The chapter you've all been waiting for!

Okay, funny story...

The reason for my tardiness in updating is a lousy one.  School, exams, lack in inspiration, you name it.  But what's really bothering me about this story, and the sole reason for my lapse in inspiration, is because, well... I forgot where this was going.  Meaning, I can't remember some of the minor - and major - details in the previous chapters, and I just know that the next chaps are going to be full of plot holes.

But I refuse to give up on this story, even if I write crappy for the time being.  If I keep shooting up a blank like this, I'm going to die on this story, and I really want to finish it.

So, If you read this and find some major plot mistakes and things like forgetting that Dwayn's eyes are blue (green???) please tell me.  For now, I'm not going to write in much detail until I'm back on track again (teaches me to write multiple stories at the same time - you mix everything up!).

Anyway, I'll try... For you.

Chapter 11

Keith abandoned me.  He left me here.

I couldn't work up the heat to be angry at him.  All I felt was stupidity and self-pity, vaguely noticing that werewolves were gathering around me and Dwayn.  I immediately recognised Abella, her chestnut hair mussed from her recent shift.  She was wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt, looking so petite it hurt me to watch.  How such a brown-eyed woman could be a werewolf, I did not know.

Abella's gaze narrowed on us, taking in our position.  My legs were still wrapped around Dwayn's waist, my hands resting on his chest.  His face was in my hair, so he didn't see the white-hot fury in the woman's eyes.

"Dwayne,"she barked, skulking towards our position against the wall.  She stopped right behind him, looking me straight in the eyes, fists balled at her sides.  I guess I should've felt relieved I had a barrier of muscle between us.

"What, Abella?  You're interrupting me."

If it were possible, coldness seeped into the hot flame of her eyes.  I would've been singed and simultaneously iced to the core with that much hatred, if she had so much will power.

"What?  Am I halting one of your fucking sprees?  You said we should kill her on sight!  And yet you're practically mounting her against a wall!"

Dwayn growled into my hair, and I watched with sudden interest as he pulled away and lowered me to the ground.  Adrenaline still pounded through me, dousing some of the fear, and I tried to think of a way to escape.

"You're putting words in my mouth, sweetness.  I told you to bring her in alive."

Alive?  He wanted me alive?  Hope flared inside of me.  The prick Keith might be right.  Dwayn would've killed me if he wanted to, but that didn't mean he wasn't intending to do it later.  I wrapped my arms around myself, aware of the rest of the werewolves - all in human  form - following my every movement.  I forced my eyes back on the couple in front of me, pressing my back into the wall.  How I wished I could shift into a bird instead of a cat.  My leopard was strong, yes, but no more than a regular leopard.  My mother once told me that wolf-shifters were different from the average shifter; they had a magic more binding, accessed only through a bond with each other.  As a lone wolf, even in a pack, you were unstable.

I laughed inwardly, jittery with nerves.  Yeah.  Like any of these wolves were stable!

"You said I could get a go at her!" Abella was hissing, stepping up to Dwayn's towering height.  It was still mind-boggling how tall the man was;  I could not imagine how this petite woman could challenge him like this.

"Later," he said simply.  "I did not say you can kill her now."

Great, I thought sardonalically.  Were they going to kill me or not?

Abella started a string of protests, many of them containing seething obsceneties and goosebumps rose on my skin.  As if sensing my unease, Dwayne turned and looked me in the eyes, his cutting grey eyes softening.  I blinked in surprise at the sudden tenderness in his eyes, but the spell was broken when he stalked towards me and grabbed my arm in an unyielding grip.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.  "Let me go!  Please!  I promise to leave Oscalia forever.  You can have the territory!                           I was already planning on moving inland.  Please," I said more frantically when he started dragging me towards the edge of the circle of werewolves.  Their eyes followed me, curious and a little menacing.  "Please, just leave me alone!  I beg you, please, I don't want to die!"

Dwayn stopped abruptly and spun me around.  My front crushed into his chest, a calloused hand gripping my chin, lifting me to his sharp eyes.  I drowned in its depths;  it was like flying through clouds the deeper I got.  He made sure he had me completely entranched before he spoke.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Azalea."

In that moment, I couldn't doubt the sincerity of his words.  But I knew that my judge on men was rotten these days; I'd never really been good with the male generation, since the humans saw me as strange, other shifters didn't seem interested and leopard shifters were rarer than their natural counterparts.

He gripped my hand and pulled me out of the alley and into the open.  We turned around a corner and came upon the front of the cafe.  He squeezed my fingers in warning, flashing me a stern look.  I swallowed and tried to look normal - not easy to do when you'd just been kissed.  My hair must have been a mess, and still it felt strange to worry about that now.  Normal women worried about such things; a leopard should not.

But I wasn't a leopard anymore, I thought mournfully.  I deeply regretted coming back to Oscalia.  I should've left Rick to take care of himself.  But I still wasn't sure what the wolf-shifters would have done to him.  Surely not hurt him, because, excluding the fact that it would hurt the purpose of mainstreaming, I knew Rick would refuse to answer them out of pure stubborness.

I was worried for him.  I didn't know why I felt this reckless need to be with him, to see for my own eyes that he was okay.  As a loner and a cat, I should've cared for my own needs first and trusted that the human knew what he was doing when he came back to get my things.

To any eye looking upon us as we strolled down the large street of shops, we would've looked like a disgruntled couple grudgingly spending time with each other.  Well, to me it would've left that impression, but the fact was that Dwayn looked absolutely brisk and sure of himself.  He held my hand tightly in his, almost to the point of hurting, keeping me close to his side as he set a confidant, almost arrogantly cocky pace.  His height was overbearing, and I saw many admiring and fearful eyes among the humans.

I felt many gazes from both humans and werewolves setting on me - the humans were curious who this tall stranger's companion was - and I practically burned under Abella's eyes.

The rest of the pack fell back, spreading out behind us, wandering from one side of the street to the other, browsing the shops's merchandise through the windows like the "newcomers" they were.  But I knew that they were surrounding me, herding me.  Involuntarily, I burrowed deeper into Dwayn's side.  He released my hand and wrapped a heavy arm around my shoulders.  I heard a growl behind me, but resisted looking back.  I knew it was Abella.

I resisted the impulse to throw off Dwayn's arm; I didn't know how he would react to me drawing attention, but maybe letting these people know that I was walking next to my kidnapper could save me.  Or it could send the pack into a killing rage.  Whichever would happen, I doubted any human would like the idea of feeling obligated to save a damsel in distress from such a monstrous man.

We went to the side of the road when a car passed through, and I was disappointed to see that it wasn't Keith's Fiesta.

Angry that I even borned that hope, I composed my face and stiffened my spine, determined to meet my fate.  As frustratingly puzzled as I was these days, I knew that if it came down to killing, I wouldn't sit back with paws behind my back.  If they let me live - and I was starting to fear the worst - then I would slip away.  If it took a few broken bones while jumping out of a two-storey building, I was willing to take it.  For whatever reason Dwayn wanted me alive, I didn't want to find out; my own suspiucious thoughts about the matter were utterly terrifying for unknown reasons.

I just hoped they didn't have a fucking two storey.

At some point we stepped away from the street and turned on a small footpath squeezing through two buildings.  There was one big street through the town; smaller streets combed their tar tracks through neighbourwoods.  There were ground paths treading thin bands of dust through the forest so that cars could pass through the underbrush towards the outskirts of town.  I knew that homes further away had a harder way of getting around in their cars, but they were mostly people who were willing to walk.

It seemed that the pack was one of those willing to walk.  In fact, it seemed that we were intent on going deeper into the forest.  I tried to keep my breathing even, but I was pathetically weak in human form since I shifted, and we hadn't even reached the dusty path that trod a snaky path through the upcoming trees.

My feet were starting to hurt and sweat beaded on my forehead, droplets journeying hesitantly down the small of my back.  Dwayn inhaled at some point, turning his head towards mine and catching my eyes in a stare before he loosened his heavy - and hot - arm around my shoulders to drape it around my waist, hand resting on my hip.

I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled it away.  He certainly didn't like my abrupt action, because he growled, suddenly stopping.  I held up my hands, taking a step back as I glared.  My weakened resolve managed to rear a head and I stiffened my spine.  I was too confused right now to put up with an Alpha's horny crap.

"Don't touch me." I accomplished a voice with a little waver, which bothered me.

He chuckled darkly, stretching back his shoulders and widening his stance.  Even though the trees were blocking the sun, some weak rays mustered the courage to caress his ash blond hair, highlighting darker strands that framed his face.  Those steely eyes were hard with arrogance, the midnight pulips dilated to suck in every ray of light.

He was almost seven feet tall.

I couldn't get over the fact that I felt like a tree next to a mountain.  As a woman I was tall at five foot eight, and as I looked past him to search for the others, I saw them standing a few feet away, silent and watching.  My skin crawled when I caught Abella's gaze, those plain brown eyes just as sharp and menacing as Dwayn's was cutting.  I spotted one more werewolf I recognised - Fabian.  Elise's mate.  He stood quietly to the side, staring out into the brush, seemingly unaware of what was happening.  His brooding expression hinted at what he was worrying about.

How it felt like ages since Elise helped my escape.  I restrained a snort.  Fat lot that did.  I fucked up good, and I wished I'd let my uncertainties turn my back on Rick.

Even as those thoughts flew through my head, I knew that even if I'd known I would be cornered again, I would've come anyway.  I gritted my teeth.  I knew Rick could take care of himself, and I realised that my fear might be irrational.  But these were wolves, and although I didn't have an inkling on how ruthless they were - on the exception of Abella, of course - I did know that a single one killed my sister.

The alpha took a step closer to me, staring hard at me.  I backed away, my lips twitching to bare my teeth.  I couldn't let him touch me.  That would be bad.  My body was reacting in strange ways I'd never experienced before, and it scared me, partly because I couldn't wrap my head around it.  When he touched me, I was overcome with fear... but was there more to it?  Was there a reason why my body wanted to shiver as his gaze roved my body?  Why my face heated as he robbed my clothes with a single look and caressed my breasts with his expressive eyes?  Or why he licked his lips when he reached my legs...

Swallowing, I mimicked him and licked my own dry lips, my eyes flashing back and forth between the pack and its leader.  Calm down.  I needed to calm down.  My racing heart was making it impossible, however, and I couldn't think of a thing to say or do.

Fight or flight.

The alpha took another step towards me, his eyes just daring me to choose.  My breathing quickened and I tensed my legs, quickly looking at the pack members before I moved to look at Dwayn.  We were alone in the worn road that was barely wide enough for one car, maybe a small truck.

I could try to escape now.  I was tired, but I believed I could muster at least enough energy to run.  I wouldn't last long, however, because there was no mistaking that these were men who would just as easily run me down as kill me. 

When I turned my head back from my quick assessment, I was met by a wall of clad muscle, straining with tension.  Heat radiated from him, licking at my skin, digging deeper into my body.  My nerves lit up  and my heart gave a startled stutter.  I blinked rapidly, my eyes crossing every time I tried to focus on one part of his expansive chest.  I closed my eyes, my head spinning with the sensation.  In the darkness of my eyelids my other senses perked up, picking up everything - everything about him.  His warm breath fanned my face, tickling my eyelashes and chasing away the chill in the air.  I remembered sensing winter's coming.  Soon, I'd thought, soon I would have to make shelter against the wet cold.

I could feel and hear his breathing; deep inhale, slow exhale.  Deep and slow.  In and out.  The hair all over my body prickled into goosebumps, trying to reach the electrostatic charge that surrounded his body.  This near I could taste his scent, a wild combination of chocolate and wildflowers, with a hint of bubblegum and an aftertaste of lemon ice-cream.

"Azalea," he whispered, and I snapped.

I whirled around, black and white pounding a mantra into my head, but before I could even move more than two steps hands wrapped around my upper arms.  I crashed back into his body, the heat of him searing through my back.  I gasped, and then let out a yell, kicking when he pushing his hips into my backside.

"Get off me!  Let me go!  You have what you wanted, so just leave me the fuck alone!"

Rage abrupty pushed through my veins, burning away the pleasurable kindle of his touch.  Yes.  Anger.  It was a strong emotion, one that I had distanced myself from since moving to Oscalia two years ago. The burning weight of it was a burden to my soul, wretching my life and reminding me of how much I hated my life when my sister died.

My sweet sister, one of three, her innocence and naivette her only obstacle in life.  The instrument of her death.  He - Dwayn - had called me naive earlier.

Dwayn wrapped his arm around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides.  My feet lifted off the ground as he stood straight, his body my prison as he clapped a hand over my screeching mouth.

"Shh," he cooed, sounding like a father comforting an infant.  "I'm not going to hurt you.  Just calm down."

I didn't want to listen to him, but something in his voice had changed.  Not hard and cold when I first met him, nor heated and knowing from a few moments before.  It was tender, as if he truly wanted me to understand that he wasn't going to hurt me.

After a few minutes my struggling had stopped, my exhausted body leaning against his chest.  My heartbeat had slowed but my chest still heaved.  I didn't even realise I was crying, sobs ripping through my body until he turned me around in his arms, hand falling away from my mouth to trail the watery paths down my cheeks.  Our faces were only separated by a few inches, our noses almost touching, and all I could see was his eyes.

How beautiful they were when they held such tenderness...

Someone coughed behind us, shocking me back into my body.  Dwayn's arms stiffened around me and he slowly looked over his shoulder.  I couldn't see anything but his shoulder, but I heard uncomfortable feet shifting.

His voice sounded almost anxious when the packmember said, "You want us to go ahead?"

Dwayn growled under his breath, the sound vibrating from his body to mine.  "No." His voice suggested otherwise, but when he turned back around his face was set into a mask, one I couldn't read at all.  The tenderness all but disappeared.

"Are you going to try and run again?"

I pursed my lips, looking away from his cutting eyes.  He took that as an answer and suddenly the world was upside down. I cried out when my head spun, gravity pulling all the blood to my head, but after a few bouncy strides Dwayn took, I could make out his clad ass in front of me.  Warmth radiated from the hand placed across my own bottom.  I grunted as his hard shoulder drove into my stomach with each step he took, and I just couldn't make myself work up a sweat about it.

No point.  I had no strength left.  Only that morning had I been with Keith, wrapped in a false blanket of safety.  So long ago that was.  The uncertainty and fear was getting to me, and I think I surprised everyone when I dozed off.

I learned that Abella had long ago stormed off ahead of us since the attempt of my flight.  She was waiting by the door when we arrived at our destination, though the only way I knew from my upside down state that we were at the pack's house was when I heard a loud snarl.

"Oh, stuff it, Bella!"

I recognised her voice immediately.

"Elise?" I called, frantically hoping that she could help me again.

I heard her sigh, and the next instant I was on my feet, swaying from side to side as Dwayn prevented me from keeling over.  "Oh," I groaned, grabbing my head.  "I think I'm going to throw up."

Elise rushed from the front door towards me but was intercepted by her mate.  "Fabian," she growled, slapping his protective hands away.  "She's not going to hurt me!  Actually, it looks like she's going to pass out!"  She pushed him out of the way, but only because he let her.  She was my length, but Fabian was still taller and stronger, since she was human.

She grabbed my hands and tugged me away from Dwayn, who suddenly gripped my arm and yanked me back into him.  I was like an inanimate object in their hands, offering no resistence as they played tug of war.

"Dwayn," she snapped, slapping at his hand as she had with Fabian.  "Give the girl some space!  You're so overbearingly thick in the head that you can't even see she's exhausted from all your testesterone.  Back off!"

He didn't, but bared his teeth at her.  "I can do what I like, Elise.  I'm not finished with her."

"Oh really?" She gave a flat laugh.  "That's apparant to all of us.  But if you want to keep your man junk for future puppies, I'd suggest you let go of her right now or I swear I'll let Abella molest you as she aspires to do."

There was an enraged snarl and - my head clearer now - I watched Abella storm towards us, her face so thunderous that I took a step back, blocked by Dwayn's body.  Fabian quickly grabbed the claws coming for Elise, gripping both of Abella's wrists while snarling into her face.

She stilled, staring for a moment at him before she growled, yanked her wrists free and stomped back into the house, body tense with suppressed aggression.  Elise exhaled loudly, sounding relieved that her mate her saved her from the other female's wrath.

Fabian pulled her into his arms and squeezed her, still looking into the direction Abella had gone.  "Don't do that again," he rumbled, sounding resigned.

She pulled away from him and caressed his chest.  "Can't promise that."

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sound, but all he said was, "I know."

We were silent as we listened to glass breaking from inside the house.  An enraged scream followed soon after.  Dwayn gestured one of his wolves to him.  He had chestnut hair long enough to brush his shoulders.  His sea green eyes were sharp and took everything in.  The brief moment he looked at me convinced me that his eyes were like the ocean raging in a storm.

"Eldwin, take her for a run and get her to calm down.  Take Gase and Ace with you.  I'll be too busy to worry about watching my back around her."

Elise snorted outwardly but he ignored her.  The wolf inclined his head in consent and disappeared into the house, the other two trailing behind him.

It was, in fact, a double-storey.

Fuck.

"Dwayn," Elise said warningly when he started tugging me up the steps of the wooden wrap-around porch.  He paused briefly, only to catch her eyes for a few seconds before he turned his back on the rest and pulled me with him into my new prison.

Because it was my prison.  If looks could speak as clearly as a thought, Elise's warning had just been discarded to ashes.

His eyes had told the woman exactly what she feared: Dare me.

Okay... So, his eyes are grey!  Can't believe I forgot that, but while I was writing I went through the first few chapters to remind me of some details.  I hope this was okay.  Lightly edited, so sorry for some mistakes, but I'm proud of myself.  After so much months, I pulled through my writers' block and didn't give up!

I know you hate me right now, but I hope this chapter makes up for it : )  It'll be easier to write now, since this chapter was what stunted me the most.  I just couldn't see it in my head, so I was quite surprised when I didn't picture what I wanted to happen, but my characters.  Weird.  It's like they live in me and tell me what to write, lol.  Hopefully a kissing scene would be in the next chapter... and hopefully Azalea would become her stubborn leopard self again.  Poor girl, that shift really shook her.

Please, vote and comment!

AuroraSwan