Chapter 9

Scarlett’s POV

The beast walked around the house, and he stopped by a stool. He leaned on it, and fixed his eyes on me.

“Come and sit.” He ordered, and I did as he had asked me. I gently sat on a chair on the opposite side of the table. I had surprisingly calmed down, despite the fear that gripped me earlier.

“You can speak, and you don't really have to be scared.” He said with a shrug. My eyes caught a book on the table that he was most likely reading.

“Why aren't you eating me?” I asked, and he chuckled. It had this bass to it that made me shake.

“If you don't know why, then I'd rather not tell you.” He said, and I went silent.

“Contrary to what you think, I'm not so much a fan of human flesh.” He said, and I nodded, feeling calm.

“That doesn't mean that I don't eat them when I want to.” He said, and my heart rate spiked again. “I like it when you shift into wolves first, and try to run away from me.”

He smirked, and I was fighting hard not to shake.

“Your flesh tastes sweeter in that form.”

“Oh…” I muttered, filled with fear.

“Okay, I'm just joking.” He said, and I almost got calm again. If my heart spikes could have a chart, it'd definitely be sinusoidal.

“Aren't you curious?” He asked, clapping his hands.

“What's your name?” I asked, and his uptight features became calm, like I had touched a soft spot. It wasn't until then I saw that his brows had been up the whole time, like he was on the edge.

“Franklin.” He whispered.

“Franklin.” I repeated, and he nodded. “I am Scarlett.”

“Nice to meet you Franklin.” I said, stretching my hand out to shake him.

“Don't!” He growled, and I shook again, keeping my hands to myself.

“What were you doing in the woods ?” Franklin asked.

“I was running away from people that wanted to kill me.” I said, and Franklin growled. He slammed his hand on the table, and I shook again. The emotions here are very messed up, and I can't even try to predict what he'll do next.

“Why did they want to kill you?” He asked, growling at me with a death stare.

“They didn't want me around.” I said. My heart was beating really fast already, there's no way to tell I'm lying.

Franklin calmed down a bit, and took his eyes off me.

“What about you?” I asked softly, with my gaze fixed to the ground. “What were you doing in the woods?”

“Hunting.” He muttered. “I was hunting for a deer, and now, I've found a wolf.”

“Will… you… eventually… eat me?” I asked, speaking the words one after the other in the slowest ways possible.

“I might. I might not.” He sighed. “Depends on the mood.”

“Will you ever let me go?” I asked.

“I don't think so.” He whispered, and I sighed again.

“What do you want with me?”

“To eat you.” He said, and I realized that asking that same question would get me the same answer.

He growled at me such that I could see his fangs baring through his mouth.

“Franklin.” I called, and he gently raised his head to look at me. “Please, you have to let me go back.”

“And why would I let you go back to the people that just tried to kill you?” Franklin asked, staring at me.

“Aren't you eventually going to do the same thing?” I thought to myself, keeping my thoughts in my head.

“I might have a way of calming them.” I said, fully aware that I had no plan on what to do with them.

“I can't and won't let you go through such.” Franklin said with a final tone.

“Geez.” I whispered. I settled down, and acted like I was sleeping.

For several minutes, Franklin was silent. The only sound that came from him was his breathing. I slightly raised my head to see that he was reading a book. He was very immersed in it, and I was very unsettled. I had hopes that he'd sleep off, and I'd somehow escape, but he was wide awake.

“Well, since I might as well die anyways, I'll speak my mind.” I said, and he slowly looked at me. He dropped the book he was so engrossed with, and focused his attention on me.

“I'm listening.” He said, almost sounding amused, with a slight pitch in his voice.

“What do you want with me?! And why can't you say it directly?” I asked, maybe because I had a reason to die.

“I can't let anyone that has seen me leave to speak about it, and neither can I let you leave here with what you've seen.” Franklin said.

“I know how to keep my mouth shut!” I snapped gently like my mother. “And even if I talk about it, it'd just seem like a myth.”

“Well, I can't take the risk!” Franklin slammed his hand on the desk. I shook on the chair I sat, now rethinking my earlier statement of splurging everything that came to mind.

“I understand, but I also have a life to get to.” I said close to tears, hoping he'd have human feelings, and just let me be. “I have people that love me, I have a best friend that cares about me, okay that's pretty much all the people, but I still have a life to get to.”

“Don't speak on this matter again.” Franklin said with a final tone. It sounded so much like a threat.

“Just kill me then.” I said, closing my eyes.

“Don't tempt me with a good time.” Franklin scoffed.

“Kill me, and end my suffering, because I can't spend the rest of my life stuck in here with you!”

“Then maybe I will!” Franklin growled, angrily overturning the table. The sound of clattering objects and breaking glasses filled the room. I fearfully jumped up, seeing how much I care about my life.

Franklin took a few steps towards me, and with every step he took, I took two steps backwards until my back hit a wall, and there was nowhere else to run to.

I tried to run through the side, but he punched into the wall with his hand. I shook again, closing my eyes tightly. My hands were rolled into fists, just in case he'd bite my head off without permission. My body was very tense, and this was definitely the adrenaline rush he spoke about liking in his victims.

I had my eyes closed for almost a minute, but he wasn't making any move. At some point, it sounded like he was sniffing me in, but I didn't want to open my eyes for fear.

Franklin had stopped growling, but my eyes were still closed.

I focused more on using my nostrils. He smelled unfamiliar, but in a way, also familiar. Every nerve in my body rose. My hair felt like it was rising up, and sniffing in this beast felt better than anything I had smelled.

I opened my eyes gently, and he was still hovering.

“Mate!” I growled, and covered my mouth at the same time. Franklin's eyes widened, and his countenance shifted.

“Wait, mate?!”