WILD

eight

Lorena ran. Again.

She ran as fast and as far as her four dainty paws could carry her. She hadn't any idea where she was going, but she knew she needed to get out of the forest immediately and she hoped her instincts kicked in. She tried to remember seeing anything that could help her find the way back to where they released her from.

She heard a branch snap and she froze. She trotted along, thinking it was an animal. Then something slammed into her from the side, making her lose her balance and go flying through the infinite amount of pine needles that carpeted the forest floor. She yelped as she hit a rock, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs.

Before she could muster the strength to stand back up, a wolf with yellow eyes approached her, trying to claim her. She cursed inwardly, reminded of the fact that she wasn't scent-marked and that anything could happen out there. He couldn't see her visible marking, so he would assume she was unclaimed.

She made a pathetic attempt to crawl away, but the wolf wrapped its jaws around the back of her neck, positioning itself behind her. It took his member prodding at her entrance for her to realize what was happening.

If she was human, she would've screamed at the top of her lungs, begging for anyone within a hearing distance to come to her aid. She howled and whimpered as loudly as she could, specifically for her mate to come and save her.

She never thought that she would ever ask Orion for his help, but if he was going to forcefully make her his, then he'd better show up when she needed him.

The louder she got, the more pressure he put on her neck, almost as a warning to keep the noise down, lest another wolf try and join in. She was tired and she realized she hadn't eaten in days. Her energy was depleted, and by now, she'd learned her lesson. Running and fighting back wasn't going to help her in the home stretch, and she needed to stop acting like she knew what she was doing and let someone who did know what was what take care of her.

Right as she was about to just lay down and accept what was going to happen, a large black wolf came out of nowhere, grabbing the wolf by the back of his neck and throwing him away. The wolf stood up and instead of running, he challenged him, facing him straight on.

Orion stood over her with her lying between all four paws and nuzzled her neck, rubbing his scent all over her, another warning for the other wolf to get lost. The wolf stayed still. She realized that this wolf was a beta, since she knew for a fact that any regular omega wolf would've left at the sight of such a show of dominance.

The black alpha wolf charged the smaller tan wolf. The beta realized that he meant business and left reluctantly, upset that he had lost the female he had finally gotten his hands on.

Orion stood his ground until he was sure the coast was clear, and then nudged her, checking to see if she was okay.

Lorena shifted, and that's when he saw the tears streaming down her face. He shifted as well, gathering his mate into his arms. She shuddered and started sobbing, burying her face into his chest. "You came!"

He frowned. "Of course I did. You called for me."

"I didn't think you would recognize me." She grabbed onto his shoulder, holding onto him tightly.

He shook his head. "I'm your mate. I'll always recognize your crying out, my little one. Now hush, I'm taking you back to the cabin. I'm going to prepare a hot meal for you, we are going to have a conversation about your behavior, and then you are to go straight to bed to rest."

She nodded eagerly and pressed her head back up against his chest, ignoring the fact that their naked bodies were so closely pressed together. She didn't want to be forced to be with him, but it seemed like every time she tried to run, she got hurt. She would rather be safe with him, at least until they got out of the forest. After they were out, there was no doubt that she would try and run again, attempting to find her way home.

She couldn't help it. There was just something inside of her that needed to get away. She didn't want to be forced to have a man care for her or make her feel like she was subordinate to him. It wasn't in her nature and she couldn't live that way.

For now, though, she would let him guide her and care for her as he saw fit.

They arrived back at the cabin and he placed her on the couch, disappearing into the kitchen again. He came back with a lighter and started up the fireplace, which she was glad for because the dark was unnerving at that moment. She watched him carefully and quietly, without the usual anger and bitterness she had a few hours prior.

The cabin was dead silent save for Orion's soft humming and the soft chime of pots and pans meeting each other as he cooked. She enjoyed the warmth of the fire and wrapped a blanket snug around her bare body. She never thought about the consequences of running outside in the freezing cold and then having to shift back without any clothes.

He soon came back and offered her a bowl of steaming hot stew, which she accepted gratefully. "Thank you," she murmured. He smiled softly at her and sat across the room with his bowl. She waited for him to take a bite and then she took one herself. She sighed as it warmed her up almost immediately and she continued eating quickly, her body making up for the numerous days and nights she had gone without eating since she was taken.

Once she had finished, she looked up at him, eyes gleaming. "This is delicious! Where did you get the ingredients?"

He chuckled. "The store. I knew that tonight might not be a good time to hunt and I knew you weren't feeling it, so I listened. I had someone bring the things to me so I could make dinner for us both, only to get back and realize you were gone."

The slight venom in his voice at the end of his explanation made her recoil and her wolf whimper. She started to feel bad. He hadn't exactly mistreated her within the hours they'd been together, aside from marking her without her permission. He'd helped her treat her leg, he'd made her dinner, and he'd come to her aid when she was in trouble. All she'd done was run away from him, fight him tooth and nail, and loathe him with her entire being. He didn't deserve any of that, at least not now when he hadn't really wronged her much in any way.

She looked down at the empty bowl in her lap, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. It just...this isn't what I want. I want to fall in love with someone on my own terms, save sex for when I'm ready and only give it up to someone who I believe deserves it and I want it to be someone of my choosing." She looked back up at him. "I don't believe I have it in me to love you, Orion."

He nodded in understanding. "I assumed as much, but I feel you need a reminder. This isn't about love or sex or anything else other than ensuring the survival of my pack. I'm sorry that it has to be this way and these are the terms we're both bound to, but we have to reproduce. I have no other option, and I'm sorry if you don't like it. I will try and make up for it as much as I can, little one, but I can only do so much to achieve that.

"I want you to warm up to me eventually. Two people can learn to be in love. I promise that if you just try to get to know me and love me, you won't have to do much else," his perfect eyebrows furrowed on his face as he took her hand in his. "All I ask for here is effort."

Lorena searched for something in his eyes or demeanor that would give her an excuse not to trust him, but she couldn't find anything. He was speaking wholeheartedly and laying everything out for her. There was no reason that she couldn't at least try.

She bit her lip and slowly nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. This was a leap of faith if she'd ever encountered one.

"I'll try."