As my little pack began to confront the revelation that we may be broken up, Bella couldn't help but speak up.

"HAHA! You lose! We're free!" She looked over at me with openly burning hatred in her eyes, then looked excitedly at Shemira. Shemira looked back at Bella, aghast and almost confused. As a sort of painful silence settled across the confused onlookers, Bella began to lose her composure.

"I-I-I-I mean that... Shemira, you're going to take over, right? A new, better pack?" Bella looked on with desperation as Shemira avoided eye contact.

I stepped forward and began to speak with steel in my voice. "Shemira, have you been plotting a usurpation of my rank?"

She quickly shook her head, denying it. "No, I have come to accept my place in your swarm, Alpha."

"Then do you defend the actions of this one?"

She snorted derisively. "I have never given her any reason to think that I would rebel against you. She is a fool."

"Good for you. Beta, Gamma." Took stood at attention and Sybil spoke authoritatively, "Yes, Alpha?" Bella began to quail under the intense gazes of the swarm, and realized that things were going completely contrary to her expectations.

"Do you see any value in her as a member of our swarm?"

"No, Alpha." Sybil spoke seriously, but I could see a hint of schadenfreude in her eyes. Took shook her head no.

"Then. Redael, do you see any value in this one as a member of your swarm?"

He laughed, and in his actions, I again saw the chained beast inside him as the entirety of adult population of the swarm took a step back in fear. His laugh was raspy, grating, and didn't convey humor or happiness, but a sadistic contempt. "It isn't often that a fool makes it to adulthood here, and they don't live long. Do what you want."

I sighed internally. I really didn't like this part of keelish society, but I was finding myself falling more and more in line with conventional keelish thinking. "Took, kill her."

With an unfeeling look on her face, Took began to purposefully stride towards the panicking Bella, who was looking for mercy from any member of the swarm. She found no emotions other than contempt and bloodlust. Before she could come to the decision to try to save herself, Took closed in quickly, slapped Bella strongly across the face with her tail, and, while Bella laid on the floor, concussed, Took ripped Bella's head from her shoulders.

The idiot could have lived, if she hadn't publicly spit in the face of authority right after being told that rule number 1 of keelish society was to respect and listen to authority. Again, I internally sighed at her stupidity, but, the cynical part of my brain simply thought, she really wasn't offering anything to the swarm, and my current options for growth weren't based off of numbers so much as percentages, so I wasn't getting anything personally from her continued existence anyways.

Took raised her head, blood dripping from her jaws, and stepped back into line. I turned back to Redael. "We understand your authority and respect it. I also won't prohibit any from leaving my pack." I purposefully didn't call it a swarm. "I thank you for the opportunity, however, to show that I am not weak in my convictions. As a demonstration of my gratitude, take this prey," I gestured at the still bleeding corpse of what was Bella, "and do with it what you will."

Redael growled in what must have been a satisfied manner, and Rulac briefly gestured to a smaller male in the corner, who quickly came and recovered the corpse before going down a nearby hallway. Redael then spoke again.

"You, Alpha, come with me."

I looked up at Redael, and he nodded shallowly then turned to go down into his personal area. I followed.

Unsure of what to expect, I entered gingerly, ready to defend my life. A swell of magical warmth began to press to my throat, left arm, and tail while I prepared myself to attempt to kill this creature almost certainly more powerful than I. Fortunately, when I entered, I only saw Redael looking at me, almost pensively.

"I'll tell you the same thing I've told every bright-eyed Alpha who's made it to adulthood: I understand you want to take over from me. I'll welcome your challenge at any time, but know that it will be the last time you are able to make that request of me--only one will leave the Bloodletting grounds alive." As he spoke, his menacing presence gradually began to press against me, threatening to stifle my rationality. I began to feel my resolution slip, and in the corner of my eye, I saw the notification I knew was coming--[True Dominance skill is being exerted on you. Due to your [System] advantages, you resist. However, it is advised that you leave the influence of the True Dominance skill as soon as safely possible.]

In a moment of desperation and what seemed to be a flash of brilliance, I activated [Bloodlust]. I felt my eyes widen, and I involuntarily exhaled heavily while I stood taller. I realized that I now looked Redael almost exactly in the eye, just a hair shorter than he. His scarred face grinned back at me rallying myself. "Good, you won't cave to that. I hope you become strong enough to challenge me for real." He turned away from me, and it quickly became apparent that this was his manner of dismissing me. I was walking out when I heard his last words, "Talk to Rulac--you'll want to hear what he has to say."

I was a little confused, but I decided to listen to Redael's advice. I walked out and quickly found my swarm waiting for me, Took obviously had her hackles raised, while Sybil was looking around curiously, but in a relaxed manner, as if she were inspecting an interesting lizard or viewing the spawnlings' training. With a confident nod to the group, I approached Rulac. He nodded back and gestured for me to come close.

"Look, I think you might have the beginnings of an Alqat in you, but that's not why you're here. Things are going to change in a big way, and soon."

"And why is that?"

"There's another type of predator that we've seen signs of around here, one that you've never seen before. They'll try their best to root us out as a whole, exterminate us, like vermin." I was getting a bad feeling about this. I was right.

"They're called humans, and we need to get ready for war."