Copyright © 2020 by Zoe Ray. All rights reserved.
Audrey spent the night tossing and turning while thinking of the man in the forest. She couldn’t quite figure him out. He made her head spin and her knees weak, and he ignited parts of her that had been dormant for some time. Regardless of his good looks and impeccable physique, the man was rude and mean. He yelled at her and threatened her, but there was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. If he’d only seen her in the forest, how did he know her name? Why did he say nothing for three months? If she didn’t know any better she’d say his behavior was all an act.
Audrey had deliberately dropped her glass in the forest when she ran off. She was scared in the moment, but she needed a reason to go back. She figured if he wanted to hurt her, he would’ve done it three months ago. If everything the man said was true, his property housed the key to her business. It was the only place she’d found the Alaria.
It was Christmas Eve, but she had to take a chance that the man would be home and she wouldn’t be interrupting anything. The future of her company and her hair hang in the balance, so with resolve in her heart and contacts in her eyes, Audrey drove back to the forest and headed for the cabin she’d seen the day before.
Darius sat reading the newspaper when the doorbell rang. He grew nervous when he scented Audrey at the door. The doorbell rang again. He could hear her pacing on the front porch. He listened to her heartbeat and the deep breaths she took to prepare herself. If Darius was honest with himself, he’d admit that he hoped Audrey would return despite the fact that he wished she’d stay away. Their bond proved too strong to resist, and even though she had no idea what was going on, he knew she couldn’t fight the pull.
Audrey knocked on the door as a last resort. There was a truck in the yard. She hoped the man was home, but she got no response, so Audrey turned away, determined to come back again and again until she came face to face with him. She’d hoped to talk to him about the flowers, but he wasn’t home.
Audrey had to think. She needed the Alaria flower. She'd passed a huge patch walking up to the cabin, so she decided she’d take some with her.
Darius watched through the window, shaking his head as Audrey began picking his plants. He could see she was determined, something he liked about her. His attempt to scare her clearly hadn’t been effective. He sighed. He was too busy trying to fight the bulge in his pants to get angry. Watching Audrey look around to see if she’d get caught excited him. He inhaled her scent. She was ripe for mating. Before he knew it, he’d unzipped his pants and tugged at his hardened dick. He didn’t stand a chance when it came to her. Every movement of her body caused him to stroke his erection. It was frustrating, to say the least, watching her for so long without being able to touch her, hold her, kiss her, pull her hair until she screamed his name. “Shit,” Darius said as Audrey bent over. Her ass was in the air in her tight jeans. He wanted to take her just like that, bent over in the forest. He stroked faster, imagining how he’d feel inside her body and her mouth. His eyes shut, and the thought of filling her with his seed brought him close to the edge. He cupped his palm over the tip of his head, spreading the warm moisture from his slit, lubricating himself as he stroked harder and faster. His hips bucked with every stroke. He needed her. He didn’t know how much longer he could resist.
Darius opened his eyes.
Audrey screamed at the top of her lungs, piercing his ears.
“Shit!” he yelled. He wished he could’ve told her not to scream, but it was too late. Darius had to act fast.
A grizzly bear lunged for Audrey before he could blink. His wolf was outraged and wanted to rip the bear to shreds. Without thinking, his enormous white wolf jumped through the window, shattering the glass, determined to get to Audrey. The bear had knocked her in the head and scratched her shoulder. Audrey covered her body and struggled to break away from the bear’s claws. Fear and shock took a hold of her. With tears in her eyes, she attempted to run away. The bear growled and knocked her to the ground.
Audrey covered her face and upper body, certain she was about to die at the hands of the bear. She heard growling, but was shocked when nothing happened to her. She was hesitant to open her eyes, but when she did another high pitch scream escaped from the depths of her lungs. The sight of a white wolf tackling the bear caused her to panic.
Audrey had no idea what to do. She attempted to get away from the dueling beasts, but the pain in her head and body held her captive. She couldn’t lift herself from the ground where she lay, surrounded by the beautiful flowers. She was dizzy and weak. She succumbed to the urge to lay her head on the ground. She could hear the animals fighting. They were so close that she could feel air whip by her head.
Darius released all of his fury onto the bear. He couldn’t lose Audrey, and the bear would pay for any scratch on her body and any blood she spilled. He knocked the black grizzly onto his back. The bear fought with everything he had, but was no match for Darius. Audrey moaned as she attempted to rise once again with no luck. Darius sank his claws into the bears neck and growled, spewing spit in the bears face as blood oozed from the bear's body. He ripped through the bears face, clawing at his eyes. The bear whimpered from the pain and struggled to move, but the wolf was determined. Blinded by rage he tore through the fur and thickness of the bear, ripping him apart, exposing his insides until he lay lifeless on the ground.
Darius walked to Audrey. She lay on her back and rested on her elbows attempting to rise again. Darius and his wolf were filled with sorrow. If only he had opened the door, this would’ve never happened. Darius wanted to shift and hold Audrey, but his wolf wanted to be close to her. He whimpered as he nuzzled Audreys soft skin, took in her scent, and licked her face.
Audrey wanted to panic, but she felt the sincerity of the wolf who only attacked to protect her. She allowed her head to rest on the ground and tears streamed down the sides of her face. She was relieved and grateful for the great white wolf that had saved her life. She reached her arm and pet his soft shiny fur. She looked into his green eyes. Why did his eyes look so familiar?
Darius shifted, sitting next to her, and Audrey gasped. He held her hand in his and rubbed her hair. “Forgive me, Audrey,” he said as she closed her eyes.
Darius cradled her in his arms and carried her inside. Though his home had many rooms, he couldn’t help but carry her to his bed. She was alive, and her vitals were good. She just needed to rest. He sat next to her, staring for what seemed like hours before he kissed her on the forehead and walked away.
As Audrey slept, Darius decided to board up the window he’d broken in the front of the cabin. It was going to be an eyesore until he could fix it, but he didn’t want Audrey to be cold when she awakened. He was hard at work when he heard the sound of a vehicle approach. He silently cursed. It was Felix and Damien. That was exactly what he was afraid of. They had no reason to be at his home that night.
Felix stepped out of the car more dressed up than usual, wearing a button down black shirt and black slacks. He was six feet, four inches, just a bit shorter than Darius with skin like cocoa and blue eyes.
Damien was the same height as Felix with medium brown skin and dreadlocks that hung past his shoulders. He wore a blue suit with a crisp blue shirt and no tie.
“Where are you two going?” Darius asked.
“Never-mind that. What the hell happened here?” Felix asked as the two men inspected the damage.
“Minor incident,” Darius replied.
“This doesn’t look minor. Who did this? We need to act now,” Damien said.
“Were you attacked?” Felix asked.
Damien sniffed the air. “Is that bear?”
“It’s nothing, just an accident.” Darius said.
“This is some weird shit, Darius,” Damien said.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Don’t ask me about it again,” Darius said.
“You’re acting strange. Your energy is off. Are you nervous?” Felix asked. Felix had a nagging feeling that Darius was hiding something from them. Darius had always been quiet, but there were no secrets between the three of them and the more he looked at his surroundings he was sure that something was going on.
“No, I’m just trying to get this done.”
“Well, it looks like you’re about finished, which brings us to why we’re here,” Damien said.
Darius could sense what they wanted. It was what they always wanted. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You know I don’t do holiday festivities.”
“It’s a party. They’ll be drinks. They’ll be women. You’ll forget that it’s Christmas,” Damien said.
“Why don’t you go get dressed?”
“I don’t want to go out. Not tonight.”
“Don’t think of it as a Christmas party. Think of it as a chance to get some pussy.”
“It’s time for you to go. You two have fun.”
“How long has it been? Don’t you want to end the year with a bang?” Damien asked.
Felix interrupted the conversation between Darius and Damien. “Who’s car is that?”
“What car?” Darius asked.
Felix sniffed. “It’s a woman.”
“A woman?” Damien got excited. “Who is she?”
Felix tried to figure out the scent. “No one we know, but there’s something—”
“You two need to leave. Now,” Darius said.
“What are you hiding?” Felix asked.
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Come on Felix. Darius needs this. Let him have some fun,” Damien said.
“So you met a woman. What does that have to do with this window? You know we can tell if you were lying.
Felix was right. He’d be able to spot a lie a mile away. Darius cleared his throat. “Fine, there’s a woman here, in my bed.”
“You dog,” Damien playfully hit Darius on the shoulder.
“Who is she?” Felix asked.
“She was wandering around the house picking flowers and was attacked by a bear. I jumped through the window and fought the bear. Now she’s resting.”
“Attacked by a bear at Christmas. That sucks,” Damien said.
“Yeah,” Felix said.
“What does she look like?” Damien asked.
“I’m not going to answer that,” Darius replied.
Felix sniffed. There was something about this scent. “She’s human. Does she know who you are?” Felix asked.
“No, she’s just resting. There’s nothing going on here. You two need to go.”
“You want her all to yourself. I get it, playboy,” Damien said.
“Your heart is racing. I can scent your pheromones. You want this woman,” Felix said.
“I just want to make sure she’s okay before I send her home,” Darius said.
Felix understood Darius being in denial. Darius had lived quite a lonely life. Even though his behavior was suspicious, it was good to see he was interested in a woman. Maybe this was the beginning of him putting the past behind him and moving on with his life. The tree of them had a destiny to fulfill, and Felix always felt that Darius, the most powerful amongst them, was holding them back.
“Fine, we’ll go to the party. You enjoy your evening.” Felix got in the car.
“Are you ready for what comes next?” Damien asked Darius.
“What do you mean?”
“You have what I’m assuming is a beautiful girl in your bed. You want to fuck her. Don’t deny it.”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Sure it’s not. Look, you already saved her life. You can build on that. Tomorrow is Christmas. I’m sure she had no plans to spend it injured. Don’t be your usual grumpy self. Do something nice for her. Get her a gift. Make her feel special, and the panties will just fall off. I promise.”
All Darius could do was shake his head at Damien.
“Trust me.”
“Go.”
“Alright, but I want all the details.”
“Bye.”
Damien got in the car, and he and Felix drove off.
Darius could finally breathe. That was a close call, but he was sure that Felix was still suspicious.
Note from the author: What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.