There were two types of wolves? I didn’t know that.
“That’s where Marmal will be and where I will take you. If anyone knows about the breeding program, it’s her.”
I just nodded absentmindedly, taking it all in. A few moments later we’d pulled up to the gates of a school.Sterling Hillit read, and my heart pinched.
Sterling.
Liv reached out and grasped my hand, noticing the similarity in the name.
I hoped Maz would have reunited his head to his body and buried him properly, but somehow I doubted it, which just made my need for revenge grow stronger.
Demi waved at a guard who stood at the gate, and then drove deeper into campus through a parking lot.
The place was a total construction zone. It looked like it had been completely shelled out in the war and was now being rebuilt. New grass was going in, fresh brick being laid, signs hung. It was clear that whatever war the vampires and werewolves had, it had its fair share of casualties. Now I knew why it was so important to get Luka crowned king. The werewolves couldn’t take another hit while they were rebuilding.
Pulling into a parking spot in front of some electric scooters, Demi threw the car in park and stepped out. “No cars can go to Paladin Village,” she said.
Liv and I shared a look.
Interesting.
Demi hopped on a scooter and waved for us to follow as she took off down a pathway.
“I haven’t ridden a scooter since I was twelve,” Liv whispered to me.
I grinned. “Ride on back. I’ll drive us.”
I jumped on a scooter and Liv stepped behind me, holding loosely onto my waist as I flipped the green switch and took off down the path after Sage and Demi.
Liv let out a whoop of excitement and I grinned.
Sage’s red hair was flying like a flag in the wind and she looked back at me grinning. “Woo hoo!” she yelled, going faster and cutting right, down a path that led into the thick forest.
We zipped our scooters through the trees onto a freshly paved roadway. Like Demi said, it wasn’t big enough for a car, but it was the perfect size for our little two-wheeled scooters. Sunlight pierced the canopy of trees as we passed and I inhaled, taking in the scents of the forest. Dew, pine, earth. A peacefulness came over me and I sighed in relief. There was something special about these woods. The trees thinned up ahead and opened into a clearing.
Demi slowed.She pulled her bike into a little parking lot off to the side that looked to be made specially for them and dismounted. After Sage parked hers, we did the same and jumped off.
I peered over Demi’s shoulder and surveyed the land.
It was … beautiful. Untouched by the technology of the city we just left. Little brick buildings and quaint cobblestone walkways dotted the village. Flowers and veggies gardens were tended with care as people milled about on foot. It was like I’d been brought back in time. Something about this place immediately felt special.
A man approached us. He was shirtless, looked to be chiseled from rock, and had a long scar across his face. His brown skin shone in the sunlight.
“Alpha.” He bowed.
“Yum,” Liv whispered.
“Married unfortunately, and kinda a dick sometimes,” Sage added.
Demi grinned at our conversation. “Rab, these are my friends, Aspen and Liv. We’re here to see Marmal.”
He nodded. “She’s in the barn with Pearl.”
With that, Demi started to walk through the town and we followed. Rab eyed us suspiciously as we walked by him, but he said nothing. We passed people coming in from the fields carrying baskets of corn and squash. A few wolves prowled the road, their noses to the ground. Liv and I shared a wild-eyed look. Werewolves or just real wolves? It was hard to tell. They looked small, but either way it was a bit unsettling.
Demi followed my gaze. “Werewolf pups. Learning to scent for hunting.”
Those were werewolfchildren?
