Chapter Twenty Eight

Beast

As I make my way to the village area of Dark Moon, I’m filled with an uncertain feeling. I take my time walking through the woods and by the creek.

All I want is to feel Lily’s touch again, just like that week we spent in the woods. I stop at a small pond we had taken a swim in.

She was absolutely stunning in those days we spent together. Her white wolf was magnificent and everything I had dreamed of.

Oh, how I will remember that night in particular forever. After the swim, we took a stroll through the woods, side by side, her fur next to mine. She cut her eyes in my direction longingly and then dragged her tongue up my cheek. I turned to her, wanting to do more, but I stopped myself from doing anything at all except brushing my nose against hers.

The rest of the week, we spent in each other's arms, or, well, paws. Until the last night. That is when I left her something to remember me by. I remember how she was against me and something just came over me and I had to do it.

I leaned down, my teeth scraping across her throat and then I sank my fangs into her flesh. She yelped and cried out, but then calmed as pleasure took over. It wasn't a mating mark, but it was close enough and made sure she was marked as mine to some extent. Hopefully, it will work until she chooses me.

At least, I hope she chooses me.

I wanted that week she spent with me to never end, but sadly, she had to go back. There are things I know she needs to do and though she can't remember all of her time spent with me, I know somewhere deep down she does. But this has to be what she chooses.

It seems so long ago, but it has been just a matter of a few days. I long to hold her in my arms and finally feel what it was like to be a man again. It has been so long since I have been human and able to shift between forms that I have forgotten how it feels to even go through the process. The feeling of bones breaking is not something I miss, though.

The closer I get to the village, the more off I feel and stumble in my steps. Something doesn't set well with me, and I catch glimpses of Corbin as he hovers over her. It's like a split vision and I can see the forest, but also him.

No, this can't be happening.

Shaking my head, I try to clear my vision, but all I can see is him as he kisses her and feel the sensations as he moves across her body. What is he about to do? No, they have to wait until the full moon. That is tradition and must be upheld for the mating to be considered done.

Lily tries to stop him, but something is stopping her. Where are her hands? The vision moves as she tugs, but she's trapped.

What has he done to her?

I finally arrive at the edge of the woods and stand there wishing I could cross over, but my curse won't allow me until the night of the full moon.

I push against the invisible barrier that prevents me from leaving the woods, but it singes my fur. Determined not to be outwitted by magic, I push harder, but the pain causes me to wail out in pain.

As I try repeatedly to cross, more of my fur disappears as it's burned away from the barrier. I pull my paw back to examine it. It is now completely hairless, and the flesh is burned badly. I'm not sure it will ever heal properly, just like the others I gathered all those years ago.

There has to be a way.

Another flash of Corbin leaning close makes my heart race. I have to get to her, or it'll be too late. Backing away from the wall, I take a running leap toward it and collide, knocking myself backward a few feet. Shaking my head, I try again and receive the same results.

I tip my head back and howl. When I look at the village, his men have heard the ruckus and are coming closer.

Well, if I can't get out, I can draw them in and cause a commotion.

They approach cautiously as they scan the woods, looking for any signs of me. Finally, one ventures too far inside into my domain, and it's show time.

He turns to the right as I come out of my hiding spot and plow into him. The man falls to the ground and I take that moment to drag my claws through his stomach as my teeth find the flesh of his throat. He yells out in pain and tries to get away from me, but I’m too fast and end up ripping his head from his shoulders.

I chuck it out into the open area of the village, letting the other man find it.

A low growl behind me alerts me that another has come into my playground. Instead of being in the village, I guess the other man decided to come in as well.

When I turn, all it takes is one look at me with my massive size and bloody jaws to make him run. With a laugh, I chase after him deeper into the woods, my paws thundering against the ground.

If this wolf thinks he can escape me, then he is about to learn the hard way that you never escape once you enter my woods. Isn’t that what Nigel always said?

I can be every bit the monster he accused me of, though I never was.

The wolf tries to zigzag his way to throw me off, but it doesn’t work. When his tail is within my reach, I latch onto it with my teeth, which causes him to come to a dead stop in his tracks.

The poor guy pulls hard to free his tail from my jaws, but with one quick twist, his tail comes free, leaving him with blood gushing from the wound.

Oops.

The wolf yelps loudly and heads in the direction of the village, but he doesn’t quite make it. I catch him at the edge of the tree line and rake my claws against his side.

Sadly, my fun is over because someone in the village hears his desperate yelps for help and drags him out, where I can’t reach him.

"Man, we got to go tell Corbin. Let's get out of here."

Yes, run while you can from the big bad wolf. Next time, you won't escape me. I will rein blood down on this village and show you chaos like you've never seen. If I’m going to be accused of being like that, then I might as well, so I get what I want.

My blood thirsty side knows no bounds and I can't wait until they come to play with me. Visions of Corbin on Lily fill my view and it makes me snarl again, but then she looks to the side and the man that lost his tail is standing in the doorway.

Yes, good. Exactly as I planned.

Their blood tastes like a sweet victory in my mouth. As I lie in wait at the edge of the woods, it feels like Corbin is taking forever to respond to the man in the doorway.

Another glimpse comes through, and Corbin is displeased that I interrupted his play time. Corbin looks at Lily and then at the man, a look of frustration on his face crossing his features as he decides if he really needs to respond to this.

I can hear his stomps from here as he goes down the stairs in his house. He isn't a quiet person and never has been. Suddenly, his footsteps stop, and it seems like he goes upstairs. I'm not sure what he's doing and wait a few more minutes for him to make an appearance.

When he opens the door, my heart sinks. Lily is in his grasp and struggling in his hold. "Let me go, you idiot. This won't work."

What won't work? What has he been telling her?

Corbin drags her from the house into the open in front of the woods and places a knife to her throat. His eyes darted madly at the woods in search of me. He lets out a long, angry huff as his rage builds. "Beast, show yourself!"

Lily slaps at him as she tries to get away from him before calling out, "You're crazy. He will not show himself. What makes you think he will when he never has before?"

Corbin places the knife dangerously close to her jugular, and I take a step forward, causing a branch to break. His eyes narrow into thin slits as he turns toward the sound. He pulls Lily backward, her back bumping against his chest. "See that, Lillian? He's at the edge of the woods because of you. That monster is coming because you call him. I told you that you controlled him.”

"He wouldn't do that for me. I told you there is nothing between me and the beast of the haunted woods. He doesn't answer to me." The wind picks up out of nowhere and whips her long blonde locks across her face, but it also carries her scent to me.

I inhale a whiff as I realize what I have to do.

He tightens his hold on her arm and whispers into her ear. "Oh, but his actions say otherwise. Don’t you notice him right there in the woods? He’s coming.”

Corbin takes the knife and drags it across the side of her neck, blood dribbling down and soaking the collar of her cream blouse instantly. She gasps at the cut. "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

A loud snarl escapes me, and Corbin smirks. "That is exactly what I need to know. You swear he doesn't answer to you, then why is he right there and snarling because I cut you? You may not realize it, but he cares for you and listens to every word you say."

She looks toward the woods, a plea on her lips. Please save me. If what he says is true, then save me, beast. Get me out of here with Grandmother and let's not ever look back.

The bond opens fully again at her acceptance of what’s between us. Relief floods through me, but is quickly squashed as Corbin makes a matching cut on the other side of her neck. "You want this beast? I know you do. Well, she's mine and on the night of the full moon, it will be official. You will be cursed in those woods for the rest of your life, and you will never be free."

"You know about the curse?" Lily turns to face Corbin, a look of shock on her face.

"Does it matter? There's nothing you can do to save him. You might as well save the pack and become my mate." He jerks her toward him and kisses her hard. It's all a show for me, and when he breaks the kiss, he leans back with a smile. "Now, be a good little mate and tell him what you choose."

"What is with you all telling me it's my choice? I never asked for any of this."

Corbin stares at her intently for a moment, uncertain of how to answer her by the looks of it. "Nevermind about that. I have a proposition for you, beast. Don’t you want to hear it?"

I step as close as I can to the edge of the woods without singeing myself, and Corbin seems to see me as I press as close to the boundary as I dare.

"There you are, beast. I guess you showed your ugly face so I can tell you the deal."

Glancing around, I wait for the screams to erupt, but they never come. It's not like they've ever seen a sliver of my face, so to stand here without complete chaos breaking out is shocking. A few onlookers who have come out snarl their nose in disgust, but I don't pay them much attention.

All my focus is on Lily.

He keeps Lily with her back to his chest and raises the knife once more to her throat. I let out a low growl, and his eyes meet mine. "If Lillian becomes my mate, then I will free you from the woods. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

"Don't take it," Lillian cries out, but the knife presses harder into her skin, causing another cut. “He’s lying.”

"Hush. If he knows what's good for him, he'll take the deal and finally be free of those blasted woods. How long have you been in there, beast? Wasn’t it about two hundred years ago? I’m sure you tire of being in there and long to be free. Well, there is a way for you to get out without her and I can do it."

"There's more than his way to be free," she mumbles.

Corbin looks like he's been pushed too far as his mouth forms a snarl and he snakes his arms up her body until he grabs her chin tightly. He moves her head to the side and presses his face into her throat.

"Shut up, Lillian."

She wiggles in his grasp, causing him to laugh.

"How's that alpha power coming along, Kitten? Find it yet? It never seems to come out when you need it most, does it?"

Her eyes widen as she registers his words. "You know. How do you know all this?"

"I know everything and how this all was set in motion." He smiles as he sniffs the side of her face and hair, dragging his nose across her skin. "Just like I know, this is going to upset that beast of yours."

He drags his tongue up the side of her neck, cleaning the blood off first before shifting his teeth into fangs. He sinks them into her throat right over the spot where my marks were. I press against the barrier as I try to get through while Lily wails from the shock of the bite. Corbin raises his face from her throat, and I can see where he has messed up her beautiful skin. It looks like he attempted to tear out my marks with his own, though they were no longer there.

The barrier burns as I keep trying to get through, and that only causes him to laugh harder. "Can't get through that now, can you? Oh my, what pain that must have caused you? It hurts, doesn’t it, beast? To watch the woman you care for being taken by another and know that she’ll never be yours."

Lily touches her neck and looks at the blood that coats her fingers. "What have you done?"

"Oh, Kitten. That's not the official mate mark, but it gives you my scent. Just repaying the favor, since he did the same not too long ago. It’s about time I covered that up."

She almost seems to sigh in relief that it wasn't the mate mark, but it’s quickly replaced by anger. "Have you lost your mind?"

I don't care if he has lost his mind because I want to rip him apart. The only thing standing in my way is this blasted barrier. I ram it repeatedly, hoping it will break, but all it does is singe my fur off. My growls grow louder as my rage intensifies.

He's dead. I will rip each limb off slowly and they'll never find all the pieces of him. That much I will make sure of. I will shred him like confetti and sprinkle this pack with his flesh. That is exactly what I’m going to do to him.

Corbin laughs each time I hit the barrier with a thud. He licks Lily's blood off his lips and savors it before he smirks at me. "Here I stand, beast. Can't you come get me? I know you want to. Hmmm, there must be a problem."

Lily smacks him in the face. "Corbin, stop it."

He motions for more men to come get her and two of them come forward, each grabbing an arm in their hands and pulling her back some.

"Why would I when this is so much fun? Look at him, Lily. Maybe I should just end his suffering. I mean, he has been trapped in the woods all this time. I'm sure it's been boring for him. He may be ready for death by now."