Chapter Four.

I could feel something gently running along my cheek, it was soft as a feather, lightly gliding over my skin. The sensation was causing pleasant tingles to dance across my face and I found myself leaning into it in my half dazed state. It was doing something to me, the simple touch seemed to affect my whole body; becoming alight with electricity causing a low hum to swell within my chest and my heart began to beat faster. I could feel butterflies flutter inside my stomach as if something had spooked or excited them.

The reaction to whatever was touching me was so foreign that the feelings frightened me. These emotions and the sensations channelling through my body seemed to send me over the edge as I woke with a gasp escaping my dry lips. I began coughing as my throat ached and protested against its sudden use. I rolled over and clutched my throat as I continued to cough violently. The strange sensations ceased as the touch had left my body and any contentment I had been feeling was now gone.

I groaned as I leaned my head onto the soft dark blue duvet and closed my eyes and  breathed in deeply, the smell of woods, male cologne and all man wafted into my senses as I felt my racing heart calm down.  I greedily breathed in deeply again and again through my nose. I had never smelled anything so intoxicating, so addictive in my life and I continued to lean my forehead on the mattress, nothing else seemed to matter but the comforting smell.

Once these thoughts became clearer in my head, I immediately sat upright. Realization began to hit me; firstly, my bed didn't smell so inviting nor did I have dark blue bedding. My eyes opened wide as I realised that I wasn't in my room, my grandparent's guestroom or a hotel room. The dark blue sheets that pooled at my waist were unrecognisable and I had no idea who they belonged to. I could feel my throat began to close up again as I began to panic, my shaking hands gripped the sheets and I quickly looked down at my still clothed body feeling relief flood through me.

The relief was short lived as I remembered that I was still in a room that I had no idea who it belonged to, who slept in the very bed I now sat on, or where the house was. I scanned the room taking in the multiple pieces of oak furniture that was placed evenly around the large room. The walls were painted a dark grey while the carpet was a cream colour. I saw a door slightly ajar and guessed that it was an adjoining bathroom.

I looked to the left feeling a scream build up within me as I scrambled backwards. A gasp escaped me before I groaned out loud as I fell off of the bed and landed in a heap on the floor; the bed sheets tangled in my limbs. I hurriedly crawled backwards until I couldn't go any further, my back collided painfully with the wall behind me but I didn't take my eyes off of the stranger whose bed I had been sharing. I then assumed that it was his room, that I had been in his bed for I didn't know how long while he lay next to me.

I watched as he got up from the bed slowly until he was standing at his full height. He was tall, probably six foot two or probably more, I didn't know, but his height was intimidating as he towered over me where I cowered against the wall. His entire frame was well built and muscular although everything was in proportion with his body. His chest was wide and his shoulders were broad and squared. His jaw was strong and prominent, his cheek bones high and masculine, his nose in perfect proportion to his face; straight and angular, his lips full and pink while slightly parted, his eyebrows perfectly arched. His hair was a sandy blonde colour that wasn't too long or too short as it slightly swept to the side across his forehead.

My eyes swept over him and I gasped out loud as I stared into his eyes. They were a unique shade of brown, the colour of melted dark chocolate, almost as black as night that seemed to sparkle in the dim lighting created by a lamp on one of the bedside tables that I hadn't noticed before. His eyes seemed to stare endlessly into my own. My heartbeat began to pick up as it thundered against my constricting chest.

The two pools of melted chocolate seemed to jog something in me as I remembered what had happened before I fainted.  My mum had stopped the car and we had gotten out only to find a flat tire.  Before we could even decide what to do we heard a deep growl causing us to turn towards the woods as a large black wolf stepped out. The wolf had been huge, abnormally large to be a normal wolf...but it wasn't a normal wolf. I had seen the wolf slowly change into a human, the very human that was taking slow, careful steps around the bed towards me. His eyes were identical to those of the wolf.

It wasn't possible. It had to have been a dream.  But as I tried to hide myself against the wall the fear I felt was real, the gut wrenching feeling within my stomach was real and I knew that I hadn't imagined what had happened. It was impossible that the man in front of me had changed forms from being a wolf to a human within a matter of seconds. I tried to search for a logical explanation as to what had happened but I couldn't come up with anything.

The man before me changed into a wolf. I wasn't oblivious to what he could be I just always thought that they were made up. That 'werewolves' didn't actually exist; they were mythical beings that belong on the white pages of a book, not in real life.  They didn't walk out of the woods and kidnap people.  Even as I thought about the possibility of the man in front of me being a 'werewolf' I realised how stupid I sounded. Maybe my dad's last slap had been so hard that it moved something within my brain and I was going crazy because of it. I had accumulated a number of knocks to the head of the years and it was finally starting to have an affect on me.

As I thought of my mum I wondered where she was and if she was okay. I hoped that she had managed to get away. I felt worry blossom within me for fear of my mum's safety. She didn't deserve this, she deserved to be free and happy, she deserved to move on with her life and forget about him. I wanted to demand to be taken to my mum but I couldn't find my voice in my fearful state of mind. I knew deep down that the possibility that my mum had been able to outrun the man in front of me or the other wolves that had stepped out from the trees behind him were slim.

He had the look of a predator hunting his prey as he stared down at me. His already dark eyes seemed to darken even more to the point that I was sure they were no other colour other than black. The unforgiving colour of his eyes seemed to pull me in as if it was a black hole. His eyes followed every movement I made as I pulled the duvet closer to me.

I watched as he began to slowly move across the room, my eyes followed his every movement as I shook with fear. He hadn't spoken and it was beginning to unnerve me. I had no idea what he wanted nor did I even wish to imagine. I had no idea who this inhumanly attractive male was that was taking small steps towards me. It didn't matter that he was attractive, I feared him as much as I feared my own father. He walked with an air of confidences that seemed to roll off of him in waves. This man was powerful, the way he held himself and held his chin made it obvious that he wasn't someone you easily messed with.

My dad had taught me that no one - no man could be trusted. The only people I could trust were my mum and my grandparents. They had never done anything to harm me and always cared for me; they were my only protectors and had proven that many times.

"St- Stay away from me," I stuttered as I brought my knees up close to my chest, the duvet following the movement as I gathered it up in my hands and pulled it to my chest so that it was covering my shaking form.

I wished that the duvet would somehow protect me from the stranger that had suddenly stopped advancing towards me; now standing with his head tilted to the side as if considering his next move. Even though I knew that the duvet wouldn't be able to stop him from harming me I felt better with it being another layer between me and him, it was a barrier that I hoped would keep him from coming close to me.  Like when you're a kid and you hide from the bogey man under your blanket.  Though, as my father had taught me, that never worked, and in this case he could easily pull the duvet away from me.  Even so, I gripped it in two tight fists and held onto it as if my life depended on it.

"Don't come near me!" I cried as I saw that he was about to take another step towards me.

At hearing my fearful voice he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, he stood up straighter and held his hands up in front of him in a gesture of surrender. I didn't realize I was crying until I tasted the salty liquid on my chapped lips. I sniffled as I hurried wiped away my tears with my fingertips only to have them quickly return. I could feel them slowly make their way down my face finding their own path before they went to my jaw either going under my chin or falling onto the duvet turning the already dark material darker.

"I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was deep and smooth like velvet, lightly caressing my ears as I found myself wanting to hear it over and over again.

The very sound of his voice caused a shiver to run up my spine and I felt myself drawn to him without my consent. His dark eyes continued to stare at my face, taking in every detail while lingering longer on my cheek where I knew the ugly purple and blue bruise was. I brought my shaking hand up from where it had fisted the duvet so that it was clutching my bruised cheek lightly, hiding it from his unnerving stare.

"I want to leave," I told him, my voice was mixed with a sob as I stared anywhere other than into his eyes.

"Mine." He snarled loudly.

My body reacted completely different to the sound of his voice now as my form began to shake violently. I didn't know why he repeatedly growled 'mine' as I remembered that he had said something similar before I had fainted.

I flinched at the sound as I shrank back into the wall. I had been in this position many times in my life; it wasn't anything new to find myself backed into a corner while cowering in fear from a male. The difference between the situations was that the stranger had yet to harm me physically, he hadn't laid a hand on me that I knew of and he was keeping his distance staying a few feet away.

He took another step forward as I scurried along the wall as fast as I could so that I was even further away from him than I had been before. His eyes hardened as he took in the movement and the corner of his mouth twitched as he resisted the urge to snarl at me. I continued to cower into the wall with fear as I felt the blood begin to rush behind my ears.

"Please don't hurt me," I whimpered covering my face so that if he were to strike me I would have at least protected my already bruised face. I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for the blow that would soon follow.

My dad always hated when I begged him to stop, when I pleaded with him to not hurt me and it only seemed to anger him further as I was beaten more than I would have been if I took my punishment silently. The guy in front of me was taller than my dad and no doubt more muscular and I knew that it would hurt. I winced at the thought of his palm connecting to my cheek.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke once again in a hard tone as he took a small step forward.

"Stay away from me!" I ordered as I buried my face deep within the duvet.

I could hardly breathe as I felt my already sore throat begin to close over with panic. My lungs began to burn as I desperately gasped for much needed air. I was hysterical, a nervous wreck and with the strange man who was determined to get closer and closer to me I could already feel the effects of a panic attack coming on.

It wouldn't be the first time that I've had a panic attack. I had been getting them ever since I was little because of him. It had started after the first time he had hit me. I had fallen over outside while playing with a few of the kids in the street, cutting my knee, ripping the tights I wore and my light pink dress had gotten muddy. I had naturally gone looking for the comfort of my parents and I had run to him in tears. I hadn't known what had happened as I fell to the ground with a stinging sensation in my cheek as he stared down at me. He shouted saying that I looked messy and untidy, that I was embarrassing him and my mum. I ran off to my room for the rest of the night where I later suffered a panic attack.

It was a reoccurring event and I had learned to deal with it over the past few years. It was an inevitable occurrence caused by him; my throat would close over to the point where I couldn't breathe and my lungs would burn. My entire body would shake violently and often in the end I would eventually pass out. My mum had always told me to breathe deeply when I could feel one starting but it was too hard. I was always so consumed with fear that I couldn't focus on anything else. The darkness that followed was a safe heaven.

I couldn't hear his reply only his ragged breathing as he tried to control his temper. Every now and then I could hear a low growl, the sound vibrating through the room and every time I would flinch and whimper. I sneaked a peak from where I had my head buried in the duvet to see that he was sitting on the bed, his legs apart and his elbows resting on his thighs as he gripped fistfuls of his hair.

I eyed the closed door behind him as I weighed out the possibility of him catching me before I had even made it out the door. I couldn't run in the state that I was in; if it wasn't for the wall behind me I knew that I would have slumped onto the floor a long time ago. The stranger was strong and no doubt fast, he would catch me before I had even gotten past the closest corner of the bed.

His head suddenly snapped up as his eyes locked with mine, his hands releasing the tight fistfuls of hair leaving his blonde hair looking wild and untamed, but that only seemed to make him more attractive. He had caught me staring and now I was trapped within his eyes, they swirled with many emotions before they hardened with a clear emotion of determination. I felt my heart rate pick up and I knew that I was in trouble. This man was dangerous, how dangerous I didn't know but if what I had seen was true, that he could turn into a wolf; then he had the ability to kill within seconds.

"What happened to your face?" His voice was surprisingly soft as the very sound caused my violent shaking to calm down enough for me to see straight.

I continued to stare at him, to watch his every move. I wasn't going to tell him what happened it would only cause the still fresh memories to increase tenfold. I already saw his face behind my eyelids every time I tried to sleep and the pain in my neck was enough of a reminder of what had so recently happened. I didn't want to tell him, something within me felt like I could trust this man but I knew better than to trust that feeling.

"I know you can talk." He spoke again this time his voice wasn't soft, there was a hard edge to it that I knew he had been trying to keep out of his voice.

I didn't understand his point. I had openly spoken to him and so he knew that I could talk. I was ignoring him and he didn't seem to realise that. I continued to hide myself amongst the mass of duvet that surrounded me like a cocoon. I watched him in case he made any sudden movements in my direction, I would have a chance to act if I saw him coming towards me instead of him catching me off guard.

I was sure that my hair was a messy resembling something close to a bird nest. My face was bound to be bright red and blotchy from where I had been crying hysterically. My eyes were sore and they hurt every time I blinked, my lashes were still wet even though the tears had stopped a few moments ago. My nose was blocked and I continued to sniffle unattractively.

His brown eyes were a permanent reminder that this man was an animal. He changed into wolf at will, a large wolf that could easily snap my neck. I watched as he made a move to stand up and I immediately tensed, as I shrank into the wall. He didn't seem pleased by my reaction and his eyes darkened while his hands balled into fists.

"Stay away from me you monster!" I told him, despite my stuttering my words seemed to have an effect although it wasn't the effect I wanted.

I had wanted him to stop moving, to stay away from me and let me go. My words only seemed to anger him as his eyes darkened considerably until they were the colour of coal, his nostrils flared as his hands that had already been in fists clenched even more at his sides, the skin over his knuckles turned white from his strength. I recoiled already regretting the words that had left my mouth.

"I am not a monster." He gritted out through his teeth, his voice was hard and more like a growl than his normal deep voice. He said every word individually as if he was having trouble speaking let alone forming a sentence. He was now standing, towering over me once again as I peered up at him.

The way he had spoken only seemed to add to the fear I was already feeling as I once again pulled the duvet closer to my body. I breathed in deeply as I stared wide eyed at him. The scent from before engulfed me and I greedily breathed in more, bringing the blanket up to my face so that I could bury my nose in it while keeping my eyes on the stranger in front of me. I was calmer despite the situation by the smell of woods with a hint of spice, male cologne and 'all man'. It was oddly comforting.

"I... I," I began to talk. I didn't know what I was going to say but I felt that I should say something as I wetted my dry lips with my tongue.

"I am not a monster." He repeated once again as he took a step towards me.

I moved along the wall until I couldn't go any further. I had backed myself up into the corner created by two walls joining. I had no way of escaping unless I managed to run past him but I knew that my chances were slim. I had made myself vulnerable, more vulnerable than I had been to begin with. He could easily reach out and pull me into his grasp or lay a hand on me as I had made myself trapped.

"Please don't come near me." I stuttered as I held my shaking hands out in front of me as if they would protect me from him.

He reached down and gently tugged at the duvet as it fell from where I had tucked it under my chin and around my chest. I quickly gripped onto it in tight fists as he continued to pull on the duvet. I knew he wasn't using all of his strength but I was using all of mine to keep it pressed against myself. I was sliding down the wall slowly as I held on to it; he was tugging on it harder now.

"No!" I cried out as with one unexpected tug he had the duvet gathered in his arms. I felt the fabric disappear as I fell onto my back from the loss.

"You monster," I screamed once again, in frustration.

I scrambled up into a seating position as I starred wide eyes at him. I had already regretted calling him a monster once and I had called him it once again. His entire form began to shake as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. I could see his shoulders rapidly moving up and down as he breathed in deeply trying to calm himself too, but I could see that it wasn't working.

I screamed as a loud growl made its way up his throat and out of his mouth. I could hear the sound of his bones breaking, snapping and realigning themselves. I watched as fur sprouted from every pore in his body as he outgrew his human skin and took on his form as a wolf. His clothes ripped during the transition and the little pieces of material covered the entire floor of the room.

I was shaking once again; while bringing my knees up to my chest trying to make myself as small and unexposed as possible. The black wolf in front of me shook out its glossy coat before its head snapped in my direction. Its eyes stalked my every movement and I knew that I was its prey, his eyes calculating as he thought about how easy it would be to take me down. I could see its muscles ripple underneath its fur and I knew that it was getting ready to pounce.

I slowly began to get to my feet with great difficulty, crouching while my body shook uncontrollably as I watched the wild animal in front of me. Its stance had changed as it readied himself for the short leap between us. Its tail flicked high in the air before it ducked the front half of its body and used its back legs to propel itself forward.

His leap was high and I could see the space between its body and the floor. I didn't hesitate as I threw myself forward and under it landing on the carpeted floor as the wolf knocked in the wall, the very place that I had just been crouching. I looked over to see that the wolf was dazed and shaking it head as the wall behind it had a dent in it from the wolf's head.

I scrambled to me feet and sprinted across the top of the bed and leaped towards the closed door. A growl sounded from behind me and I knew that the wolf was no longer dazed. I had already opened the door as I spared a glance behind me to see that the wolf was stalking towards me; I stepped out of the room and slammed the door loudly behind me. I knew that in its wolf form it wouldn't be able to open the door.

I sprinted down the dimly lit hallway as a loud bang could be heard from behind me.  My shaking legs tangled themselves together in my lack of concentration as I fell to the floor, my hands stuck out in front of me to break my fall and I landed with a loud "oomph" on the wooden floor. I shook my head as I looked over my shoulder ignoring the ache in my neck to see that the wolf had knocked the door down, clean off its hinges. It snarled once again at me, his entire form shaking with anger as its brown eyes locked with my own just before it charged forwards.