by Jamie Lake
My cheeks burned at the memory of Max ditching me at the gas station. I had come out of the restroom around the back, only to be the only patron there. Max had driven off, stranding me. At first I wanted to believe that there was no way he was going to leave me there. He’d just slept with me the night before, and he told me that he’d give me a ride into the city so I could look for work. Certainly he had more compassion than to strand me twenty miles outside of Portland, with nothing more than the clothes on my back, in the middle of the woods at a last-stop gas station. He was the reason I had been walking in the rain anyways when Buck offered me a ride.
Once Buck left, I heard the tree rustling outside the window. It creaked and swayed, its branches casting more and more shadows across the room. Were the wolves climbing up the tree? Could they do that? I was answered by a shadow emerging from the tree. It was a man, he was teetering on the branch closest to my window. His weight caused the tree to sway back and forth. He came in close to the window one more time and then he jumped, landing right on the window sill. I was surprised that the sill could hold his weight, but I imagined he’d sunk his claws in for traction.
My heart stopped as I looked up at the ceiling and saw his massive silhouette. This was the lead wolf, I was sure of it. He was stocky and had the neck and waist of a body builder. He cupped his hands over his eyes, scanning the room with his superior vision. I prayed that the sturdy window frame could keep him out. Then I caught him staring through the window right at me. Now I could clearly see his laser red eyes and thick features. He had a square face, his chin was thick and sculpted, and his hair was buzzed short. It was obvious by his stance that he took pride in his build. It was probably what kept him the leader of the pack, I mused. He was transforming and taking on more and more features of a wolf. His legs crouched down in the way a dog’s hind legs do and all of a sudden, his pores were sprouting hair. The harder he panted, getting excited seeing me tied up in bed, the more hair that he grew. It weeded its way from his skin, thick and bushy. I could see his cock and it was growing. He was salivating over the thought of catching me helpless.
Another wolf tried to make the same leap that this one had, but he struck the animal down. It plummeted out of sight. I heard it thud against the ground and whimper from the pain. I wondered if a wolf could survive that kind of blow. The tree was still swaying and creaking under other wolves’ bodies, but none of them tried to join this one. Apparently, he got first pickings.
I swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on my forehead and all over my body and I knew they weren’t from the wild passionate sex Buck and I had just had only a few hours ago. No, this was the type of sweat that was animalistic, the type that forms when a smaller animal knows they are about to be devoured mercilessly.
I did my best to squeeze out of the ropes but Buck had bound me like an expert hunter would have. I wondered what fun he had had in mind before we were interrupted.
The other wolves were jumping from the branches up onto the roof. I could see the other silhouette leaping and landing out of sight. I knew it wouldn’t take long before they had the place surrounded.
The creature against the glass let his warm breath span out over the glass. Each puff made a cloud that he wiped away with his snout pressed up against it. He was letting out gutteral moans, thrilled that he had found his prey.
Bang! The reverberating sound above me made my heart jump out of my chest and I knew one of them had gotten on the roof somehow. Shit. What was I going to do? One was at the window, more were one the roof. Buck was just one guy, and he hadn’t even attacked them yet.
Just as the high pitched sound of the creature’s nails slicing through my window began, I saw Buck come up behind him and yank him away so hard that they both toppled down the front of the house and landed with a reverberating thud on the ground. They tangled up into a furry ball and wrestled each other for control. Each used their claws to slice into the other one, trying to break free.
My hero.
CHAPTER 2
From outside, Buck was heaving, his chest rising up and down, his teeth transformed into canine’s. He was nearly fully transformed into the ginormous werewolf he really was. The cool breeze from last night’s shower washed over his fur. He was shaggier than most of them, and every inch as taller and wide shouldered as his attacker.
Standing in front of him was another huge werewolf, tensed and ready to strike.
“What are you doing here, Japheth?” Buck growled.
Japheth, the werewolf, bounced off the ground into fighting pose, while the other werewolves started to make their way toward Buck, surrounding him as if they were going to tear him apart.
“Why are you keeping him here with you? He’s mine,” Japheth said, rabid foam forming on his mouth. His fur was the same color as Buck’s and it glistened from sweat in the moonlight. His face was illuminated and gorgeous, a deadly kind of gorgeous. He was quick on his feet and had thick paws with sharp claws. His eyes were square on Buck and the rest of the pack started to circle him, each anticipating the other would make the same move.
“He is not yours. He belongs to me now. He has my mark.”
“That mark means nothing. He wasn’t even bitten in the proper place nor has he marked you back. That means he’s fair game.”
“He will mark me, that I know for sure. He does not know about any of this.” Buck hadn’t exactly had time to explain the whole tradition. It was customary for a werewolf to take a companion for life. They both marked each other, symbolizing their commitment. Some werewolves, like Japheth, sometimes forcefully took companions. They never marked them so that they could keep taking more and not be committed to just one. It wasn’t the way the system was intended but it did happen.
“Oh but he will but not before I take a taste,” Japheth teased.
Buck growled taking a swipe at Japheth but he dodged out of the way. “You touch a hair on his head and I swear-”
“You swear what?” Japheth challenged, “You have no authority over the pack. I’m the Alpha.”
“Only by cheat. You know our father intended me to be the one.” Buck started to circle, trying to keep Japheth closer to the house so he had less room to maneuver.
“Our father was a fool, just like you. Only the strongest shall survive. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. And you ran away from us, you abandoned your birth right when you left the pack,” Japeth said. He matched Buck’s moves, but kept fanning out so that he never was captured
Smarter than I remember, Buck thought. “I only left because of how you ran things. You disappoint me, Japheth. I’d rather live alone than squabble with you.”
Japheth pushed another wolf out of his way. The pack had circled around the two brothers, but no one dared interfere. This was not their fight.
“I’m warning you brother, go all of you in peace because I won’t back down until one of us is dead. No one is to touch Nathan. No one.” Buck snarled as a final warning.
“What is so important to you about him anyway? You’ve been guarding him for nearly five years.”
Buck didn’t want to say but there was a deeper reason, a reason only he could understand and he wasn’t about to reveal it. “And why have you lusted after him for this long? Certainly an Alpha such as you has others-”
“I want what is rightfully mine.” Japeth said, his nails turning into long claws. He lunged at the fur of Buck’s neck.
CHAPTER 3
I could barely make out what they were saying, their voices were muffled behind the thick glass window but I could tell by the agitated tone in their voice and the way the pack was closing in on Buck that things were about to get ugly.
“It was me that found him in the forest all those years ago. I sniffed him out. That day in the woods, he was going to be mine. I charged first, I am the Alpha. You stepped out of line by protecting him. He is rightfully mine.” I could barely make out him saying.
“You had no intentions of marking him. You only want
ed to have your way with him and then toss him aside like all the others. Isn’t that what you were going to do brother? You’d done it before. I protected him from the scoundrel I knew you were.” I recognized Buck’s voice though I couldn’t hear everything he was saying.
I wanted to do something but even as I wiggled out of the rope’s hold, I knew I was limited. I let the bundle fall to the floor. Buck had locked the door, that I knew as I tiptoed out of bed slide against the wall as I made my way toward the closest exit.
I wanted to try to bust my way out of the door but I knew that would only cause a commotion that would lead them closer to me. Buck was adamant about me staying put and since I had no experience with werewolves, and I had a sense that Buck would give his life to protect me, I thought it best to do what I was told.
But what could I do? There had to be something. I skirted closer to the window to have a peak and as I did the back of a werewolf banged against the window making it shake. What I saw shocked me.
They were fighting, worse than that, they were trying to kill each other and Buck was taking them on two, three at a time. Elbowing one, while kicking another, clawing at one while kneeing another in the chin. He was a bad ass fighting machine and although I was worried for his life, there was a part of me whose heart glowed, he was fighting them, defending me.
I’d never had anyone speak up for me let alone risk their life for me and it was in that moment, I knew, I was more than just a quick fuck for him, Buck was serious when he said “Mine” and he’d risk his life proving that point. Just as I leaned in closer, I heard that eerily familiar bang above me again, this time it sounded like two … no, three of them were on the roof and by the scratch and ripping sound I could tell they were ripping through the roof and installation and would fall down to me any second.
I whipped my head around frantically, searching the dark room for somewhere to hide. My situation was hopeless. These were creatures with sharp instincts and the ability to sniff out their prey. My only chance at prolonging their discovery was to hide my scent. It was a long shot, but I thought that if maybe I could release into the room a very powerful smell, it would disguise me. With that in mind I ran over to Buck’s master bath. It smelled fresh, like he cleaned it with something citrusy. I smiled at the idea. He kept little in the way of toiletries, though, surprise surprise.
The white tile held my feet in a firm grip, so I didn’t have to worry about slipping. My foot steps echoed back into the room, farther than I could see without turning on a light. Luckily, the toilet was just to the left, so I didn’t have to go far.
I could hear the wolves break through the roof and scramble around in the hallway. From the wounded howls, it sounded like one had landed on the wrong side of the banister and fallen all the way to the first floor. The smarter wolves started their search in the next bedroom.
They viciously tore through the place. I could hear them ripping things off the wall and discarding them on the floor. From the sound of glass breaking, they were either pictures or mirrors. They upturned furniture, tossing it into the wall that separated us. I was afraid that one of the pieces would come flying through and leave a gapping hole that would expose me standing there, frozen to the spot.
Their claws snapped smartly against the hardwood. “Alex, he’s not here,” one of the demanded in a rumbling voice. “I can see that, Andrew,” the other snapped back, his voice thinner and lighter.
They had incorrectly guessed which room I was in, thank God. In the time it took them to realize they were wrong, I had soaked a bath towel in toilet water, careful not to turn on the sink and draw their attention, and lathered the towel with Buck’s one bottle of shampoo. Quickly and silently I darted around the room and wiped the towel on everything I could. It made the floor slippery and I almost fell a few times. Much better than being dead, I thought. I wiped the floor one more time and considered my options.
I had to do something else. But what? I was nearly naked, just a pair of white boxers covering me. My skin reflected pale in the sharp moonlight and I was covered in perspiration. I looked around me. What did I have to defend myself with, except the rope? What was I going to do with that? Tie them up? I almost laughed at the absurdity. Not quite the best plan, I chided myself. Instead, I looked at the bed, surely if I squeezed under it, I might be able to hide for awhile.
Finally when I heard the group circling back into the hallway right outside my door, I knew I had no other choice. I squeezed myself through the shield of the bed skirt and under the bed frame. I clung onto the frame and held myself up off the ground. The frame was made of old wood, but it was sturdy enough to hold me and Buck earlier as he banged the fuck out of me.
I had ripped the bed skirt just a little coming in, but it served as a window for me to see back into the room. I pulled the fabric up below me until I was almost completely hidden. It wasn’t much and I wasn’t sure how long the mattress would hold me, but with this and the scent distraction, I prayed it was enough to give Buck time to come and save me.
CHAPTER 4
They didn’t even try to open the door lightly, they kicked in and it landed with a reverberating thump. Their snouts flared up at the overwhelming shampoo sent. They were grizzley animals, probably as tall as my chest on all fours. Having them so close nearly sent me into convulsions of fear. My arms flinched and ached under the strain. The dust and wood chips flew everywhere, kicking up little spirals of dust. With that and the dust piled up under Buck’s bed, and I had to hold my breath in order not to sneeze and give my position away.
The first two wolves to enter the room charged so recklessly that they didn’t realize the floor was slippery. They slid, all four legs going in different directions, and fell in a heap, letting out surprised and angry moans. Once they regained their balance and the other wolves learned to move more cautiously, I could hear their pounding footsteps getting closer. There were more than three of them, there were at least five that I could see from where I was and my heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it in my throat.
I was afraid to even swallow as they yanked open the closet door, knocked over the nightstands and lamps, even lifted up the mattress and yet, by luck, I was hidden. Their claws made threatening taps against the hardwood as the moved from one side of the room to the other.
“He’s here,” I heard one of them say. I froze at his assertion. Had they seen me? I tried to pull myself up closer to the bed frame, but my arms were tired. I was afraid they would give out before the creatures left.
“I can smell him….sort of,” the wolf clarified. He sniffed around, trying to unlace my scent from the shampoo. I sighed in relief at my genius idea. From where I was clinging to the bed, I could see through a rip in the bed skirt.
The one that just spoke was covered in shaggy auburn fur. His face was large but slender, the snout came to a sharp point and he had bright blue eyes. His claws were the same kind of way, long and slender. They were viciously sharp, like just a scrap could rip you open. He smelled like a dog who’d spent the whole night outside, but for several nights in a row. His fur was matted, unlike Buck who kept himself clean.
He was right by the bed. He must have been the one to lift the mattress. When he moved past where I was hiding, he kicked up a cloud of debris from the door right in my direction. The sudden dust made my nose itch. I was sure I was going to sneeze away my hiding place.
“I’m horny as fuck, Andrew,” another one responded. “When I get a hold of that sweet ass, I’m going to pin him down and fuck it apart. He’s going to be a whimpering little bitch when I’m done with him. And I won’t even have to make him. I’ll just talk him into it.” Nathan could hear the creature licking its chops at the thought of destroying him. This one had rick auburn fut. It was slicked back with sweat. He reeked the most of animalistic lust. Nathan wondered if it was his thick coat or just his large size that caused him to sweat that much. The wolf cackled with his own joke, apparently sure that Nathan wouldn’t be able to
resist his charm.
“Alex,” the dark one started again, “Before I make him swallow my cock I’m going to beat him up one side and down the other for making me work so hard.” Apparently the dark wolf was named Andrew and the redhead was Alex. They were the only ones talking. There was another wolf that was smaller and had lighter coloring. He was slender, like he was either he was the runt or he was just younger than the others. His cheeks were more hollow and his snout was thinner. Nathan thought he saw at least two others come in with these three, but now they were either hidden from view or searching another part of the house.
“I’ll shove my cock down his throat so hard he won’t know what hit him,” Andrew said. My throat tightened and I resisted the urge to sneeze. I felt a cough coming on.
“You mean, what’s coming…” the two larger wolves said in unison.
They all chuckled and cackled, their voices gravelly, masculine and heated. I could hear the lust in their voice, the desperation as if they were a starving pack of wolves looking for their one and only meal.
“Where the fuck is he?” one of them said pulling the mirror off the wall and its pieces scattering and shattering across the wood floor, so close they could have almost cut me. Their breathing became more intense and labored.
“Calm down …” the small wolf barked up, his voice high pitched and thin. He cautiously followed the others around, only looking where they had always searched. He must not have much authority in the pack.
“It aches me,” Andrew snapped back. “My cock is throbbing, it’s getting so full I need someone to release me.”
“Relax, we’ll find him, I’m sure of it.” The small wolf said in his childish squeak.
“Shut the fuck up before I make you eat it.”
