Controlled

Chapter 1

I pull my overused jacket around me tighter as I walk. The wind rushes past my ears making it hard to hear. I stumble on the uneven sidewalk as I walk back to my apartment. Looking around I see the black eyes of a werewolf who patrols the area where I live watching me. Werewolves took over 18 years ago after they made their presence known to the world. The main reason that they came out of hiding was because of mates. Each werewolf is "gifted" a soulmate. Werewolves are only male, sexist if you ask me. Women can be born in werewolf families and they have heightened senses and can also find their mates. Werewolves find their soulmates by scent, each person has their own specific scent. Once a wolf finds their mate they mark them by biting the neck of their mate. Females don't mark their mate but they are able to pass the werewolf gene to their offspring. Once a year humans are required to meet up at a place of the werewolves' choosing and see if we are a mate of one. This is called the selection. The thought of being a mate to one of those things terrifies me. Werewolves are known to be possessive over their mate and threaten anyone who comes near them. Werewolves demand to be respected since they see themselves as the superior species. Since they see themselves as superior species they force humans to work in factories or on farms to supply them with what they need. We get paid $1 an hour and work for 10-15 hours a day. All products like food are still the sold at the same price as they were before the werewolves took over. This means that all the money we make is gone by the end of the month and we can only buy necessities and pay rent.

I work at a factory that manufacturers automotive parts. I've worked there since I was 13. At 13 humans are done with school and go to work. Werewolves decided that we didn't need to learn much past the basics. Some humans were allowed to continue schooling after they found a mate but it that decision is up to the werewolf. Since I was born in 2000 when the werewolves took over I was used to the life I was forced to live, but my parents weren't. My parents died when I was 12 after they talked back to the alpha of the pack that controls the area. There are many rules that we have to live by as to not disrespect werewolves. First rule is never and I mean never look them directly in the eye as it's seen as a challenge. Rule two is don't talk back, you must refer to all werewolves as sir or by title. Weres are allowed to physically punish anyone who they think disrespects them so it's better to just do what they say.

When the werewolves took over everyone got kicked out of the houses that they lived in and forced into cheap apartments. The houses were given to pack members. The apartment where I live is a studio apartment with one bathroom. The walls have holes in them from the insects and mice that live in them.

Sighing I unlock my apartment and step in, grateful to be inside. Looking at the clock I see that it's 9pm. Nerves hit me as I realize that tomorrow is the selection. As I go to sleep I'm plagued with nightmares of being selected. I don't want to be a mate but I have a feeling that something is going to happen that's not going to be in my favor.