Hunter, Hunted: Claimed by the Enemy (Werewolf Erotic Romance) (2 page)

The forest in the day seemed un-threatening. She kept telling herself not to lose the fear of it - and once or twice she was reminded, when she heard a far-off howl or spotted the tracks of some giant beast. But Adrianna started to wonder if everything she'd been taught was true.

Did the hunters exaggerate, for the protection of the townsfolk, or for some other reason?

.

She was in the stable brushing down Ranger one afternoon when she heard shouting at the front of the cottage.

Frowning, she put down the brush and, wiping her hands on her apron, walked around to see what the fuss was about.

Esther was at the front door, shouting and knocking, wringing her hands in frantic worry.

"Esther?" Adrianna called, and the woman ran to her.

"Thank God you're here," she gushed. Her face was red and her eyes puffy, as though she'd been crying.

"What is it?" Adrianna asked, with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I... Benjamin has gone missing." The woman bit her lip. "I usually have him with me when I'm in the orchard, and I think..." her breath hitched in a sob. "I think he wandered into the forest. He... he would sometimes go that way, just into the trees, you know. And I'd just retrieve him. But he just started to walk last week, and I had no idea he could just up and run so fast, and when I looked for him, I couldn't-"

Adrianna held up her hands to halt her frantic stream of words. "This is a job for the hunters."

"I know," Esther wailed. She grabbed for Adrianna's hands and held them tightly, pleading. "But they just went out. They won't return until late now. I know..." she paused, biting her lip again, and lowered her voice as though someone might overhear. "I know you hunt. That you know about the forest. I thought we could just go catch him before he gets too far. By the time the hunters get back, he could be..."

Closing her eyes for a moment, Adrianna considered.

"Besides, I can't let them know I can't even take care of my own children." Esther paused, then started quietly sobbing to herself.

Adrianna sighed wearily, pitying the poor woman. "Don't talk like that," she said. Then she disentangled herself and opened the door, quickly locating her bow and quiver and drawing a cloak around her shoulders. "Who is looking after Simon?" She handed another cloak to Esther, who put it on without protest. It was starting to get cool outside.

"He is apprenticed to the woodcarver now. He sleeps at the workshop through the week."

"Alright." Addy slipped the quiver on and set her jaw in determination. "Take me to the place you last saw the boy."

.

Esther walked behind Adrianna, holding the cloak closely around herself and cringing around as though the very trees might attack her.

At the merest crack of a twig or rustling noise she would cower close to Addy and clutch her shoulder. Adrianna was not the most patient girl, and had to grit her teeth and repeatedly remind herself not to snap at the woman. She was just anxious, and scared on top of that.

The sun was getting ominously low and the light filtering through the leaves increasingly dim.

Esther had started her quiet weeping again some time ago. "Surely we can't find him before dark now." She kept saying. "It's too late."

Adrianna didn't answer. They hadn't gone too deeply into the woods, because she was sure a toddler couldn't have gotten far, and was more likely to walk in a random pattern than a straight line.

She
was
beginning to worry though - If they didn't find him it would be partly her fault. For not waiting for the hunters. For taking the wrong route. For bringing Esther into the woods where it was now close to night time and much more dangerous.

She was silently musing on this when she stopped suddenly, causing Esther to bump into her back with a little yelp. "There."

A pair of small woolen socks were laying on the ground, partially inside-out as though they had been pulled off.

Esther whimpered, and started to cry again. Sternly, Adrianna held a finger to her lips in a gesture of silence. The woman immediately obeyed, covering her mouth with her hand.

The grass and brush was disturbed all around, the signs of human passage obvious. Adrianna pushed aside first one bush and then another, until she spotted something. She smiled. "Come here."

The distraught mother obeyed, and they looked down at the sleeping form under the bush. Ben was curled up in a cozy looking hollow, holding a rather twig-tangled blanket under his chin. He looked so peaceful he might have been safe in bed at home.

The boy wailed when he was picked up, upset to be woken, but soon settled as his mother fussed over him.

Addy looked up. The moon had risen. It was round and near-full, making the evening bright, but the sun was all but gone, leaving nothing but a faint yellow light through the trees to the west.

"We don't have time for reunions," she said, ushering Esther in front of her.

All of a sudden a shiver ran down her spine. She sensed the atmosphere in the woods had changed somehow.

She began to rush them along, making Esther panic in turn. The dusk bird-call and even the buzz of insects had stopped, and there was an almost unnatural quiet.

"Do you know which way we came?" She asked. "It's straight ahead." She pulled an arrow from her quiver and held it ready, just in case.

"Yes," panted Esther.

She heard the faint snapping of twigs and crunching of dry leaves.

"Go," she said, turning around and nocking the arrow, aiming her bow behind her. "Just run on ahead. Don't stop until you get to your house. Lock the door. I will catch up."

Esther wasted no time in obeying, fleeing with the sniffling child in her arms.

Something huge burst from the trees. Addy barely had a second to react, but it was long enough to identify the creature as a werewolf. Without hesitation, she fired.

She heard the soft thud of impact as her arrow found its target, and the beast let out a rage-filled roar. Her panic caught up with her. With a shivering breath she reached for her quiver, fingers fumbling for another shaft.

The creature had stopped in its tracks. It quickly began to recover, though it hissed in pain and batted at its wound. She could see the white fletching of the arrow sticking out of its shoulder. A wisp of steam came from the wound, the reaction of silver in its flesh. She had missed the heart. But all she needed was one more shot. One more...

As she raised her second arrow it looked at her, its yellow eyes glowing. It snarled, showing sharp white teeth. Then it crouched, bunching its strong legs, then launched itself at her.

Something burst from the bushes and leaped, crashing into the beast in mid-air, knocking it off course.

Another werewolf. 

Adrianna's arrow went wide as the two creatures went down in a tangle of fur and teeth. She reached for another, cursing under her breath. Her hands were shaking.

She expected any moment both of the beasts would turn on her. But they only fought on the ground, snapping and growling, rolling around. One of them was bleeding heavily from her arrow, and the other was clearly winning the fight.

She took the opportunity to run.

Her breath tore from her throat, and her heart hammered in her chest. She fled in the direction of home, hardly daring to hope she might be able to make an escape. It was so close...

Her skirt caught on an errant branch and tugged hard, putting her off balance as it tore with a harsh ripping sound. She stumbled and, to compound her bad luck, her foot got caught on something - a tree root or a rock. She went down heavily, falling to her knees and swearing too loudly.

Then she heard it. Something running through the forest behind her.

Her bow was on the ground, out of reach. She crawled toward it, put her hand on it and snatched it up. She was struggling to her feet, panting, when she felt the presence right behind her. The wolf was gigantic and black, almost the size of a small pony. And it was shifting. Changing.

Drawing her knife from her belt with her left hand she struck out wildly, hoping to cut it, or at least club it with the bow. Anything to buy some time.

She managed to deal a long gash to the creature's shoulder as it reared up, and blood welled quickly on the hairy hide. But the creature snatched her hands out of the air and held them in its own.

Addy looked at the hands. Aside from their huge size and the long claws, they looked human. She gasped in surprise and looked up at the monster's face.

A moment ago it had been that of a beast, with dark fur and wolfish ears and a long snout. Now it was close to human. The eyes were still yellow, with predatory pupils, and the nose long and flat. Its - his - hair was long and stringy, ash-blonde. Strands of it hung down over his face. A strong face with a hard jaw and full lips. A face that was almost human – almost handsome.

He snarled, an incongruous expression on such a mild face. When he spoke, it was with dry humor. "Now, now," he said. "That's not a very nice way to thank me for saving you, is it?"

Adrianna's eyes widened in horror. The beasts could talk! She tried to wrest her hands from his grip, but he held her easily, a savage smirk on his face.

She felt light-headed. Her hands went loose, and the weapons dropped to the ground. Her knees buckled and suddenly she was too weak to do anything about it. She forgot to be afraid and was angry at herself instead. She was fainting, like some stupid little girl.

As she crumpled to the ground, the last thing she saw was the quizzical expression on the werewolf's face, as he cocked his head to the side and looked at her.

S
he became aware of movement first, and opened her eyes with a start. She was being carried, slung over the shoulder of the man - the werewolf.

Her arms dangled helplessly as he ran through the forest. He held her as though she weighed nothing. She felt the shifting of his back and shoulders, his strong arms casually holding her legs secure. The forest floor flew past underneath them.

Panic gripped her. Her bow was gone. Her knife too, most likely. She was utterly helpless. Addy started to struggle, kicking and writhing.

Her captor noticed her protests and held her tighter. "Stop that!" He growled, slowing to a fast walk as he grappled with her.

She screamed and started flailing, hitting him wherever she could reach. His back was so unyielding, his legs so strong she was unsure if he could even feel it. But he growled again, louder.

After a moment of her screaming and kicking, he stopped and bent over, tossing her from his back. When she tried to run he grabbed her and pulled her close to him. She tried to scratch or punch, twisting in his grip, and he grabbed her arms and pinned them at her sides, patiently waiting for her to tire.

When she realized there was no way she could break out of his grasp, Addy went limp. She panted, catching her breath and reassessing the situation. She should conserve her strength, ready for a good chance to make a break for it.

"That's better," said the werewolf, speaking disconcertingly close to her ear. "Now, no more screaming, unless you want to attract the attention of every other bad thing in the forest."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Adrianna spat. She wasn't used to the idea of the beasts
speaking.
No one had ever told her that. They were supposed to be little more than animals. Mimics who could take the shape of men, but were not men. Not even close. The idea that they were
intelligent
- well, it made them even more terrifying.

"We are in the territory of an enemy pack." Said the wolf, calmly. "You met one of them before. Now, you may not like me very much, but believe me when I say you are better off with me than with them."

Her mind whirling, she didn't answer. Her chest heaved under his heavy, restricting arms. He smelled like earth and wood smoke. His warm breath tickled her ear.

"I can't breathe," she said finally.

He relaxed his hold slightly, and she inhaled deeply. Let it out in one long sigh.

"You are far from home." He said in that rough, but calm voice. "You have no chance if you run. I am much,
much
faster than you." He left the rest unspoken: even if she got away from him, some other monster would get her.

At this moment, she just wanted to get out of the tight circle of his arms. "Fine." She said. "I won't run. Let go of me."

He did, stepping back away from her. She whirled around, keeping her eye on him as she wrapped her arms around herself. It was getting cold. The moon was higher, lighting the forest, and it was eerily silent.

She looked at the wolf. He stood casually, weight on one leg, and stared back at her. He was wearing nothing but a crude hide covering, little more than a loincloth. His chest was pale in the moonlight, broad and muscled. He looked like any other man - a rather well-built one, at that.

Adrianna frowned, sullen, and dragged her eyes away from him. "What do you want with me?"

"We'll get to that later." He said. "It's not safe here. We need to keep running."

She snorted a sarcastic laugh. "Safe!" But she stopped short when he took a step toward her.

"Very well," he said, the trace of a warning in his voice. "I'll tell you. I've been watching you."

Her lips parted in astonishment. "What?"

He gave a short laugh. "Do you think a human can enter this forest without us knowing about it? I’ve been here for a while. You come almost every day. Yesterday you took two rabbits. Three days ago you shot a fox. Eight days ago, you bled -"

"How dare you!" She cut him off, her face reddening. Then she paused. "Why were you watching me?"

"I was seeking a mate." He said simply.

Addy stared at him. For a moment she didn't understand. Or perhaps she didn't want to.

"I shouldn't have waited for so long," he said, "but I was intrigued by watching you. You act unlike any of the other females of your pack. I would have let you go again today. Let you get the other female and her pup to safety. But, well..." he shrugged. "The other wolf showed up, and I couldn't let him claim you."