An Unwilling Mate - TEASER

His Ensnarement

I headed straight for a stand of shrubs where I had a small snap box tucked under, filled with dried meat for snacking, as I checked my traps. I snatched a handful and heard the skid of something heavy. Feeling something snatch my ankle.

Oh, no! At first, I thought it was Jaecar gripping me. I turned looking down but saw no one on the ground.

I looked down as I was dragged a distance. Starting to be leveraged up was only stopped by Jaecar's fist catching the rope and holding it up near his shoulder to keep it from falling further. It clearly weighed more than me and him holding it up was all that was keeping me from going further up into the trees.

Principles of leverage. Even I understood that.

Keeping the large trunk behind him from toppling down and leaving me swinging.

Easy prey for the pack later. I envisioned myself dangling there. One leg hooked and completely vulnerable as they sniffed me out.

Attempting to change into the wolf, would do nothing to get me free.

They'd find me there and likely lower me enough merely to have me. They could drop me far enough down to have my skirts tossed around my head and shoulders while I hung upside down. Then they could lean over me and brutally enter me while the most I could do, folded on the ground would be to flail and punch at his ankles.

Trying weakly to fight while they penetrated me. Hard. Over and over again.

I'll die. There's far too many.

I knew Jaecar was right about how many there were. What would I do if forty wolves showed up to breed me?

And when they needed breaks between, they could simply let the boulder go back up.

Please don't let it go. Don't leave me here. I sent him a pleading look. Brown eyes huge with desperation.

***

"H-how'd you know?" I blurted.

I could've gone a hundred places. How'd he know I'd come here first?

He'd clearly set this trap for me.

Designed to ensnare something far larger than a rabbit.

He shrugged. "You'd not go back to the hut. Because you knew it'd be the first place I'd look. So, I eliminated that from possibilities. I knew you'd still be hungry but wouldn't go to the elderberry bushes since we'd discussed them this morning."

He's right. I did avoid them.

"That left only one other ready supply of food." He nodded to the bush behind me.

I fumbled in the moss for a rock and hurled it at him in a desperate attempt to distract him enough I might be able to rip the rope off my ankle.

He purposefully let go of the rope and I went another foot up.

Despite my yelling and twisting.

Only my shoulder blades on the ground when he caught it again near his hip. "Now does that really seem wise?"

***

I glared at him. "What are you doing, Jaecar! Let me go!"

In my struggles I was rotating around on my shoulders trying to climb up my own leg and reach the lasso around my ankle but trying to work it free was impossible.

It's tightened by my weight.

I dropped back to the ground with my hands limp near my face.

"You look pretty like that." He tilted his head to look at me.

"You look like the worst kind of a bastard." I countered.

He smiled somewhat wickedly. Twirling his wrist in the rope, he slid close enough to turn me and crouch by my face, lowering my feet and lifting the boulder behind him higher. "I told you what I was doing. Did you really think you could run? From me?"

Yes.

Or hide, more likely.

"I really think none of this is happening, Jaecar. It's not right! You can't have me! You don't even want me!" I floundered. "You're just trying to protect me in your own misguided way. But this won't happen."

His brow knitted as he slowly turned until his head was nearly as upside down as mine to give me a quizzical look. "Are you mad or blind?"

***

"This is nonsense!" I tossed my arms.

"What, persay, is nonsense?"

"All of this!" I rolled sideways to snatch the dagger from his hip. Slitting the rope just above my foot in a single motion, and landing on my feet as they came down over me. The meat still gripped in my other hand.

Meat I desperately needed. I was so hungry that I knew if I didn't eat something soon, it would be harder to stave off my wolf later tonight.

My beast will want to emerge to hunt food.

And all she-wolves knew that taking wolf form under the Mating Moon was a poor decision.

It'll immediately trigger the males to do the same and make my scent twice as potent for them to hunt me down and mount me.

He calmly stood and gave me a cautioning look.

"I've warned you once. You'll not get another from me." He purposefully shook his head.