Merlin tried freeing herself from his grip but he was too strong and soon he began dragging her into the foliage beside the trail, her feet scrambling uselessly at the underbrush. She opened her mouth to scream only for a large hand to clamp it tightly shut as the panic swelled inside her, forcing tears to her eyes. Her hands were pressed tightly against his chest preventing her from using them against him. It seemed darker as the sun struggled to penetrate the tree canopy above and she couldn't tell how far into the forest he had dragged her before he threw her, unceremoniously, onto the ground.
She flinched away from him, immediately scrambling backwards before her back hit a large tree trunk and she quickly tried to stand. He walked towards her and she saw his claws extend from his fingers just before he leapt forward and pushed her to the ground, his body pinning her beneath him. She tried pushing him and kicking out at him but his strength was overpowering and she only succeeded in tiring herself out. Her body was shaking with fear and panic when she heard a tearing sound and realized that he had ripped her clothes open and was forcing her legs apart, his erection pushing against her thigh.
"No no! Please don't do this!", she screamed against his shoulder, her hands clawing at the forest floor in search of something that she could use as a weapon. She felt a blinding pain on her jaw and immediately warm blood flooded her mouth and she gagged, almost choking herself. Her vision blurred and she shook her head, trying to focus, willing herself not to black out as she felt his swollen member pushing between her legs. A feeling of intense anguish gripped her as she sobbed hopelessly into his shoulder, her sobs muffled by the blood trickling from her mouth.
Just as he pushed his erection against her outer folds, his body was ripped off of her and sent crashing against a nearby tree where he landed with a sickening thud on the forest floor. Merlin looked up to see Zeke standing over her, his face contorted with rage before he picked her up and carried her in his arms as he strode briskly through the forest. She wept uncontrollably, her sobs racking her body as she clung to him and pressed her face into his neck, her tears and blood leaving streaks on his neck and chest. She didn't realize he'd stopped walking until she heard him whisper against her hair, "I need to put something on you, Merlin, I can't carry you out like this"
Only then did she remember that she was naked, her clothes ripped and lying somewhere on the forest floor, she shivered and nodded without looking at him as she belatedly tried to cover herself with her hands. Sitting down on a fallen tree and keeping her in his lap, Zeke removed his t-shirt and pulled it over her head, helping her to push her arms through the sleeves before he picked her up and continued walking back to the mansion.
It was late afternoon when they reached the mansion and Zeke took her through the back entrance and upstairs, carefully avoiding the crowd waiting anxiously for them out the front. He didn't want anyone seeing her like this and he wasn't ready to answer any questions about what had happened to her, not until he was sure that she was okay. Entering her room, he carried her towards the bed but her hand squeezing his shoulder stopped him and she whispered against his neck, "I want to clean up first". He nodded his head in agreement and carried her inside the bathroom where he set her down on her feet and turned to leave.
"Wait", she called out softly, "Please. Stay". He froze at the sound of her voice and replied without looking back, "I'll wait here until you're done". He could hear her wincing in pain as she removed his t-shirt and stepped inside the shower and his jaw clenched together remembering the bruises all over her body. Even though she tried to keep quiet, her stifled groans of pain could still be heard above the sound of the shower and Zeke could feel his anger coiled tight just beneath the surface. After a while, the shower stopped and he heard the glass door open as she stepped outside and dried herself before putting on a robe and padding across the tiles towards him. He started walking back into her room and she followed quietly behind him, her harsh breathing the only sound.
He stopped at the foot of her bed as she walked past him and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up around her. He watched her for a while, waiting for her to say something but she only stared vacantly at the walls, her eyes blank and unreadable. "Did he......?", he asked, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. She shook her head, "You saved me just in time". She paused before continuing, "I thought you wanted to kill me but you saved me. Why?"
His eyes widened in visible shock, "I never said that I was going to kill you, Merlin. Why would you even think that?". She looked at him with tears glistening in her emerald eyes and her lips trembled as she spoke, "But I refused to help you so what use am I to you?". Zeke walked around and sat beside her on the bed, his eyes staring deep into hers, "I only planned on keeping you here to try to convince you to help me not to kill you if you didn't". She appeared to think about it before she slowly nodded her head.
"You need to rest now, the pack doctor will be up shortly to check you and give you something for the pain. I'll leave you to get some rest", he said as he stood up to leave. She watched him walk across the room toward the door and as he reached out and grasped the door knob she spoke in a barely audible whisper, "Will you come back?". He turned back to her, an unreadable expression on his face, "Yes", and he quickly turned away and left.
Outside in the corridor, Zeke stood just outside the door and took a deep breath to steady himself before he strode purposefully down the corridor, heading to his office downstairs. His beta, Abel, was waiting for him inside, worry creasing his handsome, boyish features. "Where is he?", Zeke questioned, moving behind his desk and sitting down. "He's dead", replied Abel, shrugging his shoulders causing Zeke to glance sharply at him. "I'm sure he was still alive when I left him", Zeke countered even as doubt clouded his eyes. "You don't know your own strength Alpha, he was dead when we found him", Abel replied as he took a sip from the glass in his hand. Zeke continued to stare at his beta, his grey eyes searching his face.
He had grown up with Abel and trusted him completely so when it was time to choose his beta, Abel had been the obvious choice and he had served him loyally for the last five years. But yet, there had been something in his eyes, something he couldn't quite place and he couldn't seem to shake the growing sense of unease that he was feeling.
The pack doctor, Lesley, had arrived shortly after Zeke left, she was kind and funny and immediately put Merlin at ease. After a thorough physical examination, she had dressed the minor cuts and given her some painkillers before leaving her to get dressed and rest. Finally alone, Merlin fell asleep, the day's events having caught up with her. Night had fallen by the time Merlin awoke, blinking slowly as she looked around the room, she realized that someone had turned on the lights. She hurriedly sat up in bed, her eyes scanning the room when she spotted Zeke, asleep in a chair in a corner of the room. She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the pillows, feeling safe now that he was here. She watched him sleep for a while before he seemed to sense she was awake and his eyes snapped open, momentarily startling her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you", she apologized and surprisingly, she found that she actually meant it. "It's fine, ho
Descending the staircase, Merlin saw Zeke standing at the front door, talking on his phone. Just as she slowed down to give him time to finish the conversation, he suddenly turned around and looked up, his gaze locked onto her as she came toward him. His eyes seemed to bore into her very soul and she couldn't help but avert her gaze, unable to meet such close scrutiny. She reached the bottom of the stairs when he turned and started walking down a corridor on his left while calling over his shoulder, "Come with me", leaving her with no choice but to follow.Following close behind him, Merlin studied his back, noting how his hair, grown long in the back, hung in haphazard strands against the collar of his shirt while his broad shoulders stretched taut, the crisp, white fabric before tapering down to his waist. The memory of how he had found her yesterday in the forest, rose unbidden in her thoughts, and she inwardly cringed, even though, she had already seen h
His softly whispered question hung heavy in the air while they stood facing each other with barely an inch between them. Her face was flushed, lending her cheeks a rosy glow and her eyes seemed to darken and glimmer in the sunlight that filtered through the open windows. She felt a soft breeze gently caress her face and lift the strands of her hair, stroking it back away from her neck and shoulders. She didn't know how long they stood there, only that she was frozen in place, mesmerized by his hypnotic gray eyes. She didn't see him lean closer until she felt his lips brush lightly against her own, that one touch, sending thousands of tiny sparks of electricity rushing through her every nerve.Then the door to his office burst open and Abel, his Beta, walked in, halting just inside the door when he saw them. "Alpha?", he questioned, not willing to believe the sight before him.Zeke raised his head toward him, taking his time, his hands still on her arm
Suddenly he released her and Merlin stood, her chest heaving and her body trembling from something other than the cold, their eyes locked onto each other while the storm raged unabated around them."Go now Merlin!", he shouted, his voice immediately swallowed by the sounds of the storm.Reluctantly, turning away, she ran through the balcony doors and once inside, she quickly turned around but he was already gone, the balcony empty except for the rain falling in an unbroken sheet of water. Lying alone in bed, later that night, Merlin fell asleep while thinking about his lips and dreamed of his mouth on hers.The next morning, after breakfast, Zeke took her with him to the training grounds, where Sandrine had brought her on her first day at the camp. He made her sit in the shade under a tree, where he was able to keep an eye on her wherever he was on the field. Merlin, unused to seeing werewolves strip naked to shift, had kept her eyes studiously
Catching movement from the corner of his eye, Zeke turned to find Merlin on her knees, her head thrown back and her arms open wide, just as an icy blast of wind howled through the library, ripping books from the shelves and scattering them across the walls and floor. The bookshelves teetered precariously under the force of the wind, only barely remaining upright while the lights flickered, almost going off completely.A cracking sound from beneath him, dragged his attention back to the witch trapped under him, who suddenly screamed, a gut wrenching scream full of pain. Looking down he noticed that her arm was twisted at an impossible angle, the bone obviously broken. Zeke jumped back from her and shifted back, confused and shocked, when her leg contorted at an odd angle followed by another cracking sound eliciting another shriek of pain that echoed throughout the library. His eyes moved back to Merlin and a split second later, he was beside her, pushing her arms down an
Merlin was descending the staircase just as Zeke entered the foyer, their eyes meeting as he held her gaze until she reached the bottom.She walked slowly towards him, her hands clasped nervously in front of her but her eyes never left his face."I.....I'm sorry....I should explain.....", she spoke haltingly as she came to stand in front of him."Let's walk outside, the fresh air might do you some good", he said, gesturing towards the front doors.Quietly, she accepted and together they walked through the doors and out into the forest. They walked for a while in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest, just enjoying the crisp air and warm sunshine. Being a werewolf, Zeke naturally enjoyed the outdoors, preferring it to the indoors and he found that he was not uncomfortable with having her here with him. He could tell that she was also enjoying being outside so he took the opportunity to point out various landmarks and features of th
"Excuse me?", she asked, her eyes wide.He sighed impatiently, "You're soaked, you need to get out of those clothes before you catch a cold""But I have nothing else to wear", she protested."There's some blankets here that we can use", he replied, gesturing to a large wooden trunk beside him.She looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes, as a draft blew through the cave making her shiver."Just change out of your clothes over there while I start a fire", he said, waving his hand in the general direction of the trunk as he crouched down and began lighting a fire.The cold was seeping into her bones and she grit her teeth to stop them chattering as she rushed to the trunk behind him and began taking off her clothes before quickly pulling a blanket around her. She stood behind him, quietly watching as he started a fire and patiently tended it, leaving her wondering how he could stand the cold."Could you pass me a
It was late when they eventually returned to the mansion and Merlin went straight to her room to bathe and put on some clothes. She had dinner alone in her room before retiring to bed but, unable to sleep, she decided to go back to the library and find the book.The mansion was quiet, everyone having already retired for the night as she made her way downstairs and through the long corridor to the library. Pushing through the heavy wooden doors, she found the library bathed in the soft glow from the moonlight streaming through the French windows that bordered one side of the room. Reaching to turn on the lights, she thought better of it, not wanting to alert anyone seeing the lights on and come to check. Moving quietly to the back of the room, she quickly located the shelf where she had first seen the book. She scanned the books on the shelf but couldn't seem to find the one she was looking for.She paused, trying to remember if this was where she found it,