In the ALPHA'S CLAWS

The warmth of a wolf

The nature is simple; the wolf feeds on the sheep. The sheep is merely prey for that animal, and nothing more. But what would happen if the wolf were to develop feelings for the sheep? Would that be unnatural?

Abby never imagined what paradise would be like, she never really thought about what came after death, but she was certainly surprised by what she discovered. For a few minutes, she believed she had died, as that would make more sense than what she was currently witnessing. Because when she finally woke up, the first thing she noticed was the warmth of an embrace. She had never experienced one, not a real one. Her family had never made her feel as protected as she did right now. They had never shown her the warmth that could come from being close to another body like she was at that moment.

"They say in paradise one finds everything they lacked in life. Abby Hamilton always wished to feel the warmth of an embrace, even though it seemed so simple, no one had given her a real, sincere one. Because the young girl's family never treated her with love. Her whole life consisted of humiliations and abuse, but here in this seemingly submerged paradise, it was the first thing she received."

Upon awakening in that heaven, the first thing she could see were the hairy, strong arms of a man, who embraced her, giving her warmth. He wasn't wearing clothes, but that embrace wasn't a sensual one, but rather for survival, as the warmth from that man's body was the only thing preventing Abby from dying right now. Hypothermia was starting to cover the young girl's body, and she was slowly dying. In fact, she could feel her body giving up, she was tired, and all she wanted to do was sleep, but that embrace seemed to keep her awake, and her heart was grateful for it, although in her thoughts, all the young girl wished for was to finally die.

Hamilton could barely keep her eyes open, but she could still observe everything around her. There were lights surrounding that space where she and her savior were. For a few seconds, she wondered who that man could be, the one who was currently saving her, but she couldn't manage to observe him for long, as the darkness of that place was much greater.

Abby closed her eyes again, she was so tired, she just wanted to sleep. But then that man lifted her up again, and as she opened her eyes, she saw him start to remove her wet clothes and embrace her even tighter than before. She couldn't help but smile. She didn't understand why, but that moment felt so special that it brought a slight smile to her face. Maybe she was still in that river, and right now, she was just imagining all of this. But she no longer felt cold, it was impossible to feel cold in arms as warm as his.

Samael could feel Abby's cold skin touching his warm skin. Humans were too weak for his taste, as he didn't suffer from the winter. That was why he realized too late that she was actually in a serious state of health.. Samael placed one of his hands on the young girl's pale face and gently caressed it, giving her warmth until it finally gained some color. All that effort paid off. Abby's heart started beating even stronger than before. But he still had to continue with that work if he wanted to save her, that's why he brought his body closer to hers and hugged her even tighter.

It felt as if he was betraying himself, as at that moment, he was once again saving the life of that damned hunter. However, he couldn't help it. Even though he made a thousand excuses in his mind, he knew well that the true reason for his actions was unknown even to himself. It was as if something was controlling him, as if he was under the influence of some enchantress, acting like a puppet to his own impulses.

The young girl's celestial eyes opened, and they watched him for a few seconds. He didn't take his eyes off her, nor did he stop embracing her. He was completely seduced by the enemy. He couldn't help but feel guilty, that the hunter had taken away his moon, and now he was drawn to her. Although he wanted to deny it, he couldn't lie to himself, and he knew well that the reason he was helping her was more than just revenge. That's why he suddenly stood up and let Abby's body fall to the ground, growling fiercely as he released his claws. He no longer had control over his body, since he had ceased to be an alpha. That's why sometimes he would transform into a werewolf without wanting to, and other times, when he needed to change, his body wouldn't obey. That was the punishment destiny had imposed on him for his actions. It seemed he had lost the true power of choice. He placed both hands on his head and pulled at his hair while shaking his head. Finally, he looked towards the weak hunter.

"Perhaps if he killed her right now, he could feel somewhat relieved," he thought. He extended his claws towards the young woman, imagining what it would be like to tear through her thin skin, imagining the taste of Abby's blood, almost savoring it. But all of that could only be imagined, as he didn't dare to carry it out. Something prohibited him from attacking her, and that confused him greatly at the moment.

He needed answers and he would go in search of them. That's why he left the cave and started running in a different direction, while Abby's body continued to fight for survival. He ran swiftly through the trees, seeking the witch. However, it was a long journey, and with how weak the human was, she would undoubtedly die if he left her alone. That's why he stopped and began searching for dry logs on the ground. He had decided to stop thinking about his actions and simply carry them out. That way, he would ensure he didn't go crazy with his thoughts. The night was starting to fall, and he knew it would be even colder than before, so he needed to prepare a fire, and that's what he did. Then he left the cave and waited outside. He wished to stay away from humans as much as possible because being close to her made him sick with anger. The smell of that hunter irritated him. But still, he fought against his own impulses, as his body only desired to be near that cursed human. Exhausted, he sat down next to a tree and watched the cave as the night continued its course.

Abby Hamilton opened her eyes and saw the flicker of a small fire in front of her. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened before she jumped into the river. She remembered the heart-wrenching way she screamed for help while drowning, and she could vividly recall the beast watching with a smile. She couldn't stop feeling the cold water surrounding her, ending her. The sensation of being engulfed by the river still seemed to affect her, to the point where she could barely breathe.

She closed her eyes and traveled back to that moment when she thought she was going to die. In fact, she could feel it as if it were the first time. And she remembered that, before losing consciousness, someone pulled her out of the icy water. Although she wasn't sure if her memories were truly accurate, as in those images, it was the werewolf who saved her.

"Am I dead?" she wondered to herself as she stood up and looked around. Right now, she was inside a cave. She didn't remember how she had ended up there, but here she was, confused and alone for the first time in what seemed to be a rather large cave.

She glanced at her body and noticed that she was naked, so she quickly covered herself with her hands while her cheeks flushed. She looked around and quickly found her clothes next to the campfire. As she took off her dress, she noticed that it was dry, just like her jacket. She began to dress as quickly as she could while scanning her surroundings. She was scared of the dark part of the cave because she feared that the beast would emerge from there. That same creature that had tried to kill her, but also the one that had saved her.

"Where is the werewolf?" she wondered, searching in the darkness of the cave, but she didn't find him. "Why didn't he kill me?" she asked aloud, confused. A faint memory came to her mind, but she was certain she was imagining or perhaps inventing it because, in her memories, she remembered how that werewolf embraced her, giving her warmth.

She swallowed hard as she closed her eyes, trying to immerse herself in those images where the arms of that man surrounded her. She could almost recall the warmth of his body against hers. Her heart raced as she got lost in those warm memories.

"Why didn't you kill me?" she asked again aloud. At this point, she was trying to understand all the confusion happening in her mind. She would have been scared; she was in the middle of nowhere, in an unfamiliar place, and here she was trying to remember what it felt like to be in the arms of a man who represented nothing but danger to her.

"Does it disappoint you that I didn't do it?" a masculine voice asked. Abby tensed up and quickly opened her eyes, then turned her body to face the beast in front of her. Samael was barely covered in black pants and a short-sleeved white shirt, which left his muscular arms exposed.

The alpha could perceive the fear present in the young woman, which is why he believed she wouldn't respond, but he was surprised when she did.

"To be honest, I would say that it really does disappoint me that you didn't," she replied, stiffening her posture and confronting him. This angered Samael, who approached her and forcefully grabbed her arm.

"I will fulfill your wish very soon, but not yet," he replied, trying to avoid hearing the young woman's heartbeat. "Because first, you have to lead me to your family," he said. Upon hearing this last word, she tensed even more.

"I won't do it," Abby replied, frightened. Samael believed that her response was to protect the hunters, as they were her family. But the young woman's reasons were far from that.

Abby refused to return to that house that had caused her so much harm. She would rather die than go back, as her family would do worse things to her than death for escaping.

"You will do it, you can't refuse," he arrogantly stated. "You won't be able to stop me from killing them. In fact, I will give you the honor of witnessing how I do it, and then I will kill you too, finally fulfilling your damned wish," he said brazenly, while she swallowed hard and tried to free herself from his grip.

"Kill me right now because I won't take you to them. I won't go back," the young woman insisted. Samael raised his hand and brought it close to her neck, but he didn't touch her. Before he could do so, he clenched his fist tightly and let her fall to the ground.

"I've told you I won't kill you yet. You are my prey. You don't give the orders here; it's me who gives the orders, and I order you to take me to them," he shouted, frightening the young woman. As he looked into her eyes, he felt a slight guilt and was so surprised that he had to move away and sit a few meters away from the huntress, who was trembling now.

She knew well that it was useless to fight against the temper of that man, and she was also aware of what could happen if she angered him. She didn't want to die at the hands of a werewolf; she knew well how cruel these creatures could be. That's why she had to give in to the desires of that man.

"Fine, I'll do it," she replied, leaning her back against the wall, while bringing her cold hands closer to the campfire.

She noticed that the werewolf kept his distance from the fire, so she understood that he had lit it for her. She knew well that they had a higher resistance than humans and that their blood was much hotter than hers. In fact, she had noticed it in that embrace. Samael was not the only one who could see the young woman's eyes when they had been face to face a few minutes ago, because Abby had also had time to observe them, and in that gaze, she saw a man who not only contained anger but also great sadness. She didn't understand how she knew, but she could feel the tangible pain of that alpha, even though she had barely met him. Abby couldn't stop looking at him, even though he continued to stare into the darkness of the cave, ignoring her. The young woman wondered how much longer he would keep her alive because, despite needing her to reach the Hamiltons, she also knew that he hated her too much, and that hatred could take control of the beast's body at any moment. She wasn't safe here, but she wouldn't be safe either in that dangerous forest.

"They remained silent throughout the day. Abby kept her gaze on what seemed to be the exit of that cave, although she wasn't entirely sure if it truly was. The cave had two paths—one that appeared dark, where the alpha was looking, and another that had faint glimmers, perhaps light, but she wasn't entirely sure.

"Don't try it," Samael said, catching her attention.

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"I'm faster than you, and right now, I'm much hungrier than you," he commented, observing her. Abby quickly lowered her gaze; the man's eyes terrified her, yet at the same time seemed to hypnotize her.

"I wasn't thinking of doing anything," she said. Usually, she didn't respond to the men in her family, knowing that doing so would result in punishment. But here, she felt somewhat powerful; if that werewolf desired to find her family so much, he had to keep her alive, so he wouldn't harm her. That, in a way, made her feel strong—not entirely, but enough to muster the courage to respond. She had to admit that she didn't know where she found such rebellion to answer, but since she no longer cared about dying, what else did she have to lose?

"Don't lie. I can hear your heartbeat and the way you sweat from nerves. Your blood pressure has increased. It all indicates that you had a slight adrenaline rush. I'm sure you momentarily considered running towards what you believe is the way out, but you would have two problems if you did," he explained.

"What problems?" asked Abby, glad that finally, that man was addressing her, even though the conversation wasn't about a pleasant topic.

"The first is that you're not as fast as you used to be, and your body is weak. But let's imagine you do it. Let's imagine you run and manage to hide somewhere in this forest without being killed. There, you would encounter a second problem," he said arrogantly.

"A second problem?" she insisted, afraid that the conversation would end.

"Your scent now belongs to me," he replied, surprising her.

"My scent belongs to you?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, I have your scent inside me. That allows me to track wherever you may be. So even if you managed to escape, there would be nowhere you could hide from me," assured the former alpha of the Grimmwolf pack. Abby, on her part, analyzed his words without fully understanding them.

"Is it because you're a wolf? I mean, your sense of smell is much better than that of humans, so my scent belongs to you?" she asked.

Samael averted his gaze and nodded, although he wasn't entirely honest, as his superior sense of smell as a werewolf was not the reason her scent belonged to him. He discovered this when, a few hours ago, he ran as far away as possible from the campfire after lighting it, yet no matter how far he went, he could still smell her. Abby's scent had permeated him, and he knew that wasn't normal. It usually happens when a wolf finds its mate. However, she wasn't his mate; he had already had one, and she was dead, partly because of the woman he was now talking to, as if nothing had happened. He sighed defeated and then looked at the human; he noticed her demeanor had improved, and she no longer saw him with the same fear as a few minutes ago. The ambiguity of two emotions embraced him: guilt, which seemed to never leave him for a second, and a slight relief because when those young, blue eyes looked at him with fear, he quickly regretted his actions.

"Thank you for the campfire," she said, her eyes gleaming with the fire.

"Shut up," Samel suddenly said, surprising her. Then, he turned his gaze to the dark part of the cave and struggled to think about anything other than the young woman in front of him. But it was impossible; he was being tormented right now. First, it was her heartbeat, and now it was the scent of that huntress that tormented him."