The Dragon's Woman (Elemental Dragons Book 3)

by Emilia Hartley

  Crunch chuckled, as did the rest of the bikers.

  “My sister Tess said she caused that,” Alex replied with uncertainty.

  “In a manner,” he said, “your sister said a few things that I couldn’t ignore and your father took her side. He won, in the end. You don’t see me holding a grudge about it. Either way,” he continued, “You better learn to control your wolf, before it controls you.”

  “How?” Alex wondered, “It’s only been a couple days and it feels like its eating me from the inside.”

  Crunch polished off the remainder of his beer and threw the can to join his previous one. Another loud belch echoed through the darkness. He tossed a log on the fire and it started crackling.

  “I’m not an expert,” he said, “but I have heard of something that will let you communicate with it.”

  “Show me,” Alex said urgently, “I need to know. I can’t let it take over like that again.”

  “Alright, but this might hurt,” he said.

  Cynthia watched on with deep interest. She was both curious and worried. Both emotions reflected on her face.

  “What do I have to do,” Alex asked.

  Crunch reached to the ground and picked up a small piece of wood and adjusted his waistline as he returned to his feet. He offered the item to Alex who took it, confused.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” he wondered.

  “Bite down on it and look to your right,” Crunch said.

  He did as he was told. Cynthia watched as her dad cracked his neck and shook out his arms.

  “Are you ready?” Crunch asked.

  “Yeth,” Alex mumbled through the stick, “bu’ wha’ is thith for?”

  “It’s just a distraction,” Crunch said.

  “Distraction from what,” Cynthia asked.

  “This,” he replied.

  In a split second he swung his arm around and clocked Alex across the face. The force of the blow could be felt by Cynthia and she spilled the remainder of her drink to the ground as she leapt to her feet to catch Alex.

  “What the hell did you do you bastard!?” she screamed. Alex was completely unconscious in her arms. The stick fell from his mouth and Cynthia slapped at his face, hoping he’d wake up.

  “This is the fastest way,” Crunch laughed, “You’ll see.”

  Alex stirred.

  “You better take a step back, Cyn,” Crunch suggested, “this might get a little messy.”

  Why would I abandon him?

  Alex’s eyes snapped open. Completely black pupils stared into her soul. Alex’s mouth began to take the shape of a muzzle. He growled beneath his breath and for the first time around Alex, Cynthia feared for her safety. She released him and stepped away.

  “Explain this shit right now, why did you punch him?” she asked, not taking her eyes off Alex.

  Alex pushed himself up to all fours and his body began to change. Thick black fur sprouted from his knuckles and cascaded down the remainder of his exposed skin.

  Crunch shoved his way between his daughter and Alex. A move that must have been made to protect her, or so she thought. Alex stared dead eyed at Crunch and growled louder, readying himself to strike. Crunch growled back and stared him down. Their collective will could be felt by everyone else nearby as they both battled for dominance.

  Alex’s shift continued to expand and cover his entire body. His biker shirt tore away at the seams, and his jeans loosened and fell to the floor. Cynthia saw that Alex was no longer there. What stood before her was the wolf she knew he’d been holding back. His fur was so dark it was hard to see him against the blackness of the night. Without the firelight he would have been nearly impossible to see.

  Crunch didn’t even bother to shift. His experience as a pack alpha served him well and he eventually won out. Alex barked and snarled but then turned and sprinted for the forest stopping only to briefly to glance at Cynthia. She could feel him inside, working hard to regain control.

  Come on Alex, Fight it!

  After watching him struggle she knew he needed to help, but how could she bring back the Alex she knew?

  He disappeared into the woods and Cynthia knew the only way she would find him now would be through his scent. But, should she follow him? He was ready to attack her a moment ago. Something had to be done.

  “I hope you’re happy,” She said as she angrily unzipped her leather jacket and let it slide to the ground.

  “Give him some time. If he’s as strong as Scab says he is, he’ll be back,” Crunch said.

  “What the hell did you do?” she demanded.

  Crunch snapped open another beer and plopped himself on the log, again.

  “Every shifter alive has one thing in common: we’re all able to keep our instincts in check. Even when we’re asleep we can keep our wolves from getting loose. There’s one exception, when you’re unconscious,” Crunch took a large swig of his drink.

  Cynthia pulled off her motorcycle boots one by one and set them beside her jacket.

  “The problem is that if you keep it down long enough, it fights to gain control. It’s not hard to keep a normal wolf in check, even when it wants to be let out you can keep the chain around its neck. But, it’s different with primals.”

  Cynthia started to draw the leather pants off her legs and the bikers leaned in to get a better look. One of the most beautiful women they’d seen in a while was stripping right in front of them. She became a little nervous with their eyes focused on her.

  Crunch threw up a hand and looked back at the pack.

  “It’s my daughter you dipshits, show some respect,” he shouted.

  They averted their eyes and Cynthia continued to undress albeit with a little more caution.

  “So, what you’re saying is that you let the beast out to roam?” she asked with a sudden fear, wondering what dangers he might get himself into.

  “In a manner; it’s not enough to just let it out, but he has to make peace with it. Every alpha I’ve known has had to do the same thing when they get to that point,” he added.

  “I’m going after him,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t advise it,” he replied, “he’s gotta figure this one out for himself.”

  Cynthia stood up, only wearing her tube top. Her father turned his attention to the fire.

  “Why did you have to hit him? There are other ways, right?” she asked.

  “Of course there are,” he laughed, “but I don’t have time to build a sweat lodge. Remember, you said you were leaving in the morning.”

  “So he just has to make peace with the beast? That doesn’t seem too hard,” she said.

  “Some men don’t,” he added, “and they end up lost forever.”

  “Why didn’t you say that sooner!” she shouted, getting a better grasp of the situation. Cynthia stripped off the remainder of her clothing before beckoning to her wolf. It felt like an old friend that she’d always had waiting by her side. The familiar hue of silver and gray sprouted over her body while she fell to all fours. She tried to imagine her wolf overpowering her; she wondered what it was like to be in Alex’s shoes, and the thought frightened her.

  “There are hunters about,” Crunch called after her as she began making her way into the forest, “I can’t make your decisions for you, but keep your wits. We’ll be here till sun up tomorrow. Howl for me if you need help and I’ll be there as quick as I can.”

  Cynthia barked, signifying her understanding to Crunch before disappearing into the bushes. Her bones still cracked and her muscles burned; a sensation that always felt empowering. Her paws dug into the ashen dirt as she flew through the forest like a silver streak of lightning to hopefully find the man she loved. His scent lingered in the air, she knew it anywhere. She would do whatever was needed to bring him back, even if it meant dragging him kicking and screaming.

  “See that! That’s my daughter,” Crunch said with a laugh turning back to his pack, “I know where she got that run.”

  Someho
w her heart softened. The anger she had held for her father was beginning to melt. Even though he’d possibly done the worst thing imaginable to Alex, she knew he was only trying to help in his own way.

  After a minute, the firelight was nothing more than a pin prick of orange seen through the gently swaying forest trees and she was alone.

  CHAPTER 16

  Run.

  Alex wondered what was going on. He felt the wind whipping through his fur, smelled the evergreen trees tingle his nose and heard the branches crunch beneath his feet. He was free.

  He’d never felt freedom like this. It was as though a weight he’d carried for so long had been released. His joy quickly ended when he tried to stop but his body wouldn’t react.

  Hunt.

  What’s going on? His fear quickly escalated as he watched the world unfold around him, unable to make a movement. He was trapped in his body, trapped, not free.

  Kill.

  He heard them as whispers at first. The urges he’d always known that lived in the back of his mind. But, now they were guiding his actions.

  Who are you, he wondered, why are you using my body?

  Run, Hunt, Kill.

  No, Alex urged, give me back control.

  Mine.

  This is my body, and I’m taking it back. Alex thought, defiantly.

  He reached deep within himself; concentrating on moving his hand. Nothing. He tried concentrating on any part of the body that would obey him and came up empty.

  He was a passenger being carried by his body.

  What do you want, he asked again out of desperation.

  Want to feed. Want to mate.

  Alex knew the feeling well. Whenever he was close to Cynthia, his instincts tried to force their way out and take control but he’d always held them back.

  Why are you doing this? he asked.

  Need to be free.

  Was this the part of himself that he was always trying to keep at bay? The part of himself that he’d feared for so long. Was this what made him so blood thirsty in his fights? Somehow he knew it was. That part of him had taken over completely.

  You can’t just run around and kill people. What if a hunter catches you? he asked.

  Kill hunter.

  What about Cynthia? How can you mate if you don’t have a mate? he continued to ask.

  Find new one.

  Stop! he said, Just stop you stupid bastard of a dog.

  Nothing he said mattered. Alex was mortified. All he could do was wonder where his wolf was taking him, what its intentions were, knowing first hand that it was dangerous.

  So this is what it feels like, he thought. This is how it feels to lose control. Alex gave up, he was defeated. If he had no control what could he do? He could imagine himself drifting, lost forever on auto pilot.

  The beast slowed to a walking pace. It panted heavy breaths in the cold evening air. Above him the moon poked through a small clearing in the trees.

  Freedom.

  Alex could feel what the wolf had meant. Freedom indeed. The satisfaction was a sensation that flowed between them. For once, Alex and his wolf agreed.

  It feels nice, doesn’t it? he asked.

  Yes.

  I was going to run away from home so that I could make my own path; one without my commanding father or the frustration of dealing with a pack.

  The beast laid itself on the ground. He could hear the birds of the evening prowling for the hunt, and the rodents that skittered along the dirt nearby. The breeze whistled at his ears and tugged at his fur as he sat in silence.

  He rarely felt this free and almost never felt this alive. The calling of his instincts had always been a burden and one that he didn’t indulge. Deep down he could remember that he was always scared of the creature he saw in his dreams and feared that one day it might take over.

  Afraid, he would try distracting himself, always doing things that scared him, to prove to himself he wasn’t a coward. Most of the time proving his courage got him in trouble with his father, the rest of the time he’d been too injured to care.

  But, now with the beast firmly in control of him, he wondered if he had been right to suppress it. It felt like he’d spent his entire life cutting away a part of himself.

  You’re part of me, he said.

  Yes.

  But, he thought, I’m also a part of you.

  Yes.

  One man, one wolf, bound together forever.

  The wolf said nothing. He felt a surge of adrenaline shoot through his body. Every nerve in his arm tingled; instinctively he raised his arm to inspect it. He was surprised when it obeyed his commands. He lifted his other arm just to be sure, and was glad he could control himself again.

  Freedom.

  Both Alex and his wolf salivated at the thought of freedom. His muscles burned from sprinting so far into the woods, but all he could do was laugh at how great a feeling this was. He could feel his fears slowly fading away as if they didn’t matter to him anymore. He finally understood his wolfs intentions. Freedom. He’d been so scared of his wolf for so many years that he hadn’t realized his human and wolf side both wanted the same thing. He finally experienced what true freedom was, and all he could do was laugh. Or he would have if he had a mouth to vocalize it. His wolf was silent. Or perhaps it wasn’t that it was silent any longer, but it had finally found its rightful place.

  Alex was so distracted that he hadn’t heard Cynthia close in on him. She stood a few feet away; he could smell the fear in her and needed to prove he was okay.

  He let the wolf rest but lost his footing as he did and fell to the ground. His body no longer felt as heavy as it had in the past. His bones didn’t creak and crack back into place but instead they stretched. His muscles no longer burned as they shifted into his human shape.

  He pulled himself to his feet, his body was lighter. It felt to him as though he hadn’t quite returned as the man he was. Scanning his body, he noticed there wasn’t any visible changes, but internally he felt like a whole new person. Without the internal struggle for dominance, he felt perfectly balanced. He was half wolf, half human. And, while his senses weren’t as high as before, he could still smell Cynthia’s delicate scent.

  “It’s okay,” he said to Cynthia, still waiting in the forest, “I think I get it now.”

  She stepped out of the forest herself and began her own shift. Her beautiful body glistened in the moonlight with a thin coat of sweat. She held her shoulders in defiance of the cold.

  “I came to save you, but I guess you didn’t need me,” she said.

  “I think I needed to rescue myself,” he replied. “But, I’m glad you came.”

  She stepped in close, wrapping him in the warmth of her embrace. His heartbeat was slow and steady, full of confidence. Her hand slid down his chest.

  “You’re… you again,” she said, with a smile that couldn’t hide her joy.

  Alex laughed. He leaned over, and with one hand on her check, he kissed her. She stood on her toes, deepening the kiss. Her body quivered as he held her tighter. A surprised expression widened across her face as her arms felt along his hips only to climb up his body and rest on his shoulders.

  “Yet, you seem so much more… manly,” she added, playfully.

  He reached his hands down and lifted her by her butt. Cynthia gasped from the suddenness of leaving the ground. He felt his confidence exuding from his body.

  She felt perfect in his arms. Alex could hear her heart quickening. It was no longer his wolf that spurred him to action, but all of him. He wanted her as he had never wanted her before.

  His passion rose as he kissed her along her neck. She tossed her head back from the exhilarating feeling. They’d had sex at home but when in the outdoors he’d always held himself back even when she secretly wished he wouldn’t. He wanted to show her how different he was.

  His body acted on its own. He suckled at her soft skin as she moaned loudly at the forest. They were so far from camp there was no way they’
d be heard, but even so, neither of them cared. She urged him onward by clamping her legs around his abs.

  His right hand caressed along her back as his left hand held her firmly in place. Her hips gyrated against him and he could feel her body screaming to be taken. The scent of her arousal continued to tease his still heightened senses.

  His cock began to throb as her moisture ran down his hips to meet it, arousing him further. She reached her hand down to feel his shaft and was met with excitement.

  She lined up the tip of his penis with her wetness and stroked herself with it. His own pre cum formed at the tip and merged with her. Every flick of his penis that rubbed against her clit sent tiny shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body.

  He could bear the teasing no longer. He slid her small body lower and lower. The tip slid inside her and Alex could feel her shudder with excitement. He paused for a second to let her enjoy his cock, just as he enjoyed her delicate body.

  Her soft warm opening invited him to probe further and he did as requested. Her body slid further down his strong shaft. She closed her eyes as the sensation took over. Never before had he made her feel this way. Alex continued to kiss along her neck and made his way down her body.

  Her perky nipples were excited and his tongue found its way to greet them. She breathed heavily as he continued to enter her, inching his way further inside. Her hands dug into his back and were met by hard muscle.

  Her pelvis met his and she held herself still, her own breath betraying her for a moment. As she tried to catch it, she bit down hard on his collar bone.

  She wrapped around his cock so tightly that he had to fight to not explode right away. He’d never felt her like this before, everything felt new and exciting. The juices flowed from her opening and ran down his leg.