![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNcHQptPrZyvv6wuJC611dF2K8ZXaa6j49WYnDAjFBsZq/image.png)
*Blood On The Moon Cover*

[Amazon link](https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=D.+Michelle+Gent&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=D.+Michelle+Gent&sort=relevancerank)

My third novel was finished and published in time for Halloween 2016 and I had a launch at Waterstone's at Sheffield.

The full book cover, done by the wonderful, talented, brilliant [Paul Mudie](www.paulmudie.com)

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWcMxg9TV3N8XCniHVnh8u5dPvPgkEoFE86tAEyaKHQsq/image.png)

*Other Images from Pixabay or Google (Free Usage)*

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Vladimir had arranged to meet with such a group of eager-to-please, illegal, and newly-Wolfed minions and he led them through the town at the in-between-time. Just after the bustle of shoppers and workers set off for home and just before the celebration of revellers arrived in town to begin their night of drinking, fighting and sometimes shagging.

Vladimir was a belligerent and arrogant Wolf when he was in the company of just minions. 

It spoke volumes of his character that he was quiet enough in the company of Wolves that were his peers, but once in amongst those that he was far and away more experienced, knowledgeable and more powerful than; he was a braggart and a bully. 

Yet those minions looked up to him as their idol – which also spoke volumes as to their own character before being bitten and brought into Wolfdom. 

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmc8G6PZWgxyMqq6XaEph2mTYkSMyzbeT4svnDpLTEMzzc/image.png)

Vladimir stood at the front of the small group intent on destruction and disorder and he spotted Paul and a group of three others. 

He wondered for a moment why Paul was there and he assumed that Paul also wanted to be in on the action.

Because Vladimir was a few centuries older than Paul, he assumed the right of elder and shouted to him. “Paul! Over here.”

Paul looked around as though he hadn’t expected Vladimir and he waved a greeting.

When Paul moved from in front of the small group he was with, Vladimir realised his error but he didn’t imagine that Paul had betrayed him – not yet.

Paul’s group made no move forward. Vladimir’s group sensed their leader’s concern and hesitated too. They lingered behind until they were sure that Vladimir was going forward.

When Vladimir recognised Phelan, he seemed to relax a little and he frowned but nodded a greeting as the other approached. 

When Erzsébet turned so he could better see her; he stopped and the few minions that had caught up to him almost walked into his back.

 Red was the last to show her face and she pushed back her hood. 

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQzDQUmZ2xCBu2Jc3N2CGxdwoiRhv7EzaLGCcux3jxN3z/image.png)

He couldn't properly see the colour of her hair because of the growing dusk but he knew her face and he snarled.
“So it’s come to this has it Paul? You traitor.”

“Traitor? That would imply that I had ever had an allegiance with you. I have not been allied to you or to Darius. It sometimes served my purpose to give him information in order to keep up appearances of fealty but my loyalty, my allegiance has always been firmly with my Lycaeon, not with the murderous and treacherous Wolf that *you* call master.”

Vladimir had around a dozen of his followers behind him and they were all naïve enough to imagine that their new strength and prowess was more than a match for the four that confronted them. 

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmemSNPZLQFPRTqBAwSGvH59zUyQc38YdLiRvnxbP41wAe/image.png)

Paul also looked behind the group and saw more stragglers making their way towards what appeared to be a fracas just starting. 

The newcomers were dressed in jeans or tracksuit bottoms with the obligatory hooded jacket or top. Some held weapons and one seemed to be in possession of a Molotov cocktail, a bottle part-filled with liquid with a rag for a stopper.

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbaE4xPmjxUnkmm9SJk1Mz6gDCGVgCdnDx5paWLudxRsn/image.png)

By the time the stragglers had joined Vladimir’s group, there must have been twenty or thirty ‘hoodies’ spoiling for a fight. 

The largest bulk of Vladimir’s army were made up of Wolves, but there were also some Humes that wanted to be part of the disturbances and this was the perfect opportunity as far as they could see.

The stand-off between the factions seemed excessive and unfairly stacked in Vladimir’s favour but he knew, if the rest of his conclave didn’t, that the least senior member of the opposing group was almost as old and experienced as he was, comparatively. 

Paul was shy by a couple of centuries - the difference between Vladimir and Paul was minuscule, but the difference between Paul and Vladimir’s minions, even combined, was a vast abyss. 

Though he was not born, but bitten, Paul was pretty sure of himself. 

Vladimir had been trading on his father’s reputation for being fierce, vicious and fearless in the face of an enemy, whereas Paul had had to make his reputation from scratch, for himself.

Paul saw the look in Vladimir’s eye and he saw fear.

![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQDN6KYRS7kqJWBQvKDEXCVqVUbGKuvNXAwmXqLp5jeGH/image.png)

Vladimir may have been less of a fighter than Vitya, his father was, but he was no less ruthless or cunning, especially when it came to the sacrifice of his men in order to gain a victory. 

The new Wolves were wound-up and heated for combat and he urged them on with a battle yell. They swarmed past him in absolute certainty of victory and were massacred as they went. 

The bodies were still twitching even as they were being clambered over by their comrades; such was the rage and passion of the foot soldiers in Darius’s army. 

Red shouted something to Erzsébet that sounded like, “They’re pumped full of shit!”