The Unintended

Chapter 10

Hunter’s POV

I could hear her bones cracking. I knew the turn wouldn’t be long, and I had to get her to the basement. There was part of me terrified of what her wolf would try to do to me. There was no way I would let the thing get close enough to hurt me. On the other hand, I had a morbid curiosity to see what it was made of.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” I picked her up from the ground and walked her up the steps leading to the back door. Keeping my arm around her, I let her lean on me while I held her, step by step. I could feel her body become tense. My heart cried out for her when I heard her whimper in pain. I never thought I could feel empathy for such a beast.

I worked her inside and guided her down the stairs, to the blanket I had found for her, gently sitting her on the floor and me next to her. “Remember what Lydia said: just breathe, relax and don’t fight it. It’s going to be okay. I got you.” I brushed her cheek, getting the hair out of her eyes. Her cold, black, tear-filled eyes were looking back at me. I had seen fear of what was happening before, but never like this. For the first time in one hundred years, I felt truly sorry for a creature of any kind.

“Please don. Don’t leave me yet.” she said out of breath and writhing in pain.

“I won’t. I will stay as long as I can.”

“I’m scared, Hunter,” she said.

“I know. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to either of us.”

“I’m so hungry... Oh God! I can feel it coming, please, helllgrrr.” came a low growling rumble from her throat. I held her in my arms tightly, wishing I could take away her pain. Her groans turned to soft screams of agony. I held her as she pressed her head to my chest. I kissed the top of her head. “Shhh, just let it go, relax and breathe.” She wrapped her arms around me and held on, panting.

All I could think about was what this poor girl was experiencing. I could tell the wolf's attempt to emerge was intensifying. I didn’t know what else I could do but hold her and do my best to comfort her. Suddenly, her head snapped back as she let out a loud growl and I watched her fangs descend. This was my cue. I had to let go. The wolf was coming. I didn’t want to kill her defending myself.

I let go of her, stood up, and slowly backed away while she curled up in the fetal position on the ground, crying and moaning in pain. Deep growling vibrated in my chest in between her screams. As I backed away to the stairs going up to the house, I watched, completely fascinated by the sight before me. She got on her knees, forehead to the ground. The clothes on her ripped as her body took new shape. Her head snapped up, her black eyes, or the wolf's eyes, staring sharply at me while she reached her hand out. I wanted to take it, but just as I reached back for her, claws ripped out at her fingertips. Her head tilted back and I could see the wolf's snout push out. This was enough for me. The wolf was here.

I turned around and hurried up the stairs into the kitchen, making sure the door behind me was closed tightly. I leaned against the door, panting. In all of my two hundred years on this earth, I haven’t felt my heart pound this hard- not since I was turned myself. I stood there for what felt like hours, head pressed against the door, listening to her intermittent screams and then a long wolf howl. I knew the transformation was complete. “Now what?”

I don’t know how much time passed. It could have been a minute, or a century, for all I knew. The silence from the basement was eerie. There was no thrashing, howling or screaming, only silence. My heart beat along with the seconds, and I was unsure of what I should do. I wanted to see if she was okay, but I didn’t want a confrontation with a werewolf. I remember stories from older vampires who told the tales of the Bloody War that shaped our current way of life. How vampires, werewolves and men tore each other apart, sometimes with their bare hands. No, a one on one with a werewolf, especially a newborn, didn’t sound like my thing.

I stood there with my ear against the door until I could no longer stand the stillness that lingered in the air. Every minute taunted me, like years of the past having ticked their way through my life. “Mira?”

I listened closely, nothing. “Mira?” Still nothing. I put my hand on the knob, careful not to make noise, and turned the knob as gently as I could. The bastard of a door betrayed me and creaked a little. I paused and listened to the silence. I heard no movement, so I let the door open wider. Against my better judgment, I poked my head around to look, just in time to see a werewolf charge up the stairs straight for me!

Mira’s POV

I couldn’t believe myself crying in this guy’s shirt. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore, so overwhelmed. I was scared of so many things. I was scared for my roommate, scared for what was happening, and scared because the hunger and tingling inside me was getting stronger. I remember this feeling, the tingle, gentle clawing just beneath my skin, searching for a way to be free. The kindness and gentleness this stranger had shown me in only one day touched my heart and made me feel safe.

“Shhh. It’s gonna be okay. You will get through this, and we are going to find the mother fuckers who took you and Alyssa. We will get them, I promise.” He said, looking me in the eye and wiping the tears from my cheek. God, I wanted him to kiss me, anything to break the tense silence between us. He seemed hesitant. I decided to go for it, until the sharp, piercing pain hit me in my ribs, taking my breath away. It felt like someone was twisting my insides with their bare hands. Instead of kissing this beautiful man, I doubled over in pain. We both knew what was happening.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” he said to me, helping me up from the ground. He put his arm around me, supporting my weight while he guided me up the stairs, into the house and down the stairs again to the basement. Gently, he helped me down to the blankets laid out and sat with me, wrapping his arms around him. I was having so much trouble trying to speak and breathe. The pain rumbling inside me was becoming more intense.

“Please don. Don’t leave me yet.” I begged.

“I won’t, I will stay as long as I can.” He said, reassuring me.

“I’m scared, Hunter.”

“I know. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to either of us.”

“I’m so hungry... Oh God! I can feel it coming, please, helllgrrr.” As the fire in me grew, I panted as I gripped him tightly. The wolf was just under the surface now, fighting its way out, only something this time was different. I didn’t feel invaded this time, it felt more like merging. I was aware of other thoughts that weren’t mine and they were comforting. Not only was the wolf present now, but I felt mutual control of my mind, like we were existing together. I did my best to relax and let it come, but it is a difficult thing to do when your body is doing the weirdest s**t.

Hunter was stroking my hair, and I took a deep breath. I felt more jolts of energy burst through me. I broke. My head snapped back, and I felt my teeth descend. Hunter let go of me and backed away. That was the last thing I wanted him to do. I felt my wolf. It would not hurt him- SHE would not hurt him. It said nothing to me, but somehow I knew. Could this be the connection Lydia was talking about?

Hunter backed away further to the stairs, looking at me with concerned eyes, not out of fear, but with genuine empathy. I rolled onto my knees and put my forehead to the ground and breathed as deeply as I could, trying my best to relax. Reaching my hand out to him, I was desperately trying to tell him it was okay. The more I tried to speak, the more ominous growls rose from the pit of my stomach. Then he was gone. I heard the door close behind him when he reached the top of the stairs.

He had left the room. I did not know if he was still there, or left. I wouldn’t blame him after everything Lydia told us this wolf might be. Besides, asking a guy to put up with a werewolf is a lot to ask of someone. The pain jarred every fiber of my body. The animal in me was fighting to be free. I sat on my knees, taking deep breaths, praying for relief. With one last scream, I turned, and the pain was over, just like that. We let out a long howl of relief.

Our eyes danced around the room, noting where we were. We didn’t feel scared or threatened like the last time we were together. Curiosity took us over and we sniffed around the room because we were starving. We would have settled for anything, even a mouse, at this point- no dice. While we sniffed, we came across our clothes we were wearing. Believe me, it is unusual to smell yourself the way an animal would. Humans are much more potent than we think. I smelled Hunter too, and wow- did he stink? Dead meat is the only way we can describe it politely, but something about his smell brought us comfort.

Our ears perked up when we heard a faint creak from above us. We knew it was the door leading back into the kitchen. We felt a happy, almost giddy emotion wash over us, so we turned and trotted to the stairs to let Hunter know he was safe and we wouldn’t hurt him. Pausing at the foot of the stairs, we watched the door slowly open to reveal Hunter’s beautiful face looking down at us with such concern. Perhaps we didn’t think it through because suddenly, we bound up the stairs to greet him.