Claws

Chapter One

I closed my amber eyes with a small smile as I stepped off our all-girls Eastern Academy's sailboat, a few of my schoolmates sluggishly following behind me. It was nice to be on land after ten days sailing the sea. The journey was rough and rocky through most of the trip, sending many girls to succumb to seasickness and become bedridden. We had gone through a storm for the first four days, but after that, it was smooth sailing from then on.

It was colder in the east than I remembered. Winter in Erewhon was dry and chilly, unlike the mainland. It was humid down there. In the winter, it would feel like standingezing cold pool rather than a refreshing chill like in my hometown. The fresh scent of pine trees covered the mountains ahead, the green grass that grew even in the winter remained healthy, and the sound of the several waterfalls throughout Erewhon filled my ears. I was home alright.

I missed this. I missed my family. I missed my friends who stayed behind. Omegas, the peacekeepers in our pack, remained in Erewhon, unlike our betas and alphas. They were usually born with goofy natures and kind hearts, whereas alphas were more territorial and instinctual. They were the glue that kept our pack together.

After four years of training to be Erewhon's next leading alpha overseas, I returned at age twenty as an adult, as did the girls who had gone with me to the academy. My wolf form had grown almost twice as large as when I left. My human form had changed quite a bit as well, and I had gained all of the expected traits and abilities of the chief's bloodline while training, such as the ability to subjugate, long, uniquely colored hair—white in my case, and amber eyes.

Throughout my years in training, I passed all of my classes with flying colors, as expected of the chief's only daughter. Gladly, I had brought pride upon my family and pack as I hoped to. The question was, could I do the same as the chief?

"Hey Mae, are you alright?" A voice came up from behind me, making me jump in shock. I turned around to see my lead beta and friend, Jade, frowning in slight concern. "Wow, you're jumpy today. Are you nervous?" She tossed her long black hair over her shoulder and squinted her brown eyes at me with her hands on her curvy hips.

"Does it show?" I sighed in embarrassment, shaking my head. "I need to keep a calm and collected face for the rest of the girls. I'm the one who will lead them home and present them to the rest of the pack. You guys are doing so well. I don't want to be the one who shows up looking like a complete wreck."

"You look just fine, don't worry. If I didn't know you like the back of my hand, I wouldn't be able to tell," she grinned. "Get out of your head! You'll be fine! You've grown so much throughout these four years that it's almost unbelievable."

"In a good way, I hope," I grimaced as she hooked her arm around mine.

"Absolutely. You look like a different person in the best way possible. I don't even think your parents will recognize you at first glance since you've gotten so tall and mature," Jade simply sighed as she pressed her lips together. "With that frame and face of yours, you will have no trouble finding a mate. You're so lucky to be pretty."

"You're saying that like you're not drop-dead gorgeous yourself, which, we both know, is a lie. I would kill to have your russet skin." I scoffed. "And thanks, but I don't feel pretty,"

"After ten days overseas, I doubt anyone does. We really need showers. I can't wait to go home and take a nice hot one," Jade sighed, turning her head to me. "So, once the girls get off the boat, what's the plan?"

"Our village is only thirty minutes away if we run in our Claw forms. I suspect all the girls want to get home as soon as possible, so that's what we'll probably go for. I'll have to ask them before, though. Some may still feel sick from the journey. I want to make sure everyone's okay. If not, we can walk in our Claw forms. That'll only take us an extra thirty minutes to get there, which is not a big deal," I shrugged. "The health and safety of our group is more important than our arrival time anyway."

"Said like a real chief. Good job," Jade smirked, unhooking her arm from mine and backing away. "I'm gonna change into my Claw form if that's okay with you. It's getting cold."

"Go ahead," I nodded as she shut her eyes with a shiver.

Claw's transformation is somewhat of a mixture of shifting and materializing. The first step of Claw transformation begins with a bright, hot light that engulfs our bodies, then removing our clothes underneath so we have room to shift. First comes the ears, then the tail, then the fangs, paws, fur, and lycanthrope structure. It can either occur slowly or, once trained, in seconds.

Jade could transform in seven seconds when taking her time, as she often did for dramatic effect. Her fur consisted of a light shade of brown with a white underbelly and nose, which were what most betas matured appearances were in the East pack. She was agile, although she stood about seven feet tall. 

Her ears perked up when she finished shifting, and she let her tongue loll out of her mouth like a piece of wet pastrami, wagging her long tail back and forth, making a fan. "You better put that thing back in before we get to our village. It's childish. You look like a big cub, not an adult."

Her dark wolf eyes rolled as she put her tongue back in her mouth with more playful wags of her tail. I could tell what she was saying by her body language. "Yes, ma'am."

I grinned and turned around to check and see if all of the girls had gotten off of the ship. To my surprise, they had not only disembarked, but they had separated themselves into alternating lines of alphas and betas, as I usually told them to do when traveling together. The first thing that hit me was a sense of pride. I had taught them well. Good.

"Hello ladies, thank you for all assembling together," I began to speak over the mildly loud sounds of conversing. The moment I spoke, there was immediate silence. "Now, I just want to make sure everyone is okay with the current plan before we all proceed. We'll most likely be running to the village because I know everyone is anxious to see their families, but if your conditions are unstable, I don't want to overexert you. So if anyone feels like they won't be able to run for about thirty minutes, raise your hand."

Luckily, no hands were raised.

"Fantastic, now I'm going to ask everyone to shift. I want to have you all accounted for. Alphas, release some of your pheromones so I can count you all. Betas, do the same."

Pheromones: Chemical substances produced and released into the environment by an animal, affecting the behavior or physiology of others of its species.

Alpha's make the most potent pheromones, each a different fragrance; betas rarely have any, and omegas produce sweet scents. Female pheromones attract males and vice versa, usually playing a massive role in finding a mate, mating, and pairing.

Pheromones are the one thing I disliked as a Claw. They can be used as a source of ecstasy and thrill between the two sexes and are very influential if not kept under control.

The fact that my group and I hadn't been around any males for four years while training was slightly hazardous.

I was in the most danger out of all of the girls due to my hereditary hypersensitivity against pheromones, being a daughter in the chief's bloodline. I was unstable, and that would make finding a mate while also being safe challenging.

What was coming next...who was coming next? I don't think I would have ever expected. Especially not the end game.

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Hey guys! I wanted to try something new and write a first-person novel, so I hope it's not a complete mess! Let me know what you think! I hope y'all enjoy it!!!!^_^