Chapter 30
{Austin’s POV}
Someone finally stitched my wound and bandaged it after what seemed like forever. My head was still spinning. How could Adrian, a human and drunkard, lead a revolution?
How had he even gained that position?
After I was taken care of, I was given a place to sleep in a haphazard-looking blue tent with three others. We each had sleeping mats to lie on, but that was all. I suppose the revolution wasn’t exactly raking in the cash. I was provided with a shirt to wear though, seeing as my last one was now deep red and deep in a trash bag.
I slept for what felt like eternity.
But I still woke up with my head pounding and my stomach protesting. My legs were sore. My arm was numb.
I was a mess, to say the least.
All of my tent mates were gone, presumably up and about. I quickly stretched and straightened my clothing before getting up and leaving the tent as well.
Camp was much more different in the daylight. There were about fifty people in total. They were gathered in groups, some eating what looked like oatmeal and others just standing about chatting. I managed to pick one face out of the crowd: Adrian.
As he walked by, people would greet him, some would even go as far as bowing. You could tell just by watching him walk how highly respected he was in this community.
It was so strange though. I’d spent six months seeing him stumbling around in drunken rage. How had a human become this high ranking?
I tap on my shoulder startled me. I whipped around my head to find the man who’d told me to leave Liam behind the night before. He nodded in greeting and said, “Would you like to join us?”
He’d been sitting with a group of what appeared to be other New Moon wolves. They were all tall and intimidating, even sitting down. And every one of them had an omega symbol tattooed on the side of their neck, right where they were visible. Each matched mine.
I was handed a bowl of suspicious looking oatmeal. I quietly thanked whoever passed it and asked, “So what exactly is going on here?”
They looked around at each other before a tall woman with long, dirty, black hair and a scar on her cheek answered. “This is an uprising of sorts.”
“Okay…”
“For omega rights. We’re treated very poorly by packs. We’re stomped down and our power is ripped away from us even though we’re the most powerful wolves. They take us and brand us. We want to stop that. That man over there, Adrian Blake, is of alpha blood. He wants to help us.”
“We’re all omegas?” I asked.
“Well no, we have a few rogues and mates of omegas.” She kind of half smiled, not a real smile, just an awkward expression of doubt.
“And Adrian is the highest ranking here?”
“Yeah and we will follow him into battle,” another man said, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.
“Battle?” I questioned, quirking a brow out of curiosity.
“Of course. You can’t expect change without some bloodshed first.”
I cringed. Of course that was the purpose of this. We were an army to aid Adrian’s revenge.
* * *
After breakfast, I watched everyone begin to disassemble the camp. They somehow managed to take down all the tents, all fifteen of them, in the space of an hour. They also put out all camp fires, though there was still a chill in the air, though I blamed my thin scrubs that I’d gotten from the holding institution for my being cold. They packed away all other equipment in the strange wooden box Adrian had been standing on as he’d made the speech the night before. It was long and deep and made of heavy wood, with a metal rod anchored on each side for carrying. It made me wonder whether or not they’d bought it or if it had been built specially to fit all the food and pans.
Most people had a backpack strapped to their backs, carrying whatever measly possessions they’d brought with them when they joined the revolution. Those of us without a bad were given army-issue knapsacks holding two tents each to carry on our backs.
Tents were surprisingly heavy. I suppose that shouldn’t have surprised me, seeing as they were huge and rolled up into giant fabric burritos with metal rods on the center, but still. Tents were heavy.
And then we walked.
And walked.
And walked.
I don’t know how long or how far, but we only stopped shortly to drink water from streams or to use the restroom (and by restroom, I mean tree).
It seemed never ending.
By the end of the day, my calves were burning. My feet were sore. I just wanted to sleep, but we kept going.
We didn’t stop walking until it was well past dark. And then camp was up before I even knew what had happened.
I noticed, after set up, that Adrian had his own tent with two guards at all times. The few ever wolves we had with us were rogues and used to hunting for dinner. They brought back rabbits for the rest of us to cook up.
We had rabbit stew for dinner.
It was actually pretty good.
Then we all filed into our tents and collapsed onto our sleep mats with heavy sighs. Everyone around me was asleep in minutes. I just laid there, silent and thoughtful.
There was a feeling pooling in my stomach. Something bad was coming. I could feel it.
Sorry for the wait! I was busy with school stuff. I doubt there'll be an update next week, since the first round of exams is next week ;-; Wish me luck!
Have a great day o.o
YOU ARE READING
Under a Bad Moon
Werewolf*Previously "Running with Wolves"* Veronica and Austin don't get along. At all. But after accidentally mating in a moment of passion, their tied together whether they like it or not. Especially because of the pup that's come out of the bond...
