The Vampire, The Witch and the Werewolf: The Wolfe Pack

by Louisa Bacio

  With a quick jump, she landed on top of a nearby rock, rising above Viktor. He lifted his head, letting out a few yips, as if he was laughing at her actions. The sound turned into a full-throated howl, and she joined in. After running ahead a few paces, he glanced back at her. Surely, she leapt from her vantage point and followed him.

  Running through the forest, and dodging trees and other obstacles, turned out to be quite different than running across open grassy parks at home. It took a while for Silver to get her footing. As she rounded a corner, she slid across the pine needles. Out of control, she tumbled tail over head, and yelped. Sure-footed after a lifetime of living in the environment, Viktor stopped quickly and dashed back to her side. As she lay there panting, he nosed her side, concern reflected in his eyes. She nodded her head and stood, catching her breath and reassuring herself as well that all was fine.

  Rustling water sounded awfully close, and she could use a drink. They veered toward the water, and Silver lost herself in the beauty of the alcove. It was as if they’d been magically transported to this isolated area, away from mankind and the Pack and the worries of her future.

  No choice, except to live in the moment. She drank from the stream, refreshing and cool. Beside her, Viktor bounded into the water, splashing around, and the chilly droplets rained down upon her hide. Quick as a flash of lightning, he ducked his head underwater and popped back up with an oversized fish in his mouth.

  As an offering, he dropped it before Silver, and lay down, his head over his paws. She knew the action meant more than a simple sharing of a meal. They weren’t sitting around the campfire with the hunters of the Pack bringing back supplies. He was providing for her, and feeding her before he ate himself. If she accepted, she thought it meant she would be willing to accept a courtship.

  She belonged here in the wild, with a pack of her kind. Her genetic makeup called her to seek out this adventure and more than anywhere else, she felt right. That was saying a lot, after finding her brother Trevor and finally having a home of her own. Here, though, came naturally. She didn’t have to try. She knew.

  She chewed off a few bites from the side of the fish, eating the soft, flavorful belly, and nosed the remainder over to Viktor. Starting from the head, he gulped down the entire body, until the tail flapped outside of his snout and disappeared from view. A grin spread across his face, and she pondered about his own dual nature: so serious in his human form, but he was downright silly as a wolf. No doubt he could provide for her and protect her, but he seemed so much more lighthearted here, with her.

  She approached the water to clean her paws and rinse her snout. In a dash of madness, she jumped in full body and dogpaddled out. Once she knew she’d be covered by the water, she shifted back into her human form and stood. Beneath her feet, the muddy bottom clung to her soles and seeped between her toes.

  “Thank you for the snack. Are you going to join me for a swim?”

  Before she could re-think her invitation, Viktor bounded into the stream, returning to his impressive human form. Thick muscles bulged on his chest, and he let out a huge roar, banging on his chest and splashing water.

  * * * *

  Beneath the surface of the stream, he imagined he could see her naked form. It was all gradations of light, but still the temptation was there to lift her out of the water and drink in her natural beauty. Her wet hair hung in cascades, like an even paler version of Genevieve. Would she be surprised he knew his history? Rather than a werewolf, she’d make a perfect mermaid. He’d love to see her swimming along the top of the water, with her bare ass grazing the surface. Talk about a full moon. He reined in another howl. She was going to think he was insane. She already didn’t know what to make of him.

  He cut through the water, wading deeper in. Silver held her ground, accepting his approach. All he wanted to do was envelop her within his arms and sink her down onto his cock. No hiding this baby. It wasn’t like he could tuck it anywhere.

  So close. He needed to kiss her. He’d been waiting for this moment with her. Alone. A flock of spoonbills hooted a chorus, and took flight over the water, the magnificent pink coloring blending into the glow of the sky under sunset. Silver watched them in wonder. A sense of enchantment lit her face.

  “Thank you for sharing this special spot with me,” she said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

  “That’s going to be the first of many new experiences for you,” he promised.

  She turned her face up toward his, and as she realized what he was about to do, her eyes widened.

  Her lush lips met his in a light brush. A longing flared through his body. She belonged to him. With one hand, he held onto her waist, letting his fingers splay out, caressing her hip and the top of her ass. He didn’t want to frighten her, but she had to know how much he wanted her. How they were meant to be together. The strongest male and the strongest female of the pack. Not often did a she-wolf like her come along. As a half-breed, there would be some question as to her fertility, but as soon as Viktor smelled her, he knew she was ripe for mating, and birthing young. As a descendent of Nathaniel, Silver was guaranteed to be a good match. All those elements spoke to the wise choice of her for him.

  It said nothing of the lust roaring for attention. She meant more to him than a “good match,” and Viktor didn’t quite know what to make of that situation.

  To ensure the vitality of the tribe, the virile men were encouraged to take more than one wife. The bigger problem was that not all the women were productive. So instead, many of the men had more than one female, but several of them acted more as companions, with the fertile ones being the most sought after. Sometimes, too, the females were shared to create more offspring.

  “Do you know how magnificent you are?” he asked, running his hands through her hair and exposing her delicate neck. “To see you soaring across the lands with such freedom and abandonment, definitely one with nature, and how gracefully you shift back into your human form.”

  A laugh sprung from deep within her, totally unself-conscious. “Did you see me eat it on that corner? I swear I thought I was going to have forest-burn on my ass.” She bent to the side to get a look at the booty that he couldn’t see.

  “Hmmm… you need a little bit of help with that? Maybe a massage later on?”

  She batted away his hand. “Play nice.”

  He purred, the vibrations starting at the base of his throat and escaping from his mouth. “You don’t know how nice I can play.”

  This time she caught his wrist, and her laughter died. “You have to be patient with me here, Viktor. This is a lot of change taking place. When I went in search of my father, I never expected to find … more.”

  “Do I qualify as more?”

  “Yes, but my life is more complicated than that. I’m not really free to hook up with someone else, with you, right now.”

  Stepping back, he pulled his arm from her grip. “Is there someone else? Are you already mated to someone else?”

  “It’s complicated, like I said. Part of me feels like it stayed in New Orleans, and the other part, well, it’s here I want to be.”

  “So you are not betrothed to another?” His head spun. She wanted him, wanted to be here with the Pack, but something else kept her away from committing fully. If it was an enemy, he could hunt it. If it were another man, he’d be able to kill him. Maybe. That depended upon how much his Silver cared for this other individual.

  * * * *

  Shit. There she went and did it: yanked out the “other guy” card. Nick basically gave her free will to go out on this trip, and he knew she’d most likely come across obstacles and new adventures, and all of it without him. He probably even expected her to meet someone else. That was his true fear, right? That she’d fall in love, and not return to him.

  Did she want that? She’d wanted to find her dad. Not another man, a man who could fulfill al
l her desires. She wasn’t that fickle, was she?

  Viktor stood mere inches from her, but after her words he might as well be a mile away. She shivered in the cooling air, and goose bumps sprung up along her arms.

  “Come on.” Viktor gestured toward the banks. “Let’s head back to camp. We’ve got plenty of time to figure this out.”

  Without her reply, he walked toward the shore, the water going down and down on his back, exposing his lower back, the top of his ass and then—oh, glory—a muscular ass that tapered into fine, strong legs and calves. She bit her fist to keep from screaming, “Hallelujah.” She might be feeling shy about being naked in front of Viktor, but he certainly didn’t possess any qualms about it.

  Completely out of the water, he turned the top of his body, and Silver held her breath for the final unveiling. Dang, he stopped.

  “Are you coming?”

  “In a minute.” She’d never shifted directly in water before. She concentrated, and voila, just as simple.

  Out on the grassy bank, she shook, sending the water clinging to her fur flying here and there. To her left, Viktor had already shifted, too, and was on his back, rolling in the dirt. They cleaned up, then they got dirty. Ah, the joys of being a werewolf.

  He finished, and stood to attention. In the distance, she heard the sound of barking dogs. His ears twitched toward the direction, judging if it was a potential threat. He bared his teeth, growling, and loped off toward where they had stashed their stuff. Silver followed him. So easily she could forget there were others around, and humans, too. Those that wouldn’t understand their nature, and would most likely shoot to kill.

  * * * *

  Back at the encampment, everyone was busy getting ready for the evening meal. Silver offered to watch the rice cooking over a pot on the fire. While they mostly hunted off the land and grew a lot of their own vegetables, a few in the Pack would go out on ration runs whenever needed and pick up staples. Sure, there wasn’t any Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be had at the camp, but her father’s wife Sheba made some pretty good fried dough coated in sugar. If Silver shut her eyes, she could almost taste the beignets from Café du Monde. Funny how a small item could bring back so many different memories.

  Her friend Jana joined her at the fire pit. “So I heard you went on a small adventure with Viktor, alone,” she said.

  Silver picked up the intonations in her voice. “It’s not like that … I asked him to show me some of the forest. I’ve never been in an environment quite like this.”

  “Oh, sure, I understand. Don’t kiss and tell.”

  A blush spread up Silver’s face, and she didn’t say anything.

  “What? You kissed him?” Jana asked in a whisper. “How was it?”

  “Only a kiss, that’s all, and it was nice.”

  “Nice?” she shrieked, causing a few of the other women to look their way. “Kissing my daddy goodnight on the cheek is ‘nice.’ I’d say kissing Viktor would be way more than nice.”

  “Okay, fantastic. Stimulating. He set my body on fire, and I almost burst into flames, all right?”

  Her response was met with laughter. She felt eyes upon her, like someone was watching her. Across the fire, outside the ring, Viktor leaned against one of the tall longleaf pine trees, fully dressed and his arms crossed. He winked.

  In her mind, she could easily see the image from this afternoon: him nude and his fine ass strutting across the banks. She shook her head, trying to chase away the memories. She didn’t need the distraction.

  A chill went through her body, and Jana turned to see where she was looking. “Oooh, watch out now, someone’s keeping his eye on you.”

  Chapter Seven

  The silence enveloped them like a warm fall evening, draping itself around Silver’s shoulders and providing a hesitant comfort.

  “Can you tell me why you left?”

  Her father stood and walked around to the other side of the fire, gazing out into the darkened forest as if the answers he sought lay out beyond somewhere. His great expanse of shoulders sagged, and he turned back toward her. The expression on his face said so much, primarily regret.

  “How many times I thought about my decision over the years, if I was doing the right thing by you and your brother. At this point, I can’t undo anything from the past, but we can move on and make the best of it now. We have been given another chance.”

  Sure, his words sounded all right, but they didn’t contain a response to her question. He picked up her pieces and glossed over the response. She deserved more than that.

  “That still doesn’t tell me anything,” Silver insisted. “If you are so keen on having a relationship with us now, why didn’t you seek us out for so many years?”

  “You’ve got to understand, I didn’t know much myself at that time. Your mother …” His face glazed over again, tapping into those memories that only he possessed. “She was such a fine woman. So full of life. She never asked much from me, and was always happy whenever we were together. Losing her the way I did almost drove me insane. I was in no condition to take care of a child, let alone you, an infant.”

  Although she heard his words, she knew if there had been the will, there definitely could have been a way to care for them. Instead, he’d cast them off, unwanted.

  “What about bringing them with you, to the Pack?”

  He laughed a dry sound, closer to a cough, an escaping of air. “Can you imagine Sheba taking in two half-breed children born from my lover? If you thought your life was bad growing up the way you did, then it would have been even worse with her.”

  Silver always felt somewhat lacking in the loving department with her adoptive family. In essence, they had never truly adopted her as their daughter, but acted as foster parents for her entire life. As if they never wanted to make that permanent bonded connection either. Life could have been worse. It had been for Trevor, growing up in group homes, and barely surviving on the streets of New Orleans.

  “You are the leader of the Pack. Are you telling me you could not have made sure we were cared for?”

  Her father used a long, gnarled stick to poke at the fire, letting in oxygen, and he added a few more logs to the fire, letting it build in intensity. That meant that he didn’t plan on going to sleep any time soon. Despite the roaring flames, Silver shivered. Often the truth proved even harder to hear.

  “We had no guarantee that either one of you were even weres. Males don’t shift for the first time until puberty hits and, as you’ve found out, for women, it’s sexual maturity. Being part of the Pack and not having shifting abilities would be difficult. Look at Jana. You’ve met her. Would you have wanted the possibility of her life? A potential existence without a mate?”

  From Silver’s point of view, Jana was accepted within the Pack. When it came to the hierarchy of members, though, as a non-shifting female, she ranked pretty low.

  “I get it, but what about Trevor? At some point, didn’t you know he had shifted? Didn’t you sense that change in him?”

  Her father sighed, resting his head in his palms and running his fingers through his hair. “Yes, of course, but your brother—he’s as stubborn as I’ve been told I am. He didn’t want any help. He didn’t want him to be with someone who had regularly serviced women.”

  “He’s said he’s seen you over the years, and you’ve never been interested.”

  “It’s not that I haven’t wanted to get to know him. It’s more of a matter of what I can potentially offer him.”

  Something in the manner of her father made Silver think of another situation, one in which her brother didn’t worry about stepping on anyone’s toes.

  “As your oldest, wouldn’t Trevor have claim to this Pack if something happened to you?”

  A growl erupted from outside the illuminated circle by the fire.

  Silver crushed her hand to her chest. She h
ad no idea what was out there, but as a newcomer to the forest, it sounded deadly.

  She stared into the darkness, and her father ignored the distraction.

  “Come,” he said. “We have much to do for the upcoming festivities, and I want you to learn more about our culture.”

  * * * *

  The she-weres of the pack sat in a circle around the main fire ring, weaving leaves together until they looked like garland for a Christmas tree. Silver handled the wooden needle, pushing it through each colorful leaf with a crunching sound, yet being careful not to destroy nature’s beauty. Her hands caressed deep red, amber, golden yellow, and leaves as rich brown as the darkest soil. Murmurs of conversations accompanied the task, and then someone started to hum. Another joined in song, until all of them sang in unison, except for Silver. Tears sprang from her eyes, not because she wasn’t included or didn’t know the words but because suddenly she’d become part of something bigger.

  The blood of the Pack ran strong. All around her, she sensed the bodies at work and, if she opened her mind a bit more, the men out hunting and guarding the outskirts of the enclave. All her life she’d searched for something more, and she thought she’d found it with Trevor and his family. Now, she knew more.

  She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, and Jana reached over and gave her hand a pat, meeting her gaze. “We’re happy to have you here with us,” she said.

  After swallowing down the lump of emotion in her throat, Silver said, “I’m happy to be here.”

  So it wasn’t the most intense conversation. It needed to be said, and it felt good to be wanted and to belong.

  With shaking hands, she held up her finished product in front of her body, noticing the stark contrast between the colors of the wild and the white-silver of her own hair. She’d always been washed out to the world, but never had it seemed such a disparity until now. What made her lack vibrancy? In the picture that Silver had seen of her mother, she didn’t have such bizarre coloring, and neither did her father. Perhaps it was inherited some other way. She used to blame it on her fraternal genetic pool but obviously that wasn’t the case. Anywhere she went, she remained a freak of nature.