Chapter 1

Running.

The word had instantaneously sorted through my indistinct mind, his deep eyes held mine, wordlessly yet a lethal chill that ran along my spine, was it shock? Was it anger? His face seemed too emotionless, too mystifying to understand that behind the mask something was bubbling. He had to control it, his fists were scrunched into tight white balls, his breath ragged and his lips pulled into an emaciated line.
I took a defensive step away from the door, unable to see the fiends face, hiding behind the shadows of the old nurse’s room, yet I could still feel him, could still hear the pounding of anger buried beneath his heart.
This was it, I had to leave now or death would develop into the next decision, I was a young wolf and too juvenile to die at this moment. So I made a conclusion, instantly searching for a medium sized window to climb out of, this was my only option left, I had to disappear. Now. And never return.
My eyes caught sight of the height, it was a long distance between us, yet the adrenaline that pushed through my body never seemed to stop, I had no choice but to listen to my conscious, grabbing onto the ledge and pulling my fragile body up, the pain shot through my leg like lightning yet I ignored the howling sound my wolf was pronouncing, using that little strength left inside of me to escape and flee from the danger zone, yet how was I going to cope in the wild?
Trying one last attempt I dived through the gap and onto the bristly grass that gratefully saved my fall from hurting anymore than my leg.
I winced in pain, regretting to ever climb out a window again as the blood began to percolate through the only sheet I had on that was wrapped tightly around my slim figure. I swallow the saliva that had formed in my mouth, running from the pack leader was illegal in our rules, death was the result if that person was to ever be caught.
I wouldn’t let that happen, couldn’t. I’d have to count myself out of the moonlight pack from now on. Profound thumping could be heard from a distance, I stayed frozen, trying to melt into the silhouette of the castle, to become unseen and hopefully the passer by would not notice me.
But instantly a heavy brown leather suitcase was dropped at my bare feet, the breathing of a few people could be heard from a higher distance but I was too frightened to look. “Elisa?” Someone whispered my name delicately, bringing myself back to reality; I jolted, turning towards the familiar voice to notice Chelsea, looking down at me with consideration.
“Chelsea?” I wondered as I began to think that I might be hallucinating. Then my eyes refocused and caught the brown hair of Sam, then Adrian. Was this somehow a trick my mind was maliciously playing on me? I asked myself as I shook my head a few times.
“You need to get up right now, if he catches you, we’ll all be dead,” Adrian panicked as he grabbed my waist and leaned me tenderly on is shoulder before Sam grabbed the luggage and nodded for us to lead the way. This was almost impossible how my friends were actually joining me in the run, Was this right to allow them to be in jeopardy?
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper as our feet crunch against the autumn leaves.
“We’re doing this whether you like it or not, we would never let you go,” Chelsea warned as she pulled a heavy branch from obstructing the way before heading towards the arch of the woods. I gulped, this was it, never returning to this place, the place where my memories remained, leaving my life behind, and leaving Markus behind. This was what I had to do.
I turned to face the manor once more instantly catching sight of someone, someone familiar, someone that I would evermore love. Markus. His green eyes flashed furiously towards me, yet he didn’t seem to move, he stood there as hushed as night. Tears began to dribble down my face, drowning me in sorrow as my heart was being torn to shreds and the aching for his warmth chilled my body further.
It wasn’t until long before Markus began to move, a few of his men ran past him with his commands in order. “Quickly, run! They’re coming for us!” I shrieked at Adrian who turned his head towards the raging wolves that began to pounce through the trees towards us.
“Shi*t!” Adrian yelled as Chelsea and Sam noticed the claws that dug into the earth. “Change into your form now!” Adrian commanded as they both obeyed.
Adrian looked right at me, his face seemed relaxed, though I know his brain was working for a plan. “When I transform I want you to leap onto my back, okay?” Adrian asked politely as he let me go. The roaring of his beast instantly came to the surface, rising and rising until he was the massive mammal, almost as immense as Markus which was surprising.
Without another word I grabbed onto the rough fur of his coat before swinging a leg over him, my breath ragged as his paws began to thump against the earth, I kept my eyes forward, not allowing my mind to focus on the angry wolves that were following us, ahead were both Chelsea and Sam as they easily raced past each tree without effort.
I smiled to myself, leaving might just have been the right option after all.

We headed north, the stillness of the trees became a melody now that the wolves had lost us in the running, optimistically they wouldn’t find us again and had possibly given up. I laid my head gently on the back of Adrian’s furry neck, cuddling into his warmth as a yawn escaped my mouth.
My eyes followed a bird that flew elegantly, leveling with us, its eyes seemed to reflect me, shining with somehow happiness as it spread it eager wings across the woods, I smiled slightly, if only life could really be as unproblematic as a bird.

We had arrived at a secure yet comfortable place in the trees, the woods were colossal and exceedingly hard to track down prays for a few hours. Realizing that we would be prohibited to ever join another pack since we belonged to the moonlight pack, we would have to become undomesticated, and that meant extremely treacherous hazards for us, some wolves became mental by the loneliness, even a few had killed themselves while untamed.
I swallow silently, of course I had my friends along with me and hopefully we could construct our own pack together for the rest of our lives. Adrian cut short, immediately turning back to his human form, but the dilemma was that he was exposed and regrettably for me, I was still on his back and unable to move by the depressing pain in my leg.
Gladly I had carried the luggage as we had torn through the trees and handed them to him, closing my eyes as he carefully pulled me off and sat me on the muddy earth.
My mind wondered back to Markus, the alpha who liked to run things his way, he was enormously obstinate and wouldn’t give up on anything he wanted to achieve. Let’s just hope that he’s not looking for me, we’d be in a lot of danger if he ever found us.
But my heart beat for him, the way his eyes had instantly softened after he saw me hurt by the bite from the other day made my skin tremble without his warm hold, even the way he had gently embraced me as he carefully took in the blood oozing down my skin.
Tears began to roll again, I never intended to hurt him, it wasn’t like I was purposely rejecting him, I just wanted Markus to be content, if I had the selection evidently I would take any likelihood of becoming his soul mate, but sadly I wasn’t on the same stage as he was, a bodyguard would never be accepted as a mate from the alpha, it was ludicrous and even I knew it. “We should sleep, we’ve got to move on tomorrow,” Adrian ultimately spoke as he pulled a top over his frame and gently laid me down on a chair like tree trunk.
“Where are we heading for?” Chelsea wondered as she helped Sam with his trousers and cautiously hid the suitcase behind a prickly bush.
“There is a large cabin about six hours away, the alpha will even find it difficult to seek for us up there,” Adrian spoke as he settled next to me.
Sam nodded before he pulled Chelsea next to him and cuddled with her on the dry muddy ground, though it didn’t last long as Sam’s eyes began to droop before he fell asleep on Chelsea’s shoulder.
My eyes turned to Adrian who seemed uncomfortable where he was positioned. “You can sleep on my stomach if you want,” I whispered into his ear. Adrian’s eyes opened warily before he shrugged and cuddled into my waist, the warmth somehow felt homely before I fell into a deep lumber.

“Get up,” I heard the faint calling of Adrian’s voice as he whispered into my ear, awakening me slowly from a very restful sleep. When Adrian’s eyes seemed calm, I instantly knew that everything was fine and there were no wolves after us.
I was nudged again; the coldness was slowly seeping through the blanket that was wrapped around me, making me quiver silently before lifting my fatigue body from the ground. “What is it Adrian?” I grumbled as I yawned and shook my muzzled mind. “We have to move on now, get your clothes and hurry,” Adrian urged as he grabbed my arm and pulled me from the ground.
Automatically the cloth slipped from body revealing my pale skin to him as he explored the curves with inquisitive eyes. I gasped as I grabbed for the cloth but noticing it was tightly gripped in his hand was going to be impossible to retreat. “Turn away,” I growled angrily as his eyes never seemed to stop roaming. “Adrian!” My voice must have triggered him back to reality as he looked at me with wide eyes before moving away. I sighed with relief, honestly these wolf boys were perverts nowadays, but somehow it just didn’t feel right that my best friend was staring at me like that, it almost seemed like he wanted it.

We headed south, the coldness had returned, a sluggish downpour of rain pattered against the leaves, a slight fog could be seen from a distance through the muddy woods, why on earth did it have to start raining now? I wondered as I guided myself through the trail, following Adrian’s steps.
It had become tiring, since we hadn’t slept for over two days and my eyes began to slip a few times, I had to use half of the trees for support in case I might faint from exhaustion, including the throbbing pain in my leg, but I hadn’t spoken a word about it, I would not slow the process down of reaching our destination. “Are you alright, you look quiet pale?” Chelsea asked as she came to level walking with me through the branches.”
“Yes, I’m fine it’s just that I’m anxious if Markus and his men are still trying to track us down,” I lied, though the thought did slip through my mind, cursing the extra amount of stress that began to whirl through my body.
Chelsea’s worried face seemed to relax a diminutive amount as she grabbed one of my shoulders. “He won’t find us, and even if he does we’ll outrun him like last time,” Chelsea informed as she stepped over a rather large muddy puddle that glittered from the sun’s rays.
I nodded, trying to refocus on nature’s sounds rather than putting myself through depression. When Chelsea had smiled and indicated she was returning back to Sam, my mind wondered to Markus robotically once again without me realising.
What if he did succeed in catching us? Would Markus kill us? I asked myself. What if his men were close by and ready to attack? I bit my lip, determined to push these unpleasant thoughts from my mind. But that didn’t last long when I heard the familiar call of a wolf, a wolf but it was Markus.
I immediately fell to the floor, choking as my eyes widened and my body seemed to be responding. This was not any ordinary call, in fact, this was a personal call to your mate, even if you weren’t bound to each other, Markus had never used this call luckily, but now it seemed desperate yet surprisingly angry.
It was almost impossible for the female to control herself, the call was hypnotizing, meaning you weren’t in command of your own body any longer, you wolf was.
I was about to howl back until Adrian clamped a sweaty palm over my lips, putting a finger to his own, but I struggled, trying to respond, desperately in need of his touch, I wanted him and yet why were my friends obstructing me again? I wondered as I tried to wiggle out of their embrace, Adrian picked me up and started to carry my flaming body, I struggled yet I wasn’t strong enough, it was heat, my body was going through heat.
You could only use the mate call once every month, when it was a full moon, and unfortunately today was when the white round object appeared from the sky, captivating many of the wolves eyes, the owner of all packs.
I screamed loudly, trying to rip away from Adrian who forcefully gripped my waist tighter, I growled angrily, how they dare stop me from returning to Markus especially when I needed him to take away this burning sensation.
I whimpered angrily and arched my back as my eyes closed for a brief moment before reopening and fighting much harder. This unbearable heat would last for about a day and I could not bare this, so I tried to escape, ferociously tearing at Adrian’s top. “I’m sorry I have to do this Elisa but,” With that, Adrian knocked his elbow straight to my face, my body fell limp in his arms, the only sound was my calming breathing yet my wolf still seemed to be wide awake.

Chapter 2

When I had awoken, which had seemed like a elongated amount of time, the indistinct vision that became refocused on Adrian startled me as I wondered where exactly we were located. But as I looked around the unfamiliar place, I realized that we were all together in a secure cabin, the tender flickers of the flames licked across the wood logs at the fireplace, Sam and Chelsea were huddled closely together under a blanket, half asleep, my mind wondered instantaneously back to what had happened from the last time I had been conscious. “You had to be put out,” Adrian grumbled, as he placed a blanket over my rigid body. “You were in heat, so I had to put you out.”
The memories had immediately flooded through my brain a whole series of different scenes playing through my mind, but I couldn’t remember anything much after the piercing calling of Markus’s voice as it howled through the darken woods. “What happened?” I groaned as I tried to position my throbbing head in a more comfortable arrangement.
“Markus had called the mate howl and your body instantly became overwhelmed by your wolf so you were not capable to guard yourself, nearly loosing the person inside of you,” Adrian returned as he sat at the edge of my bed, with sympathetic eyes.
“How long have I been asleep for?” I wondered as I dug myself deeper into the covers.
“Four days, we had to lug you with us and finally ended up here,” Adrian spoke as he stretched his legs and blew out an unsteady breath.
I nodded; trying to not tolerate myself to become irritated at how complicated I had been over these past few days. “It’s fine now, as long as you’re safe,” Adrian smiled before pressing a kiss to my forehead, his lips soothing my aching body.
“We should get some rest now, go to sleep,” Adrian whispered as his eyes stared through mine and into the soul that was slowly shriveling up inside of me.
I nodded, gracefully spreading a phony smile across my face. “Goodnight.” Adrian left the room; the spot of where his shadow remained was now a cold illusion. I snuggled deeper, depriving my thoughts from Markus instead to the window of where snowflakes began to flow, my eyes lit up, no one had to know that I needed just a little time to cool off.
I slipped from the bed, steadying my weighty body, supporting myself with the bed before limping over to the back door which was luckily unlocked. The doors swung open as my hands clenched over the handles, a blast of wind sending my hair flying over my shoulders, the cool breeze instantly burning my heated face.
I breathed in, the smell of nature wondered through my nostrils, a mixture of leaves, blackberry’s, animal’s and crispy leaves had the aroma to make any wolf intoxicated.
I took one delicate step outside, the snow just about reaching over my foot, even without wearing any shoes, the feeling over the chilling substance still had my body yearning for more. I took another step into the grass, wearily looking around for any signs of movement before closing my eyes and twirling through the snowflakes as they embraced my body.
A small smile curved at my lips, my favourite season was winter and with this, my body became stronger, the adrenaline rushing to my head, my wolf was ready for a battle, nothing was going to discontinue me from succeeding, not even Markus who had almost captured me a few days ago, fortunately Adrian had been there to facilitate me and save me through the agony I’d probably be witnessing now.
Suddenly warm hands embraced my thin waist, asking me to tilt my body against his for support as I watched the snow drift towards us. “Adrian, what are you doing?” I mumbled, though halfheartedly as I somehow needed attention in case my body may disintegrate from exhaustion, though I didn’t want to sleep.
“I have a little dirty secret to tell you,” Adrian sang into my ear, though the words were slightly muffled as his body moved against mine.
I must have stiffened by the way Adrian’s hands tried to sooth me. “It’s not anything bad,” Adrian whispered warily as he pulled me closer. What was wrong with him? Why was he suddenly acting this way? I wondered as I made not attempt in moving from his embrace.
“What is it then?” I asked as I stared up at the apparent night sky, the crescent slightly hiding behind the one cloud that sat lazily in the sky.
“I love you,” His dark voice coursed through my body, rumbling the wolf that had also not expected those words to proceed from his lips. For a occupied second I couldn’t speak a word, my mind was blank and my eyes were far away, his nudge that dug into my shoulder became an direct switch to remind me that someone was presence.
“You what?” I stuttered, still not understanding what he had meant.
“I’ve kept it a secret from when I had first met you because you were already in love with the alpha, so now that you had decided to run I wanted to expose my factual feelings to you, I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable by this,” He uttered as he turned me around and made me face him.
I stared in complete astonishment; my expression must have alarmed him as he took a defensive step back and pushed his hands into his pockets awkwardly. I had never expected that my best friend was in fact in love with me, all these years he had kept soundless, not speaking a word, all the pain he must have gone through by the amount of ignorance I had shown him, just like Markus and I.
So I decided to do the only thing I could possibly think of, my lips smashed against his, his body stiffened beneath my contact for a few moments before he responded instantly and returned my kiss, our body’s became one and our lips moved in perfect timing, the intense moment became a love scene as our tongue’s entwined with each other, his hands that wandered over my body, the way his fingers caressed my curves, the soft yet firmness of his pleasurable body against mine, what was I doing? I was only going to hurt Adrian, yet my mind didn’t seem to respond to my pleading of regret.
His arms tangled around my waist, pulling me an inch closer, delicately lightening the kiss before gently touching the side of my neck and down to my collar bone, his hot breath against my skin instantly making me forget the explanation that Adrian was my best friend, his hands that slid down my back and sliding right back up to the sensitive part of my neck, his eyes that roamed the bare skin of my shoulders and the way he brought his eyes up to face mine. “Adrian,” I breathed as I tried to shift away from him, the regret instantly replacing happiness.
His eyes twinkled with disappointment, and the way he took a step back only made my heart ache further. “I’m not trying to upset you, it’s just that my body is hurting and is still recovering from the heat, give it time,” I know I was lying but hurting my best friend like this was unacceptable, he obviously loved me and I suppose I could give him a chance, I’d have to comprehend the positives of these points, hopefully one day bringing myself to love him too.
The light in his eyes returned, shining brightly as a smile slid its way across his face, anyway he’d probably find his mate and obviously really fall in love, maybe this was just a temporary feeling before the actual obsession replaced him. “So you’re not rejecting me?” He wondered hopefully.
I had to make an attempt, if this was of course going anywhere, though my mind began to wonder back to how Markus’s arms must feel against my skin if he were replaced by Adrian. “We’ll have to go slower, this was just a one off,” I replied as I took a step towards the door and hopped into the room, praying Adrian would possibly leave me to understand the situation that was occurring right now.
“Absolutely,” Adrian replied as he sent me a massive toothy grin, it wasn’t that Adrian was an ugly wolf or anything, in fact he was quiet the opposite, a face that could only get away with breaking hearts, a predator to allure prays with the way his gorgeous blue eyes appeared over you, capturing many women’s hearts.
I smiled to myself, maybe starting a new relationship would perhaps help me to forget about my real mate, hopefully my feelings may become mutual. “Goodnight,” Adrian spoke through the darkness as he silently shut the doors before coming towards me and soothingly planting a kiss upon my cheek, a smile bending his lips in satisfactory as he exited the room, his footsteps could still be heard through the hall though.
My heart was thumping faster than a clock, now knowing that Adrian felt this way towards me, how could I become used to the proposal that forcing myself to try and return his feeling was not incorrect but in fact a superior way to deal with my heart that only belonged to Markus himself.
I ignored the pain that my wolf was whimpering; even the beast inside of me knew that trying to forget about the Alpha was almost impossible.

Running from the one you love is almost impossible.

Chapter 3

I woke up early following morning, the birds chirping and the whispering that echoed through the dainty cabin could be overheard, my head suddenly swirled with the memories and the physical contact I had been through with Adrian, my heart pounded rapidly, instantly regretting my actions, now not only did he believe that my feelings were also identical to him but we had kissed!
I took a long pause before I lifted my frail body from the bed, the wound on my leg was only a scar that remained, a smile creased upon my lips. Seemed everything was fine so far, but how was I going to explain to Adrian about yesterday incident? I must have felt wheezy and probably wasn’t thinking straight, but recapturing the way his face changed after I had dissatisfied him made my heart churn.
I edged towards the door, hearing the low whispering becoming a portion louder, just appropriate for my ears to capture the words they softly spoke. “So what are you going to do now?” I caught the minor voice of Chelsea.
“You heard Markus, we need to return to castle immediately otherwise we’ll die,” I suspected they were talking about the relationship between us, but as soon as the name Markus hit my ears, my body shook back, what did they mean by return?
I threw the bedroom door open, storming towards the stunned faces as they gasped at my occurrence. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I growled angrily, colliding a fist down onto the table with so much strength you could hear the wood cracking.
Adrian sighed, his eyes returning to his fingers as they picked dead skin inelegantly. “Markus’s men had arrived on our doorstep yesterday while you were asleep, it was a disbelief you hadn’t awoken,” Adrian grumbled as he shifted awkwardly. “They said that we must return in less than a week otherwise they’ll drag us back and kill every single one of us leisurely.”
My heart had frozen, the chilling speech that ran along my spine was unable to move, was the words he had just spoken true? Or was this an unpleasant joke they were playing on me? “You’re kidding right?” I laughed hysterically, trying to disregard the solemn expressions that were plastered on their faces. “So you’re going to give up? Just like that?”
Their faces seemed expressionless and my eyes caught the sign of packed luggage’s set by the door. “We have no other choice, Elisa,” Sam replied sternly, not meeting eye contact.
“We’ll keep running, they found us because we were located in one place, if we keep moving-“
I was vulgarly cut off by the irritated tone of Adrian. “We want to live Elisa and we are going back!” The silence regained consciousness as we all stood there cumbersomely, trying to find any explanation.
“I’m not going back,” I replied firmly. “You can go; I’m going to keep running.”
Adrian scowled at me, his eyes as black as midnight, his pupils had completely disappeared. “You are coming with us,” He snarled.
I stood my ground, though I was secretly frightened as I had never seen this side of Adrian before, an untamed beast. I gasped, of course it had been long enough that Adrian was slowly changing, he no longer obeyed any orders and so his form was becoming his own. “Look at yourself!” I shrieked “You’re not longer part of that pack, we decided this a while ago and running is no decision for us now! I yelled at him, throwing anything that was in my grasp.
Adrian ducked at my attempts, his claw like hand grabbed the table, instantly throwing it angrily at me, narrowly missing my head and smashing into smithereens against the wall. “Enough!” Chelsea bawled so loudly that it wounded our sensitive ears. “Elisa’s right, we’ve come too far to just give up now, we have to keep going,” Chelsea explained, her voice seemed tranquil and her eyes narrowed into slits directly at Adrian whose eyes returned to his usual colour.
“Taking sides?” Adrian mocked as he pushed a hand into his unruly hair, bringing himself to lean against the counter.
“Not at all, I’ve just decided to agree with Elisa, her opinion is much sturdier than yours,” Chelsea replied stubbornly.
Adrian pushed his eyes towards me, somehow fire licking at his pupils, the atmosphere between us was substantial and I felt uncertain of what he might do next. “Fine.” Was his simple reply as he stalked off into the living room and vanished.
We stayed soundless for a couple of hours, picking up the broken pieces we had shattered with rage, this was possibly ruthless as I knew that becoming a desolated wolf could cause a lot of exposures. But what other choice did I have? I asked myself as my eyes wondered over to the figure that stood in the doorway.
Adrian who regarded me with sympathy, had he supposedly returned to his usual self now? I cautiously asked myself as I stood and prudently walked over to him. “I want to apologize for the way I acted towards you, I…wasn’t myself,” He whispered, his eyes gleamed with something unknown.
Unconsciously my fingers gently grazed over his slightly stubble chin, feeling the roughness against the tips of my fingers, a smile fixed against my lips, as my eyes stared back at the reflection in Adrian’s eyes. “Apology accepted,” I mumbled.
Adrian leaned down, slowly grazing his lips against mine, though his eyes were cautious before he gently placed a kiss against my chin, mumbling sweet words into my ear, I had almost forgotten the presence of Chelsea and Sam as they gasped in repulsion at the scene.
I shot away from him, knocking over yet another glass that shattered against the floor. “It’s not what it looks like!” I stuttered as their eyes flickered between Adrian and me.
“Really? Then what exactly is it?” Chelsea pounced back, her eyes fiery as her lip curled.
I couldn’t utter a word, my mind was completely blank, why was she so upset? I hadn’t had a chance to speak to Chelsea about this, so it gave me a right to explain. “It happened yesterday,” Adrian interrupted our staring competition.
Chelsea’s cold eyes flickered towards him; her face softened a small amount. “And when were you going to tell us?”
My face instantly heated what must they have thought when they had seen us cuddling together, more the thought of why we had actually been cuddling together was beyond me. “And what about your mate Markus? He’s the Alpha and if he finds out that you two are hooking up together, lover boy will be dead in less than two seconds!” Chelsea hissed as she sent daggers across to Adrian.
“He won’t find out!” I returned. “We’ll be running and we’re not even mated so it’s none of his business.”
“What if he does find us, what if he does find out about you two?” Chelsea questioned. Tapping her foot impatiently as her lips turned into a thin line with antagonism.
“Why would he care anyway? I’m just his bodyguard!” I shouted angrily, my voice echoed against the walls as I stormed from the room and hurled my body against the comfortable mattress. Though I didn’t want to admit defeat, what if he did find out about us two? Though there should be nothing between us in the first place.
I needed to refresh my mind, try to stay calm even though my brain was thrashing with questions that were in need of answers. I quietly tiptoed across the room, trying to immerse the sound of my footsteps into the carpet, and extending my hand to reach the door.
Pulling the handle down and meeting the four inch high snow brought pleasure through my lonely body. I needed time to think and recapture why I was putting myself through all this discomfort.
I staggered through the dense substance, the snow was cold but It didn’t seem to affect me much as I walked barefoot across the land and into the trees where everything was as silent as a predator.
Though sun glazed down upon me, nothing seemed to awaken my rigid body as it stalked further into the woods, abandoning the cabin.
That’s when my eyes captured the glittery objects that fell silently from the sky, and gradually settling onto the mountain of snow. A thousand snowflakes began to drop, slowly sprinkling over the trees, blanketing the woods. Nature was divine and I felt impossibly free, then as I was about to reach down to pick up the soft substance a loud snap sounded from behind making me turn to meet forbidden eyes anyone would fear. Markus.
I took a deep breath as his scent lingered upon my nostrils, making me feel totally aroused by his presence, though my body screamed for me to run, run as fast as I possibly could, try and escape him and is captivating eyes that never seemed to leave mine. I couldn’t speak, meeting so unexpectedly was a shock and I knew leaving the cabin was a bad idea. “So we meet again,” His voice rumbled powerfully through the trees, the tender snowflakes landed gracefully in his hair, making him become even more beautiful than he already was.
“How did you find me?” I asked, trying to control the urge to run into his arms and embrace him forever.
“Senses,” Was his response. “But in actual fact I wasn’t coming out here to find you, I was hunting,” He replied as his eyes wondered through the white scene. He somehow seemed gratified in this atmosphere, something I had never noticed in his eyes before.
“Well you’ve found me,” I spat. “So go ahead and kill me.” Markus’s face seemed shocked for a second before his expressional face turned into rage.
“Kill you?” He asked angrily, his fist shaking as he clenched his jaw. A completely different person had changed in less than a second. “Why would I destroy my mate?” He hissed furiously.
“Because I’m just your bodyguard,” I shot back, trying to push the howling of my wolf that pushed through my skin. “I’m useless to you.”
Markus’s face softened at my words, his eyes explored my body that was only covered by a thick blanket I had carried outside. He grabbed my face between his hands. “You’re everything to me,” He replied sincerely, my heart raced at his touch, the sparks began to ignite once again, I was unable to move and surely enough his face came a fraction closer, almost melting at the tickling of his breath and the slow movement of his chest that moved up and down.
I looked away, suddenly fearful of my actions, did I have to answer? I wondered, anxious of ruining the perfect moment between us, this was always what I had dreamt of, being caressed and loved by the only person I wanted, to experience the desire many wolves deserved.
I had never been cared for, never been loved and always been reserved as a second privilege rather than a first. My mother had decided to give me away at birth as she comprehended that I was in fact a girl rather than a boy she had always longed for, she was in need of an independent wolf that could one day become an alpha.
I wanted to be with Markus, almost decided to give into his trace and run back with him, but I stood my ground. “I can’t be with you, everyone will start a debate and rumours will uproar, I’m not going back,” I replied sternly, Markus’s face seemed to mix with different emotions until he let go of my chin and took a defensive step away.
“Who cares what other people think? You’re my mate and that’s all that counts,” Markus returned.
“I’m not going back to that place ever again,” I hissed as I turned around to leave, only to have my wrist yanked towards him.
“Coward,” His words rung through my body like an alarm. I pressed him away, not tolerating him to see the tears that slithered across my cheek; the feeling of losing someone you dearly love rips your heart out, plays with it and dumps it into a dark corner to rot.
“I don’t care,” I whispered as I marched through the heavy snow and back to the awaiting cabin.
“I’ll have you one way or another,” His steady voice flowed through my body, stopping me for a complete second before proceeding and leaving him standing there with a smug expression I knew was plastered on his face.

Chapter 4

Running.
We had been running for an extensive amount of time and fatigue was gradually working its way over my body. The thumping of our substantial paws were the only thing that echoed through the tranquil trees, the sun saturated through our skin as we competed towards the open gap of the tree line.
When we had finally reached the exit we came upon a snowy bank, the water gently slipped to the finish line, the rocks that leisurely moved by the force of the water and the snow that was pulled into the fluid itself.
I walked over to the substance, taking a long fresh drink as my tongue dipped towards the river, my body jolting as it slithered down my throat.
My eyes glanced towards Adrian as he had now reimbursed into his human form and was gazing at me with enthrallment. I turned away, since his face was a replica of Markus, why was it so hard to forget someone? He shouldn’t be significant to me and I wouldn’t let anything overcome my mind and command me to return to the kingdom.
Chelsea had cocooned herself into a ball; her jaw was juddering frantically as she stared into the distance, resting her chin lightly onto her knee. I moved closer to her, trying to snap her mind from the thoughts that passed through her head. “Chelsea?” I whispered.
Her eyes sluggishly turned to me, and I knew that she was the first who was slowly becoming wild. Does she know me anymore? I wondered as her eyes seemed expressionless and the way her body sat inelastic.
Her lips were pulled into a thin line and her hair was pushed into different places.
This was my fault.
This was my entire fault.
I reached over to touch her cold skin, but her hand instantly slapped me away, a small growl fled from her lips as she watched me like a prey. “Chelsea?” I heard Sam tread over unhurriedly as he had digested the scene of me and Chelsea. “What’s wrong with her?” Sam asked nervously as he took another timorous step towards us.
“Wild, she’s becoming wild,” I whispered, the tears were spewing from my eyes, they gently glided down my rosy cheeks and the way Chelsea watched me was frightening.
“Chelsea!” Sam growled as he began to walk faster.
Chelsea seemed to return at her name, her eyes were no longer the deep black they once were, her body had relaxed and her white knuckled hands became the usual colour it was. I stared up at Sam; his face seemed tranquil as he pulled Chelsea’s body into a hug. “I’m her mate, she’ll listen to me,” He spoke as Chelsea reluctantly closed her frail eyes and leaned into Sam’s chest.
I smiled, tracing a finger into the snow as it had previously drenched my clothes and my whole body had become numb now, but I didn’t seem to mind as my eyes shut for a momentary second before reopening.
The night was fresh and tremendously noiseless that I could my own heart pumping blood through my veins. I turned my head a portion and observed as Adrian was already asleep on a tree that supported his body.
His lips were somewhat parted, his body was curled into his chest, his eyes were softly pushed closed and the rising of his chest as he gradually breathed in and out. I shrugged as I prudently walked over, I was cold and I needed someone to embrace me.
Though Adrian was already asleep I positioned myself in-between his arms, cuddling closer and taking in his warmth as it flooded my skin.
I breathed in his scent, only his real mate could find this intoxicating, I told myself. One day Adrian will find his mate and really fall in love. I smiled miserably, wishing the man in front of me right now was Markus. I comprehended that I didn’t really have any distinctive emotions towards Adrian, just a brotherly feeling but knowing how Adrian felt towards me was a challenging topic to break.
I could feel the taciturn breathing of Adrian as he pulled me into him closer and his breathing became an extended sigh. I gazed at his face, the way he looked so peaceful behind his hair. Was this right? To mess with him? I wondered as I took an extensive breathe before hearing a loud snap from behind me.
I shot up, letting Adrian’s arms once again drop by his side. The rustling became louder, almost loud enough to wake the whole woods. I took a deep breath before bracing myself to find who the person was that was about to appear before me.
But in face it was a girl, she seemed my age, her blonde locks gently flowing across her back, her blue eyes that peered at me inquisitively, her lips were settled fully on her face, her smooth pale skin seemed as soft as silk. Who was she and what did she want?
The girl edged a little closer, not daring to take her eyes off mine; she seemed timorous, though she didn’t run away. “I knew if I followed this scent it would lead me to someone,” She whispered hoarsely as she backed up on a tree before her eyes examined the rest of the sleeping wolves.
“Who are you?” I demanded, keeping my eyes upon hers, her pupils widened in fear before her lips quivered a small amount.
“My name is Rose, I’m from the Forest Fire Pack and I mean no harm,” She mumbled in a small voice, her eyes planted on the ground.
Forest Fire Pack? Weren’t they one of the most treacherous rebel packs in the world? They apparently owned these woods. Markus had cautioned me to stand clear of them since they were untamed wolves and could kill at an unpredictable time.
This nervous girl who stood before me positively didn’t seem wild, though there could also be another side to this female, her eyes held something secretive inside of her, a curse that was captivating her body and she seemed unable to tell. “Why are you here?” I asked, taking a step away from the three sleeping humans who had surprisingly not awakened by this scene.
“I smelled him,” She whispered eagerly as a smile spread across her glimmering face. “I followed the scent and I found him!”
I was confused at this point before I spoke once again. “Who?”
She looked unswervingly into my eyes, the anxiety was now gone as her confidence seemed to build up inside of her fragile body. “My mate.”

Chapter 5

For an instant I alleged that my ears may had been misleading me, but by the solemn look among her face I knew who she was explaining.

Adrian.

I smiled imperceptibly, taking a good look at her for a small number of innocent seconds before my eyes slip towards the composed breathing of my friends. “You’re just going to take him?” I asked, my reflection stared back in her eyes, the way they skimmed my body with a slice of possessiveness frightened me.
She smiled cruelly. “He’s my mate.”
I rose from my position, towering over her and defending my thrashing heart as it hammered through its cage. “He’s my friend.”
Rose didn’t seem to shift from her posture, she just glared up at me, not a hint of trepidation lifted from her delicate body, I could tell that she was a sturdy well trained wolf and could attack at any minute. “Then I will leave my pack.”
I was in inclusive astonishment as the prohibited words flee from her peachy lips, her eyes challenging me to speak another clever comment, but my brain was unwelcoming me to reply. “I would do anything for my mate,” She growled, her teeth bared and her pupils seemed to become lesser as she arched her back into a lethal arrangement.
“What’s going on?” I heard the slurring of Adrian’s sleepy voice as he rubbed his eyes tenderly and blinked a few times before his gaze landed on both of us.
Adrian cautiously took a long stretch before rolling his head and striding towards me, it was then that Adrian stilled, looking into the eyes of the inexplicable girl. “Hello, mate,” She whispered coolly, her hair blowing in the wind and her lips curled into a faint smile, decreasing the untamed wolf who was fervently trying to direct her earlier.
“What is this?” Adrian demanded, his eyes roamed across her pale beauty, his features in revulsion as he took a distrustful step backwards, never leaving her sight.
I turned to him, my eyes twisted to the grassy hills, the friendliness of the half moon rose into the air, the light reflected on us like a torch. An anxiety I had never experienced before. “She is your mate, Adrian,” I mumbled, unable to revolve to his astonished face.
“Mate?” He asked inaudibly as he moved closer until he was face to face to the women. “Where are you from?” He asked in a understandable, harsh voice that held authority.
“I am from the Forest Fire pack,” She smiled, her eyes became affectionate and the creature inside of her seemed to reconcile.
“The Forest Fire pack are unsafe, what are you doing around here at this time of night, young one?” He spoke.
She grinned, a large toothy grin that was occupied with secrets and surprises. “Searching for you.”
Adrian pushed he back and brushed a hand through his hair though I noticed the slight unsteadiness of his uneven breath. “Go back.”
Rose stared at him for a moment, completely hushed and her face seemed devastated by the words that had etched through her heart. “But I’ve found you,” She cried, trying to stand near to the impassive Adrian.
“Leave!” He sneered. “I do not want a wild wolf for a mate.”
Her tears slid down her face, her eyes frenetic and unpromising as she tried to manage her trembling lip. She scampered away, leaving footsteps in the snow, only a reminiscence of her presence now as my eyes turned in amazement towards the inflexible Adrian. “That was malicious.”
“I do not want her.”
“So you rejected her?” I hissed heatedly, turning away and in hope of seeing the glimmering eyes of the girl I once saw.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, encircling me and sent moderate kisses along my neck. I pulled away, this had gone on for far too long and by this point I knew if I didn’t verbalize now, things would end up injured and wrecked. “Adrian, you need your genuine mate,” I alleged.
“No, I only need you,” He snarled irritably as he tried to come for me again.
I placed a hand on his chest, the warmth instantaneously seeping from his shirt and warming my cold blood that snow had melted into. “Your mate is your other half, my other half is Markus and I cannot be with you,” I spoke. “You have to comprehend why we were put together with our mates, due to the fact that they are ideal for us.”
Adrian stared at me, his features seemed to solidify at my words, the fact that it pained me to watch him undergo was difficult but I needed to transmit the message to him before it was too delayed. “You need her,” I whispered, though his face became a blur as more tears slipped out, was this going to develop the fact that we were still friends?
“She is an untamed wolf, I will not allow a relationship to cultivate out of control,” He spoke with command, he leaned over me, his temper could be sensed from miles by now, and if I couldn’t manage him, things could become a risk.
“Then teach her how to develop into an appropriate wolf again.”

chapter 6

Running.

That was all we had been performing these past two weeks, running from the past and now reaching for the future. Where was our potential? Was there even a future?

Now the occurrence with Adrian and Rose had reassured a diminutive quantity, we had decided to let Rose unite with our miniature pack and leave the group she had developed in.
Of course it had been a tough result but she had realized that she had by now fallen for Adrian.
Now we were hiding from two packs. Would it be more likely to die?
I took a glimpse at Adrian's grave face, unresponsive as he stared into the sullen trees.
Would we ever determine this circumstance? I wondered as my feet crunch against the snow and leave footprints in return.
My whole body had grow to be insensitive for an unidentified cause, was it the desire for my mate’s contact? Did my body need to be embraced by the perfectly fitted hands of Markus as they would tenderly glide across my smooth skin.

I needed him. But I couldn't have him.

I smiled miserably; closing my eyes would only carry more pictures of Markus flooding through my mind, so I kept myself emotionally involved to natures sounds. "I'm sorry," Adrian spoke through the stillness, our head turning in unison at his stunning words. "I shouldn't have judged you."

He was speaking to Rose; she seemed astonished for a quantity of time before warmth seemed to deluge her icy eyes. "It wasn't your mistake, I'm from a treacherous pack," She replied, a petite smile tugging at the corner of her pale mouth.
Adrian turned to her, his face seemed composed and the way his hands unclenched in his pockets was relieving. Maybe these two will sought things out between each other.

I rotate my eyes pensively towards Sam and Chelsea who seem to be whispering quietly to themselves, a smile at Sam's lips while Chelsea spoke with her delicate voice.

I felt unaccompanied.

I was In need of someone by my side, someone who would love me eternally. When will that happen? Never, my mind returns sending a shiver along my spine.
Markus had probably given up his hunt and had more than likely found another single wolf that is trustworthy and will pleasure him the right way.
So, when's my turn to be treated right?

Chapter 7

Markus's P.O.V

Disappeared. She has been gone for over two weeks and life seemed to become unbalanced for me. All these days have conceded I've had to bear on with my life, the meetings, though they seem dead and lifeless, the loving nights of various female wolves in bed though of course their touches seemed unresponsive to my skin.
I need her. And only her.
I sit on the sofa, and gaze out at the depressing woods, knowing that she's someone inside the cave of green.
I have to find her, but it seems almost unfeasible to have her. Why is she running? Is she fearful? And why, all of this time has she been hiding herself from me. She's my mate.
Then there was the confrontation of colliding with her in the woods, her striking eyes as they glistened in the snow as she danced in circles, the contentment had brought her wolf to the surface.
Why was that face so hard to reoccur. Did she detest me?
I slammed the bottle of wine down, I had already drank far too much, but I just couldn't discontinue my fingers from flying over the neck and gulping down the cool substance though it burned against my throat.

Though I hate myself for not knowing that the female who always stood beside me was in actual fact my mate, I knew that finding her was not a decision. I was going to have her, and it was sure to be soon.
I would plead for her to return, speak to her with soothing words and try another mate call since the moon would be returning in two weeks.

I will discover her and I'd make certain of that.

I'd bet my life on it.

Chapter 8

Rose. She had become one of us, undeniably kind natured plus gracious, so there were five of us on the run, Adrian, Chelsea, Sam, Rose and me. Could life develop into anything more dangerous?
The full moon was to revisit tonight and we had already determined the plan. I and Adrian chained up jointly. It was physically the nastiest idea we had ever considered. Particularly now that him and Rose had become closer throughout these past weeks.
My eyes followed the water that swirled through the Rocky River, unsullied and sparkling, my mind was now overloading with mountains of questions, but despondently there were no answers. I could hear the weak mumbling of the rest as they began to elucidate the plan and how secure the chains should be.
individually I was terrified and being in the same distance as Adrian sent my heart fluttering.
The night sky was becoming darker and my eyes traced the sky for any sign of the white cheese like object. “Are you ready?” I flinched at the sound of Sam’s unsympathetic voice, the domineering words that sent shivers rolling through my skin.
I nodded noiselessly preparing myself for what was to come. It was only for the best, this would surely prepare me for any distractions of my mate’s overprotective voice.
Sam instantaneously knew by my expression that terror was controlling me. “It will be fine,” He pulled me into a heart warming hug and both of us wordlessly walked over to the place where I despised.
The chains as they dangled, urging to enfold around something or someone, to confine and rule. Adrian’s arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, pulling me away from Sam and close to him.
Then the metal was roughly clipped around us. “Why are we both together?” I wondered distrustfully.
“In case you break out, at leased I have a grasp on you, I can thump you if you become out of manage.”
I nodded, dimly listening to his words as the moon rose towering in the sky, forming a spotlight between us two. “You’ll be all right,” Adrian alleged, softly soothing the raging wolf hammering through my body.
“Adrian stop it,” I hissed, closing my eyes as I tried to center on the thick air and the way my body began to heat.
“No way,” Adrian slurred, taking a deep look at me, with somehow dread laced through his pupils.
My eyes snapped open as I glared with fiery eyes. “What?”
“You’re in heat,” He believed, the chains moving as he tried to take a step backwards. “You’re in need of your mate because today’s your birthday.”
I had realized previously today that it had been my birthday and I knew if I told them the things that were about to come were uncontainable. Heat. It came every single birthday and when it came there was no stopping it without your mate when the moon rose high and the sky became dark.
“Adrian, what are you talking about?” I tried so hard not to screech, but every time a signal of warmth washed through my body, it seemed to burn my bones.
I screamed with frustration, trying to disentangle myself from the unfeasible, why were these chains so hard to eliminate, why was I in shackles? Everything we had planned, I had forgotten, the scheme had entirely changed and the need to smell his heavenly scent made me snarl irritably from being constrained.
My nails were slowly replaced by claws, the feeling of fangs broke the sensitive skin of my gums, and my eyes had become the darkest black achievable. It was heat, and it came on every birthday, this was when Chelsea and Adrian would assist me, would try as possibly durable as they could to stop me from being exposed.
But this had to be the hardest heat I have ever been through. “Let me go Adrian!” I tried to wriggle from the gripping iron but it was useless. “I’ve had enough.” My voice echoed through the woods. Letting heads turn and eyes caught by revelation.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“I don’t want to keep running,” I tried to keep my voice calm but the unending feeling of remembering the way his hands felt against my skin was unfair. “It’s time to stop running, it’s time to stop hiding and feeling feeble, we need to face our fears once and for all, what’s the point when he’ll find us anyway.”
Adrian was about to oppose until my wolf spoke the three simple words for me. “I love him.”
Adrian’s body seemed to stiffen against me, his eyes became cold and his jaw was set in the hardest lock possible. His hands clenched but he seemed as still as a rock. “You need to let me go now,” I murmured.
Adrian’s eyes came down on me with a swift flicker held hesitation. “You know how it feels with Rose, the most astonishing sensation possible, and I want that.”
“But what if he doesn’t treat you right Elisa?” He answered; his voice held rage yet passion with a fiery substance.
I took a deep breath, letting the words that were nearly prohibited out. “Then that’s a risk I’m going to have to take.”
Adrian stared at me, his lips in a firm line, but the way his hands closed around the key that sat in his pocket sent a relief flowing through me, “Let me go,” I whispered, his eyes never left mine in any case of it being a trick.
Adrian’s hand grabbed the paddock before he placed the metal inside the hole and twisted, until I heard the clicking sound, my time was to run, back to where I belonged. Somewhere I should have for no reason left. No more running. It was time to go home and whether he required me or not was just the beginning of an immense jeopardy.

------------------------

Finished!
Well...not quiet, the last book is coming soon! ;)
Thanks to everyone for reading it. I hope you enjoyed it!

Cherrytop x

Imprint

Publication Date: 09-19-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Running from your problems when they're in your own head.