My stomach rolled, a combination of too much food and guilt. I barely made it to the garbage can before my second reversal of the morning. I felt Nurse Theresa holding my hair back as I vomited the little food I had in my stomach.
"I didn't mean for her to die," I said after I wiped my face with the paper towel she handed me.
"The Alpha doesn't want anyone who has been inside the base getting away," she replied. "Something about security risks."
I let her lead me back to the table. "You need to take your time eating. Juices, some cereal, maybe some scrambled eggs. I want you to wait two minutes between bites to ensure your stomach can handle it."
I went back to my plate. "Third time is the charm, right?" The guards were leaving us alone. "Will I get you into trouble by talking to you?"
"You don't understand the power you already have," Theresa told me. "They all know you are Cole's mate, thus the future Luna of the Pack. Three days after his bite and you will take your place. They won't defy Alpha Cole's orders for you, but they will do what you ask out of respect for your position."
"I haven't taken it yet."
She laughed. "That doesn't matter. You stood toe to toe with the Alpha multiple times and didn't back down. You stood up for Pack members, defending one, then taking a beating in your defiance."
"She was their slave, Theresa. She's not a Pack member."
"Am I just a slave? I'm a nurse. I work with the Pack Doctor. I've gained respect for my skills and contributions to the health of us all. Doctor Pine asked for my consent this morning, and will go to the Alpha for permission when he returns tonight."
"You want to become one of them?"
She nodded. "I was the nurse in the base clinic the night of their attack. They brought in a dozen women and two of their warriors, both of which had bullet wounds. I can't ignore the evidence I've seen of their healing capabilities, not to mention the enhanced senses and longer life expectancy. I recognize their kind is far more likely to survive the radiation and operate at night. I want the same for myself."
The conversation helped me get more food in. Theresa knew that as a nurse, she would have a status equal to a Warrior in the Pack hierarchy. "You haven't seen the surface for five days, Angela. When you arrived, they found dozens of women a night. Now? It's ten or less. Half of them have to be killed because they are blind and suffering from radiation sickness, and I don't have the resources to save them. Humans can't operate at night, and they can't survive the day. The fires and fighting are killing the ones who survived the first two weeks of this shit."
"How bad is it?"
She let out a sigh. "The Puget Sound region had four point six million people as of the 2020 census. If I had to guess based on what I've seen and heard? If there are forty-six thousand still alive, we'd be doing well. Seattle and the suburbs burned, and most homes around here don't have basements. We are in the best possible situation to survive by attaching ourselves to this Pack, whether we like it or not."
"So you're all right with them breeding slaves?"
She let out a sigh. "It's better than the alternative. These women would be dead or dying otherwise. At least here, they have food, shelter, medical care, work, and a future. They can live a full life."
I rolled my eyes. "They just don't understand how good they have it as breeders," I said sarcastically.
"No, they don't. Not yet. You need to help these women to accept their place, Angela. They are the lowest in the Pack now, but that can change. They will have children that they can raise to be full members, even if they don't take the change like me. The beatings can only keep them in check for so long, and you know the price for disrespect. An attack on a werewolf is punishable by death. You are the only one who can bridge the gap."
It was a lot to take in. I'd been so worried about how to approach the wolves that I hadn't considered the humans. What was in THEIR best interest? Many wanted to escape, but leaving meant almost certain death. How could I convince them to swallow their anger? How could I gain their loyalty while taking a spot at the top of the Pack that enslaved them?
It was enough to make my head hurt. Theresa left after verifying I was keeping some food down, and I finished eating thirty minutes later. I felt better now, and I was ready to get going. "Change of plans," I said to my guards. "Instead of going back to work in the warehouse, I want to visit all the places the breeders are working. I need them to see me and talk to me."
"Those aren't our orders," one objected.
"Then get permission from Luna Melanie." A quick mental conversation, and she nodded. Our first stops were the kitchen and laundry. After that, it was time to break for lunch. I insisted on helping with service like the other humans, which made the wolves nervous. The Alpha wasn't here, and none of them would look me in the eye while I poured juice or served food.
When the wolves left, I ate with the other humans. A quick count showed there were three hundred and thirty-eight of us here. When we finished eating, I asked the guards to leave the room. "We are under orders to protect you," she objected.
"You'll be outside, and I don't need protection from my fellow breeders," I said as I held my tattooed hand out. "They won't talk to me honestly with werewolves around."
"They are supposed to get back to work!"
"And I need time with them. If you need to, ask the Alpha or Luna to come and talk to me. This is important."
The guard went into a mental conversation, which ended when she motioned for the other guards to follow her outside the dining hall. When the doors closed, I asked all the Breeders to gather around me. "Good afternoon. My name is Midshipman First Class Angela Summers. I'll tell you my story before I ask for yours." I paused and looked around the sea of faces. "I was at sea on the USS Maine when everything went to hell. We lost radio and satellite communications right away. Every ship we came across was a floating tomb. I volunteered with one other Midshipman to go ashore and attempt to contact someone in our Chain of Command."
"How long ago was this?"
"Six days ago, we landed to the west of Port Townsend. The residents of the coastal area were already dead from the radiation exposure. We hid under a cliff for a day, then paddled a sea kayak around to get to this base. Port Townsend is nearly gone from fire, and it's not the only one. I think the big glow in the distance was Seattle burning."
"The downtown was gone before then. The suburbs are burning now," another woman said. "I saw it from Silverdale. Bremerton was burning when I left there four days ago."
Others nodded in agreement. "Survivors are building fires to work at night, and if they get away, it's not like the fire department will come," another added.
"We landed our kayak at the docks and went into the administration building. We missed the battle, finding only one survivor who died shortly after. The werewolves had looted the armory and killed everyone else."
"Not everyone," a woman in the back replied. "After our surrender, they took a bunch of us women out in trucks."
