Page 38 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

Vampyrs lacked some sort of protein in their blood that they needed to survive and supplemented it through feeding from others. Feeding didn’t kill their victims, but a vampyr could succumb to bloodlust and drain a human dry if they weren’t stopped.

Thankfully their saliva’s venom didn’t last in the bloodstream too long, so affected humans could be free of their curse as long as they weren’t bitten regularly. But lovers in a servaglio would be bonded to often, eventually becoming permanent slaves.

A bitter wind whipped across my face and I welcomed its sting. I took a deep breath, hoping I was downwind of my little wolf, but the air was devoid of her sweet scent.

Shouts sounded from behind me, and light reflected off my eyes as I turned towards the approaching males.

“A fucking vamp?” snarled Cam. “Please tell me you ripped him to shreds for daring to touch her.”

“I left a few betas in charge of his fate. I couldn’t waste a second.”

Nolan grabbed my shoulder. “Revenge can come later. You did the right thing. Let’s get going, our girl needs us.”

I nodded. “More than you know.”

19

THE TAWNY WOLF

The cold was refreshing as I bounded through the woods. Every smell enraptured me. Every sound and movement drew my attention. I didn’t bother hiding my presence, and prey scattered around me.

I wasn’t on the hunt, and it wasn’t hunger that drove me forward. Fear had started me on this path, but now it was bliss. Excitement. Freedom.

Any whiff of humans had me running the other way. I’d had enough of their kind. Where was mine? I howled a call, looking for my pack, but no one responded.

I had a pack, didn’t I? A deep loneliness and longing swept through my bones, and my next howl was desperate.

Where are you?

I wandered further. A nearby stream was almost frozen over, but a quick paw on the thin ice had opened a spot. The water was clear, soothing the burning thirst inside me. Clouds obscured the moon, and I howled again at its absence. I followed the stream north. It seemed as good a direction as any.

Perhaps my pack was that way.

My limbs grew tired as the sky eventually lightened into day. I needed a safe space to rest. Where had I rested the night before? I couldn’t remember.

I knew I should be avoiding humans, but an enclosed, red cavern seeped warmth into the dawn air. I pushed my way through the opening. Large prey animals voiced their concern at my intrusion, but I paid them no mind. A dark corner, covered in straw, offered a good a place as any. I laid down my weary body, placing my head on my paws. Humans were loud, their scent potent. I would easily wake before any approached.

Satisfied I had chosen a good spot, I closed my eyes.

“Easy, girl…”

I growled at the intruder. How foolish I’d been. Without a pack I couldn’t allow myself to sleep deeply so close to humans.

His hands were empty, at least. I knew trouble with humans started whenever they carried something. I crouched, ready to lunge forward and grab him by the throat.

“Sit.”

My body sat on its own accord, following the dominating command of the alpha in front of me. How could he speak my language? I whined, finding the pressure to obey suffocating.

“Return.”

I sucked in a breath, and my body began to twist. My skin was stripped of its fur, the cold hitting me like a punch to the gut.

My senses dulled as my snout shrank, and I fell back asleep inside the human who shared my soul.

20

MARLOWE

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