Lottery Arena Genesis

Pack meeting

HAZE

I was in the forest on the outside of our secured pack community. My wolf Arctic, liked to roam around in the quiet of the early mornings. I’d let him take over for a few hours and just sit back in the recesses of his mind. 

Well you’re not doing a very good job of that today. He thought to me, irritated. 

Arctic was an Alpha wolf and going for runs was a good way to work out our frustration from a lack of a mate. Alpha wolves didn’t do well on their own. We needed a mate.  

Father wants to see us today. I thought, ignoring his attitude. 

It’s about the lottery arena. The facility has been completed for weeks now. I bet we’ll be at the top of the list to be selected. He added as he sniffed around, not searching for anything particular.

My father, Felix, wasn’t exactly a friendly man. Even to me, his only child.  He had high expectations for me as I was the future Alpha to be. He’d worked tirelessly to secure our pack borders and protect us from being overtaken by rogues in the first few months after the humans had gone to war and killed each other off. 

My father and Commander Koda had come up with a lottery system for the single male wolves in our pack. Their plan was to put the roughly 700 single males wolves into a lottery system and select just 40 of them to participate within the arena every year. It was the only way to obtain a mate in our pack. Their plan had proven effective, as it made the males extremely productive and overly compliant to my father.

We’d spent the better part of the last two years building the monstrosity that would be the arena. It was 25 square miles in total. My father had decided that just 15 shewolves would be set loose within its wall for the males to vye for, to the death if necessary. My father had told me only the strongest deserved a mate anyway.

The fact that only 15 shewolves would be set loose for the males to capture wasn't common knowledge and was yet to be announced to the pack. Commander Koda’s mate had survived the fallout so my father placed him in charge of the single shewolves, thinking he was a safe choice for the position. I never really cared for him much, he seemed like the kind of wolf that would stab you in the back given the change. 

We better head back. Father will be pissed off if we keep him waiting ahead of the pack meeting tonight. I thought to Arctic.

We took off and about 20 minutes later I was climbing the fence back into our community. I arrived at our pack house to see different ranked pack members and some of the elders coming and going. My father’s Beta was standing in the main hall. His son Drake was a year younger than me and would be my future Beta.

“What's going on, Issac?” I asked him. 

“Where the hell have you been Haze? Your father is in his office and wants to see you right away.” He told me without really answering my question. I walked down the narrow side hall to my father’s office. I knocked just once before entering. My father was behind his desk going through about two dozen different files. 

 He looked up when I entered and stood to grasp arms with me. This was the way male wolves greeted each other with respect. It sort of resembled a hand shake but you held on at the forearm instead of the hand.

“Sit.” he told me as he looked back down at a file that had a pretty black haired girl on the front of it. She looked timid with her bright blue eyes peering out from underneath her thick dark lashes. 

“The Commander and I have decided to push up the Lottery Arena. The facility has been completed for quite some time and we’ve rounded up all the viable shewolves and placed them safely within the barracks.” He told me.

I personally didn't agree with removing the females from the only family they had left. Like so many of us, they weren’t immune to the deaths that had happened with the initial fallout. My father said it was to keep them safe, but to me it felt like we were retraumatizing them all over again. 

“You’ll automatically be within the first group of forty males released within the arena. As the future Alpha it is imperative that you secure a mate.” He told me, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Won’t that cause animosity amongst the other males? Putting me in the front of the line?” I asked, as I continued to stare at the pretty shewolf’s picture. I wondered what her name was.

My father ticked his head up in annoyance. “I’m The Alpha, what I say goes. How many times do I have to tell you that, boy? You need to realize what it takes to keep a pack of this size in line or you’ll never be Alpha.” he said, looking back down.

My father and I had always had a difficult relationship. But the older I got the more strained it became. I felt like I was constantly disappointing him. I stood to leave the office, it seemed like he was done with me anyway. 

“Haze? I expect you to capture and claim a shewolf within the arena. She better be compliant too. Do not come home empty handed, do you understand me son? I won’t settle for anything else from you.” He said so firmly and calmly a chill ran down my spine.

“Yes, Sir.” I told him before standing back up.

“Go get cleaned up. We’ll be making the announcement tonight at the pack meeting. I’ll fill you in on the inspection process before the meeting tonight. ” he added.

Arctic peaked up in my mind. “Inspection process?” I couldn’t help but ask. 

“Don’t worry about it now, go and do as I say.” He said, motioning his hand for me to exit his office.  

Inspection process? What did he mean by that? I thought to Arctic. 

I’m not sure, maybe he wants the males inspected to make sure they are healthy enough to vye for the shewolves? He thought back. But something in my gut told me that wasn’t it. I knew it had to do with the females. 

I pray to our Goddess Thais that we find a willing shewolf, Arctic. I don’t want to take any female against her will... we won’t have a choice. I thought as I climbed the stairs two at a time to my room. I needed to shower and get ready for the pack meeting.  

SKY

I’d been in the barracks for about a week now. I wasn’t adjusting well, but I was still doing better than Amaris was. She constantly tried to escape the compound. The Commander had even placed two guards on 24 hour watch just to ensure she didn’t slip by anyone. 

Watching her struggle was exhausting, I was envious of the endless fight that seemed to be inside of her. I mostly just felt depressed and defeated. I just wanted to see my brother, Valerian again. I could only imagine how sick with worry he was. 

During Amaris’ most recent bloody fight with the guards, she sustained a split lip. The guards weren’t supposed to hit her back, but I think this particular male had more than enough of her wailing on him. 

She sat next to me on my cot, holding an ice pack to her mouth. “How can you be so compliant? Don’t you want to get out of here?” Amaris asked me after pulling the ice pack away from her mouth and tossing it into a trash bin nearby. 

“And go where?” I asked her, searching her eyes. “They aren’t going to let us roam around the pack. So the only other option is to leave our pack. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to be captured by rogues who will do only God knows what to us.” I told her truthfully. 

Of course I wanted my freedom, but I knew I was never going to get it; not by running away at least. She sighed and lowered her head into her hands. A very un-Amaris sign of defeat. “Fine, I'll stop trying to escape our barracks. But I’m never going to let a male take me against my will. Never.” She said firmly.   

I was about to agree with her when our barrack alarm sounded. It wasn’t meal time or time to wake up for the day. Those were the only times I’d heard it go off before. Just as I was about to ask Amaris if she knew what was going on, Ms. Anne scruddied through the metal door of our barrack with the Commander right behind her. 

Great. What does he want now? Azul thought to me. 

I’m not sure, but everytime he shows himself something awful happens or he’s dragging some poor new girl through the doors. I thought back to her.

“Ladies. The Alpha and the Commander have an announcement.” Ms. Anne said just as The Alpha strolled through the doors. This was the first time I’d seen him here in our barrack. 

“I hope you ladies are finding the accommodations comfortable. It’s important to us that the shewolves are looked after properly in our pack. If you have any concerns or you’ve experienced any mistreatment; the Commander and I are available to meet with you. All you need to do is ask.” The Alpha said as he slowly looked around the room, taking in each of the 12 shewolves that lived here. Amaris scuffed out loud when he mentioned any mistreatment.  When his eyes reached me, his eyebrows ticked up just slightly. If I hadn’t been intently watching his facial expressions, I would've missed it. 

What do you think that was about? Azul thought to me. I could feel the hackles on her back start to rise in my mind. 

“You ladies need to get dressed in your provided red dresses and accompany the guards and Ms. Anne to the town square. We’ll be having a pack meeting shortly to discuss the plans for our great pack. I’d like you all to be present to hear what we have come up with.” The Alpha said as he eyed me one more time before exiting our barracks just as quickly as he came.

“Do you know what they have planned?” I whispered to Amaris as I started gathering my dress from the trunk at the end of my cot. 

“No. But I’d bet my freedom that whatever it is, it’s not going to be good for us. They built that arena with a purpose, Sky. If you’re smart, you’ll start running daily with me.” Amaris said as she slammed her trunk shut. 

“Running? Why would we need to run daily?” I chanced asking her.

“Because that arena is huge, and they are going to put us in it. I don’t know exactly what they have planned, but I know that no one is taking me.” She said before she started to strip.