Chapter Seven

He had been lost in her. Her scent. Her softness. The taste of her delicate neck. And as he'd gazed into her hungry brown eyes, even the monster in him had quieted, wanting only to savor her nearness. Taste her passion. Show her just how devoted he could be to her every need.

The banging at the door and the angry male voice that followed had him turning from her and facing that door, ready to take out whatever threat presented itself. He felt the monster swimming in his blood, eager to be let loose. His skin burned and his bones ached as he fought to keep them from breaking and shifting. Always before the monster had simply taken over when any threat presented itself. He had lost himself to it and blacked out. Now that he knew the monster and himself were one and the same, he felt more in control.

"I know you're in there, you nosy, uppity bitch! Open the door before I break it down."

A low growl rumbled from his chest as his fists clenched. No one would threaten this woman and live to speak about it. He only managed one step toward the door and the man waiting to die behind it before the woman, Constance, the stranger had called her, placed a hand on his arm and he stilled instantly.

"What are you doing?" she questioned quietly.

"Ending the threat."

Constance's brown eyes widened as she slowly removed her hand from his arm. "Do you mean to kill him?"

The banging and yelling continued from the other side of the door. "Yes." His reply was simple and honest. He could and would kill any threat to her.

"Just a moment!" Constance shouted at the stranger, which only seemed to increase his rage as his yells and threats became louder. More insults were hurled.

A growl rumbled from deep within his chest. He would enjoy killing that bastard.

"Stop," Constance hissed, stepping in front of him. "I know who this is. He's an angry drunk but I can handle him."

"I will handle him."

He felt Constance tremble as she swallowed hard and shook her head. "He's the father of one of my students. I'm a teacher. If a naked giant of a man whose name I don't even know answers that door, the community will pull what little funding I get and close the school... And probably run me right out of here."

"I won't let him harm you."

"Please," Her expression was stern. "Go in my bedroom, close the door and wait. I don't want him to see you."

That wasn't going to happen. He would not leave her alone with that man. If she didn't want anyone to know a man was in her home, fine. He didn't have to be a man to protect her. Closing his eyes, he let the wolf consume him. Bones snapped and twisted. Fur covered him as he fell to all fours with a thud. His senses sharpened and teeth elongated.

When the change was complete he was surprised to still feel in control of his actions. Anytime the wolf had taken over before he had blacked out completely. Not this time. The only change was his base instincts were more intense. The rage wasn't greater, but it was sharper.

"Crabgrass, I'd nearly forgotten you could do that." He glanced up at Constance and saw the frown on her face. "I'm not sure how I'll explain a giant wolf either."

"That's it! I'm breaking the fucking door!" The door jarred on its hinges as the stranger's body rammed into it.

The growl that ripped from his throat shook the windows in their frames. The pounding and yelling fell silent. "What the hell was that?" the stranger demanded, sounding suddenly meeker. The scent of fear, thick and cloying, filled the air and the monster smiled. It liked fear.

"Behave," Constance warned before stepping around him, her slender fingers dancing in his fur a moment as she passed him.

Constance smoothed out her skirt and opened the door, folding her hands in front of her. "What can I do for you, Mr. Reeves?"

The man, Mr. Reeves, was tall and thin in his stained and threadbare clothes. The scent of alcohol leaked from his skin. He had a long beard and patchy facial hair. Pock scars littered his face and greasy blond hair stuck out under his sweat-stained hat.

Icy blue eyes narrowed at Constance. Mr. Reeves took a step forward but a quick growl stopped him. Those blue eyes widened as they saw the monster. "What the hell is that?"

"I would prefer you keep the profanity to a minimum, Mr. Reeves. And that is my pet. A woman can't be too careful when she lives alone. I don't believe he wants you coming inside and, honestly, neither do I." Constance stepped to the left and held her hand out to the side. He stepped forward, eager to protect her, and took his place at her side. His teeth bared at Mr. Reeves, letting him understand the threat. While his leg was not yet healed, he refused to limp or show weakness. Whether it was past experience he could not remember or simply instinct, something told him that showing weakness was a bad idea. Constance's hand rested in the fur of his back, helping him stay grounded. He would obey her command to behave as long as Mr. Reeves did not make one more move toward her. If the angry man pushed or crossed the line, he'd find himself missing a throat.

Constance let out a little cough to draw Mr. Reeve's wide eyes back to her. "Now, if you don't mind, it's very late, the cold air is getting in, and I was in the middle of cooking supper. What words were you wanting to have with me?"

"Well...I..."

"I honestly, do not have times for your stammering. You came here unannounced, beating on my door, yelling obscenities, and calling me names..."

A low growl rumbled from his chest and Constance's fingers stroked his fur as if in an effort to calm him. It worked. Slightly. He was proud of her and the fire that seemed to live within her. It excited the monster.

Constance sighed. "Now what exactly is it you came here to say?"

"Well, you had no right to speak to my daughter the way you did today," he stated, pulling off his hat and clutching it in his hands.

"And how was that, Mr. Reeves? My conversations with Lily were quite pleasant today, as I recall. She even brought her pup for show and tell."

"You offered to buy food for her and gave her a scarf. You made me out to be a bad father."

"I don't have to make you out to be anything, Mr. Reeves."

His blue eyes narrowed angrily, his fist clenched and he took a forward step as his mouth pulled into a sneer. "You bitch..."

Line crossed.

Muscles that had been coiled and ready sprung to life. He leapt through the air and landed on Mr. Reeves, sending the skinny man crashing into the snow outside. The monster wanted to taste blood. Closing his teeth around the screaming man's throat, he prepared to tear away the flesh.

A sharp tug on his tail had him releasing his hold and looking back. Constance yanked his tail once again. "Stop it! Do not kill him!"

His gaze met her brown eyes as he remained standing atop Mr. Reeves. The man was screaming and crying and the smell of urine was thick in the air.

"I mean it. Do not kill him. He has learned his lesson and he's going to leave."

"Yes. Yes. I'll leave...." Mr. Reeves whimpered.

Another sharp yank on his tail had him moving off the urine soaked coward and stepping back toward Constance. She was pulling his tail. Actually pulling his tail. As if she had no fear of him or the monster. The woman had a warrior's heart and he would gladly do anything for her without hesitation.

"I suggest you be on your way now, Mr. Reeves and this encounter will be forgotten. I will lay the blame on your drunkenness and we won't let this have any impact on Lily or my ability to continue teaching her."

Mr. Reeves got to his feet, his entire body quaking. "Of course... Forgive me. I.. I never should have spoken to you that way..."

Mr. Reeves staggered off into the darkness down the path that led toward town.

Constance motioned toward the house. "Are you coming back in or not? It's cold out here."

Someone needed to make sure that Mr. Reeves truly went home. If he turned and attempted to come back, the monster would gladly kill him, drag him into the woods, and ensure that no one would ever find the body.

With a shake of his head, he trotted off into the darkness, disappearing in the shadows.

***

Constance was left staring off into the darkness long after she was alone. It was the biting cold that had her stepping back into the house and closing the door behind her. She locked it before picking up the quilt he had used to cover himself up off the floor and tossing it over the sofa. She made her way to the stove and stirred the potatoes which had blackened just a bit on one side.

Her hands were shaking as she tried to wrap her head around what had just happened. One, she had nearly kissed a man she didn't truly know. A man who could turn into a wolf--who had turned into a wolf right in front of her, that was number two. She had watched a man turn himself into a wolf. And somehow, she hadn't been afraid of him. Why was she so drawn to that man in both human and beast form? The third event of the evening was a drunken Carlton Reeves showing up at her door with his screaming and cursing and threats. When she had offered to help Lily she hadn't been thinking of the repercussions that might have with the girl's father. That had obviously been a mistake. She hoped Lily was okay and her worthless father had not and would not take that anger out on her. Fourth, was her man/wolf attacking Carlton and nearly ripping his head from his body in an effort to protect her. First he'd faced an angry bear and then an angry man. Truth be told she had riled Carlton Reeves more than necessary--probably a byproduct of having a giant wolf standing beside her.

And now she was alone. Her wolf shifting stranger had gone into the night--probably to trail Carlton back to town and hopefully not to kill him.

Constance was quite done for the day. She had simply had enough. Grabbing the tin plate of biscuits she'd made fresh that morning, Constance laid them on the cookstove to warm as she finished cooking up the potatoes.

She wasn't certain why but she made two plates of potatoes and biscuits and covered one with a checkered cloth before laying it on the table. After everything the strange man had done for her, feeding him a meal if he returned was the least she could do. She ate her own food, turned off the lamps that he had lit around the cabin and made her way toward her room. She paused as she glanced at the front door. If he came back, she didn't want him to have to spend the night out in the cold, even if he claimed he could barely feel it.

Constance unlocked the front door, grabbed her gun from the kitchen table and went into her own room, placing the chair from her vanity beneath the handle. If someone with bad intentions arrived, they'd be able to enter the cottage but she would hear them if they attempted to open her door and Constance would be able to defend herself.

She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, praying that tomorrow would a day that she could easily wrap her mind around because today had been far too much.

A/N: I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far! Sorry about the massive amount of typos in the last chapter. Hopefully there aren't as many in this one. I've been writing on notepad because my microsoft word expired and I'm a broke heifer. I'll try to read through and edit them a bit better before posting. Love y'all!