It was a beautiful morning to wake up to.

The rain was pounding the rooftops, lightning was flashing left and right, and thunder rumbled every few minutes like my stomach when I hadn't tasted blood in a long time. Not just any blood though, the blood of those who betrayed me, my enemies.

It was why some called me cruel and insane, but in my eyes, I saw a realistic and practical wolf.

We lived in a world where those who have the hunger have the most power. I hungered to have complete control over my kind, to be the one who led them to victorious pursuits around the world.

That hunger hasn't died. It has continued to rumble in my stomach, and no food or blood will ever satiate it.

Until the werewolf species had flourished to their full potential, I was not going to stand still. I would fight until the Moon Goddess granted me my last breath.

I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt back up and started walking back to the house, relishing in the raindrops that soaked through the thin cloth and pierced my skin with their iciness. The best kind of rain was the kind that hurt. It was like having a reality check or a sudden epiphany.

When I reached the back door, I could hear my cooks running around frantically, trying to get my breakfast set up before I sat down at the table. They knew I was picky about waiting for my food.

I decided to give them a few more seconds before I stepped through the door because I knew they wouldn't be able to function properly when I did enter.

They would be too busy trembling with fear.

Their goal was to avoid me at all costs, dropping the food off and running, which is what they did.

When I finally stepped in after having some mercy on them, it was quiet and no wolf was in my line of vision.

I walked across the silent kitchen calmly and sat down at the table, eyeing all the food in front of me with a blank expression.

It may not look like it, but I liked tasting different foods around the world. It was one of the two pleasures I allowed myself to indulge in that did not have to do with werewolf prosperity.

I dug into my meal and grunted at the explosion of flavor. My cooks may act like headless chickens, but they knew how to put together a good meal.

"Alrik!"

Unfortunately for me, my meal was about to be interrupted by my commander. She marched into the kitchen and took a seat beside me.

"Good morning, Alrik."

I grunted again.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a plate for herself, "As charming as ever, I see."

"Commander Reece, if you have nothing useful to say, then stop chattering and eat the food you have stolen from me."

"Lucky for you, I do have some useful things to say," she huffed, pulling up a checklist on her phone, "Five rogues were found on the eastern border. They are–"

"Commander, you should know the routine by now. Behead them. Heads on the rogue wall."

Her eyes narrowed, "I. Wasn't. Finished!"

Unlike all other wolves, Commander Reece was not afraid to talk back to me and was the only wolf I would allow to do so. She was a childhood friend that I treated as an annoying little sister. So my respect for her stemmed from those memories and her ability to take charge of my pack warriors.

"Alrik, these rogues are children."

I stopped chewing and frowned at her passionate statement, "So?"

"So? SO? How can you sit there so calmly and ask me to behead children?"

"I never said behead them. I meant that this was another useless piece of information you didn't need to tell me. There's a routine for rogue children as well that you seem to have forgotten. Send them to the doctor for health checks. If they're healthy, they are able to start training and schooling. Otherwise, they are nursed back to health before they start. This isn't rocket science, Commander. Where is that brain you like to brag about?"

She glared at me intensely before turning to her list once again, "The Minister called."

"Tell him that I'm not coming to his useless annual meetings. If necessary, I'll send Beta Conrad to tell him in person that the werewolves have no problems that need to be addressed and that we don't care about the other species. They can take care of themselves."

"He said it was vital that you attend this meeting because what he plans to discuss may affect werewolves greatly."

"Really?" I drawled sarcastically.

"Really. I say it wouldn't hurt to go and see what he wants to say. If ten minutes in, you think it's a waste of time, you can leave."

"The Minister likes to talk for hours, Commander. Ten minutes isn't enough for him to even finish greeting all of us. He needs an hour at least to even state what the problem is."

"Well, go for an hour then. I can handle things here. He really sounded worried this time, Alrik. You have to go."

My wolf rose for the first time this morning, shaking his fur out and growling a little.

His reaction to Reece's plea was abnormal. He would usually nod along to everything I said, but today, he was standing up and growling, as if he wanted to side with her.

I stopped eating and pursed my lips.

My wolf wanted to go to the meeting? That was a first on his part.

He let out another low growl and stomped his paws to get his point across.

"Fine," I sighed, "I'll go, but tell Beta Conrad that he'll be coming with me."

Reece smiled broadly and got up from her seat, "I have to tell the Minister you're going. Bye Alrik!"

I grunted in reply.

The stupid meeting had better be worth it.