Still, she took the bottle from his hands and figured why not? She’d already committed herself to having an unpleasant time. The least she could do was be a little tipsy for it. She let the bubbles touch her lips, a sour taste running over her tongue. She winced as she passed the bottle back to Levi. He laughed at her reaction, but stopped as he noticed something. “I like your necklace,” he said. Adeline looked down, remembering she had been wearing the wooden pendant. “Thanks,” she said. “Where’d you get it?” Levi asked, reaching out to touch it. Adeline pulled away.
“Um, from a friend,” she said, suddenly guarding herself. Something about the way he was looking at her was giving her a strange vibe altogether. “Want to go outside and talk?” He asked. Adeline shook her head, suddenly feeling dizzy. It couldn’t have been from the alcohol. She’d hardly had a sip of anything all night. She stood up, wobbling on her feet. “Whoa, you okay?” Levi asked as he steadied her. “Not feeling too good,” Adeline said weakly. “Here,” Levi said while shuffling her through the crowd.
She was hoping for a bathroom to at least get away from Levi, but it was blocked, and they had to resort to the backyard. Adeline sat on the wooden porch, looking out into the dark forest. Her vision felt blurry, her body weak. “You gonna puke or something?” Levi asked. Adeline moved her hand towards him, but could only muster a weak sway of her arm. She wanted him to go away. She didn’t like how he was putting his arm around her. He had a strange smell about him, a weird musky and earthy scent.
“I need a minute,” Adeline could hear herself say as she stood up, walking towards the woods. She could feel Levi’s eyes on the back of her head now. In just seconds of wandering past the trees, she could feel his presence right behind her. “Get away from me,” Adeline said aggressively, the words becoming more difficult for her to say. “Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Levi coaxed as he led her further into the woods. What was he doing? Where was that drink? He hadn’t taken another sip of it since she had. Suddenly, the gears were turning in her mind, and she dug her heels into the dirt, squirming against his grasp.
“Let me go!” She said in a panic, but Levi held tightly to her arm. They were further into the woods now. I’ve been drugged, Adeline thought as her mind became more and more foggy. Her body felt heavier now, dragged through the leaves by Levi’s incredible strength. She tried to scream and fight back, but it was useless out here. “Shut up!” Levi said through his teeth. “This is for your own good.”
Adeline didn’t want to know the horrors of what he had planned for her. She collapsed onto the ground. Levi groaned, annoyed as he tried to hoist her up. Adeline looked into his bright eyes, a strange glimmer flashing back at her.
Then, without warning, Levi was thrown off of her, and he tumbled violently to the ground.
Desperately, Adeline tried to stay conscious. She was no match for whatever was in that drink. She could hear Levi’s cries as he was tossed around. There was growling, and thrashing of teeth, sounds of a vicious dog attacking him. Then, it sounded like two dogs as the fighting continued, wild yelps echoing in the darkness. Sharp barking and gravely cries were piercing her ears. Adeline couldn’t see any of it. She could only close her eyes and hope that it would all end soon.
The chaos died down, finished with a final yelp. Adeline’s eyes fluttered open, and she could see the outline of not a dog…but a wolf, hovering above her. It sniffed at her hair, still worked up from its fight. Then, something strange happened. The wolf began to transform, though Adeline couldn’t see. Its shadow twisted in the darkness, as it suddenly appeared human.
She could only remember the rest in flashes. Something lifted her up, carried her. It called her name in a gentle whisper.
“Adeline?” Where Levi was, there was only another wolf, torn apart violently. They passed under the moonlight, and Adeline thought it was another dream.
Luke?
CHAPTER 4: ANSWERS
Luke stroked the fire outside of the abandoned fishing cabin. He liked to come here when he wanted some time away from his pack at the main campsite. He watched the late afternoon sun above the lake. His body felt sore and bruised with his fight with Levi. He could still taste the bits of his flesh in his teeth. But his inner wolf was pleased, at least for now. There was still a hunger Luke couldn’t satisfy, and it was still sound asleep in the cabin.
He carefully walked inside to check on Adeline. She stirred at the sound of the creaking door. Suddenly, she shot up, as if she were about to be attacked. “What are you doing here?” She asked him. Luke held out his hands in defense. “That’s no way to talk to the guy that saved you,” he joked. Adeline sat up now, bringing her knees to her chest. Luke could sense she was still scared. He pulled a chair up next to the bed.
“Looks like our roles are reversed,” he said with a smile. “What happened last night?” Adeline asked. “You were…in the woods last night! I saw you transform from a wolf!” Luke didn’t want to answer her questions right away, but knew that he couldn’t lie his way out of this one. “Alright,” he said. “If you really must know…I’m a shifter.”
Adeline looked confused. Apparently she wasn’t aware that shifters existed. “So you’re… a werewolf?” She asked. Luke shook his head. He hated the term werewolf, but gave Adeline a free pass, just this once. “I’m part of a pack,” he explained. “We hide out here in the woods, pretending to be fisherman and hunters as a cover-up. During the day we have normal jobs just like you.”
Adeline was already having a hard time processing all of this. Luke reached out to her, but she shrunk back. It was exactly what he feared. Finally, he had found someone remotely interesting in this town, and he was already scaring her away. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said gently. “I promise.” Adeline weighed his promise for a moment, and placed her hand on top of his. “Thanks for saving me,” she said flatly. “I actually didn’t think I would ever see you again.”
Luke brightened up at the thought, his heart swelling. “I thought the same thing,” he said, and could barely notice the hint of a smile on Adeline’s lips. He fought back the wolf’s constant orders. Just take her, it said. Let’s really make her scream over and over. Luke held onto his head. This voice was getting more prominent, and the wolf always felt like a splitting headache whenever it talked to him.
“Sorry,” he said, breathing deeply to keep back the urge to shift. It felt like a potential wave always coming for him, that he constantly had to block. “I’m trying not to shift back.”
“I’m sorry,” Adeline said. “But this is all really crazy, and I’m not sure how to process this. I mean…you’re a werewolf-“
“Shifter…”
“Shifter, sorry. Did you kill that guy last night? I saw another wolf with you? Does that mean he was a shifter too?”
Luke nodded. “Levi was from the Bloodmoon Pack,” he explained. “They’re our rivals, and for some reason they’ve come back to this town even after we banished them from these mountains years ago.”
“That’s weird,” Adeline said. “Do you know why?” Luke explained to her that he wasn’t sure what made the Bloodmoons come back. He found himself wanting to tell her everything, but he would stick to the basics for now. His pack had become more occupied with a much larger issue. “We lost our Alpha, Don, yesterday,” he said, sadness welling in his chest. “I didn’t know him too well. I’ve just joined the pack only several months ago. But he was like a father and a teacher to all of us.”
He looked out the window and pulled the curtain shut. The sunlight was suddenly annoying to him. “I’m really sorry,” Adeline said quietly from her bed. “We’re not sure what happened,” Luke said. “We think he was attacked by a Bloodmoon.”
Adeline was more relaxed now. She inched closer to the other end of the bed. “Why did Levi attack me?” She asked. Luke shrugged. “He might have been trying to eat you,” he said. Adeline’s face grew pale. “I think he drugged me,” she said. “He gave me a laced drink and tried to pull
me into the woods.” Something about this made Luke curious. “A shifter would never eat tainted meat,” he said. “If he drugged you, it could only mean he had other plans for you.” He felt a shudder in his spine, followed by an intense feeling of rage. The wolf inside wanted to kill again, unsatisfied by the easy target from last night.
“He said he liked my necklace,” Adeline said, looking down at the wooden pendant. Luke walked over to her, gently picking up the pendant between his fingers, feeling a slight tingle of excitement to be so close to Adeline again. “I gave this to you,” he said. “After the other night, I had this feeling that we should meet again. I left it behind hoping you’d bring it back somehow.”
“Strange way for me to bring it back, then,” Adeline smirked. “Hey, I didn’t make the plan for you to get attacked in the woods,” Luke said. “But either way, I’m glad to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Adeline said. She scooted over on the bed for Luke to sit. “I should take you back home,” he said. Adeline shook her head. “I can’t go back now,” she said. “I feel like I’m wrapped up in this weird thing about Levi now. How the hell am I supposed to carry on like nothing happened?”
Luke smiled a bit, happy that she wanted to be so involved. “You can stay here tonight,” he said. “My pack is still marking its territory around here. They won’t be back until tomorrow. We can talk to them and try to get to the bottom of what the Bloodmoons have planned.”
“What about my friend?” Adeline asked. “She hasn’t seen me since last night. She’s probably freaking out right now.”
The least Luke could do was get her a change of clothes and a cell phone. It was a long way back to Adeline’s cabin without a car, and he couldn’t be seen in wolf form with her. He walked into his brother’s RV, packing up one of his sweatshirts and his cellphone, which he only used for emergencies. We’re really taking our time with this one, the wolf said to him. It was taunting him. She’s ready, and her flesh is sweet and ripe for the taking. “I’m not going to eat her,” Luke found himself saying out loud. He felt a strange sensation, almost like wanting to laugh. We’re not talking about eating her, the wolf said. Luke ignored it like he always did. Being a new blood wasn’t easy. It meant that he had to constantly struggle with his own wants and whatever the wolf wanted. But this time, he found himself agreeing with it. He wanted Adeline, and wanted to taste her like he did the other night.
“I can go if you want,” Luke offered as Adeline unzipped her pants. Adeline shrugged. “Just turn around if you’re uncomfortable,” she said playfully. “We’re adults here, after all.” Luke turned around, distracting himself by looking at the moon over the lake. He felt recharged by its energy, and it was pulsing inside of him, an incredible rush that he needed to release before he would explode. He could hear Adeline’s jeans dropping to the floor, followed by something else, and something else.
Curiosity burned inside of him. He turned around to see her standing in his sweatshirt. Her bra and t-shirt lay on top of her jeans. The sleeves were too big for her, an incredibly adorable sight that sent Luke’s senses reeling. “Looks good,” Luke said, giving an awkward thumbs-up. Adeline laughed and spread herself out on the bed, clutching Luke’s phone, and texted a hasty message to her friend. Her mind was busy on the buttons and screen. Luke’s mind was busy looking at her ass in her cute lacy undies.
When Adeline was done, she curled up under the blanket. “It’s freezing all the way out here,” she said through her teeth. “I can get you another blanket,” Luke offered, though he knew exactly where this was going. It only added to this rush of energy he was already feeling, and nearly lost his breath once she said to him, “You can come under here if you want.”
Luke struggled with himself, as he felt the blood rushing through his veins, pumping to places unspeakable. Without another thought, he climbed over her in a swift motion, sliding under the delicate quilt. “Wow, you’re really warm,” Adeline said, taking the liberty of snuggling closer to him. Luke could smell everything on her, and it was making him hungry. He wrapped his arms around her waist, breathing her in even more. Soon, it was too much. “I’ve actually been thinking about you all day,” she whispered to him, her breath warm against his neck.
That was all he needed to hear. Screw it, thought Luke, as he finally let down the barrier between them. He wanted more of her. Tonight, he would please the wolf. He nestled his mouth near her ear. “Want to finish what we started?” He asked. Adeline gave him a knowing glance, her eyes bright with curiosity.
The sheets tangled between them as her legs interwove with his. Their lips met with the same fire from the other night as they passionately kissed. Luke was startled to feel himself getting hard against her. To his surprise, she embraced it, and her hand traveled towards the bulge in his pants, unzipping them, and slipping over to grab his elongated cock. Luke moaned, the animal inside begging to be released, as he could smell a new scent now. Adeline wanted him just as badly, her flower dripping with excitement.
He reached under the sweatshirt, his hands searching for her soft breasts. Adeline moaned softly between kisses as he explored the rest of her body, his fingers drifting towards the wetness emanating from those lacy undies. He had to get inside of her, but could feel a horrible overwhelming feeling of hunger wash over him. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away, his breath heavy. He watched Adeline’s chest rise and fall, suddenly nervous. “We should be careful,” Luke said. “Until I can get myself under control. I couldn’t bear the thought of…you know…eating you, or something…”
CHAPTER 5: INTRODUCTIONS
Adeline concentrated, focusing the lens on her camera. Just a few feet away there was a pair of birds that she wanted to capture. She clicked the shutter, but could only get a messy blur for an image. She was distracted today, being that close to Luke the other night was creating an ache in her chest. What would have happened if he hadn’t shied away from her like that? She filled in the gaps in her mind, determined to find out sooner than later.
They talked about it in the morning, which opened her eyes a little more. Luke was a new shifter, having discovered his abilities just several months ago. It was difficult for him to shift back and forth, each time more exhausting than the last, as he tried to gain control over them. He even mentioned the other half of him, the wolf that always wanted to come out. This worried Adeleline, mainly for her safety. She knew when to recognize the red flags of a relationship, and from a first glance, this seemed like one hell of a red flag.
She gave up on the birds as they flew away, moving on to photograph a wildflower nearby. Luke was still floating through her mind, thoughts of his legs entangled with hers, the warmth of his skin and his breath on her neck. She was aching for him now, regardless of what she knew about him. She only wanted to know even more about Luke’s condition.
Luke brought her some clothes and her camera from her cabin. She didn’t feel ready to leave the woods just yet, and it was dangerous to go back home now that word might have gotten out about Levi’s death. They walked through the trees, Luke pulling away branches for her to pass by as they went deeper into the woods. “This is the old campsite,” Luke explained. “Who’s staying there?” Adeline asked. “The rest of my pack,” Luke said. “We’re meeting today to negotiate a new alpha.” Adeline studied his face. He looked lost in his own thoughts, and for a moment she understood his pain.
The campsite was run down, the grass trampled from years of past meetings. Trucks and RV’s made a circle of safety, a barrier to keep outsiders away. There was a fire in the center, cooking bacon and eggs. Adeline followed Luke nervously as he approached a group of men, the same ones from the bar the other night, as they were sitting near the fire.
They watched Adeline with cautious eyes. She was still wearing Luke’s sweatshirt from the night before. Adeline wondered if they could smell his scent, or if they could smell anything different about her. This made her truly feel like an outsider. They took an empty seat n
ear the fire. The group was somber, most of them not saying anything, just staring contemplatively at their breakfast.
An older man, looked over at Luke and Adeline. He had a thick beard and grey hair covered by a fishing cap. “Who’s she?” he asked, his voice rough. “This is Adeline,” Luke said. “She patched me up after the fight with the Bloodmoons.” The group looked nervous as he said the name of the rival clan. One of them, similar-looking to Luke, but with shorter hair and much older, held up his hand. “Luke, careful about what you’re saying.”
“She’s alright, Ben,” Luke said. “She knows about us and what we can do.”
He tried a friendly approach. “Adeline, this is Charlie,” he said, gesturing to the grey-haired man. Next to him was a younger boy, college-age, and slightly nervous. His name was Theo, Charlie’s son, also a new shifter. Next to him was Ben, who Adeline learned was Luke’s brother. And then there was another, a large mountain of a man, with an ex-military vibe to him. He stayed quietly off to the side, sharpening a hunting knife. He wore a long sleeve shirt to cover his massive arms. They all shifted nervously as they were introduced, all of them watching Adeline with suspicion. Adeline felt a strong urge to leave. But she knew that if she cared about Luke, she would care about the rest of his pack. “I want to help,” she told them. “I was attacked by a Bloodmoon, but for some reason he was trying to keep me alive.”
“Strange…” Charlie said. “They’re usually not the type to take prisoners. But for some reason they’ve been encroaching on our territory.”
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