Page 127
Story: Warlords, Witches & Wolves
Chapter 2
Macey spent the rest of the day meeting the other vampires and getting put into a training group. While the vampires of her pack had taken her out on patrol a few times—which had felt like they were looking for trouble—and shown her what to eat to keep the blood hunger at bay, that was all they’d been able to do until she passed vampire training at the gathering. Here, they seemed to take training very seriously.
There was even a roster for who’d patrol the campgrounds to make sure humans didn’t intrude. For the first week, none of the new vampires were on the list. After that they were on with a partner, then in the last week they had full responsibility. Already, she wasn’t looking forward to any of this.
Around her the new vampires buzzed with anticipation, eager to learn how to fight and guard their pack. She could barely raise enough fake enthusiasm to pass as happy to be here and do her part. Did no one here care that they were rejects?
That the wolves saw them as lesser?
She’d seen the confusion in Owen’s eyes when he’d realized. He’d been super nice about it, but then she wouldn’t have expected anything less. He’d been nothing but polite when she’d been an idiot pup panting after him. He was a true gentleman, and a wolf. And she’d never see him again, except in passing. She sighed, if she wanted to have any fun this gathering, she’d have to look for it among the other vampires.
She scanned the vampires gathered in the hall. Some she knew from when she was younger—they too had turned out to be faulty wolves—and some she recognized from previous gatherings. But none of them made her pulse beat even the tiniest bit faster.
She wrote her schedule into the small notebook she’d carried in her jeans. No cell phones were allowed in the camp. Though she was sure pack leaders had them, in case of emergencies. Among the wolves there’d be several doctors and nurses and paramedics, probably a few police officers and firefighters too. Very few wolves had rural jobs anymore, like timber cutting. Many packs were now based in a city, only the staunch traditionalists clung to the rural land. Her family lived in town, like the rest of the pack but the pack area included a nice chunk of forest suitable for running.
With the schedules noted and the welcome done they could do their own thing for the rest of the day, with a reminder that failure to attend the required classes would result in punishment.
Talia grabbed her arm. “Exciting!”
Macey frowned. “Do the packs even need us?”
Back in the day when people hunted them, sure. A human with preternatural speed and power was handy in protecting the wolves. But humans had forgotten they existed.
The guy in front of them stopped, turned, and scowled. “Of course they do, besides who would abandon their family?”
Was she abandoning them in wanting to be elsewhere? Humans moved away from their families all the time. She had friends who had moved states to go to college and who had no intention of returning home. They saw life as an adventure. Vampire’s also seemed to move packs more freely. It was only wolves that were expected to stay and never leave.
There was more to the world than the Green River pack. And since she wasn’t a wolf, maybe she could live a little more.
“I was just wondering about practicalities.” She shrugged; sure she was already failing at being a guard.
“That’s what you’ll learn.” He glanced at her and Talia and shook his head. “Newbies.” Then he stalked away.
What was up his ass?
“That was Ajax.” Talia whispered as though not wanting to draw his attention.
The name seemed familiar, but Macey wasn’t sure why she should know it.
Talia bumped her arm. “Eldest son of a pack leader.”
“Ouch.” To have grown up expecting to be a leader only to end up a vampire. She searched for him again, but the bearded man was gone. No doubt to do some serious scowling.
“It get’s worse. No one in his pack since his father has fully turned. Some are saying it’s a curse.”
“Or bad genes.” Or bad luck.
“And now his father is dead…” Talia left the words hanging.
The other packs would declare his pack dead because there was no leader to take over. “They should just let vampires lead.”
“What? A whole pack of vampires?” Her eyebrows pinched together.
It didn’t sound too bad. No wolves to sneer. No pitying glances. No one to make demands. It would just be a place where vampires could gather. She shrugged like it was a dumb idea. “Yeah, maybe not.”
Talia lead her toward some other young vampires, who despite their youth were standing in the shade instead of making the most of the sun. “While the wolves are having their run tonight, some of us are also running, separately of course.”
“What do you mean?” The run was for wolves to be wild and wolfy.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127 (Reading here)
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231
- Page 232
- Page 233
- Page 234
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 238
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 242
- Page 243
- Page 244
- Page 245
- Page 246
- Page 247
- Page 248
- Page 249
- Page 250
- Page 251
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
- Page 265
- Page 266
- Page 267
- Page 268
- Page 269
- Page 270
- Page 271
- Page 272
- Page 273
- Page 274
- Page 275
- Page 276
- Page 277
- Page 278
- Page 279
- Page 280
- Page 281
- Page 282
- Page 283
- Page 284
- Page 285
- Page 286
- Page 287
- Page 288
- Page 289
- Page 290
- Page 291
- Page 292
- Page 293
- Page 294
- Page 295
- Page 296
- Page 297
- Page 298
- Page 299
- Page 300
- Page 301
- Page 302
- Page 303
- Page 304
- Page 305
- Page 306
- Page 307
- Page 308
- Page 309
- Page 310
- Page 311
- Page 312
- Page 313
- Page 314
- Page 315
- Page 316
- Page 317
- Page 318
- Page 319
- Page 320
- Page 321
- Page 322
- Page 323
- Page 324
- Page 325
- Page 326
- Page 327
- Page 328
- Page 329
- Page 330
- Page 331
- Page 332
- Page 333
- Page 334
- Page 335
- Page 336
- Page 337
- Page 338
- Page 339
- Page 340
- Page 341
- Page 342
- Page 343
- Page 344
- Page 345
- Page 346
- Page 347
- Page 348
- Page 349
- Page 350
- Page 351
- Page 352
- Page 353
- Page 354
- Page 355
- Page 356
- Page 357
- Page 358
- Page 359
- Page 360
- Page 361
- Page 362
- Page 363
- Page 364
- Page 365
- Page 366
- Page 367
- Page 368
- Page 369
- Page 370
- Page 371
- Page 372
- Page 373
- Page 374
- Page 375
- Page 376
- Page 377
- Page 378
- Page 379
- Page 380
- Page 381
- Page 382
- Page 383
- Page 384
- Page 385
- Page 386
- Page 387
- Page 388
- Page 389
- Page 390
- Page 391
- Page 392
- Page 393
- Page 394
- Page 395
- Page 396
- Page 397
- Page 398
- Page 399
- Page 400
- Page 401
- Page 402
- Page 403
- Page 404
- Page 405
- Page 406
- Page 407
- Page 408
- Page 409
- Page 410
- Page 411
- Page 412
- Page 413
- Page 414
- Page 415
- Page 416
- Page 417
- Page 418
- Page 419
- Page 420
- Page 421
- Page 422
- Page 423
- Page 424
- Page 425
- Page 426
- Page 427
- Page 428
- Page 429
- Page 430
- Page 431
- Page 432
- Page 433
- Page 434
- Page 435
- Page 436
- Page 437
- Page 438
- Page 439
- Page 440
- Page 441
- Page 442
- Page 443
- Page 444