got up, thank the lord for the day

woke up by a girl i don't even know her name

b*tches in my new spot, crowding up my space

had to check the safe, check my dresser for my chains

I hung my apron onto the hook and grabbed my bag, exiting the pack kitchen. I was on my way to the bathroom when a group of girls roughly my age passed by. They giggled and danced by me in their gorgeous gowns. They were obviously headed to the Mating Ball.

I was grateful that I didn't have to go. Enough people volunteered to go, so the Alpha didn't even need to draw names to meet the rule of ten girls and boys per pack. I didn't understand why they wanted to go. They could easily fall into the hands of a Red.

I would know.

But no, they were under the impression that they would attend the ball and lock eyes with a handsome werewolf who would just so happen to be their mate.

How naive they were.

I rushed into one of the bathrooms of the pack house and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, I rinsed my face and wiped my hands on a towel. I pushed my long brown hair into what was supposed to be a ponytail, but strands fell out and the top had little bumps sticking out in random spots. Twenty-two years on this planet and I still failed at the simple task of tying my hair.

I unzipped my bag and took out my blades. They were daggers made of pure silver and it only took half of my smallest one to bring down even the largest werewolf. Once the silver was embedded in your body, it was just as bad as poison. I strapped one on all four of my limbs, ensuring they were hidden under my clothes. The silver would have burned the skin of any other werewolf, but one of the blessings that came with my royal blood was immunity to its effects. I put a fifth one on the forearm of my right arm and flicked my wrist, making sure it easily slid out. I slid five silver bobby pins into my hair and hid them between my strands. They were sharpened like needles and came in handy as a last resort.

Lastly, I strapped my favourite dagger to the side of my waist and secured it in its sheath. The blade itself was a translucent emerald green made from dragon glass, while black moonstone formed the handle.

(Something like this, except the handle is more of a black/obsidian colour)

There were very few blades made from dragon glass and moon stone; the power of the combination was too deadly for mass amounts of the weapon to be made. Each one was handmade for its owner and bound to the person by a magical spell performed by a witch. Once a dagger was spellbound to someone, it gave them a unique power when using the weapon. You didn't get to pick your power; the blade chose for you. Only the owner was able to wield the power of the dagger, for in the hands of another, it reverted back to an ordinary knife.

My dagger gave me the power to harm anyone I simply touched with it. All I had to do was make contact with a person using it and simply think about what I wanted to happen to them. If I wanted to inflict a broken rib, it was done. If I yearned for them to go blind, their eyesight was gone. If I was in a rush, I'd will them to drop dead right then and there.

It was an excellent torture device.

I called him my Hellper.

Exiting the pack house, I jogged in the direction of the Crescent Moon pack. They were hosting the Mating Ball this year and although I wasn't planning on putting highheels and shaking my tush for other men, I had other business involving the stupid party.

Once I had run a good distance into the forest, I stopped to bury my bag in the bushes beside a tree. I pocketed the vials Uncle Eddie gave me and tied a black mask over my face, covering everything except for my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I broke out in a sprint. I only slowed once I felt myself cross the boundary between our packs. After a few moments of jogging deeper into their pack land, I paused to listen to my surroundings.

I could hear light chatter and the clinking of glasses a few kilometers northeast of where I was standing, indicating I wasn't too far from the ball. I quietly stalked closer to the gathering, taking extra care to make sure I only moved further after ensuring there was no one else near me.

I neared the pack house, using the mask of the dark forest as my disguise while I surveyed the scene. Lights were strung up in all the trees surrounding the house and countless cars were parked in front. People mingled about on the front lawn, while the Alpha and Luna greeted guests as they entered. The Alpha and Luna of the Crescent Moon pack were nice people, but they were one of the first packs to submit to the new leadership under the Reds.

They were weak.

I noticed two men walking away from the pack house, closer to the woods. Judging by their untamed beards and foul stench, they were Reds. They looked to be in their late 20's, maybe early 30's. Focusing my hearing on them, I listened in on their conversation.

" - wearing that tight pink thing looks like she'd be a good fuck," slurred a raspy male voice.

I shuddered in disgust. No one deserved to be spoken about that way.

Killing them would be much easier now.

I skirted the perimeter of the forest surrounding the pack house and climbed a tree that the two Reds were approaching. Peering at them from above, I assessed the men. One was tall, about 6'4'', while the other was more average heighted. They were decently built, but the taller one was significantly more muscular. He would put up more of a fight, but I could still take him down.

"50 bucks says you won't even be able to get her clothes off," remarked the shorter man.

"You're on," laughed the first voice. "I'll just rip them off then and have her my way. Not like I haven't done it before."

That was it. They needed to die.

Pulling a dagger out from my sleeve, I waited until they were a couple steps past the tree I was hiding in. With a snap of my wrist, I flung the dagger at the taller man, sinking it between his shoulder blades. With a scream of agony, he fell down immediately. His body shook with tremors, indicating the silver was already beginning to seep its way into his bloodstream.

"WHAT THE FU-"

I cutoff the shorter Red by tackling him to the ground. I swiftly unsheathed Hellper and stabbed him in the arm. Instantly his entire body went rigid. I rolled off of his back and stood on my feet.

"What the hell is going on?! Why can't I move?" cried the shorter one.

"You fucking bitch," spat the taller man. He had finally managed to pull the dagger out and was staggering onto his feet. "I'm going to rip your throat out."

"I can't feel my goddamn arms!" The shorter Red was ridiculously annoying. I decided to call him Nuisance.

"If you don't shut up this second you'll have no arms at all," I said in a steely voice. I turned my attention to the taller man. "As for you, you can either come with me willingly, or I'll be forced to resort to more unpleasant methods. The choice is yours."

"You psychotic piece of shit," he seethed right before lunging at me.

Hard way it was then. Not that I was complaining - it was much more exciting.

I waited until he was right in front me before side-stepping and grabbing his arm and shoulder. With a twist, I flung him so that he spun in the air, landing face first on the forest floor. He got up with a groan, but I could see he wasn't done yet. He crouched low before jumping forward and shifting into a large brown wolf, shredding all of his clothes in the process.

He ran towards me and jumped midair. I stayed in my spot until he was right above me, and then punched his neck, sending him flying backwards.

He was strong, but my royal blood gave me the upper hand.

"50 bucks says you won't even scratch her!" I heard Nuisance scream from somewhere behind me.

I chucked internally. He was amusing.

Pity he had to die.

The wolf stood up and charged at me again. I wasn't even sure what his plan was considering all three of us knew he wasn't going to be winning anytime soon. Maybe he thought the third time's a charm?

Letting out a sigh I pulled out a dagger and ran at him. He was still charging at me, but when we met halfway, he jumped in the air just as I had predicted. I quickly slid under him and thrusted the dagger up into the soft of his belly. I rolled to the side as he came crashing down on the ground, causing the dagger to plunge into him deeper.

I stood up and brushed myself off. Pulling out Hellper, I crouched beside the wolf and lightly cut his paw, willing him to shift back into a paralyzed state.

"Now that was just pathetic," I drawled. "I was hoping this would make up for my missed workout, but it seems today is unlucky for all of us."

I walked over to Nuisance and began to drag him further into the woods. He was yelling and protesting quite loudly, so I gagged him with a cloth to get some mental peace. Once we were far away enough from the ball, I propped him up against a tree before going back to get the other guy.

I grabbed him and began to drag him towards Nuisance. His abdomen was still bleeding from where I had stabbed him; the silver in his system was preventing him from healing.

"Where the fuck are you taking me you little bitch?!" he snarled. "Who the fuck are you? Once the others find out we're missing you'll be as good as dead."

"If you want to keep your tongue I'd suggest you stop talking." I didn't know how important he was to the Reds, but if they noticed him and his friend missing, then I didn't need his talking to give away our location. Plus his voice was giving me a headache.

I dumped him beside Nuisance and stepped back, pulling out Hellper at the same time.

"Now, can one of you explain to me where the fuck you got the idea it was okay to speak about women that way?" My eyes hardened. "Because last I remember, we weren't made for your fucking pleasure so give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't cut off your ballsacks right now."

Nuisance stared at me with wide eyes while the other guy started laughing.

"Is that it?" he snorted. "You're doing all of this because I want to get laid?"

I smiled even though they couldn't see it through my mask.

"You wish that was the only reason I was here because then then I'd let you off easy," I laughed. "I'd simply chop off your tiny little wieners and shove them in your mouths so you can know what it feels like to get your dirty rogue junk against your will."

I squatted down next to him. "No sir, I'm here because I need you to tell me everything you know about the Red pack. I just thought I'd teach you a well-deserved lesson at the same time."

I had done this kind of thing many times. Find a Red. Capture him. Torture him for information. Kill him.

Unfortunately, none of them knew much about the inner workings of the Red pack, meaning my knowledge of them was just as weak. I knew they had a leader, but no one knew what he looked like or what his name was. He might not even be a he. I didn't know if the person responsible for organizing my parent's death was still alive or if they had been replaced by some successor. All I knew was that information within the Red Pack only went up. None of the lower-ranking rogues in the pack knew anything about the leader, or what the pack's plans were.

It was extremely frustrating.

Nuisance began saying something, but it was muffled by the cloth I had placed in his mouth. Not so nicely, I yanked the cloth from his mouth to let him speak.

"We're not telling you anything," he spat. "Now tell me what you did to my body! Why can't I feel anything?"

"I've paralyzed all the muscles you have control over," I spoke, running Hellper over his thigh. "And you'll stay this way unless you start talking. Who do you report to in the Red pack?"

"We don't know anything I swear!"

I stabbed his thigh, twisting the dagger as it sunk into his flesh. He cried out in pain, his eyes slamming shut.

"I'll ask again. Who do you report to?"

"We don't know! We don't know who's in charge. They don't tell us anything," he wailed.

"Who's they?" I pressed, pushing the knife in deeper.

"We don't know! Anytime they need us to do anything they tell us by dropping off an envelope."

"When's the last time you got an envelope?"

"I've never got one, I just know some others have."

I looked at him for a long moment. Something told me Nuisance was telling the truth.

It also made sense. Judging from the way Nuisance behaved, his mediocre strength, and how he gave up to me so quickly, the Red pack knew he was more of a liability than an asset. He would probably only ever receive orders from the pack if a scheme requiring large numbers was to be carried out.

The other guy, however, was being extremely quiet.

He knew something.

I pulled the knife out of Nuisance's leg and turned to the other rogue. "Everything he just said, is it true?"

He gave me a slight nod.

"But you know something more don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said lowly.

"When did you receive your last envelope?" I asked.

"How did you know I got one?"

"I didn't," I shrugged. "But you confirmed my suspicion. So tell me, what did it say?"

"I'm not telling you anything. Stab me all you want, but I won't speak," he snarled.

Stab him? I would do much worse than that.

I  pressed Hellper into his neck, focusing on the blood circulating between his arteries and veins.

"What are you doing? Why the hell am I heating up?" he demanded. A sweat had broken out on his forehead.

"Right now, it just feels like a fever. In 45 seconds, you'll feel like your insides are on fire," I chuckled wickedly. "In two minutes, your blood will boil, burning the walls of your veins and spreading until it melts all of your organs, including your heart, by minute four."

I felt his forehead. He was extremely hot. "I'd say you have about three minutes left until your pathetic life fades away into oblivion. So unless you want me to stop it, I'd suggest you tell me what was in that envelope."

"Dude your arm!" yelled Nuisance.

I looked down to see the taller man's arm speckled with rising and falling bumps.

His blood was bubbling beneath the surface of his skin.

He began to scream in pain.

"You have about two minutes now," I sighed.

"The message was -" he cut himself off to let out another scream of agony.

"The message was ...?" I repeated.

He took a deep breath. "The message was: In two moons time, we attack the last pack."

The last pack? What did that mean?

"What does that mean? Who gave you these orders?"

"I don't know goddamnit!" he cried. "All I know is that the Blood Alpha will be there."

The Blood Alpha.

So that's what the bastard behind all of this called himself.

"And who is the Blood Alpha?" I questioned.

"I don't - AAAAAHHHHHH" he screamed. His blood was clearly spilling into the rest of his body now.

"Do you hear that? It sounded like it was coming from the forest," spoke a deep voice.

I stiffened, realizing there were other Reds nearby. From the sounds of the voice, they were about two minutes away from me. It was time to go.

"Hey! Help u-" I slapped my hand across Nuisance's mouth, glaring at him to shut up.

Looking at the other guy, I knew he was a goner. The blood had boiled through most of his body and I knew he was no longer of use to me.

I put my hands on either side of his head, but just before I twisted them, he spoke.

"Who are you?" he croaked. Nuisance was looking at me with burning curiosity as well.

I paused.

Then I pulled my mask down.

"I'm Freya. Freya Lockehart." Nuisance's eyes widened upon recognition of my name. I grinned.

"Princess and rightful ruler of the werewolf kingdom."

And with that, I snapped both of their necks.