Camille
Her phone felt like a burning weight trying to pull Camille down until she gave in to the inevitable and turned it on. She knew what would happen once she did. Her mom wouldn’t have stopped calling or texting. She would have stormed off in a frenzy, looking for anyone to help her figure out where Camille had gone.
But she wouldn’t call the police. Her mom never did. Instead, she’d plot to make Camille’s life a living hell once she came home. It was petty and unfair. But that was the kind of person her mom was, and nothing Camille did would change that. So, she tried not to let the guilt eat away at her as she devoured a freshly cooked squirrel on a stick.
Luna laughed and handed her another. “There you go. Nothing like a hot meal on a cold day, right?”
Camille nodded, listening to the others chat. It should have been a peaceful scene. Even with the fog, the atmosphere felt like a picnic now. No one was preparing to dash into the woods to fight something she would have sworn didn’t exist a few weeks ago. They were just calmly waiting for Longnose and Antione to come back.
Is that what it means when you’re accepted as an Alpha? I’ve never seen the others argue with Longnose, not even once. The difference between this pack, hers, and Jean-Claude’s was like night and day. Robert didn’t have the same presence as Longnose, but Camille knew he cared about her and the others.
Jean-Claude had been friendly at first, even charismatic at times, but he had a way of signaling one sibling over the others. He often spoke to Camille as if she was the only one around. She’d even dreamt of him once. It had helped lead them to Robert, but Camille wasn’t sure she could count on the same thing happening again.
Their world kept going from bizarre to calm every other day, and she hated it. She wasn’t the only one. Bernard was sitting by himself on the other side of the fire, chowing down on a rabbit while looking around. It made her tense, and she started looking around as well, making Luna look at her in concern.
“What’s the matter, kiddo? You okay?”
“I.” Camille met Bernard’s gaze and patted the ground beside her. He hesitated, looking at something over her shoulder, but moved to her side before Camille could turn around. She stared at him expectantly. “What’s going on?”
Bernard took another bite, clearly stalling for time while Luna watched them. He swallowed a few seconds later and asked. “That big guy, the one wearing the black sweatshirt with the snake?”
Luna’s eyes widened as her mouth formed an o. “His name is Bruno, and yeah. He was one of Jean-Claude’s… He’s not going to hurt you, though. Bruno is just as much pack as I am, and Longnose knew he was here. He wouldn’t have told us to bring you to camp if he thought Bruno would hurt you.”
Camille looked between her brother and friend. She knew Luna meant well. She’d always been kind to Camille, even when Daymond lost his temper and almost ruined everything between their packs. But the fact that one of the people who tried to kill her and her family was only a few feet away ruined any trace of a good mood she’d managed to fool herself into believing she had.
And her unease only grew when a gruff voice said. “Can you not talk about me so much? My ears are ringing.”
Bernard quickly sat between Camille and the owner of the voice as Luna tried to laugh it off. “Sorry about that, Bruno. I was just… trying to make the kids more comfortable. You remember Robert’s children, don’t you?”
Camille turned, finding a pair of slate grey eyes peering down at her from an expressionless face. She’d never seen him in his human form, but Camille thought she recognized him regardless. There was only one giant werewolf that made the rest of Jean-Claude’s minions look like puppies.
And he was just as intimidating in his human form. Bruno studied them before looking at Luna. “Shouldn’t there be two more?”
She nodded. “Antione, the oldest, is with Longnose, and Daymond is…”
“Right behind you.” Daymond’s voice came from behind Bruno. Camille didn’t know if she should feel relieved or concerned. Her little brother was usually the first to crack jokes, but the growl in his voice made it clear he hadn’t forgotten what Bruno did to them. The larger werewolf looked over his shoulder and snorted.
“What’s so funny?” Daymond demanded fists clenched tight enough to turn white. Camille was certain he was about to transform, but he surprised her. Daymond didn’t back away, but he didn’t attack, either.
Bruno turned around fully and said. “If you’re going for a sneak attack, don’t let your prey know you’re there. That’s the first rule of hunting.” He looked at Luna. “Speaking of?”
“I think we have enough food, but maybe you should go patrol for a while.”
Bruno nodded and left without another word. Camille didn’t look away until he disappeared into the woods. Daymond slowly sank down and sighed. “Are there any more of Jean-Claude’s goons around here? No offense, but I was hoping to sleep tonight.”
“Bruno is the only one we’ve seen since the attack.” Luna took a deep breath and sighed. “Longnose wanted to give him another chance, and Bruno hasn’t given us a reason to regret it.”
“Is that how it usually works?” Camille asked. “Switching packs, I mean. Sorry, but we still don’t know much about how this works.”
“Then it’s about time you received an education,” Longnose called, loping back with Antione and a reluctant Bruno in tow. “We’ll go about this one step at a time. But, right now, I want you to understand that Bruno is on our side and will be treated as such unless he does something to change that.”
“I understand,” Bruno said, his voice devoid of emotion as he stared into space.
Antione nodded and sat next to Bernard. “What are we starting with? Is there a documentary or a history book we can look at?”
Daymond chuckled, and after a moment, Longnose began. “We prefer the traditional way. Or at least, I never heard of anyone trying to record our histories. It might be different for other packs, but most werewolves pass down the tales through song.”
“We have to learn how to sing?” Bernard asked, making Longnose laugh and shake his head.
“No, and I’m not going to sing, either. Let’s try having you four call to your father. Do you remember how to do it?”
They nodded. Camille reached for Bernard’s and Antoine’s hands and they reached for Daymond’s as she closed her eyes and concentrated.
Dad?
A fog-filled clearing surrounded her, cutting off her escape as Robert’s voice filled the air. No!
Dad?
Keep away. Don’t come here. Go home. GO!
Dad?!
Camille felt Bernard and Antione squeezing her hands, but Robert only howled in defiance as the fog burned away, leaving Camille gasping as she leaned against Bernard.
“What was that?” She whimpered.
“I don’t know,” Bernard replied, lightly rubbing her back as he looked at the other two. “Did you guys see that? That clearing?”
“I saw it,” Antione said as Daymond nodded. “That didn’t feel like back when we were searching for him last time. It felt… wrong.”
Camille nodded. “That’s what I don’t get. We couldn’t see anything this time unless he was in a clearing? But why would he tell us to stay away?!”
Longnose lightly squeezed her shoulder. “ Calm yourselves, pups. This is a good sign. Your father is trying to help you. The fact that it felt wrong is proof.”
Daymond shook his head and scowled. “What do you mean? Why would Dad doing something to make our bond feel wrong be a good thing?”
“For one, it means the vampires aren’t attempting to stop him. Your father is strong enough to stop you from seeing where he is. Which means that the vampires are only watching him. What did he say?”
“Not to go where he is…” Antione muttered before looking at Longnose. “Can vampires affect our bond? Would they be able to tell what we just did?”
Bruno stepped forward, looking at Longnose long enough to see the Alpha nod before answering Antione’s question. “It’s very possible. To make it simple. Think of each race as having similar abilities. Whatever a werewolf can do, a vampire can do. You’ve already seen one’s weather control at work. And I don’t mind telling you that Jean-Claude could never have pulled this off, not to the extent it’s been going on, at least.”
“It sounds like you know a lot about this,” Antione stated.
“That’s because I was raised as a werewolf. I was one of Robert’s first followers. You… you see a lot of things, boy. Most of it has never been dreamed of, nevermind written down.”
“Do you have a suggestion then? About how to find Dad?” Camille leaned forward, not missing the way her brothers tensed around her, but she was willing to hear whatever Bruno had to say if there was a chance it could help them find Dad.
Bruno nodded and looked at Antione. “If the vampires want you, and you shouldn’t assume they do. But if that is the case, then they might be waiting until you’re alone.”
Daymond shouted. “No, we’re not losing another family member!”
Longnose raised a warning hand, making Daymond look away sheepishly. Camille patted his shoulder soothingly, feeling him relax as Longnose turned to Bruno. “Are you sure? If we can be certain the vampires are serious about this deal, why would we risk leaving Antione by himself?”
“You know just as well as I do that this isn’t normal behavior, Alpha. Vampires don’t make deals unless they’re desperate or feel they have the upper hand. They never do so when it comes to avenging one of their kin.”
“Maybe that means we can negotiate?” Camille asked hopefully. “They can’t just kill Dad. This is America. There are laws.”
Bruno smiled, all teeth, and something between mocking and pity oozed into his voice. “My dear, foolish girl. Haven’t you been listening? Did it look like Jean-Claude cared about human laws when he was trying to kill your family?”
“No, but–”
“Something killed a vampire, and your father is being made to take responsibility unless your brother takes his place. There will be no negotiation. The only thing that might help is finding the killer. But good luck with that. Because anything that can kill a vampire isn’t something to be taken lightly.”
“But we can’t just let Antione go off on his own,” Camille insisted.
Antione squeezed her shoulder and said. “I’ll do it.”
They looked at him. Camille shook her head, reaching for his hand, but Antione kept staring at Bruno and Longnose. “I’ll go out. Tonight. Vampires can’t come out during the day, right? But with all this fog, it shouldn’t be a problem for much longer.”
“Vampires can’t come out during the day… Usually.” Longnose said. “But for all their faults, vampires are known to keep their word. They went to the trouble of writing a note, promising three days to decide. And that’s what they’ll give you. We shall wait here for your return.”
