Prologue

"In her heart and soul, she set fire to all things that held her back and from the ashes she stepped into who she always was."

—Atticus

"Run, my little innocent fawn. Run. I'll give you a ten-minute head start. But remember what happens if I catch you."

She peered up at me with her doe eyes, her lips still swollen from sucking my cock earlier in the day. Goddamn, my balls were tight.

"I'll count it down for you. Three. Two. One."

Squealing, she took off running through the woods, my cock throbbing from the sight of her long hair and naked, voluptuous body. There was little more I enjoyed in life than the hunt, especially when the end result was providing harsh discipline and a savage fucking.

Which I intended on doing today.

I waited for a few minutes, preparing a switch from one of the smaller trees. By the time the green bark was showing, I'd run out of patience.

So I took off running, becoming an animal, a predator in the wild just like I'd trained for years to become.

As I jumped over fallen limbs, avoiding the dense thickets of blackberry bushes, I howled like a big bad wolf.

"You can run and you can hide, but I will find you."

I could feel the electricity crackling from her body, could almost hear her thudding heart. She was as excited as she was terrified. She knew what I was capable of.

There was no hesitation or pretending this was all fun and games. To me, it was a necessary evil to keep the bad man satisfied. If not, people died, blood spilled in gallons instead of pints.

As I sprinted forward, I realized I suddenly couldn't detect which direction she'd gone. This was new. I stood to my full height, turning in a full circle as I took several deep inhales. Between her desire and her luscious perfume, she wasn't capable of escaping.

An evil grin popped on my face as I honed in on her whereabouts. I sprinted forward once again, pushing myself into stealth mode. I could almost taste her sweet pussy on my lips.

The single crack drew my attention to the other side of the forest. I'll be damned. The little innocent minx had doubled back. As if she could get away from me. My desires were unbridled, becoming as unhinged as they were sadistic. I took a few seconds to scan the area, forced to adjust my cock when I caught sight of her long hair blowing in the breeze.

After issuing another howl, I lunged forward. As soon as she realized just how close I was, she bellowed in anticipation. Dear God, the scent of her raging hunger was going to drive the twilight creatures wild, as it already had myself.

She darted in and behind several of the larger trees, as if she could possibly get away. From me of all people.

I laughed maniacally, the sound filtering into the air just seconds before I pitched myself to the right.

Even the encroaching shadows couldn't hide the shock on her face, the fear lingering in her eyes.

"My beautiful prey," I said as I wrapped my hand around her arm, yanking her against my overheated body. "Such a very bad girl to think you could get away from me."

She noticed what was in my hand, her eyes opening even wider as a tiny, strangled moan rose up from the depths of her being.

I cupped her face with my other hand, clamping down with a brutal hold. As soon as I lowered my head, she licked her lips.

"You should know by now you'll never be allowed out of my sight." I took my time to brush my lips across hers, shifting to her jaw then to her neck. As I bit down on her tender flesh, she shuddered in my hold. The gesture was nothing more than a reminder she was mine to control.

To train.

To taste.

To discipline.

And to fuck at will.

When I shoved her face forward against the very tree that had kept her hidden from me, the wind was ripped from her lungs. I twirled the green wood before bringing it down across her backside several times in a row.

Her squeals turned into moans of pain, which attracted the beast inside of me. My hunger knew no bounds and while there was little I enjoyed more than reminding her I was in absolute control of her destiny, I had other more prominent needs.

The whooshing sound was beautiful music, the red marks already forming on her rounded buttocks delightful. Sadly, they'd fade much like the late afternoon light was doing. But not before I took everything that belonged to me.

I crisscrossed several stripes on her upper thighs, marveling how her body bucked and her pussy glistened as she tried to be the good girl I'd taught her to be.

My cock was aching to the same level of pain I knew she was experiencing. After providing her with six additional strikes, I tossed the switch aside, immediately freeing my cock.

When I drove the entire length into her wetness, she let out an electrifying scream.

Different from the cries of men enduring torture, her moans of passion brought additional salacious desires.

With my cock fully seated inside, I crushed the full weight of my body against hers, yanking one arm over her head then the other. As I intertwined our fingers, I nuzzled my face into her warm cheek, wet from perspiring. "You should know better than to think you could get away from me."

I pulled out, slamming into her again and again, until the rhythm was perfection. This wasn't about romance or elongating the moment. The brutal action was about filling her with my seed, claiming her in the wild.

And within seconds, I wasn't interested in holding on any longer, erupting deep inside of her, as she came around my cock. I threw back my head, roaring as if I was nothing more than a predatory animal.

The truth had never failed me. That's exactly what I'd become.