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chapter Fourteen

Enzo

“ Good, men. Very good,” I say to the group of new recruits in front of me.

It’s been nearly two weeks since I made the guys fix and repaint the vamp’s porch. Since then, things have changed a little. Instead of following the vamps around all day, my days consist of training scouts. We had an influx of young, unmated males join the pack recently. Many of them from Springhill. Most lack fighting skills.

Alarick and I have been spending our time trying to whip them into shape. Now that so many of them are being trained, they don’t have the time or energy to torture the vamps. I won’t lie, as if it’s all died down.

They are still waking up to dead animals on their steps or have the occasional vampire slur sprayed on their door. They are still being ostracized. However, it’s not every day.

One of the bigger wolves slings another wolf off his back and into the ground.

“He has potential,” Alarick says beside me.

“I agree. He’s not much older than Torak.”

“Speaking of,” Alarick says, looking around. “Where is he? Shouldn’t he be here?”

The kid has been real scarce lately, but he never misses a day of training. I’m assuming he’s somewhere helping Phaedra.

I tell Alarick this. He dips his chin to his chest.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Alarick steps forward, breaking up the fight between the two wolves in front of us.

Both wolves transform back into their human form.

“Nice job, Nael,” I say to the bigger wolf. “Ash, next time you’re in that situation, you want to drop your weight and lower your head. It makes it harder for your opponent to flip you.” I pat the young wolf on his back.

“Alright, next two.” I direct the next two wolves in line to step forward. However, everyone pauses. Her scent hits us before she walks through the trees.

The oldest vamp freezes as she spots us.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” I ask her. We were in the middle of the forest. We come this far out so that we have space, and no one is at risk of getting hurt.

She glances around the area. I look to see what she’s noticing. There are a lot of hostile faces looking at her. Her brown eyes cut back on me.

“I’m looking for my sister. I thought I caught her scent out here.”

My brow furrows. “I thought she was with you?”

Her chin lifts slightly. I don’t think she enjoys having to answer me. Tough.

“I had some errands to run. I left her home. When I got back, she was gone. Only left a note that she was out walking.”

“You’ve been running a lot of errands lately.”

I said I wasn’t watching the vamp as much. Never said I wasn’t watching her at all. I have noticed that she seems to slip away a lot more now. Ever since Luna went in on us, Chayton told me to allow the vamps a little more privacy. So, I haven’t been locking her down on pack grounds as much.

The vamp turns her head sideways, looking me directly in my eyes. “Your point, Beta?”

When she used to call me by my title, it felt as if she was trying to mock me. Lately it hasn’t felt that way. For instance, right now, she isn’t being bitchy by calling me my title. It’s crazy how I can tell the difference.

“Just making an observation, vamp. Where’ve you been going?”

“To mind my business. Look, if you see my sister, can you tell her I’m looking for her?”

Before I can respond, Alarick speaks.

“Maybe you can help us,” he says. “These guys could benefit from seeing a vampire fight.”

I turn to Alarick, ready to tell him absolutely not. If she gets hurt, Luna will kill me.

“A battlefield is no place for a female,” Nael snarls. “Besides, I’d hate to forget its practice and take her head off.”

Her laughter has me turning toward her. She’s laughing so hard her face is red.

“Awww, you're cute,” she says. “If you don’t want to get your ass kicked by a woman, pup, just say that.”

The wolves around me snarl. I have to raise a hand and push out my dominance over them to calm them down.

“Maybe you should prove us wrong,” Alarick smirks.

“ What the hell are you doing?” I say into his head.

His laughter skates over my thoughts. “ Relax, she can handle it. Besides, the kid needs to be humbled.”

The vamp watches me closely. It takes a moment for me to realize what she’s waiting on. She wants my permission. Wait, the grumpy, angry, and insufferable vamp is waiting for my permission to do something.

I dip my chin, giving her the okay.

“Alright,” she says, stepping forward.

The surrounding recruits cheer for Nael.

“Make her bleed,” one wolf says.

“Kick her ass,” another one adds.

I step closer to Alarick. “You sure about this?”

“Definitely,” he says with a wide grin.

The vamp steps forward. She takes a hair tie out of her pocket and pulls her curly mane into a high pony.

“Here are the rules. First to submit the other wins. No bloodshed,” I say to Nael.

He laughs. “I’ll try.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Don’t you want to take that jacket off?” I ask.

Once again, she’s wearing a long sleeve zip up hoodie that’s form fitting.

She shakes her head. “No.”

Nael steps into the middle of the circle that’s being formed around the vamp. I stay close enough so that I can make sure the wolf doesn’t hurt her.

“Pay attention to the way she moves,” Alarick says to the recruits. “Wolves are fast when it comes to endurance, but they aren’t quicker than vampires. You may easily chase a vampire down, but you won’t be able to move out of the way of one.”

Nael circles the vamp. She doesn’t move, just follows him with her eyes.

“I’ll show you a little grace, leech.” Nael taunts. “I won’t even turn into my wolf to make you submit.”

“Are you going to attack? Or are you going to kill me with boredom, pup?”

Nael snarls right before he charges at the vamp’s back. Right before he wraps his arms around her from behind, she steps to the side. He goes past. She sticks out her foot and Nael goes tumbling to the ground.

Alarick and I both chuckle.

“Get up, Nael,” his friend shout. “She tricked you.”

The vamp shakes her head. “You’re loud. I and any other vampire could hear you moving a mile away.”

Nael leaps to his feet, his nostrils flaring as he stares at the vamp.

“Quiet your steps,” I tell Nael.

However, he isn’t listening. He charges toward the vampire. Once again, she calmly waits for him. He punches with his right. She leans back missing the blow by inches. When he swings with his left, she easily slips under his arm. He does a few rapid punches, but she avoids every single one of them as if she can read the future and know where they are coming from.

Nael tries to grab her, and she quickly steps out of his way, once again sticking out her foot. He tumbles down to the ground.

This time his friends aren’t so quick to cheer him on.

“You don’t fight hand to hand often and it shows,” the vamp says to the recruits. “If you’re here, it means you have the fighter gift most scouts have. You were created to defeat vampires. It’s in your blood. Your best approach against a vampire is always in wolf form.”

The entire time she’s talking, Nael has been glaring at her back. The next actions happen so fast, the human eye would’ve missed it. Nael transforms and leaps through the air at the vampire’s back.

“No, Nael,” I shout.

At the last minute, she turns around. With one hand, she grabs Nael around the neck out of the air, slamming him to the ground so hard debris flies up.

Nael whimpers as he melts back to human form. He’s alive, but he will definitely be sore.

“But not with me,” the vampire finishes her earlier statement.

She stands back up with the grace of a dancer, not a drop of sweat on her. The young males around her stare back at her with wide eyes. I won’t lie, even I’m impressed.

Alarick claps beside me. “Perfect. Maybe if you’re not busy, you can come out here and give the guys some pointers.”

Before she opens her mouth, I can already see the no coming out.

“If we’re supposed to help you with your sister’s fiancé, it would benefit you to train more wolves that could help fight,” I find myself saying.

I can’t deny having a vampire teaching us all their fighting tricks is a brilliant plan. Alarick is a great source, but he also relies heavily on his wolf to fight. She would be a different perspective.

She watches me cautiously before finally saying, “Okay.”

Later that day, as I’m leaving the cafeteria after lunch, I decide to check on Phaedra. I haven’t seen her lately and since Torak missed training; I thought I should stop by.

As I get close to their home, I spot Torak coming from the opposite direction.

“Hey,” I call out to him.

He spots me and stops walking. I jog up to him.

“Where were you today?”

He looks at the front door of his home before turning back to me. “I uhhh… was meeting a friend.”

“A friend?” I ask for clarification. He once again looks over at his mother’s door.

I take in his frazzled look, and the flush of his face.

A slow smile spreads over my face.

“Ohhh, a friend.” I glance to the door as well. Torak is a healthy eighteen-year-old male wolf. It would make sense that he’s interested in females. Hell, by his age I was swimming in she-wolf pussy. I grab his shoulder and squeeze.

“I see you, kid. But don’t forget to use protection. You are too young to be a father and a mate.”

Torak’s face reddens, and he runs a hand down the back of his neck. “It isn’t like that. She’s just…” the dreamy look on his face tells me everything I need to know. The kids’ nose is wide open.

I chuckle. “Okay. I get it. Even so, keep it in mind. No sex without protection.”

“I know. Mom and uncle Chayton have preached that to me since I was fifteen.”

Torak was a great kid. He’d stepped up and been the man around the house for his mother since he was a young boy. I had all the faith that he would make some she-wolf a happy mate.

“Alright, but no more skipping training. You need to be there. You have the potential to be an amazing scout.”

That wasn’t a lie. The kid is a natural fighter. He had the gift like I did.

“And now we have the oldest vamp helping with training. She’s actually—"

“What?” Torak’s and my head swing to the door to find Phaedra there.

“Mom, what are you doing there? What did you hear?”

Phaedra frowns. “Enough to know my son will not be at any training knowing those leeches will be there.”

Holding up a hand, I say. “Phaedra, relax. It isn’t an issue.”

“Don’t tell me to relax,” she snarls, stepping down from the porch. “Those creatures are not to be trusted.”

“They aren’t that bad. You just have to give them a chance.”

Phaedra backhands Torak. “Don’t you dare speak to me about giving them a chance. Those monsters killed your father.” She turns to me, her eyes blazing. “I can expect this foolishness from Chayton. He’s married to our Luna. But you, of all people.”

“I’m trying to keep the peace.”

She shakes her head, her top lip rolling back to showcase her teeth. “Peace? How would Ana feel about you keeping the peace with those leeches?”

Her words cut me deeper than any injury I’ve ever experienced.

“My sweet, Zo,” the voice from my past calls out to me. I shut my eyes to fight off the ache.

“As long as those bloodsuckers are at training, my son won’t be there. Come on, Torak.”

Phaedra storms inside her home. Torak follows behind her. I stand out in front of their yard, trying to chase away the ghost of my past.

I take the long way back to where my cabin is. Stepping up on the freshly painted front porch, I tap my knuckles across the wood door. Rustling inside lets me know someone is coming to the door.

The barrier opens, and the youngest vampire is standing before me.

“Hi, Enzo,” she sings my name. When did she start calling me by my name?

“How would Ana feel about you keeping the peace with those leeches?” Phaedra’s words repeat back in my head. I’ve allowed these bloodsuckers to think we were friends. They’ve manipulated me in thinking I could be peaceful with them.

“Don’t call me that,” I snarl.

The youngest vampire’s smile falls from her face.

“Marley, come away from the door.”

Like a magic trick, the oldest appears behind her sister. Marley steps back, allowing her sister to stand in between us. She eyes me closely as if she’s reading me. She nods, the neutral look slipping back on her face.

“So, I’m back to being the enemy?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. It’s as if she picked up on my change before I said anything.

Tugging at my beard, I glare at her. “We don’t need you at training.”

She tilts her head. “Okay.”

I stand there for longer than what’s required. My anger for vampires is there right under the surface, but it isn’t as potent with these two as it was before. That’s how I know there is a problem. I’ve lost focus. For Ana, none of the bloodsuckers deserve my sympathy.

“Don’t leave pack lands again without letting me know.”

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever, wolf.” Even though she calls me wolf, it still doesn’t have the same bite as before, but isn’t as playful as the last time she used it.

She steps back and shuts the door in my face.

“Are we not friends with the Beta anymore?” I hear the younger one ask.

“No. I told you it wouldn’t last. Now go eat.”

I stand there at the door long after the noise behind the barrier has died down.

Finally pushing away, I walk back to my home. The ghost of my past chased me all night. Sleep never greeted me.