Chapter 4: The Way He Got to Me

- SCARLETT

Being a werewolf, I had a keen sense of things.

I smelled the woods, I heard the feet moving through the woods, and I walked about the land as agile as I was born. Those skills helped me elude the lycan king and his subordinates, and then the mysterious man from the lake. I maintained a distance between them all the time, being keen on their moves, but remained totally invisible.

Years of practice with my father and my brother had instilled only one thing in me: that I had to be out of sight to stay alive.

I had learned how to cover myself with a mixture of werewolf instincts and common sense. My instinctive agility and gracefulness enabled me to move quickly and quietly. I moved in the woods like a shadow, without making any noise like trampling dry sticks or rustling leaves that could tell my location.

I could become part of the forest, should I remain silent in the midst of heavy undergrowth or in deep shadow. The shrubs, foliage and trees were ideal cover. Anyone who passed by could have seen no more than another dark spot among the leaves.

My strict father had taught me one more valuable skill. He had shown me how to make herbal blends that could be used to mask the scent of a werewolf. A mixture of the herbs with strong and distinctive scents, like juniper, lavender, sage, cedar, and pine, would make me a strong masking potion. Everything I needed was the forest around me.

I had already reached over twenty miles at my speed.

I finally arrived at the closest town. I sneaked into a little, closed shop. Walls and doors did not matter at all to me, and I could easily break in.

I had anticipated this much before coming.

The quickest way to be caught was to run away in that robe. Switching clothes was the most secure thing to do.

The boutique was crowded with costumes of every kind. I selected a plain linen dress that fitted very well and was easily changed.

Then I went out of town and walked back to the woods until I came to a river.

I took the crimson robe I had been wearing, tied it to a heavy stone and threw it outright into the water. Then I jerked the mud off my hands.

I was a little sad thinking of the beautiful crimson robe...

But the next morning, everyone would have a frenzied time realizing it was gone. That was when I had to vanish and have a good sleep at last.

I hastened out of the forest, feeling that I must go before anybody saw what I had done. But at least I had made the best of my mistake.

He might look wherever he pleased, but he would never see me again.

That was my plan, anyway.

The following day, I located a small cave on a hill.

The entrance was so small, and the room was hardly large enough to fit in. Nobody would think that there was a cave.

And it was the ideal hideout.

I grabbed some dry wood and twigs and lit a fire, though I did not want the smoke to be detected outside the cave. I ate the bread and dried meat that I had gotten from the town and then slept.

But I never got the sleep that I expected.

All I could see in my mind was the naked man standing on the shore.

He must be a lycan, but not one I had seen before. His skin was unscathed, clear and smooth. There were no tattoos. He was a powerful and attractively handsome man with golden eyes, a proud jaw and dark brown hair.

I recalled the light of the setting sun glistening upon his wet skin, and showing the muscles of his arms and chest. He was a giant man. His walk and stature so plainly made it clear that it was the person accustomed to strength and influence.

And his face was not menacing. He smiled a lot, and he had a pleasant voice.

"Who is he?" I wondered. "He is not an Alpha, but very powerful. And he seems... so familiar. Have I met him before?"

I still remembered my family massacre, and I was not sure if he had anything to do with it.

But I was not afraid of him. I felt a strange calmness instead when I thought of his face.

I did not know his name. I had no idea whether he was an enemy or a friend. Still in my head, I was thinking of him and his voice.

I had not noticed that I was sleeping, dreaming about him walking over me naked. I noticed his erect and his smell was more powerful and tastier than any other thing.

"Oh," I sighed. "Oh, you are..."

I could almost feel him; I was so near.

His lips brushed my ear, saying something. I had no idea what he said, but he spoke in such a soft and pleasant voice. His hands touched my body, rubbing each inch.

"I'm here," he said.

"Yes, yes, I'm yours," I replied, and a smile spread on my face. "And you are mine."

"You are a naughty little girl, are you?" He said, with hot and tickling breath upon my neck. "You deserve to be punished."

"Yes, punish me then," I said as I brought his hands to touch my breast, and it turned him hard and ready.

"Do you want me, Scarlett?"

"Yes, oh yes, I do."

"Good."

His fingers were sliding down through my thighs and rubbing against the core of my wetness.

"Please," I gasped. "I want you inside me."

"Then open your eyes, and I will fuck you."

I closed my eyes, and he was gone in a split second. I was not in the woods, but lying on a bed of leaves.

I had a tingling sensation on my cheeks. I had just awakened out of a very vivid dream, and I was embarrassed.

"Damn it! Why do I have dirty dreams about him like that?" I cursed under my breath. It was a complete head trip, though I suppose it was logical. I mean that I did not often see a man buck naked the first time in my life, particularly when he was as handsome and hot as that.

I am a normal girl, and yes, that certainly did something to me.

It was dark outside, and the fire had burnt out. It began to rain, and the wind was stronger. I could hear the thunder in the far off.

I was stiff and cold, and I heard the howl of wolves in the distance.

"I hope no rogues are around," I said to myself.

I felt that it was unsafe to remain there any longer, but I had nowhere to go. I could become an easy target of a rogue lycan, in case he was anywhere.

I extinguished the fire and packed the rest of my belongings.

I left the cave and walked into the forest. I moved quietly until I came to an opening. It was the lake where I met the handsome lycan.

The first thing I did was to go to the place where he had seen me naked. I cannot go away now, or he will track me down. But this is the only spot in the forest where I can build a fire.

The rain began to fall harder.

"Oh, crap."

I realized that the only thing I could do was to build a shelter.

I went down to the river, close by a big oak tree, and began to clear the ground. I managed to excavate a hole and form a shallow pit. Then I covered the top with fallen branches and made it look like a dome.

"I must get something that can keep it dry," I said to myself, and I searched around. "There has to be something here that can keep the rain off. What about leaves?"

I collected fallen leaves and heaped them up on the branches. Then I made another hole close beside the first one and began a new little fire.

I sat beside the hearth, warming my hands and drying my wet clothes.

A couple of hours elapsed, and the rain started to slow down.

"I am not sure how long I will stay around," I said to myself. I was forced to think something over before time wore out.

But this much was certain: I had to search for Jax and Mia. I had to know what type of mess they were getting into next and what other secrets they were planning to sell so that they would get a quick buck.

When the sun started to peep through the trees, the mysterious man and his hunters would be pursuing ghosts. They wouldn't find me. I had washed out my smell, and kept downwind, and I made myself nothing but a memory in that valley.

I was not only running, but I was hunting.