Strange Desire

The chirping of birds in the morning awakened Ciara. She opened her eyes and saw the sunlight streaming through the window beside the bed. The storm from last night had left a refreshing breeze that made her take a deep breath. She shifted on the bed, trying to change her position, but couldn’t.

Then she realized she was becoming someone’s captive. She squinted towards the man who was dozing off in the armchair on the other side of the bed. If she wasn’t mistaken, his name was Scott. And he looked so much like Nova. However, Ciara’s wolf never reacted the same way as it did when she saw Scott. There was something about this man that made her wolf desperately want to be near him. The kiss was just a small example of how big her desire toward him was. Ciara only mentioned Nova’s name as a distraction. What she truly wanted... was to kiss Scott. It was all her wolf’s request.

Ciara grimaced as she stared at his face. When he was asleep like this, he didn’t look too terrifying. She was staring too long at his handsome face and it made her drifted into reverie. Suddenly, Scott opened his eyes, and their gazes met.

“Ah...” Ciara was startled to be caught staring at him. Her surprise quickly faded as he put on a sour expression.

“Why are you staring at me?” His voice was hoarse. “Are you plotting how to kill me and escape?”

It was time for Ciara to speak up. She couldn’t keep mentioning Nova’s name in front of Scott, as he seemed very annoyed whenever he heard Nova’s name. He might even kill her. He had threatened her the previous night.

“I beg you, release me,” Ciara said. “I... I need to use the bathroom.”

“Do you think I’d fall for such a cheap trick?”

“No! I’m not lying.” She squirmed under the tightly wrapped blanket. “Fine then, I’ll do it here, right now—”

Scott growled and stood up from the chair, walking towards her.

“This chain... can you remove it? I... I won’t attack you again...” Ciara looked at Scott with hope, but he remained unaffected. Her wrists and ankles were sore from the restraints. This object seemed to prevent her healing ability.

“Not gonna happen,” he muttered. He removed the blanket covering her body and quickly averted his gaze, muttering to himself when he saw her naked form.

Ciara felt equally embarrassed as Scott looked at her. Nova had seen her naked many times, but no one else had. Her face heat up and wanted to pull the blanket back, but her hand was restrained by the chain.

Scott took a deep breath and roughly gripped her arm. He instructed her to stand up and half-dragged her to the bathroom. Ciara felt like a slave due to his treatment.

Once in the bathroom, Ciara walked unsteadily to the toilet and sat down. Scott released his grip, leaving a sense of pain and red marks on her small arm. She could only swallow hard and endure the pain while glancing at it.

“Hurry up,” Scott impatiently ordered.

“Aren’t you... aren’t you leaving?” Ciara asked.

“And give you a chance to escape?” Scott grunted, giving her a stern look.

“I... I can’t do it if you’re glaring at me like that.”

“Just do it quickly!” He began to lose patience and snapped at her. She flinched, shocked and afraid of his loud voice, especially combined with his sharp and terrifying gaze.

His chiselled body was more than capable of overpowering her. The courage she had mustered yesterday had gone as she realized her disadvantageous position.

“Well, then... close your eyes,” she requested. She knew it was a bold request. As a captive, she had no right to make any such simple requests.

Scott glared. “You—”

Ciara closed her eyes and bowed her head, expecting him to hit her. But after waiting for a while, nothing happened. She peeked and found that he had closed his eyes.

For a moment, she was taken aback. She didn’t think he would actually do it.

After she had finished answering nature’s call, she asked him to open his eyes. Just as Scott opened his eyes, they both heard a loud rumbling sound coming from Ciara’s stomach.

Scott’s lips quirked. “Are you hungry?”

“N-no,” Ciara replied, trying to hide her embarrassment.

He continued to stare at her for a while, making her uncomfortable. She wished she could cover her body with something.

“Don’t keep staring at me,” she tried to reprimand him. “Aren’t you ashamed to stare at a naked girl?”

“What are you doing in my territory?” he asked, ignoring her words.

Instead of answering that question, Ciara turned away.

She couldn’t say it... because she didn’t know if the man in front of her could be trusted. He might be just like the others.

“Hey, answer my question.”

Ciara turned and was about to say that she couldn’t reveal any information. She was surprised to find Scott leaning forward, so their faces were at the same level. They were too close, and she quickly pulled back. Her sudden movement, combined with the slippery floor, made her stumble, and she almost fell to the side.

She screamed and reached out to grab his shoulder, but Scott, unprepared, was dragged down with her. They fell together with a loud crash, breaking the silence.

When Ciara opened her eyes and groaned, her hand was searching for something to hold on to, and her palm happened to touch his broad chest. She looked at his face. He was staring at her.

Her hand felt a strong and fast heartbeat in his chest, and she thought it was because they had just fallen. He was on top of her, his hands resting on either side of her head. His warm breath brushed against her cheek.

She felt a familiar urge, brought on by her wolf, and she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his lips. For a moment, she let her wolf take control of her thoughts; she was sure she would have done it. But if Ciara did that, she had to be prepared for this man’s wrath, something she wanted to avoid right now. She quickly pushed Scott away, giving him a signal to stand back.

“I—I’m hungry,” she mumbled, turning her face away. With great effort, she freed herself from him and leaned against the wall. Her breath was racing, not because of the fall, but for another reason.

Scott remained silent in his position. He glanced at her, giving her a look she couldn’t interpret. Then he stood up, dusted off his knees and hands, and said, “I need to go back home to get some food.”

“Are you not worried that I might take advantage of your absence to escape?” The foolish question escaped her lips.

Scott stopped and stared at her again. “You do realize I’ll have you chained before I leave, right?”

Ciara laughed bitterly. Yes, of course, she knew that. There was no way he would just leave her like that.

After struggling to escape from that place and following Nova’s advice to come here, she ended up being a prisoner again. But she trusted Nova wouldn’t betray her.

Ciara took a deep breath, feeling a twinge of pain behind her eyes. She wouldn’t cry over this irony. She looked at Scott and extended her hands forward. Her lips formed a weak smile. “Of course, I know.”