A Wolf's Oath (11 page)

Struggling to his feet, he made his way down the corridor that
led to the bedrooms in the cabin, Erica's warm scent flowed from
under her closed bedroom door and his wolf fought harder against
him.
Give me a minute; I just need to tell
them I’m leaving.

No,
it snarled in response.
You ignored my request to catch her. I see no
reason to agree to yours.

Fine, I don’t need your agreement to do this.
His head spun as his control began to slip, but he
forced his unsteady hand to the door handle, turning it and pushing
his head through the small crack. “Well guys, I’ve got to head off
now. I can’t keep the royal clan waiting any longer. Remember don’t
open the door for anyone but Ryan and don’t burn the house down. In
fact, if possible, just stay here until he comes for you,” he
rushed struggling to stave off his wolf’s need for
control.

“
We know the drill Sebastian.” Dylan smiled. “Erica explained
it to us when she went to that party with Anna.”

He nodded, acknowledging their independence before closing
the door and locking them in. The need to change was riding him
hard now. The few moments he had spent talking to Erica's siblings
had worn away the last of his control and he knew that in mere
seconds the wolf would be in control of his body and its actions.
Running to the door, he threw it open and rushed away from the
cabin. The rays of light from the moon caressed his skin in welcome
and his control shattered.

While the change should have come easily, he was struggling
against it, desperate to retain his human form for as long as
possible to give Erica more time. His bones cracked painfully as
his body contorted into that of a wolf. Vicious claws sprung from
his nails as he fell to the ground. His jaw began to change to
accommodate the fangs that had exploded in his mouth. His back
bowed as his spine twisted to provide support for a body that ran
on four legs not two. His skin burned as fur began to coat his
body. Limbs twisted and reformed until they were more suited to the
long run ahead of them. What should normally have taken seconds was
drawn out over minutes as Sebastian and his wolf fought for
dominance. The wolf eventually won, turning it’s head in circles as
it’s superior sense of smell picked up on the faint trail of his
mate’s scent.

Where Sebastian had once now stood a large brown wolf, it’s
amber eyes glinted dangerously in the dark and it’s large,
practically dripping, fangs did nothing to dispel the menacing
image it portrayed. The wolf’s long muzzle lifted to scent the wind
before it sprang off determined to reach its prize. Long, well
muscled legs easily traversed the distance moving faster and faster
as it began the hunt for its mate.

Stop this,
Sebastian pleaded from
within the confines of the wolf’s body.
Just let her go. We can try again next month.

No. Things might have been different if she was just playing
hard to get, but she brought this upon herself. She rejected our
claim and now she’ll have to deal with the consequences. You
shouldn’t worry yourself about this; you want to claim her just as
much as I do. I’m in your mind so there is no point in trying to
lie to me about it.

Just because I want to claim her doesn’t mean that I’m
willing to go against her wishes. Are you going to force her? She
doesn’t want this,
Sebastian stated trying
to force his wolf to see reason.

The wolf laughed, amused by Sebastian's attempts at persuasion
but no less certain that he would claim his mate this night.
She’s our mate; you know I would never hurt her.
If anyone were to try such a thing I would rip out their throats.
No, I’m simply going to persuade her to see reason. She’s a wolf
too; she has the same urges as we do. They may not be as strong as
a male’s instincts but they’re there. All I’m going to do is
encourage her to give herself over to them. I doubt it will take
much work.
His tone was lazy, assured that
his choice was the right one.

I’m not going to just let you do this.

There’s nothing you can do tonight unless I wish it. Your
thoughts and wishes even now are merging with mine, soon we’ll be
of the same mind set. Once we’ve found her, we’ll claim her. It’s
that simple. I doubt you’ll be objecting this much once we find
her.

Sebastian growled, but he knew the wolf was right. Once they
found her, the wolf and him would be united in their desire for her
and he wouldn’t feel even the slightest amount of guilt once he was
in the process of claiming her.

The wolf’s pace hadn’t faltered during their conversation and
Sebastian was surprised at how much ground they had covered in that
brief time. While he knew that his lupine form was built for speed
and strength, they were moving faster than he had thought possible
as the instinct overcame any boundaries his body might have had
trying to reach his mate.

She’s not going to make it if we keep moving like
this.
The thought appeared in his mind
almost out of nowhere but he knew with undeniable certainty that it
was true. His body was moving at least twice as fast as it normally
could and that meant he was almost three times as fast as she was.
She wasn’t going to escape him. His mind began once more to
struggle against the wolf’s. As a result of their inner conflict,
the lupine body was jerked sideways and its shoulder ran into a
large tree.

I’m the one in control tonight Sebastian and I suggest you
accept that.
The wolf laughed, it’s hectic
pace unhindered by the collision with the tree as it continued
forward, taking a large part of the trunk with it. It ran straight,
never halting for any obstacle that was in its way, destroying them
as they came into contact with him, unswerving in its determination
to take the quickest path to its mate despite Sebastian's
struggles.

****

It was at times like this when Erica could finally understand
the meaning of the saying that even wolves have their limits. She
had been running for two days straight, all through the night and
right across the day. Her limbs were finally beginning to feel the
strain, her muscles felt weak and rubbery as though they wouldn’t
support her next step. Her lungs were starting to burn, each breath
feeling like a chore that she would rather not do. Despite this she
kept running. She knew that Sebastian would be much faster than she
and that if she stopped even for a brief second he might be able to
make up the distance between them. Her only hope lay in the
possibility that he had agreed not to chase her, if that was the
case then she only had to contend with his wolf at night.
Unfortunately she couldn’t simply call and ask if he were willing
to postpone the claiming as that would waste valuable time that
could have been spent running. Another factor that prevented her
from trying to make contact with him was the thought that he might
have been angered by her abrupt departure and could in fact now be
in accord with the wolf. If that were the case then she had no
chance for escape. She was however hopeful that Sebastian had
agreed to simply let her go as she couldn’t feel his presence
nearby and if he were running through the days then surely he would
have caught up with her by now.

Tonight was the last night of the full moon, she could feel
it beginning to wane and while she was thrilled that her long run
might now be at an end, she was also very nervous. Sebastian's wolf
had to know that this was the last chance it would have to claim
her for at least a month, it would be pushing him even harder to
reach her and it had the power of the instinct to support its
actions and increase its stamina and speed.

Her surroundings had changed drastically since the first
night she had ran from her cabin. The air was distinctly colder as
she had headed north, zig zagging the entire way, hoping that the
frostier air and bewildering trail would hide her scent from her
pursuing mate. She was still well hidden within forests, large
pines surrounding her on all sides as they stretched endlessly
towards the sky. The ground crunched under her feet as she moved
but she didn’t have time to enjoy her surroundings as she rushed
onwards.

Her pace was halted abruptly as she felt metal bite into her
skin. A loud wail spread through the woods as the trap snapped
shut. Erica howled as blood flowed from the wounded leg that was
now caught in the painful device before she found herself thrown
back into her human form. What should have been simply a mildly
painful wound for one of her kind, burned and the pain ripped
through her like nothing she had ever felt before. Her eyes watered
with the pain as she looked towards the dangerous contraption,
noting the distinct sheen it had in the moonlight.

Silver?
Her mind raced, before her
fingers reached for the device intent on freeing her trapped leg.
The skin on her fingertips sizzled at the brief contact and she
pulled her hands back to her body. The pain in her leg was
beginning to spread, almost paralyzing it its intensity.
Disregarding the pain that was to come, Erica reached forward
grasping the sides of the trap in both hand. Her palms burned but
she pulled regardless, her strength draining from her the longer
her skin stayed in contact with the dangerous metal. Silver had
long been deadly to her people and the instinct had yet to find a
way to overcome this weakness, leaving her vulnerable. The human
myths were almost right when it came to the tale of the wolf and
the silver bullet. While a silver bullet wouldn’t kill a wolf, it
would drain them of strength to the point that they were
practically helpless, making it easy for any passing stranger to
take their head. Most wounds they could heal from, but decapitation
was the surest way to see a wolf dead.

The sound of cracking twigs gained her attention and she
turned her head in the direction the sound was coming from.
If it’s a person then maybe they can help
me.

“
Hello?” she called loudly determined to gain attention that
could help her escape the trap she had unwittingly fallen into in
her haste to escape her mate.
Thank God
the instinct adapted so that I’m not lying here bare assed
naked,
she mused before calling out again.
“Hello, is anyone there? I need help.”

The faint sound of twigs breaking escalated as bodies moved
through the under brush and she sighed with relief as three people
came into sight. The scent that met her nostrils was undeniably
male and as they moved closer to her, her eyes confirmed what her
nose knew. The men were all dressed in a similar fashion, dark
clothing, sturdy boots, with large guns thrown over their
shoulders. The weapons were slightly unnerving but she reassured
herself with the knowledge that humans were allowed to own them in
this country and there was nothing odd about them carrying them so
openly.

A bright light was suddenly shined in her face and she closed
her eyes against its intensity. “Um, excuse me would you mind
helping me out of this trap. I was just going for a walk and
accidentally stumbled into it.” The men didn’t respond to her
request but she could hear them moving about and quickly became
aware that she was surrounded. She opened her eyes despite the
bright torch pointed at her and watched as one of them examined the
blistered skin on her leg. “I think I might have wandered into some
poison ivy,” she chuckled increasingly uncomfortable with the men
that encircled her.

A rough hand grabbed her wrist pulling it forward. “If you’re
what I think you are then you should expect no help from us.” The
other two men, apparently satisfied that she wouldn’t be going
anywhere, came to crouch beside the man who held her arm. The
flashlight was moved from her face to shine on her arm. Another
hand rolled up to expose the skin on her forearm.

“
If you’re human then this shouldn’t hurt.” Another voice told
her before waving a small round coin attached to a string in front
of her.

Human? How can they know that I’m different?
She finally noted the silver colour of the coin
and horror washed over her.
Hunters!
Her eyes darted to the
exposed skin of the man’s neck. A tattoo of a bullet resided
against his flesh. With her strong eyesight she easily made out the
small words that were etched into the shell of the bullet.
For the wolf.
As soon as
she had identified the men in front of her, her heart began to race
and her fear quickly multiplied.

The small coin was pressed harshly against her bare flesh and
the skin beneath it sizzled in response. The fresh wave of pain
once again brought tears to her eyes and she watched the men that
surrounded her smile with cruel satisfaction as they finally
removed the coin from her skin.

“
It’s been a while since we caught a genuine werewolf,” One of
the three chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll take real good care of
you.” The smile that came across the stranger’s face wasn’t
comforting.

Sebastian, you can catch me anytime now.
She scanned the trees, hoping desperately that he would emerge
from the trees. A cloth was placed against her mouth and as she
breathed her mind became increasingly fuzzy.
I guess my plan to escape went a little too well,
she sighed.
I escaped my
mate only to end up in the hands of lunatics. Just great.
Her mind went blank as she fitfully fell into
unconsciousness.