathy. More, he’s simply enjoying my stupidity.

“Wolf Dominion War Code – freedom in the blood to do whatever we like,” Raygar says ’we’ very suspiciously, with a drop in his tone and a deathly official drawl crawling through into his speech,“…you’re Skye’s slave in our Dominion, but you’re free meat in the field…” Raygar’s sinister smile is set as he walks off, leaving me to contemplate that.

“Stop tormenting her and get your gear ready, you fool,” Mila calls out to Ray, “We’re heading off in 10; you’re always here at the last minute.”

I stand up off my seat to find Skye – but instead I’m intercepted by his older brother… and others.

Vastian approaches me with the rest of the Zrot Company behind him.

Eleven Alphas eye me off as Vastian suddenly grips my arm and pulls me around to face the rest of the group.

“Okay. Don’t kill this one,” Vastian sets down the rules, quite ruthlessly, and I get a rush of confidence, until his speech turns a bit more dark, “Ryder is Alpha Skye’s property. This is her first war. This is her first test, for everything– if she fails to prove loyalty or she undermines Wolf Dominion, there will be no mercy. If she betrays Wold Dominion, we’ll take your eyes,” Vastian explains to me, in my ear, “And replace them – with bionic parts. Then we’ll take your ears. We’ll cut out your tongue. You’ll lose your human body to a machine, piece by piece, you won’t be killed, you’ll simply live to suffer. Do you understand the consequences of deceit, Ryder?”

“I am loyal to Wolf Dominion,” I snap it out, but the other Alphas laugh, believing I spoke back out of fear.

Well.

Maybe I did.

“We’ll know by the end of the first day where you stand,” Vastian unhands me and walks off to fill up one of the vehicles with the main Company.

Mila, Skye and Raygar await behind the second vehicle, all smiling at my brief introduction to Zrot Company.

“She’ll die on the second day,” Mila smirks, “That’s my bet. She’ll run off screaming and get murdered by a lioness.”

“I won’t let the worm die that easy,” Skye watches me in earnest consideration, “Ray?” he prompts he’s younger brother to respond with his bet.

“She’ll live because she’s conniving, but only if the pup doesn’t die,” Raygar locks eyes with me and warns me seriously, “Xrat is probably going to get himself killed – with his untested and warped genetics from the lab, he’s so far, the stupidest Wolf Beast I’ve ever seen, despite his Vorth DNA. He’s cute, don’t get me wrong, I respect the little fella, but… he dies, and your brain will bleed out of your ears, Ryder – and I’ll make sure to eat you for Rrot’s breakfast so you don’t go to waste.”

“Well at least you don’t think I’ll die via my own mistake,” I laugh dryly, I can’t help it.

“Skye wants Rrot to Shadow you,” Raygar admits.

“Uh – no thanks,” I laugh more nervously now, and they all snicker, even Skye is amused. Rrot in the den looked like a demon Wolf Best – I hadn’t looked at him too long because his whole walk was demonic, including the sounds he made from the back of his throat.

Well, everyone is finding my sudden nerves funny, except for Vastian.

He pops up behind me, no smile, no laugh, and only one potent glare to Skye.

“Rrot will kill her if you let him see her scared in the valley,” Vastian states.

“In the face of adversity she rises,” Skye counters, and I blush with his kind words, “Shadow her yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“I will,” Vastian snaps in, “Raygar can lead the strategy, Vorth and I will Shadow the worm and we’ll make sure a revolution doesn’t become our demise.”

“Revolution,” Mila screams the word laughing, “You conspirator!”

“You’re losing your mind, still,” Raygar just shakes his head and tut-tuts at Vastian, “You’re getting too old, brother.”

“It’s wisdom,” Skye and Vastian answer together, both on the same thought.

“I am just scouting for humans to recruit to Wolf Dominion, that’s it,” I state, “I’m no threat to Genesis kind. Pfft, how could I be?”

Skye nods and winks at me. Mila stops laughing to give me one death glare before she enters the vehicle, and Vastian concludes behind me, as we all must depart, “Until Ryder succeeds in proving trustworthiness, she will be nothing but a burden… but at least you’ll be unexpected,” Vastian walks around me, “The fact Skye likes you does nothing to distil my worry; Skye has a potency for dangerous moves.”

“Hence why I thrive in this violent landscape,” Skye chuckles, but Vastian just shakes his head. As the family all enter the vehicle, Skye awaits me.

Each step I take feels heavy with a burden of the unknown. Fear of death. And fear of my own kind – and how I’ll approach them in the war. I had a lot to consider.

“I’m ready,” I lie as I stand before Skye, trying to appear tough and all-knowing, but as Skye looks down into my eyes, I feel my eyes start to tear up as my innocence of being in a war plays on my mind.

“I will not Shadow you because I can’t, but I will always have one eye on you,” Skye reassures me, without humour now, only factuality, “Do you trust me?”

I do not expect that.

I go from staring into the distance down at his combat boots, to meeting his gaze head on.

I don’t say a word.

I just nod – and Skye steps back to allow me room to enter their war transport vehicle.

It was time to face my first battle – defending a Dominion I didn’t even know I could support.

It’s as I take a seat, blindly strapping myself in, copying them – that my first thoughts of possible rebellion fly through my mind.

I was being given so much power and leeway, I almost was being given the opportunity for something greater.

Far beyond me.

I am not sure if that is the purpose of the loyalty test – but I hold my secret desires for justice close to my chest.

None of the Alphas were slightly empathetic to the fact that I may be on my species side, deep down in my heart and in my blood. I was wired to choose my people; Human Kind.

But the rest, for now, was up to fate.