The Pack

The next morning, after breakfast, there was a knock on the door and upon opening it, Merlin found herself face to face with a stunning blonde. She was petite with long legs and beautiful blue eyes while her strawberry blonde hair fell in cascading waves down her back. "Hi, I'm Sandrine, my mate is Zeke’s beta. Can I come in?", she said in a sweet, breathy voice. "I brought you some clothes", she added, almost as an afterthought. Merlin stepped back, wordlessly and opened the door wider to allow her entrance into the room, her gaze falling to the floor. Sandrine breezed into the room and moved to sit down on the bed, gesturing for Merlin to sit beside her. Merlin perched awkwardly beside her, her eyes glued to her hands which lay tightly clenched in her lap. 

Feeling her hand on her arm, Merlin looked up to meet Sandrine's eyes on her,"Hey don't look so worried, Zeke won't hurt you, he's just.......temperamental", she laughed, a soft tinkling sound that somewhat put Merlin at ease. Merlin smiled shyly and nodded, her eyes returning to her hands. "Look, why don't you change and I'll show you around? Would that make you feel better?", Sandrine asked,  her hand gently squeezing Merlin’s arm. The young witch hesitated, although Sandrine seemed friendly and kind, there was something about the blonde girl that made Merlin uneasy, something that she couldn't quite explain, like her instincts were warning her not to let down her guard. 

Merlin could feel Sandrine's eyes on her, studying her and she pushed her doubts from her mind, deciding to try to be nice, at least for now. "I would like that", Merlin replied, still not meeting the blonde girl's eyes as she stood up to take the clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. In the bathroom, Merlin quickly changed into the black top and jeans and the underwear that was discreetly tucked between them before brushing her hair and securing it in a ponytail. Returning to the bedroom, she found Sandrine  waiting for her beside the open door, a small smile on her lips, the sight of which only deepened her unease. 

Sandrine led her out into a long corridor with doors on either side, eventually coming to a staircase that led to the ground floor and a large foyer. Everywhere, just like her room, the walls and floor were of burnished wood and scattered around were plush rugs with intricate designs while the walls had been decorated with paintings depicting various landscapes and scenes from, what she assumed was werewolf history. As they walked, Sandrine explained that the second floor, where Merlin’s room was, was reserved for guests while Zeke occupied the entire third floor and the ground floor housed his offices and the main kitchen and living areas. They had now reached the front entrance and Sandrine pulled open the door and taking her by the hand, dragged her outside into the sunshine where Merlin stood blinking as she gazed at her surroundings. 

The huge mansion that they had just exited stood in the middle of a clearing in the midst of the thick forest and in the distance surrounding it were houses of differing size and design that  seemed to stretch away deep into the forest.  She noticed that each house was tucked away at a discreet distance from one another to maintain some degree of privacy while also blending into the forest itself. Turning she saw Sandrine staring at her with the same smile from earlier and she quickly averted her eyes just as Sandrine pulled on her hand, forcing her to follow her down a trail that meandered through the forest. 

Coming out at the end of the trail, they entered another clearing similar to a field and everywhere she looked, Merlin saw werewolves of every size and color. They were running and fighting, their fierce growls and the sounds of bodies colliding echoing through the forest caused her to flinch and take a step back, as she prepared to run back the way they had come. The thought that Sandrine had deceived her and led her into a trap sent panic coursing through her and she easily slipped her hand from Sandrine's grasp as she turned to run into the forest only to stop, frozen in place at the appearance of a massive, gray wolf that blocked her path. 

Instantly recognizing Zeke in his wolf form, she halted and stood waiting for her death, thoroughly convinced now that Sandrine had deliberately brought her here to be slaughtered by the Alpha and his pack. She tried to step back away from him but her body refused to obey her and remained rooted to the spot, trembling with fear. Her lips and mouth were dry and she tried swallowing but found that there was nothing to swallow. The wolf growled menacingly and stalked towards her, his eyes narrowed and glinting with danger. Reaching her, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath, hot against her skin and his whiskers tickled her nose and cheeks, she closed her eyes and waited for her inevitable demise. 

Time seemed to have slowed down and the minutes stretched into an eternity as they stood facing each other, the wolf and the witch. His hot breath continued to fan her face, gently ruffling the loose tendrils of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. With her eyes closed, she could feel every breath and every whisper of the touch of his whiskers and she realized with astonishment that she was becoming aroused. At that precise moment, she felt his snout just barely touching her cheek and shoulder, his fangs just grazing the skin as he sniffed deeply and she shivered. Suddenly he was gone and she felt his absence with a pang of longing as she slowly opened her eyes and found him standing in front of her, completely naked. 

His eyes were dark and stormy with a glimmer of something else that she couldn't quite discern but she thought that it was probably hate, judging by the set of his jaw and his tightly clenched fists. But then she caught sight of his massive erection and she stared, wide-eyed with her mouth open, oblivious to the fact that Zeke was watching her reaction. "Quit your gawking! This isn't show and tell!", he growled at her before stalking towards a nearby tree and dragging on a pair of shorts. 

Crimson heat flooded her face and Merlin hastily looked away, only to see Sandrine standing beside her with arms folded and a smirk on her face. "Never seen one before?", she asked, amusement clearly visible on her face. "Maybe I can help with that", said a young man, coming to stand beside the blonde. He  had brown eyes and hair and was clad only in training shorts and a lopsided grin that looked like it could be permanently plastered on his face. He introduced himself as Logan while laughing along with Sandrine, his eyes roaming lustfully over Merlin. They were taunting her but right now she didn't care so she turned away without answering and began following the trail back through the forest, no longer caring if the werewolves came after her. 

She was almost half way to the mansion when a rustling from the foliage made her pause, her pulse quickening as she prepared to run. She heard more rustling and this time the bushes moved as though something was about to burst through the greenery. Merlin gingerly stepped back and looked back towards the trail leading back the way she had come, adrenaline coursing through her body. Hearing a twig snap right beside her, she fully turned and took off running only to slam into a rock hard chest as a pair of hands gripped her arms, locking her in place. 

Looking up, she was met with a pair of deep, brown eyes and a lopsided grin. "So you're Merlin. You don't look much like a wizard", his eyes glittered dangerously, unashamedly roaming over her face and body. She realized then how close they were to each other with her body pressed up against him. She tried to step back but his hands held her fast in a vice like grip, keeping her tight against him. "No need to rush off, we're just getting to know each other", his voice had dropped to a menacing whisper and she could feel the panic rising steadily in her chest. "Please let me go", her voice barely a whisper in the silent forest. 

"Sure, no problem", his grin widened but there was no amusement in his eyes, "I just want to get to know you better first".