The Hunters

Chapter Five - Submit

A week had past since our arrival to the New Moon Pack. Our tasks varied day to day, but usually consisted of either cooking or cleaning. Often they would split us up. River was terrible at cooking so she was tasked with cleaning the pack house. I was either cooking or tending to the pack garden most days. The days were dull and uneventful. We stuck to a strict schedule, and kept our heads low to avoid trouble.

River was happy to be cleaning the pack house. It gave her the opportunity to make a map in her mind of the pack house layout. Every day she worked up ideas on how we could escape. I hadn't come up with a single one. Instead, I often laid in bed whispering to her how we would find our mates in the pack and they would set us free. Every night I had lucid dreams of it coming true. Each night was a different variation of the dream, but the context was always the same. Handsome werewolves would find us, free us from this place, and we would all live happily ever after.

Each day that I didn't find my mate, it brought me back to the sad reality that we were made into slaves.

First thing in the morning, I was tending to the garden under the watchful gaze of one of the warriors. I was crouched on my hands and knees yanking weeds out of the dirt. Normally, I would despise this sort of labor, but it was now my favorite part of the day. I was able to breathe in some fresh air and feel the morning light on my skin. The sky was a beautiful gradient of colors as the sun was gradually rising over the horizon.

Once I was done removing the weeds, I still had to water the plants and pick any ripe fruit and vegetables. I was almost done weeding when the warrior who was watching over me approached. He stood towering over me. His shadow blocking the sun from touching my skin. I frowned and looked up at him. I swallowed hard beneath his blank stare.

"I like this view of you," he said tilting his head to one side. "I like seeing you on your knees," he said in a low grumble. His hand reached for the back of my head and pulled me closer to his body. I put my hands up to maintain the distance between us. In response, his fingers curled around my thick hair. I cried out in response feeling the tug against my scalp.

"You are going to be a good girl and do as you are told aren't you?" It was more of a command than a question. My eyes were filling with tears at the horror of what I knew was coming.

"Please, let me finish my job," I cried softly. He didn't say anything. He stared down at me with a single hand still holding tight to my hair and the other starting to unbuckle his pants.

I knew then that no amount of pleading or crying would change what was about to happen. Nothing except the watchful pair of eyes from the window that had gone unnoticed until now.

"What do you think you are doing?!" A woman called out from a short distance. That voice was my saving grace.

The warrior fixed his pants, released his grasp on me, and stepped away. I turned my head to see who had come to my rescue. It wasn't anyone I had seen in my past week here so far. She had caramel brown hair and chocolate brown eyes that were filled with both rage and hurt.

"None of your business," he said monotone.

"I'm your girlfriend," she whined at him. So this was less about helping me and more about jealousy. I should have known better, but it didn't matter. It stopped something horrific from happening so I didn't care what the reason was.

"Girlfriend, not my mate. I am unmated and Sasha said we can use her omegas whenever we want," he told her. I gasped and my eyes widen in shock. I didn't realize that we could be used like that. As if he could read my mind, his eyes glanced down to me and he shrugged.

"Don't be so surprised. You are just a slave," his voice was nonchalant.

"She hasn't been designated as a pack w***e and I'm your girlfriend!" She protested. I could see that she was fighting back tears.

"Yeah yeah yeah," he waved her off looking more annoyed than anything. Now there were tears streaming down her face.

"You don't want to piss me off. I will make sure you regret it," she threatened. He didn't answer which made me wonder if it was more than a hollow threat.

The brunette shewolf then plopped down on a bench on the far end of the garden.

"Don't let me stop you," she said with her arms folded across her chest. She stayed like that for the remainder of the time I worked in the garden. I tried to work faster than usual so I could get to the kitchen where I felt safer.

Once I finished in the garden, I was escorted to the kitchen where I cleaned the fruits and vegetables I collected from the garden. Once I was done, I started chopping up some vegetables, assisting some of the pack's omegas prepare lunch for the high ranked pack members that lived in the pack house.

"You are slacking today," a voice said breaking me from my thoughts. The entire time that I had been in the kitchen, I kept thinking back to this morning's event.

"I was just thinking," I said picking up the pace of onion chopping. I fought to hold back tears from the stinging fumes it produced.

"Think later, I need those onions now," he said with a hint of frustration.

"What's the matter, Cade?" I asked him. Cade was one of the pack's omegas. He was one of the best cooks and when he wasn't cooking he was outside keeping the training grounds tidy. He was one of the few that was allowed outside. He always handled his responsibilities well and even helped keep the other omegas out of trouble. He reminded me of my brother Owen. He was kinder though and better looking. Cade was not much older than I was, maybe only 20 years old. He was thin and average height, but quite easy on the eyes.

"I'm running behind getting lunch ready," he said with concern. I assumed he worked extra hard because he wanted to earn a higher rank than omega.

"Okay, I'm hurrying," I told him trying to quicken my pace even more.

I heard voices entering the kitchen. I looked up curiously to see a beautiful, tall, woman with flowing blonde hair and bright blue eyes like River's. She was accompanied by a shorter woman that I recognized from the garden this morning. They were talking amongst themselves and giggling. I tried to tune them out. I needed to focus on helping Cade and I didn't want to get in trouble for eavesdropping.

"That must be one of the prisoners from the Full Moon Pack," the blonde spoke out loud for us all to hear. I kept working and so did the couple of other omegas that were working in the kitchen.

"The poor thing," the brunette said, but there was no empathy in her tone. Instead there was mockery.

"Her pack was so pathetic and weak anyway. At least we got a couple of servants out of it. Maybe I should make her my personal servant," the blonde laughed. For someone with such a tender and lovely voice, she spoke some cruel words.

"Why would you want such a dirty slut as your servant? Just look at her," the brunette replied. I assumed the names she called me was because of what happened this morning.

I could feel their eyes watching my every movement. I was used to being teased even at the Full Moon Pack for not being strong. I always ignored it. River or Alina would be the ones that stood up for me if they didn't get bored at my silent treatment towards them.

"To put her in her place," the other girl answered. I heard foot steps walk right up to me. The girl from earlier pushed the cutting board onto the floor. Peices of the onion I had been chopping scattered everywhere.

"Clumsy w***e," she snapped and slapped me across the face. I reached for my stinging cheek before kneeling on the floor to pick up the mess. I still remained silent desperately hoping she would quickly get bored of tormenting me. Though I knew she was likely taking her anger towards the warrior out on me. I was the girl he was trying to use.

"Leave her be," Cade turned around from the sizzling stove and snapped at them.

"Mind your place omega or I will have Farrel take you to a cell," the blonde warned him.

The brunette then lifted her foot and kicked me all the way onto the floor while I was cleaning up the mess of chopped onion pieces.

"I promise that as long as you are here, you will pay for being the dirty slut that you are," she hissed softly to me so that only I could hear. A few tears found their way from my eyes and trickling down my face.

I was afraid of what sort of torment she would inflict on me. This wasn't like being teased in high school. I was a prisoner here and my fate was hanging by a thread to be determined by this pack. It was in that moment that I knew I couldn't live idly as a servant thinking that life would be simple. River and that old woman were right. Anywhere even no where was better than here.

Once the girl moved away, Cade rushed to my side to help me up. The two girls left the kitchen without another word and headed outside.

"Are you okay?" He asked looking me over worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I told him before going back to cleaning up the mess on the floor. Cade helped me clean up before returning back to making lunch.

"I'm sorry, Alana," he said to me while his eyes were focused on cooking while I went back to prepping food.

"For what?" I asked confused.

"Not being able to stop her. I promise next time I see her treating you that way, I will interviene," he promised.

"No Cade. They will put you in a cell. You are an omega. There's nothing we can do. Don't get into trouble on my behalf, please," I said, but now he was silent. I felt bad for him. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could try all he wanted to help me, but in the end we would both be punished for his heroics and he knew that. The best thing we could do was keep our head down and out if trouble.