Chapter 31

S carlet had to get out of there. Her nose twitched furiously, and she rubbed at the whiskers. The trees looked so tall and scary, and fear slithered up her spine as Wulfric's wolf form surrounded her on all sides.

She remembered this feeling from before, from when she'd first been cursed. She hated the panic, the vulnerability. She paused, thinking about her father and what he'd said as Wulfric talked to the others. Was love worth letting down her guard for Wulfric?

She trusted him with her life. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen asleep next to him so many times.

So why couldn't she trust him with her heart? It was fear, plain and simple. A Hunter she might be, but how did she fight herself?

Besides that, she wasn't welcomed and didn't belong. She couldn't stay, and the need to escape overshadowed the fear. Magic flooded her body, making her blood zing in her veins. Then pain tore through her, a pain she was slowly becoming all too familiar with.

She screamed, and Wulfric's concerned gaze flashed through her vision before she squeezed her eyes shut. Each word they'd spoken had driven a stake through the gut. She'd begun to think this could be a new home where she would be accepted.

But she was just kidding herself. She'd never been accepted before. Why had she thought she would be now?

She screamed as her body transformed. It was a long and painful process, and she panted through it, focused on simply breathing.

When she blinked, she saw the world through fresh eyes. She was taller, no longer so close to the ground as she'd been as a rabbit. With her red furred hindquarters and little white and red tail, there was no doubt she was a deer.

Wulfric's jaw dropped, and his eyes glowed as he licked his lips. That glint in his eye was a predatory gleam that drove her normal body wild with desire. In this form, though, she leaped into the woods, her small white and red tail swishing as she ran away from danger.

She had to escape. It was the only way she'd finally end her curses. She heard voices behind her, shouts, and then footsteps pounded on the frozen ground. She ran faster, the need to escape making her heart race.

There was no way she would last, not with already shifting to rabbit and then deer, and all too soon her energy waned. She'd escaped past the two perimeters of guards deep into the forest. She was almost as far north as where she'd killed the boar when she slowed.

Her chest ached and burned, and before she could find a hiding place, the footsteps behind her pounced. He slammed into her back, and they rolled in the snow. Ice scraped her shoulder and jaw, drawing blood. Pain tore through her, but his body laid on her back, heavy and nearly crushing her with his sheer size.

His hot breath at her ear made her shiver. "For fuck's sake, Scarlet, stop running."

Wulfric nuzzled the side of her deer's neck, and she wiggled, trying to get away yet somehow pressing closer.

"You're mine, bunny, whether you run to the ends of fucking Eoni or not. I will hunt you down and find you, so just fucking stop running."

She panted, wiggling her ass to get her feet all under her. A distinct length thrust against her, and she froze with a gasp.

"That's right, bunny. Keep wiggling that ass and find out what I'll do to you in this form."

She whimpered, her ear wiggling. Would it feel different like this? A part of her yearned to feel loved just one more time before she walked away. Logically she knew sex wasn't love, but she wanted to feel close to him. She needed him, if only for this one last thing.

He sniffed and thrust his hips, "Ah, I see you do want me to fuck you like this. I can smell your pussy begging for it. Say you want it."

She lifted her back hips and spread her legs slightly as she panted. "I don't beg."

He traced his cold, wet nose along her neck, and she shivered. "All you have to do is say yes, love, and I'll fill that pretty pussy with this hard cock."

"Just yes?" she asked, her jaw clenching as he ground into her, so close but not close enough.

"Yes," he said, thrusting closer and lining the tip of his dick with her opening. She held still, and he didn't move.

One breath, two, three. Finally, she rocked back, "For fuck's sake, yes ." The last sound was drawn out as he slowly slid inside.

He filled her, stretching her so wide she whimpered. Her legs shook, and he crooned softly.

"That's it, take this big dick like the prey you are. Submit to me."

"Yes," she screamed when he bottomed out. He was too big normally, but like this, she felt like she was being ripped in two. He eased back out, her wetness squelching as she finally took a deeper breath and relaxed.

When he thrust back in, all the air whooshed out again. Squealing as he thrust to a rhythm only he could feel, she pressed her jaw into the frozen ground. The contrast of his burning heat behind her and the cold beneath her made her rock, craving first one then the other.

Soon, her ass was rising, pushing back to meet him thrust for thrust. She couldn't take much more of this. It was too soon, too hard, too everything. She squealed again, her legs shaking as the abyss approached.

His Growler jaw opened, and he bit her neck. She shivered and came apart under him. Spasms wracked her body, and she cried as he thrust once more, his knot pressing against her opening as he released inside. He pulsed, filling her with his lava warmth as she clenched around him.

His mouth detached from her neck, and he licked the wound. The rasp of his wolf's tongue made her spasm again, and he groaned. "Gods, Scarlet, that was—surreal. Are you alright? Are you back from being feral?"

She hummed. "Yes, I'm—I'm fine now." So that's what it was like to go feral.

Her body relaxed, and the familiar flood of magic made her clench her eyes tightly. The pain wasn't as long this time, and when she opened her eyes, Wulfric knelt in his normal mostly human form with a frown. He ran his hands down her body, pausing on her skinned shoulder.

"You're hurt," he said.

She looked at it. "It's barely a scratch."

"I shouldn't have been so rough. I'm sorry."

She shrugged and sat up, the cold seeping into her bones quickly now that she was naked and her human self, antlers and all. She shivered, rubbing her arms as she looked around. "I said yes, Wulfric."

He held out a hand, and she took it, standing on wobbly legs. She was tired, but not as much as she'd thought she would be. Perhaps having sex had made it an easier transition or it had given her a jolt of energy.

"Well, we're not going to argue about it here. Let's get you back to camp and the warmth of a fire before you freeze to death."

Scarlet stepped away, wrapping her arms around her stomach, her nipples pebbling and her feet freezing on the snow. "I'm not going back to camp. You heard what they say. I'm not welcomed and never will be, not until I get the curses reversed, anyway. I had Elva do the spell, but it didn't do anything except trigger me to shift into the scared little rabbit."

She kicked at the snow, welcoming the stinging pain.

He slid his hands up and down her biceps. "Then we'll find another way, but for now, come back to camp. We can talk this through once I'm done convincing the alphas to approve the treaty."

The zing from his hands filled her, warming her chest and stomach down to her dripping pussy. She felt her resolve wavering, so she took a step back. "No, Wulfric, I can't go back to camp. I don't belong there. I'm right back where I started, and my only solution is still to make the Queen fix this."

"And what if she can't?" he asked softly as he strode toward a tree. "Follow me at least while we talk. There's a pack of spare clothes nearby."

Scarlet took a shuddering breath, following him on frozen feet. "Then she'll die, consequences be damned."

His eyes glittered gold as he glanced over at her. "That need for revenge will eat you alive, Scarlet. There's more to life than that."

She scoffed and wrapped her hands around her stomach again. "What, like being a good little mate at your beck and call in a camp full of my enemies who'll never accept me as I am?"

He frowned and stopped, wiping the tear off her cheek. She took a slow breath as she stopped too.

His hand dropped weakly to his side as he pleaded. "Scarlet, I accept you."

"You're not enough," she said. Immediately, her stomach twisted, and he reared back, his face going slack."I mean, I need more. I need a family."

But he only clenched his jaw as he said, "Give them time to come around. You haven't even talked to any of them since shifting into the rabbit and deer. Once they understand, they'll love you just the way you are. Just give them a chance."

"No, they won't, and I can't," she said stubbornly, ignoring the stab of pain in her chest.

His hands fisted at his sides. "If you can't accept them, how will they ever accept you? You hold people at arm's length and refuse to let anyone close. Well, being tough is going to get you killed, and if it doesn't, you're going to be damn lonely and miserable."

She blinked rapidly as he stomped to a bush heavy with icicles. Her dad's voice echoed in her head, and she stood frozen to the ground until he turned and thrust a bag at her. Her hands automatically took it, opening the drawstring and wiping her cheek.

She thought through his words as she pulled on the pants and shirt. They were loose, but warm. She found a plain brown cloak too and a pair of leather bottomed socks.

Damn it, Wulfric was right. Her dad was right. This was fucking shit. She wasn't some weak woman to cry like this. She glanced at him. He stood a few paces away, staring with hard eyes as she dressed.

"If you won't come back to camp, where will you go?"

"First to my brother, then to find the Queen."

His jaw clenched, and he crossed his arms. "Of course." His voice was so bitter and disappointed, it made her stomach knot.

She sighed, pulling the cloak around her shoulders. "Damn it, Wulfric, why do you have to be so noble and good all the time? Why can't you just–"

"Be a typical bloodthirsty Growler?" he said quietly, crossing his arms.

She glared at him, but he just shook his head. "You know, Scarlet, I don't think I ever had a chance with you. We may be mates and I accept you as you are, but you'll never be able to accept me. You'll hold on to your prejudices forever, won't you?"

The last wasn't really a question, but a resigned sigh. He walked around her and shook his head. "The mate bond is finished, so neither of us will die now. You're free to run off and get yourself killed, but know this." He half faced her, finger raised to point. "If you do, I will feel it. Every pain of yours is pain for me."

She swallowed hard as he raked a hand through his hair. "I'll be arriving within a week to speak with your brother. Perhaps I'll see you then, and we can talk this out."

She couldn't speak, was frozen in place as his words sank in.

He stared into the dark forest, the snow falling on his black and gray mane of hair as he stood naked and proud. "I'd like to talk this out. I'll have no one else for as long as I live, Scarlet. You're it for me. There will be no others."

Her breath caught in her chest, but he wasn't finished as he turned to face her, his beautiful eyes glowing in the soft afternoon light.

"But if you don't want this, a mate, a life together...me...I won't force you. I may be alpha, but I'm not a monster. Decide what you want, bunny."

Then he turned and walked away. Scarlet's heart broke, but she refused to give in. There was no decision to make. She couldn't live like this. Why couldn't he see that?

She stomped north to the main road in her leather soled socks, muttering under her breath and ignoring the icy winter around her.

Her anger and rage carried her through the long trek through the frozen forest, well past nightfall. Weariness clawed at her, but she didn't stop. Birds twittered in the distance, mixing with the sounds of her footsteps crunching below. The temperature dropped steadily until she had to walk with her hands under her armpits. Around midnight, she made a pitiful campfire and shivered as she struggled to stay warm.

She'd had no problem being warm with Wulfric near. He was like a furnace. She'd brought this on herself, yet still she continued on.She woke before dawn and broke camp. She needed to move and get her blood pumping. Every step was an ache.

But when she stood in the middle of the road, the long frost-covered dirt stretching out before her, her soul cried out in pain.

Son of a bitch, he was right. She looked up at the morning sky, the sun not quite visible with the trees. Her stomach growled in hunger for breakfast, but she'd been too cold to hunt or trap anything last night.

The road stretched before her, empty and barren like her life. The emotions within her built, and her head pounded.

She didn't want to leave him. She could live with the Growlers, form a life at his side, right?

It had been fun, fighting back-to-back and defending him against Brody. Perhaps she could still use her Hunters skills, and she'd make Grandma and Knox proud if she could help bring peace to the forest. She was shit at talking in front of a crowd, but surely she could get to know people and help. Surely they would get to know her and accept her in return.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, ashamed and afraid of rejection again. The icy fingers of fear licked up her spine. It squeezed her chest, making it hard to breathe. She ripped off her cloak and dropped it to the ground. She still couldn't fill her lungs.

Her vision started to blur, and her head swung side to side. The forest hadn't changed. The vines over the road still waved ominously. The distant squawk of the giant eagles in the north echoed off the trees.

The cold was too much. It froze her heart, her lungs, her chest. Her ears rang with panic, and she felt the magic build within her. She breathed through it, her body twisting as she ground her jaw together.

When she opened her eyes, she was smaller, sitting in a pile of clothes on the Lone Road. She shivered, feeling her already low energy draining. She tried to will a transformation, and the familiar crackle of bones sent a flash of pain through her. Faster than the last time, when she blinked, she was in deer form.

She bounded across the road and north toward Grandma's house as her strength waned. When she finally stumbled through the front door and shifted back to normal, her legs were shaking and her nose bleeding. Darkness claimed her, and the wind blew snow over her naked body.