Life in a wolf pack is dangerous, baby.

"Wait, what?" Seth stared at the older male wide-eyed. She had expected many things to go wrong, but the sole problem being her gender never crossed her mind.

"Your name is Seth, right?" The same man questioned her, wondering if the woman had entered the wrong door. Perhaps she had to join the kitchen workers, which still didn't make any sense since they had more than enough people in the kitchen.

"It is. I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect, sir, but you messed up, didn't you? Heard the name and automatically assumed that I would be a man, so it was safe territory to make the decision. Honestly, I don't see any problem - just because I am a woman doesn't mean that I work any less than men. I can do as much for as many hours as any man would do. If you had a look at my resume, you'd see that I've done plenty of jobs that were labeled as work only men would do." Seth stood with her back straight, and head held high as she spoke.

She didn't travel for hours and definitely didn't sleep in that sketchy motel to get fired before showing everyone how hard of a worker she was.

"Young lady, understand us, we have nothing against your gender, but this job offer was meant to be taken by a man. You see, this event is quite big of a deal, sure you know why. As our experience has shown - we have to keep women away from the main premises. Especially gorgeous ladies, such as yourself. Most Alpha males will be unmated ones. If I remember correctly, about ninety-five percent of them. So, when those men face beautiful women, they might forget the main priority. This year, we want to see a real fight, many men will do anything for the title, but if the majority ends up distracted - the five mated percent of men have bigger chances. We see it as an unfair game; therefore, the staff members who work around those Alphas are men. We have nothing against you, your gender, or charm, but this is the thing we shall follow. I hope you understand." His voice was calm and charming.

Seth did understand why the Council had made the decision. It was more than evident that those men cared for a fair fight; everyone should have equal chances.

"I do understand that, and I think that you are doing a great job here. I guess I'll take my leave. Thank you for sharing your time with me, gentlemen." Seth smiled, slightly bowed her head, and turned around, heading for the massive library door.

"Miss, wait!" Another man spoke from behind her.

He was older than the man, who explained how the situation was, yet his rushed steps made him look like a young man.

Seth turned around and raised an eyebrow, wondering what was happening. One of them just told her the main reason why she couldn't work there, but this one wouldn't let her leave as fast as she wanted.

"Listen, Dorian. We don't have enough time to find a new server since we already accepted this young lady. The games start tomorrow; right now, most Alphas are arriving and we need her more than ever. I might have an idea of how to go with it. You're a woman, but I couldn't catch a single hint of your scent. A puma shifter, right? I heard only your kind could walk around and never get caught by the trace of scent. I find it fascinating, really. Majestic and mysterious creatures, indeed." The elder man approached her, silently observing Seth.

For some reason, his gaze didn't seem filled with hatred - he was genuinely fascinated by her nature.

"Yes, sir," Seth whispered under her breath. Cats and dogs had been enemies for centuries, and her going there - facing a crowd of dogs wasn't the greatest idea. Every other person in the library had to understand how much courage it took for her to meet them.

"Excellent! Young lady, would you be able to change the tone of your voice a little? Let's say to sound deeper, lower, a little more like a manly voice would sound?" The same man questioned her, gaining everyone's interest. All Council members now stared at him, not the cat shifter in front of them.

"I mean, I could try, but if it doesn't sound manly enough - I can always say that I'm an Omega. They do have pretty feminine voices if I'm not mistaken." Seth tried to justify her inability to pretend to be a man.

She had tried a couple of times, just to mess around with Anton's exes - that was how she found out about Omegas. One of his exes was a wolf shifter; the man instantly assumed that Anton's new toy had to be an Omega twink since most of them were so feminine.

"See, gentlemen, that's what I'm talking about. This young lady had enough courage to face us, and she had gathered some critical information about the ranking system in the packs. So, my idea is pretty simple, and I'm sure we could pull it off. Since Seth would be staying in one of the cabins - she would have absolute privacy, making our task even easier. How would you feel about dressing up as a man? We, of course, would double the payment if you succeed." The man spoke eagerly, nearly acting as if the idea excited him more than coming up with a solution for their situation.

The Council members voiced their opinions while Seth was left aside, thinking if she could pull off what he was asking for her to do.

What if someone found out that she was a woman - would it put her in any danger? Nobody could predict the reaction of those Alphas, yet who knew if there would be any. Not like they could be upset over a woman pretending to be a man.

The arguments men pointed out were very much valid - the Alphas could go crazy over having a woman around. The dominant men were more than known for their behavior whenever a situation of high stress occurred. For most of them, sex was a way to eliminate negative emotions, pressure, and anxiety. There were rumors that some Alpha blood men had raped pack women a few years ago. It was a dangerous life among those beasts, even for those of their own.

"We finally agreed," one of the men growled, bringing Seth out of the bubble of thoughts.

She took a glance at the silver-haired man, for a second admiring his beauty. It was wrong to stare at them; none of the high-rank wolves took it kindly; therefore, Seth had to be careful.

"So, young lady, would you take the job offer if we would ask for you to dress up as a man? Every one of us agreed to increase the payment if it's necessary." The kind Council member approached Seth once again, taking her hand in his.

She eyed everyone, wondering if she could. Everyone in the library seemed to be so intimidating -she had no idea if she could fake their aura. The safest way would be playing as an Omega, but that still put her at risk - she couldn't know how many Alphas could be gay or bisexual. It did happen quite often; some of the high-rank wolves took men as their mates.

If she had a choice - she would take some time to think everything through; perhaps, answering by the next morning, but that would be too late. Seth had to make the decision now, in front of all those powerful men that scared the living shit out of her. Especially the silver fox, he was the worst one - watching her as if she was prey.

She took a deep breath and finally spoke up: "I'll do it, can't say no to such a generous offer after all. I'm here to earn money, and if I can get more - I'm in." She smiled, watching how the elder's face lit up in excitement. He shook her hand and grinned, calling out for the guards to join them.

Within a minute, Seth left the library, bidding her goodbyes to the Council and following two giant wolves. The men were ordered to walk her to the cabin she would be staying at for the next couple of weeks.

Usually, the games didn't go on for too long - perhaps a week or so. But this time it would be different - far more Alphas were joining this year, so the Council assumed that the games would last from two to four weeks. Probably a day or two more, if the competition was too huge, but Seth didn't care.

She was offered a generous amount of money in the first place, and now they would double her pay - only a fool would back out.

The guards stopped by a small, cozy-looking cabin near the woods. "Miss, this is the cabin Council has assigned for your stay," the guard announced, handing her a set of keys. "They gave three sets of keys for this cabin in case any gets lost. You can hide one set somewhere close, so if anything, you could get back at any time. Within an hour, one of the maids will bring you dinner and some sets of outfits, makeup, and shoes. Each morning one of the maids will be assigned to you - to help with the change of appearance. Leaving the cabin is allowed only if you follow the Council's rules, which would be dressed as a man. Trust me; it is more for your safety than the safety or sanity of those Alphas. We installed a phone, so if you need snacks or some help while off duty, you can call the main kitchen, and the staff would help you. If you have any questions, feel free to voice them now, we won't be allowed near the cabin unless your life or well-being would be in danger," the guard kept talking so fast, Seth nearly caught on to all of his words.

She had an idea that there was no way she would leave the cabin looking like a woman, but at least she could be herself for as long as she was hidden behind a closed door.

Seth nodded her head eagerly, trying to show the guard that she understood everything he had said. "I think I'm good. Thank you, gentlemen, I shall take my leave."

The guard who spoke up nodded his head, and wished her good night, turning around and leaving. He didn't notice how his companion decided to stay behind. He looked scarier than the kind guard who explained how everything would work. The man slowly strode towards Seth, smirking as she swallowed the lump forming in her neck.

He stopped right in front of her and leaned to her ear, whispering: "Since you smell like a wolf, I assume you have gotten your fair share of it already. Hun, take this and use it while taking a shower." He handed her the smallest bar of soap Seth had ever seen.

"Trust me on this one - I can smell Alpha on you, and the regular soap won't get that stench off even if you peel your skin off. You shouldn't be afraid of me; I am as gay as one gets, just trying to look after you. Also, a piece of advice - do not think of masturbation. Like ever. They will catch the scent of your arousal before you're done and break the door down. Look out for yourself because no one else will. Life in a wolf pack is dangerous, baby." The guard straightened his body and winked at Seth before leaving her.

She stood with her jaw hanging low for a while. For some reason, the man actually tried to warn her, while no one else would. Everyone around there probably knew that Seth was old enough to be as sexually active as one can be, but he was the only person who warned her.

She quickly grabbed her bag and ran to the door, unlocking it with shaking hands. Her life had gotten even weirder than it was. Not only would she pretend to be a man, but also live in a celibate for weeks. "Fuck me," she groaned in annoyance, throwing her bag across the room.

"Well, that could be arranged."