Shadows In The Pack
1063 Words
The mark on Anong's arm had not faded. It stayed, black and sharp like a warning.
The next morning, the whole pack noticed it. As she walked past warriors, some looked at her with new eyes. Not friendly, not welcoming—just... different. Like she was no longer invisible.
But she didn’t want their eyes.
She wanted answers.
She found Orasa in the training yard, sharpening a blade. The older woman’s arms were strong, her eyes even stronger.
“Why did they mark me?” Anong asked.
Orasa didn’t stop her hands. “To protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
She paused, then said, “From other Alphas. From wolves who don’t follow rules. From being claimed."
Anong frowned. “Claimed? I’m not property.”
Orasa raised a brow. “You think all wolves follow rules like Phayu? There are others who take what they want. You’re lucky he gave you a mark.”
Anong hated that word. Lucky.
But she said nothing. She turned and walked back to the house. As she crossed the field, she saw a group of young wolves watching her. One of them, a boy with light brown eyes and a smug face, stepped forward.
“You’re the human girl,” he said.
Anong kept walking.
“Don’t be rude,” he said, moving in front of her. “I just want to know what you did to get the Alpha’s protection.”
She glared at him. “Nothing. I didn’t ask for it.”
“So he just marked you for fun?” he smirked. “You must be special. Or maybe you just warmed his bed.”
Before she could speak, a shadow moved behind the boy. Phayu.
He grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and dragged him away from her.
“Learn respect,” Phayu said, his voice calm but cold. “She is under my protection. You speak to her like that again, you won’t walk for a week.”
The boy nodded quickly, fear washing over his face. Then he ran.
Phayu turned to Anong. “You alright?”
She nodded. “He was just a boy.”
“Even boys must learn,” he said. “Come with me.”
She followed him silently through the trees, away from the main houses. They walked in silence until they reached a small stream. The air was cooler here. Birds chirped lazily above.
Phayu sat on a flat rock. “Sit.”
She hesitated, then obeyed.
He looked at her, not speaking at first. Then, “Do you know why I brought you here?”
“To scare me?”
“No,” he said. “To explain.”
She looked at him, her arms crossed.
He leaned forward. “You think I’m your enemy. Maybe I am. But you’re in my territory now, and whether you like it or not, you’re in the middle of something bigger.”
“Like what?”
He looked up at the sky, then back at her. “Another Alpha wants war. Not just over land, but blood. I marked you to keep you safe from that. Because if they think you’re mine, they won’t take you.”
Anong's stomach tightened. “So I’m a tool.”
He didn't answer.
That said enough.
She stood up. “Thank you for the truth. But next time, ask before you burn something into my skin.”
She walked away.
---
Back at her room, Anong sat on her bed, staring at the mark. Her skin had healed, but the pain inside her chest remained. She felt alone. Not just as a human among wolves, but as someone who didn’t belong anywhere.
Her village had turned their backs on her. This place saw her as a burden, or worse, a threat.
And the Alpha?
He was more than just a wolf. There was something behind his eyes. A weight. A story.
She wanted to hate him.
But she also wanted to understand him.
That night, she had a dream. She stood in a forest, the trees tall and dark. Wolves howled around her. One stepped forward—Phayu. His eyes were gold, burning like fire.
He reached out, and when she touched his hand, everything turned to smoke.
She woke up sweating.
---
In the days that followed, the pack grew restless. Meetings were held. Guards increased. Anong saw warriors training more, sharpening weapons, running drills.
Something was coming.
One evening, while helping in the kitchen, she overheard two women whispering.
“I heard Alpha Kiet is planning something.”
“Phayu won’t back down.”
“But we have the girl now. If she’s hurt, it could start a war.”
Anong froze.
She stepped outside quietly and went to her room. She stared out the window for a long time.
She didn’t want to be the reason for a war.
She didn’t want to be anyone’s excuse.
---
Later that night, there was a soft knock at her door.
She opened it to find Phayu.
He held a small pouch. “Herbs. For your arm.”
She took it and nodded. “Thank you.”
He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
“Wait.”
He paused.
“Do you really think war is coming?” she asked.
He looked at her, his face unreadable. “Yes.”
“Because of me?”
“Partly. But not only you.”
She stepped back. “Then let me go. Send me away. Maybe that will stop it.”
He shook his head. “If I send you away, they’ll just hunt you. And without this mark, no one will stop them."
Anong swallowed hard.
“So I stay here like a shield?”
“You stay alive,” he said quietly.
He left her there, standing in the doorway, holding the herbs with shaking hands.
---
That night, she didn’t dream.
She lay awake, thinking of her village, of her mother’s hands, of the stream behind their house. She thought of freedom.
And she thought of Phayu.
Not as an Alpha.
But as a man.
A man who had made her a prisoner.
A man who also tried to keep her safe.
She didn’t know what to feel.
But she knew this: everything was changing.
And she would not stay quiet for long.
- Writer
