Romance: Tied To The Wolf: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Werewolf Romance, BBW Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance) (2 page)

The realization of her mistake—of this
insanely idiotic
blunder—only made her already building fear for her life skyrocket. She had given up familiar streets for unknown towering branches and shifting shadows of the dark.

She had only been able to take a few more steps into the unknown before gravity took hold of one of her feet and yanked her down an unexpected decline. The scream that began in her throat ended out in a feeble cry of pain as Cecilia tumbled down the rivers of shadows and sharp jagged rocks.

The ground evened out, her ribs aching and her mouth tasting of blood. Her body finished rolling, falling hard against the trunk of a tree.

Her skull smacked hard against the wood, making her already dizzy eyesight become riddled with spots and heaving visions that made no sense.

Groaning, Cecilia tried to push herself to her feet, grimacing when she felt the skin of her knees sting violently.

“Whoa there, baby,” the words were warbled and strange in her ears.

Adrenaline surged clarity back into her head when Cecilia realized who the voice belonged to. Blinking up, she spotted the same man whom had called her out, waltzing towards her with a smile that stabbed into her eyes.

“Have a nice trip?”

Wolves—huge and impossibly wide—bled into sight and beneath the shattered fractions of moonlight that burst through the canopy above. They stared at her with nothing short of amused starvation and black desire.

“P-please,” Ceci croaked out, whimpering when one of her palms slid roughly against the wood of the tree. It hurt.

She begged, “Please, don’t… don’t kill me.”

“Why would we want to kill you?”

The man chuckled, and the other wolves let out sounds that were rough huffs of breath and wheezing that might have been laughs. Might have been growls.

“It makes no sense to kill such a pretty bride.”

This made no sense to Ceci.

“What—what do you mean?”

The man shook his head, snorting through his snout, “I guess introductions are called for, all things considered. I’m Caleb, this here is my pack, and you? You are the next in line to expand our pack into one of the biggest around. It’s a pretty ingenious idea, and I’m sure you’re familiar with it, but we’ve been looking for pretty little things like you with hips like yours… You’ll be popping out litters of pups far easier than the others, I’m sure. Don’t you think so, Kip?”

“Oh I know so, Cal.”

One of the wolves spoke, its skin shifted slightly between animal and man.

Ceci stared in terrified awe. “I reckon she’ll last much longer too… just look at all that flesh…”

Caleb gave a sound that might have been a purr of satisfaction, his eyes honing right on hers, black with lust.

“She’s rather pretty… not bad for my third bride, eh?”

The group let out a few joined howls that opened into malicious laughs.

Ceci swallowed, shaking and gasping faster now that she understood what they wanted. This was much worse than death… and right now, she wished they had just killed her, wished that when she fell… she had fallen to her death.

A babble of pleadings and sobs exploded from Ceci’s mouth as she saw them approach. Her wide eyes searched wildly through the darkened woods to find anything that could serve as a weapon, literally anything that could help her.

Caleb was barely a few feet away, his expression staining her mind with an image that would never leave her, and Cecilia let out a final shriek, hoping that someone could save her.

The end of her shriek ended in an abrupt sound that was so explosive, it drilled into her ears and made her curl into herself instinctively. The sound seemed to have surprised her attackers as well, and they all glanced in the direction of the source.

Through a single column of moonlight, another man stood, one of his hands held a small pistol in his hands high in the air. It was difficult to see his face, yet his body was tall and strong, muscles flexing tightly beneath his clothes.

“I hate to interrupt your little party,” the man spoke, his voice grave and barely hiding disgust.

“But you seem to be in the wrong part of the forest here.”

“Get lost,” Caleb snapped, widening his stance as the group faced this unwelcome guest.

“We found her fair and square.”

“And I wouldn’t give a flying shit, but you’re in
my
territory, and I am not in the mood.”

At this, the pack let out another series of sounds that Ceci could tell were laughs.

Caleb laughed into his comment, “Seriously? You’re threatening
us
? Six on one is hardly a fair fight, so you should scat.”

The man released the gun in his hold, tossing it to the ground feet away and Ceci felt her heart fall to her stomach. That had been the only chance to get rid of them!

Instead the man took a few steps closer, his hands working at tugging his shirt off his skin.

“I’m giving you one final chance,
pup
. Get the fuck off my lands or I
will
kill you and your pathetic attempt at a pack.”

Caleb reared back, his body already beginning to shift as he snarled.

“Eat shit, bastard!”

Cecilia cried out, eyes taking in every bit of the battle that erupted as soon as the wolves pounced. She was certain the man was done for good, and she knew she shouldn’t watch this slaughter but her eyes were so glued to the scene it was impossible to turn away now.

She was glad she didn’t… otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to explain how it went from one man against six wolves to one huge wolf against the others.

She saw how his body leaped toward the animals, exploding from the body of a man into one of a beast that was considerably larger than the others. A snarl unlike any other boomed from the newest beast’s throat, rattling in Ceci’s chest like a drum.

A large paw, claws extended, swiped toward the wolf that had come from Caleb’s body, slamming into his face and throwing him in the opposite direction. A loud whine escaped the wolf when it struck the ground, and what followed was a fury of teeth, claws, and growls that grew more deafening the longer the battle commenced.

Cecilia pressed herself against the tree trunk, trying to find a way to stay as far from the battle as possible. Her knees screamed as she scrambled away.

Another howl and even a bark, and when Ceci fixed her attention back on the carnage, she saw the large wolf’s maw chomp down over the neck of one of the wolves before yanking it and flinging it against a nearby tree. The large tree shook, creaking with the force as the wolf fell to the ground limp.

Ceci gasped, her hands plastering to her lips as she tried to keep quiet. Her eyes took in as much information as they could in the dark and the confusion of such an angry battle, but just as soon as she had a feeling that she could tell what was truly happening… it was over.

The smaller wolves began to escape, running far away from the largest wolf and booking it into the shadows.

The biggest animal paced around, huffing harshly, approaching some of the trees around the battlefield before lifting a leg and squirting out markings—Ceci didn’t have to guess. Dogs do this regularly to mark territory.

After some time, the beast slowed to a stop before doubling over, the body shifting from immense structure of muscles, fur, and claws to that of a man’s. Skin morphed from the immense figure and the shift was swift enough for Cecilia to blink and nearly miss all of it.

The man remained, standing beneath a long strip of moonlight that highlighted the edges of his musculature. Then he turned towards her and Ceci yelped.

“Are you alright?” his voice was softer but Ceci couldn’t push away the fear from her chest.

“Don’t hurt me!” she squeaked, bracing herself on one of the trees, unable to scream again when her body throbbed and ached with so many pains.

He took a step close to her, slow and steady and she would have sprinted in the other direction if her mind wasn’t spinning so much.

“I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay.”

Cecilia whimpered, hurriedly trying to push off from the tree to run, but before she could even take a step her mind just… stopped.

She blinked rapidly, finding herself bent over backwards and in the arms of the man before she could even attempt to right herself.

“Rocko…” she murmured, pushing herself away in vain. It was all too much.

It was all too much… before Cecilia could place her feet on solid ground, she was surrounded by a strange scent that calmed her, made her mind slow and gently sway into darkness.

She was out and into a new bed of shadows just as she could vaguely hear this man say something she forgot the moment he said it.

Chapter 2

There was the scent of lavender and pine. A gentle perfume that wafted around her and made a gentle sigh push through chapped lips and an aching chest. It was strange, but Ceci felt safe.

She felt warm and cocooned in a series of soft blankets that made her want to sink further into the mattress and just stay there forever. She would not be disturbed here… she was sure of it.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, already aware that she was nowhere close to her home. Yet, despite the understanding that she wasn’t in a familiar place, she couldn’t help but not care. This place was… beautiful.

It was a wide bedroom, styled in a Victorian sense that appealed to her aesthetic sense and strummed at her inner history fan girl.

The walls were painted a deep burgundy, trimmed in gold and white designed that curled and swirled toward the edges of the windows and the frames of the doors. A large glass pane door lay slightly open, leading towards what Ceci guessed was a balcony.

Foolishly, Ceci arched from the bed, muscles beginning to curl and stretch as she roused from sleep. She stopped immediately when she noticed pronounced pain in literally every part of her body.

Her legs were aching something vicious, her chest felt like it had been rammed by a truck, and her neck was sorer than ever before.

“Ow…” she muttered, letting out stuttering breath after stuttering breath, hoping the pain would fade quickly.

Ceci hissed, vaguely realizing that she couldn’t move one of her ankles as something tight was wrapped around it.

A soft rap on the door ahead gathered her attention and when she blinked up, the door was sliding open. A full head of black hair appeared over a chiseled jaw and curious green eyes. When their eyes met, Ceci felt a string of alarm shoot down her body and she froze.

The stranger pushed a little further into the room, revealing the rest of a strong and well toned body and bronze tanned skin. His torso was clothed in a well-fitted black button up, collar flared away from his throat to expose pronounced dips of his collar bone and the hint of muscled flesh beneath.

Broad shoulders sank into a strong figure and trim waist, dipping into hipbones that shifted with every step in an elegant way. Gray slacks gripped to his legs comfortably and as he stepped, Ceci couldn’t help but marvel at the silent way his body passed through the space.

“Good morning,” he spoke.

Cecilia’s eyes fluttered as she registered his greeting, mouth becoming dry. Unable to speak, she simply tightened her lips into a wan smile and gave him a small nod.

His eyes crinkled somewhat, peering at her with some sheepishness. “Did you sleep well?”

“Uh…” Cecilia began, shifting away from him the further he stepped into the room.

“Yes?”

He paused in the center of the room, much to her gratitude. Cecilia pushed herself up to sit against the headboard, her back flush against plushy pillows and the cool surface of dark wood.

“Where am I?”

“In my home,” he answered easily.

“There was nowhere else I could take you.”

Finally it seemed to sink in that something bad had happened… and her mind struggled to sort it through the soup that made up her brain. Cecilia scowled, shaking her head gently.

“Take it easy,” the man said.

“You banged yourself up pretty bad. You may have even gotten a concussion…”

“What happened?”

His face darkened somewhat and Cecilia tried to swallow back a fit of nerves. “You were… attacked.”

“Attacked?” Why couldn’t she remember?”

He nodded, a muscle worked in his jaw tightly.

“So you don’t recall?” it sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

Cecilia nodded anyway, unsure whether to answer or to be more wary of this man.

“That’s to be expected,” the man said, lifting a broad hand to push at the black locks that framed his cheeks.

The movement was so… pretty… that Cecilia couldn’t help but stare. “You had quite a scare.”

A strange pounding began in her head, made Cecilia let out a soft groan. Her fingers rose to press against her temple, flinching when she felt bandages wrapped around her head.

“How do you feel?” the man asked.

“Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” Cecilia muttered. His lips curled into a half smile.

“Unsurprisingly,” he said.

“Do you have any problems remembering anything?”

The question made Ceci consider her memories. For a moment, she focused on the details of her life that brought her a semblance of comfort.
My name is Cecilia, I live in the town of Mountainview. I’m a waitress at… at…?

“I…” Ceci mouthed, her headache pounding harder.

“I can’t remember much at all…”

“Do you remember your name?”

That was an easy answer. With a tiny nod, Ceci glanced back up at him, “Cecilia…”

“Cecilia,” he parroted.

“It’s a pretty name.”

She didn’t know how to reply to that. To her relief, he didn’t wait for her to do so.

“I’m Aaron. I won’t bore you with my last name,” he said with a small grin.

“It’s pretentious enough as it is unspoken.”

His attempt at humor wasn’t lost on her and she even managed to give him a meek smile in response.

“I’m…” Cecilia began, her fingers finding the edge of the blanket, fiddling on an embroidered design nervously.

“I’m sorry… I can’t offer anything else.”

“Its fine,” Aaron said, shaking his head.

“I’m actually pretty impressed… I wasn’t expecting you to be so… composed.”

Cecilia could share the sentiment easily. She was surprised herself at her complete lack of rash reactions. Then again, she had never really been the kind of person that overreacted. Still, this was sort of the situation that merited some kind of exclamation… right?

After some time of just sitting in silence, Ceci struggled to say anything else. Aaron watched her for a moment longer, as if expecting her to ask anything else.

She seemed to finally chance upon a new question when he seemed to be ready to leave again, “You said this is your home?”

Aaron nodded.

“Where exactly is this place…? If you don’t mind me asking.”

He pursed his lips for a small moment, “That is a bit difficult to explain. I actually live pretty secluded from the rest of the world,” Aaron said this with a light laugh.

“This place is a few hours way from the nearest city.”

Ceci blinked, registering. “Wait… which is the nearest city?”

“Summerdale,” he said.

“Know of it?”

She didn’t. It didn’t even sound familiar. Cecilia frowned, shaking her head slowly unable to say anything else as a wave of exhaustion washed over her body.

“Sorry,” she murmured after a pause.

“I can’t remember much…”

“It’ll come to you.” Aaron replied, “For now, just rest.”

She would have agreed but there was emptiness in her stomach that cramped up loudly, gurgling through the sheets and into her ears.

Flushing pink, Cecilia cleared her throat but Aaron was giving her a knowing smile. “Sounds like it’s time for breakfast.”

“S-sorry…”

“Don’t be. Think you can stand up?”

It took effort, but Cecilia had managed to wade through the warm blankets and deep cushioning of the long bed. When her feet touched the carpeted floor, she had wobbled. Aaron took a few wide strides toward her, his hands reaching hers as she tried to steady hers.

When his hands wrapped around her fingers, Ceci felt a different flush burn against her neck and ears, made her unable to meet his gaze without shaking.

“Let’s take it slow,” he murmured gently.

A shot of electric heat pulled from her spine to swirl in her core, tugging at the nerves in her legs and made her feel like she was walking with jelly rather with bones and sore muscle.

She apologized vehemently for a little while, trying in vain to ignore the way he chuckled and how his body radiated warmth that made her want to lean against him. She hoped she didn’t stink or anything. God this was so bizarre.

As they walked, Cecilia allowed her nervousness to play into feigned wonder, taking in all the sights of this immense place as a way to hide her shyness. It worked, because as she looked around and took in the exquisite design of the place, the color schemes, the impressive chandeliers and décor, it helped calm her down.

She asked a little about the house, and when Aaron chuckled, saying it was “slightly bigger than a house” she couldn’t help but gawk when they appeared on the main hall. It opened up into a marvelous lobby, and twin spiral staircases looped at the edge to sink into the main floor.

“This place is huge!” Ceci gasped, nearly tripping in her haste to see a little more here and there.

The stumble made her fall deeper into Aaron’s arms, and she couldn’t help but stammer out yet another apology when he gave her a wide smile.

“Yeah, it’s a bit spacious,” Aaron said.

“Even if it is a bit obnoxious.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” he finished, trailing off. Cecilia blinked up at him, curious to find his expression wasn’t sold on his agreement. He didn’t seem to agree as much as she expected him to.

At the end of the staircase stood a short man with brilliant white hair. His clothes were clean and immaculate, despite their cool colors.

“Sir,” the man began, wrinkles pronouncing tighter on his skin when he beheld the duo descending the staircase.

“I apologize, I was not aware our guest had woken.”

“At ease, Marlo,” Aaron said lightheartedly.

“It’s fine. Cecilia, this is Marlo, one of my personal assistants and the head of staff.”

Cecilia met the older man’s gaze, feeling rather small in the way the man stared at her so sharply. “Nice to meet you.”

“Indeed,” Marlo replied, he didn’t spare her much more attention before glancing back up at Aaron.

“Your brother is in the dining room.”

Aaron stiffened, his grip on Cecilia’s hands tightening almost imperceptibly. She wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t so hyperaware of his proximity, and she couldn’t help but notice that the reaction was just about as unusual as his hidden distaste for the immense mansion.

“Has he been waiting long?” Aaron asked, words tight and authoritative.

It was such a change from how he spoke to her that Cecilia couldn’t help but wonder about this brother of his. Marlo shook his head.

“Just arrived from his trip.”

“Thank you, Marlo.”

They began to walk off, Aaron leading the way. Cecilia couldn’t help but feel as though she was intruding now, her insides now twisting uncomfortably at wondering if Marlo’s sharp glare was due to this unexpected closeness to Aaron.

“Ah, sir, perhaps it is best if I lead the young lady back to her room?” Marlo piped up behind them, following close.

Aaron replied swiftly, “She stays with me, Marlo. Thanks.”

There were no protests from the butler, and the silence that followed was enough to stifle her wandering eyes and keep her well silent.

The pace was as easy as it had been on the way out of her room, yet the tension made it as though each step was crackling over fine eggshells and Ceci tried her best to swallow down her anxiety and the aches and pains of her body.

The dining room was as lavish as the main lobby, if not more. A long and wide table of a deep cherry oak was framed by many chairs—all following the set and pronouncing the lovely furnishing style of the room.

There was no chandelier in this room, just a long skylight for a ceiling that let in the sunlight. Flowers hung in vases at the corners, and a couple of maids walking in an out through a door on the far left, bringing in plates of food enough to feed a family of six or more.

The sight and smell of food made Ceci’s mouth water and stomach churn with anxious preparation. Buttered croissants were the first thing Ceci saw and the first thing she was convinced she would eat.

Yet before she could raise her enthusiasm for breakfast, she had glanced up to find herself being stared at by sharp and narrow green eyes. The stare shocked her, made her body tense up and breaths come in chocked gasps.

She
recognized
the look, and when she took in the face, the familiarity of it made the memories of the night before slam into her without warning.

The attack, the battle, the fear…

It all struck her and made her nearly collapse in Aaron’s arms. Lucky for her, Aaron had stopped walking, and Cecilia could at least cinch her grip on his fingers a little tighter.

“Lucas,” Aaron spoke.

If he noticed Cecilia’s sudden change in posture, he didn’t voice it.

“Welcome home.”