Red Mark of Fate
"What's that smell?" Taiga asked her brusquely cutting her off. "What?" She could tell her brother was angry. This surprised her. He almost never got angry with her. What was his problem she thought. "Also where did you get this sweater. I don't remember ever seeing you wearing it." He asked again. Megumi could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She started to panic but quickly composed herself, putting on a poker face. "A friend let me borrow it okay, its not a big deal, get off my case." She said shrugging him off. But his grip on her arm got tighter. "No, that smell. It doesn't smell like Rin and I know you don't have any other friend's so who is it?" "What? Rude! I have other friends!" She said feeling offended, despite his words being the truth. " I swear to God Megumi, don't lie to me. Who gave this to you because the smell coming out of you is the scent of a prey, and a deer no less." Megumi cursed inwardly. She forgot how good her brother's sense of smell was. It almost rivalled her own. Megumi didn't bother trying to hide it, she couldn't lie to her brother anyway. "So what if it is? Where's the problem in that?" Her words seemed to anger her brother even more. "Where's the problem in that?! Megumi are you serious?" "Do you not realize how dangerous this is?" Megumi looked at him confused. Taira couldn't help sighing seeing how genuinely lost his sister was. "Having a deer's scent on you is a form of marking Megumi. It's a form of submission for wolves!" This revelation shocked Megumi almost beyond repair. "How can a wolf submit to its prey?!" In what world did that make sense? ************************************************************************************************** Megumi Ahane, born into a wealthy family and blessed with wolf genes resents the life she has to live. In a world where you are either prey or predator, Megumi finds herself in a conflicting position where she has to choose between rejecting the genes she was born with or giving in to fate. ************************************************************************************************** Note: This story takes place in a modern setting but has some fantastical elements to it. There are a couple of twists and turns as well as some betrayal but overall there's not too much toxicity between the protagonist and the male lead. This story is both short and sweet.
11. Yume = Dream
Then switch partners!" Taiga exclaimed.
"Wait, how is a prey even in your class? I mean I know Teiho isn't exclusively for predators anymore but having a prey? Isn't that risky?"
Megumi started to feel annoyed. All this prey and predator talk was starting to piss her off.
"What does him being a prey have anything to do with him being at our school? He got in because he had the grades to get in, what's the problem with that?" She spat.
Taiga looked at her incredulously. "I mean its good that he has the grades but going to a school that only has predators must be tough for him right?"
Megumi's mouth twitched realizing that she had overreacted.
"Look, I always knew that you had an aversion to your animal genes and hated the special treatment you got just because yours were superior. It sucks that some people are put down because of something they can't control, but you have to understand that this is the reality we live in. No matter how smart this person may be, he's weak compared to the strong predators around him. He's basically a frail bunny surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves." He said honestly.
"...Nothing's happened to him though. Everyone's been treating him well." She argued.
He's also not as weak as you think, she thought, thinking back at the race he had against Inoue.
Taiga tilted his head to the side, looking at her intently. He was astounded by how naive his little sister was. Though she might've been book smart and blessed with incredible intelligence, she knew nothing of the real world. He could only blame their parents for letting her live such a sheltered life.
But he couldn't pass judgment on her considering how he would've been the same had he not exposed himself to the world early on.
"It might not seem apparent now but trust me it's there. There's more to this than meets the eye after all."
"It can't be helped that you guys will be working with each other, but never work alone, make sure there's always people around."
Megumi couldn't help but roll her eyes at her brother. He was being way too cautious and paranoid. Nothing was going to happen and they would be fine. She hadn't felt any attraction for anyone ever in her life. She always turned people away because she could never tell if they genuinely liked her for who she was or for her status.
The only person she let get close to her was Rin. So she wasn't worried in the slightest.
Taiga left and the exhaustion she had felt finally caught up to her and she fell asleep.
That night, Megumi had a vivid dream. She was in a dark and gloomy forest with only the tiniest bit of light peeking through the trees. Although she wasn't there physically, she felt a cold and damp sensation all over her body.
Taking in her surroundings and not seeing anything in sight, she made her way deeper into the forest. She didn't know why, but her senses were telling her that she needed to keep walking. What she was looking for was straight ahead.
Megumi kept walking and although the forest had a sinister feeling to it, she didn't feel like she was in danger. Just as she made it to the heart of the forest, she caught sight of movement in her peripheral vision. She quickened her pace, trying her best not to lose sight of whatever was there.
She could finally see some light ahead and the sight she came across made her freeze. A deer with light brown fur stood there gazing ahead. Megumi cautiously made her way towards it, trying not to make any sounds so she wouldn't startle it. But her eyes were so focused on the deer that she didn't see the twig in front of her and ended up stepping on it.
The sound of a twig snapping in half startled the deer and it's gaze was now on her. The deer's serene expression vanished instantly and was now replaced with panic and fear. Looking at the deer, Megumi could see her reflection through its eyes. But what she saw wasn't her usual alabaster skin and milky coloured hair, she instead saw the head of a white wolf with piercing red eyes.
Confused, Megumi looked down at her hands and instead of seeing her manicured nails, she was seeing claws.
She was in the body of a wolf. She looked back at the deer that had been frozen on the spot. As she gazed at it, she could feel her body trembling and her blood boiling. She felt a searing pain on the side of her neck. As she reached out to touch it, the deer suddenly took off.
Startled, Megumi ignored the pain she was feeling and tried to run after it. As she was gaining on the deer, a huge wolf appeared before her stopping Megumi in her tracks.
The wolf towered over her, it was approximately 3 meters tall with jet black fur and menacing blue eyes.
The wolf looked down at her and without opening it's mouth it said, "Turn back child. It is not your time." It then reached down to touch her and Megumi was jolted awake.