It's hard out here for a rogue.

They say wolves are pack animals, that our strength lies within our numbers. And they're probably right.

More often than not, the strongest packs are also the biggest ones. And the larger the pack, the more fearsome it becomes.

I am a werewolf.

Yes, I was born this way. We all were. There's no biting people to turn them, that's a myth. I have higher strength than humans, an acute hearing capability and most important of all: a great sense of smell.

Werewolves can scent anything half a mile away in any direction, which comes in handy since we rely on it so much.

We can smell fear, blood and if you're feeling frisky, we can sense when someone wants us. I mean, sexual attraction. Though most of the time, I'd prefer if I couldn't.

I live in the wilderness, deep into the country where there's nothing but vegetation and wild animals.

It really is a jungle out here.

You see, some werewolves don't conform themselves with the concept of pack life. Not everyone is meant for it. There are certain rules in living in a pack and some people don't want to abide by them.

Yeah, it's kinda mandatory. You're not obligated to be part of any pack. But if you do, it's their way or the highway. Literally.

Werewolves are deeply territorial and only pack members are allowed within its confinements, aside from the occasional visitor (but you have to be invited or permitted).

And if for some reason you find yourself entering someone else's turf, you'll probably encounter fighting wolves who are willing to kill you to protect their land.

Yes, I said kill you.

Most of the time, they just chase you out of their land. They're not gonna waste time pursuing a single wolf to cause them harm.

But it's possible. There are some nasty warriors - what defenders are called - out there who think rogue wolves are less than them somehow.

It's a backward way of thinking. We have the same strengths and weaknesses as every other werewolf. We're just a little rebellious.

But in all honesty, a werewolf doesn't go rogue simply because they don't conform with society. There are other reasons less than desirable.

If you've been expelled from your pack for instance. You can be ousted for any number of reasons and once you're banned, you can't return. Ever.

There are also wolves who fled their packs because they committed a crime. Fugitive rogues with nowhere to turn but mother nature.

Naturally, warriors protect their territory against rogues in wolf form. No self respecting warrior is gonna mess with a human they encounter. It's not worth the hassle. Plus, every time we do, it risks our anonymity.

Humans are oblivious to all of this as they don't even know we exist in the first place. Most packs share their cities with humans, living in secrecy, blending in.

That means a rogue in human form can enter a town inconspicuously. They blend in with the humans and Bob's your uncle.

However, if your presence is noted by pack members who report it, you better pray they don't catch you.

Because if you do, there's a good chance you'll be brought to the authorities and... it's not looking good.

In larger cities, it's easier to mesh with the townies. It's impossible to keep track of everybody's scent, so you can walk easily among them. But small towns are a gamble.

The problem with being a rogue is that your only choice is to make do with what mother nature offers you.

It's a good, simple life in the country. But since we are nomads, we create no roots or cultivate any new relationships. Everything we own needs to be packed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Oh yeah... and we face several dangers.

Besides the aforementioned pack warriors, there are also other rogues - who are not always looking for a friend; poachers and hunters - when we're in wolf form, you never know where the bullet might come or the trap.

But the most dangerous of them all is nature itself. Since we live off the land, when winter comes the food is scarce.

We don't have a refrigerator to store meat. So we can't store any. It's basically we hunt, we harvest, we eat.

Not to mention colder temperatures are the worst. We have to build something concrete and scavenger for anything to cover us. It's especially challenging for the children.

Fortunately, the rogue life is not all bad.

Apart from the freedom that comes with it, there are also some good people that share your hardships. No one can survive all alone, not even rogues.

When you do this for long enough, you learn to spot the wolf who's asking for trouble from the one who's just hunting to eat, like yourself.

And my momma has been a rogue for a very long time. She fled her pack for reasons she doesn't like to talk about, but that was decades ago.

With time, she joined forces with other rogues. We're social people by nature and wolves long to form bonds, a community.

I am Alistair Young, eldest son of Marta Young. I'm 17 years old and live with her, pappa and my two younger siblings, Mark - who's 9 - and Laura at the tender age of 6 years old.

There are three families who live with us. The Maldonados, who are Tristan, 18, and his parents Sophia and José.

There're Allison and Gabriel Williams, parents to the twins Elodie and Christian, 16 and a half.

And finally there's Sarah Giordano. She lives with her daughters Bella, 12 and Lizzie, 9. Their father was killed because of a pack dispute, which in turn caused her to abandon their home while still pregnant with Lizzie.

Unfortunately, stories like hers are not that uncommon. Also, not every family sticks together. Some men tend to feel the freedom a little too much and abandon their partners often to raise their pups alone.

Momma raised me with a very clear conscience that not all partnerships last forever. So you have to choose well for yourself. And preserve your heart - among other body parts - the best way you can.

Although the pool of possibilities is not exactly big for me at the moment. Unless some stranger comes along and sweeps me off my feet.

And by that, I don't mean those traps where you get stuck upside down from a tree.

Now we're in October, which means we need to start making provisions for the upcoming winter. So, the families have decided to migrate somewhere with plenty of unclaimed land and animals to hunt.

We end up finding an abandoned old house and saw it as a sign from the Goddess to make it our new home.

Though that's just the starting point. We also need to build homes for the 3 other families. The labor is equally distributed among everyone, each person pitches in their contribution.

Since Sarah has 2 young daughters to look after, she takes her time teaching all the children in the morning. In exchange, we share some of our meat with her.

Also, she's excellent with herbs and all sorts of medicine stuff. She is momma's oldest friend, having delivered both of my siblings.

Though last time she almost died giving birth to Laura. I was very young, but it was a night I'll never forget. I really thought momma was gonna die. It gives me chills just to remember it.

"Wake up, lazy pants." - Momma shouts outside of the tent.

Because the sleep situation is not yet sorted, the house is a shelter to all the women and children. The adult men sleep in one tent outside while the teenage boys sleep in another. It's a temporary solution while we build new houses for the winter.

I wake up feeling Tristan's bad breath on my face. Christian is lying to my back. We stretch out lazily because it's very early in the morning.

We always wake up at the crack of dawn. Too many chores to do. Too little time.

"Good morning, Tristan. Sleep well?" - I asked him while we got ready to leave the tent.

"I would sleep better inside the house." - He snickered, yawning.

"Tell me about it!" - Christian exclaimed, not content with our sleeping arrangement.

"Hey, we're werewolves. Nature is our company." - I said in an amused tone. - "Be glad at least we have tents and don't have to sleep in wolf form under the moon."

Both of the boys glared at me. We get out of the closed space. Since we all were raised together since pups, these are my best friends. Well, the only ones I have. But I'm very glad I have people my age to share this hard life. Because being isolated from society is not glamorous at all.

Before Tristan puts on a shirt, I can't help but admire his physical form. He is tall, tanned and muscled all over. His dad has him doing all sorts of physical activities, especially chopping wood. But when he catches my lingering eye on his six pack, I look away embarrassed. He laughs at my awkwardness.

Christian is just a tad younger than me, but though he's not as tall as Tristan, he also has a nice body. But I try to not pay much attention to it. He is almost like a brother to me.

After our morning rituals, we gather around a large table improvised outside of the house. Everyone sits and has breakfast together. But each family contributes to the cooking, so I help momma feed my siblings.

"Did you sleep fine, Billy?" - Momma asked pappa as she served him some food.

"I can't sleep good if you're not there with me." - He replied with an enamored gaze causing her to smile at him.

"I can't wait to sleep indoors too." - I admitted, starting to eat.

"At least you have a tent. I slept years by the moonlight with no covers, before I found your momma." - He informed me with a snarky tone.

"Me too, brother." - Joe interjected, eating next to his family.

"I am grateful, pappa. I'd just rather not sleep with Tristan poking me while he dreams." - I said, causing him to glance at me.

"I'm sorry if I was a little restless tonight. I had a lot on my mind." - He apologized, remorsefully.

"I don't think he minds your poking too much." - Pappa snickered and I gasped in shame. Tristan and his parents glance at me with wide-eyed expressions, while I sink in mortification under their gaze.

"I do mind it, pappa. Stop embarrassing me!" - I pleaded, deeply mortified.

"Are you going to look for work today, Billy?" - Momma asked him, trying to deflect the awkwardness.

"And who's gonna build the house?" - He shot back, slightly peeved.

"I can do it, Billy. Plus, the boys can help me." - Joe interjected in a humble tone.

"The boys have to hunt today, Joe. We're low on meat." - Pappa rebuked.

"I'd prefer to help Joe build our house." - I said with a relieved sigh.

"No one asked you what you prefer! You'll do what you're told, boy!" - He reprimanded me in a stern tone. Momma gives us a poignant look while she eats, but doesn't interfere.

"I know, pappa. I'm just saying I don't mind working on building our house." - I argued in a meek tone.

"Are you talking back to me?" - He slammed the table, startling everyone present. All eyes were on us while he stared me down.

"No, sir." - I replied, lowering my head.

"Ali can hunt. Joe can build with Gabe. You need to earn, Billy. The kids need stuff and winter is coming." - Momma stated, irritated.

Joe (José) is Tristan's dad. Gabe is Christian's.

Pappa glared at her. But hers is far worse.

"Do you wanna mind the kids while I look for work, cause I can go if you prefer..." - She asked him, angrily.

"No. I'll do it. I'll go right after breakfast." - He conceded, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

I imagine it's not easy to find work as a rogue. For starters, you have to walk all the way into the city and that's a long journey. Plus, there's no guarantee that you'll find anything.

But momma is right. My siblings need things that we can't make. We dress simple and functional, but we still need fabric to be sown.

"If you're going to town, can you pick something for me, Billy? I'll give you the money, of course." - Sarah asked him as she finished feeding her daughters.

"Of course, Sarah." - He replied without missing a beat, though he's still not excited at the prospect.

"Actually, we need stuff too." - Sophia interjected.

"I'm going to town tomorrow with Tristan. We can buy them. Let's not burden Billy." - Her partner informed, causing his son to get wide-eyed.

"I am?" - He looked at his father surprised.

"You're 18 now, son. I need to start showing you the world before you decide what you want to do with your life." - He stated.

"I don't want to leave you and mom." - He said in an almost desperate tone.

"Relax, son. We're not going to abandon you. I just want to show that you have other options." - He reassured him in an amused tone.

I don't want him to leave us either. I'd be miserable if he does, but I suppose his father is right. He has to make his own mind about it.

The downside of being a rogue is that unless you commit to living in wolf form 24/7, you do need stuff from the city.

We can eat fruits and vegetables we grow, meat we hunt and drink water from the river. But some necessities are beyond what nature can give us.

Besides clothes, we need stuff to build the house and hygiene products, just to name a few.

"Don't come back with one rabbit or two. We need meat to last us a few days." - Pappa instructs me as we get ready to leave.

"Yes, sir." - I replied in a meek tone.

"And don't go wandering off with Tristan. You're going to hunt, not to--"

"Pappa stop..." - I blushed hard. Yes, everyone can hear us.

He grunts and I start walking with the boys before he embarrasses me any further.

He is not my real father. Momma told me my dad left us some time after I was born. He didn't like the fact that his son is an omega.

I don't see any difference between me and other werewolves. Except for the fact that I'm smaller. But I can hunt just as fine and I carry my own weight.

Alas, there's one major difference about me being an omega...

The boys and I walk for a while before Tristan and I disrobe to shift into wolf. Christian stays in human form to collect the meat we bring him, but we take turns each time we go on a hunting trip.

We move much faster as wolves, so it's easier to hunt. Plus, we make the most of the day and take a quick trip to the river to bathe afterwards. That's always fun.

After a few hours of walking and hunting, we're just about done when something odd happens. We picked up the scent of a pig nearby.

We know pigs are not natural to the woods. Pigs are bred in farms and don't go around freely. But the opportunity to catch a pig seems too enticing to be passed up.

My nuzzle is already itching at the scent. I look at Tristan's wolf and he seems to be thinking the same.

"What's a pig doing here in these parts?" - Christian commented, surprised as we are.

I have no idea. But in a moment, the two of us darted in its direction. We're hungry for some bacon. Swiftly, we reached where the animal was.

As soon as it noticed our presence, it ran away. We chased it, but before we could reach him, we were surprised by the presence of other wolves.

Six of them, who surrounded Tristan and I while the swine fled. Both of us got scared at this threat. We're not talking about rogues like us.

No, they are pack wolves. And judging by their salivating angry looks, they're not interested in friendship. They circle us so we have nowhere to go, no chance to escape.

And not a chance of survival.