Chapter 13

It was like watching the gathering of foreign emissaries. The new wolves carried with them spoils of a recent hunt outside of the territory they’d entered. On the backs of several wolves were saddle bags bearing recent harvested fruits and vegetables while six wolves in the shape of men carried strung up elks and one unusual burden.

The unusual burden was what drew Mila’s attention. She’d been sitting at a lunch table, waiting for them to kick off the next meal when she saw a man being carried between two wolfmen, his weight being shouldered by them equally.

Where the elk hung from wooden poles, the man was strung from a metal rod. His wrists and ankles were bound in thick chains that held him. He dangled awkwardly in a way that, if he were human, would cause him a great deal of discomfort.

Even inhuman as he was, he didn’t look all together pleased with his predicament. His mop of dirty blond hair was looking unruly, matted with forest debris stuck to it, probably from a tumble where he hadn’t been allowed to recover.

He had a gag in his mouth, but surely he could have made noise around it. Possibly even spoken, though he remained silent. His red eyes glared indignantly around at his captors.

When his roving eyes fell on Mila, the glare relaxed. His eyes sparkled slightly and he tried to smile around his gag. “Howdy, Mila!”

His garbled voice and happy expression despite his situation made Mila chuckle. She stretched lazily over the table. “How-dee, Jed. I see you made friends.”

Hanging like a sack of potatoes, he managed a raspy laugh around his gag. “Yeah, kind folks even gave me a ride.”

The wolfmen carrying him looked positively disgusted. Their noses wrinkled when they looked down at the vampire captive and when he exchanged polite greetings with their new hosts, their lips curled.

It wasn’t exactly unexpected. Mila could guess easily enough how Jed had run afoul of these wolves. Wolves and vampires didn’t get along very well.

Wolves worked hard to keep anonymity, but vampires had a tendency to be a little showy. Wolves liked to use every bit of their prey, leaving very little mess behind them. Vampires tended to allow the meat to get cold and rot after gorging on the fluids.

Then there was the smell. Wolves smelled earthy and animal even to Mila. It wasn’t very unpleasant, but to vampires, it was like being surrounded by the breath and scent markings of a thousand dogs after a hefty diet of wet cat food and asparagus.

Mila could get a small whiff of Jed now. To her, he was also fairly earthy, but in a dead way. Like composting fall leaves and wilted flowers as well as a mild burning. A bit like a fall themed Yankee Candle.

To wolves, he might have smelled like a morgue or week-old rode kill. A skunk that had just sprayed another skunk. A field of burning tires. Something foul enough to curl your toes and still walked about as if it were perfectly natural when it should have been buried ages ago.

Of course, like all smells, you could eventually get used to it. While the wolves around Mila looked annoyed at having this stinking thing brought into their camp before a meal, the wolves carrying him seemed to have already gotten over the worst of his stench.



An elder from the alpha table called Mila over. She moved at a leisurely pace so as not to seem too eager. An eager pup didn’t get asked their opinions.

“Yes?” She asked in a polite, but clipped tone.

It was the same male that had brought her here. It annoyed her to have to tilt her head back to look at his face which was contorted with a sour expression. He pointed very rudely toward the captive vampire.

“You’re familiar?” He asked in a slightly nasal tone.

Mila raised her brows, smiling slightly. “Ran into him on my travels.”

“Friend?” He asked.

Mila looked toward Jed who winked charmingly while still looking like a big being prepped for a roast. “Brash acquaintance.”

“Hm,” the alpha made a soft growl.

“Aw, come on, cher. You know I’m harmless.” Jed called sweetly.

Mila twisted a lock of her curly hair around her finger. In the afternoon light, it was a dark chocolatey color that now sparkled after a couple soaks. She’d decided her face looked vaguely similar to a face she’d worn in ancient Greece, but a slimer nose and tighter curls.

“We found him snooping around the edges of your border, looking to steal prey.” One of the traveling alphas snarled.

He was an older man that wore his greying hair in a braid and had a deep voice and pale blue eyes. His eyes narrowed in on Mila, his nostrils flaring to pick up her scent. He looked tense after his journey, his body braced for another altercation with possibly another being as powerful as a vampire.

Mila felt a little flattered. He was the first one to look at her like an actual threat since she’d come to this place. Unfortunately, one step behind him were two large females that looked like female wrestlers. Neither of them looked too impressed with Mila or the proximity to which she stood near this young alpha.

Taking note of the tense atmosphere, the alpha that had called her over now nodded dismissively. “You may return to your seat.”

Mila sniffed. “Fine.”

She stalked several paces away before stopping. She tilted her head to Jed who was still hanging between the two wolfmen.

“Come sit with me, Jed?” She asked politely.

The wolfmen looked ready to tell her that it wouldn’t be possible, but Jed detached himself in a fluid motion and came right up to her, ripping off his gag. The two wolves stumbled slightly, jarred by his sudden detachment. The chain still hung from the rod, clinking gently as they swayed.

“A pleasure, m’lady.” He bowed, directing her to take the lead to her table.

The wolves around them tensed, but didn’t rush forward. His blasé attitude might have been alarming and if he’d come alone, he might have been seen as a threat. But now that he was free and focused entirely on Mila, they were all trying to act peacefully without further sudden moves to avoid a fight between packs.

They moved away toward the table Mila was sharing with Dillon and Winnie. Behind them, one of the alpha females was telling off the two wolfmen for failing to tie Jed up properly. Mila tried not to roll her eyes. Of course they had failed to tie up Jedidiah. He could have gotten out any time he’d wanted. The chains weren’t even silver or titanium.

When they sat down next to Dillon and Winnie, the wolf couple visibly recoiled. Winnie tried hard to act like Jed’s scent wasn’t a violent assault on her nose, but her voice came out nasally when she greeted him.

“Why’d you let them carry you in like that if you could’ve gotten out so easily?” She asked.

Jedidah have a shrug, smiling pleasantly. “I wasn’t goin’ ta turn down a free ride.”