kidnapped by the lycan

Chapter three

I handed it to him and he nodded, slipping the wallet into his inner jacket this time. "Thanks."

My gaze lingered on Michael, his golden eyes shimmering, a stark contrast to the nervous tension in his jaw. I hadn't meant for the kiss to be anything more than a playful spark, a secret shared in the shadows. But now, under the hushed cloak of night, something had shifted.

"You're welcome," he offered, his voice a touch deeper than before, sending shivers down my spine. My fingers traced the memory of his lips on my skin, the heat lingering.

"You can hardly find a taxi at this hour," I countered, offering a solution, a chance to extend this unexpected connection. "Unless you book one."

His eyes, scanning the deserted street, betrayed a flicker of unease. "My app's not working," he muttered, his voice rougher, almost strained. The air crackled with unspoken questions, with a thrill that danced on the edge of danger.

"I can book one for you," I insisted, my own steps drawing me closer. The party's frenzy seemed a world away, replaced by the intensity in Michael's gaze. "Where are you heading?"

He hesitated, his voice a low growl. "Don't bother. And you should get back inside. They'll miss you."

But the party had lost its allure. It was a cacophony, a buzzing hive I no longer craved. "I'm done with it," I declared, my voice firm. "It's like a chaotic market."

His eyes darted around again, searching the shadows. "It's not safe here," he warned, his voice laced with urgency.

"It's almost like you're running from me." A playful smile curved my lips. I stepped closer, the heat between us thickening. "I enjoyed our kiss, Michael."

He flinched, taking a step back. "You're drunk," he muttered, his voice laced with concern. "I won't take advantage. You don't know what you're doing. And I don't want trouble with the Waynes. This is their turf. You don't just crash their party and…" He choked off the rest, his gaze hardening.

"I'm not drunk," I countered, my voice steady. "Tipsy, maybe. But I know what I want. Who are these Waynes anyway?"

He stared at me, his expression a mix of confusion and something darker. "I thought you knew them," he mumbled.

My smile widened. "Nope. No clue." I leaned closer, my voice a husky whisper. "But I'm glad I stumbled into their party. I found you."

He retreated again, his voice strained. "You don't want me. Trust me. I'm not your type. Just go back inside. I have to go. Nice meeting you… goodbye."

He turned and began to walk away, his figure disappearing into the darkness of the narrow road, swallowed by the thick brush.

Frustration bubbled inside me. I shouted after him, "Are you married?"

"No!" came the muffled reply.

"Engaged?"

"No!"

"Girlfriend?"

"No!"

"Then what?! Why don't you want me? Am I that ugly?!"

Silence. Then, his voice, a guttural growl, "Just go!" He quickened his pace, disappearing into the night.

I moved faster, trying to keep up with him. The party venue was far behind now, and I had to keep moving. Shadows suddenly moving in the bushes scared the booze out of me. It was as if some dark forms were following me, and my heart began to beat hard. I was terrified.

Then, someone laughed behind me. An eerie, mocking laughter. I stopped, and the drunk came out of the shadows, along with four sinister-looking guys. His dark clothing had successfully hidden him in the dark until now.

"That's her, that's the b***h" he pointed me out to his group. "And that's him over there."

"What do you want from me?" I asked him in a shaky voice.

"Respect," he spat. He no longer looked dead drunk but hardened and evil. "You and that dog of yours must respect us. We will make you. We Waynes don't take nonsense from dogs. You are mine. He can't just come and take you."

I took some steps backward and turned to run, but what I saw coming the other way gave me little time to scream or run for my life.

Two ferocious lycans charged at the me, their large, muscular bodies moving with powerful and predatory grace. Their fur was a mix of dark and silver, shimmering in the moonlight as they sprinted forward.

Their eyes glowed with a fiery, intense light, and their sharp, elongated fangs glistened menacingly. With distinctively wolf-like features, their snarling mouths and pointed ears added to their intimidating presence. As they closed in on the lady, their deep, guttural growls filled the air, evoking a sense of primal terror. The moon was full, so I could see them clearly.

I saw Michael chasing after the dogs. As I turned and started running back towards the Waynes, screaming my head off, I fell, tumbling and clattering on the gravel road in my heels and handbag.

I looked back, terrified, expecting the Wolves to tear into me at any moment. Then, I saw Michael flying at the Lycans, his hands out, reaching for the nearest one's neck to stop it. He let out a loud growl, and the Lycans stopped in their tracks, momentarily, a few meters from me.

My head throbbed, the remnants of cheap wine and drunken curiosity swirling in my mind. The party's cacophony had faded, replaced by the chilling melody of growls and snarls echoing from the dark bushes.

Michael, the enigmatic man whose lips had ignited my senses just hours ago, now stood between me and the hulking figures of the Waynes, his golden eyes blazing with defiance.

"We don't have problems with you!" one of the Waynes said, his voice thick with menace. "It's your brother. The girl is ours!"

Michael, with a feral grace that sent shivers down my spine, dropped to all fours, shifted into a towering black furred Lycan beast and charged into the bushes, disappearing into the darkness with a pack of snarling shadows at his heels.

The Waynes, momentarily stunned, melted away like phantoms, leaving me alone on the dusty road, my ankle throbbing in agony.

Panic tightened its grip as I tried to stand, the pain shooting up my leg like a lightning bolt. Tears streamed down my face, my cries for help swallowed by the symphony of snarls echoing from the depths of the forest.

Then, a familiar figure emerged from the bushes, his wild hair and glowing eyes painting him as a creature of the night. Fear, cold and primal, gripped my heart. I screamed, a desperate plea for mercy lost in the howling wind.

Michael, his face a mask of fierce determination, knelt before me, his touch surprisingly gentle as he examined my injured ankle. He lifted me with an ease that defied my size, the scent of pine and earth filling my senses.

"Please let me go, I won't say of word of this to anyone I promise," I pleaded

"You followed me like a lovesick pup all night," he growled, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. "You wanted something from me, Lysandra. You wanted me."

My breath hitched. This wasn't the Michael from the party, the charming stranger who had set my pulse racing. This was something else, something primal and dangerous.

Yet, a strange calm settled over me. Instead of fighting the iron grip of his arms, I met his gaze, searching for the flicker of humanity I'd glimpsed before

"I...I just wanted to be your friend,' I lied.

He let out a guttural chuckle, the sound both unsettling and strangely alluring. "It's more than that, little one."

"Are you going to eat me?" I asked him.

"Maybe." He gave a deep chuckle.

His words hung heavy in the air, laden with a dangerous ambiguity. Was he a monster, a predator about to claim his prey? Or was there a sliver of humanity still flickering within him, a spark of connection kindled in the twilight of the night?

I felt an abnormal calmness. Instead of screaming for help as I was supposed to, I decided to resign myself to fate or reason with him. He could easily tear me to pieces here.

I was dealing with a wild animal in human form, a night paranormal creature mingling with normal humans. I either hung my hope on the brief friendship we shared at the party or prayed hard. I chose to pray instead because the perceived friendship might have been a snare.

I used to be a prayerful person as a child, but as I grew older, I fell along the way like a bad seed. I had met bad friends at school and rather partied than go to church. My knees hadn't touched the floor for a long time, nor had I gone to confession.

Now, I couldn't even pray well. My lips moved, but only garbled words formed. I was sure God didn't even have time for me that night. That was why wild animals were sent to eat me. I was irredeemable.

"What are you doing?" He asked me.

"Praying," I replied, my voice cracked from crying.

He had moved further into the bush, carrying me effortlessly. I could still hear fearful snarls of animals nearby. A dangerous, deeper growl but Michael quieted them. My heart no longer pounded normally. I was half-dead from terror. Was he calling them for a meal?

He got to a clearing within the bush and stopped, placing me on the trunk of a fallen tree. "You will be safe if you don't move."

"Why don't you just let me go? Please?" I pleaded.

"I can't, you've seen us," was his answer.

I bitterly regretted all the advances I made at him that night. I should have suffered the party in silence. The first time I ever befriend a man, he had to be a dangerous abnormal. "I won't tell anybody. I promise," I insisted.

"I don't trust a woman who can down a bottle of booze and pick up a random stranger. Besides, you can't even walk," he scoffed.

I hung my head. "I'm cold." He looked at me from head to toe. My black gown was short and sleeveless.

He shrugged off his jacket and gave it to me. "Stay here. Don't make a sound, or you'll die."

He then moved away about two hundred yards and squatted, one hand planted on the ground. After a few minutes, two men approached him. They moved awkwardly, as if their limbs weren't straightened completely. They first walked on all fours then on two legs. They were naked.

"What happened out there?" One of them asked Michael. "First you were at that Waynes party, then you were late for our hunt, and a woman was with you. And you got into a quarrel."

"And you almost killed us!" The second man snarled.

"It wasn't like that. The Waynes are friendly to us," Michael explained.

"Not anymore. We wounded one of them this night, all for that woman."

"The woman was a passerby,' Michael told them, "She brought me something important I lost."

Jace cut in. "You knew this was our meeting. Why is she still here?"

"She is hurt."

"You know she is never leaving alive. You are responsible for her death,"

"She is coming with me,"

"What?! Are you crazy?! We are leaving for a mission tomorrow. Derrick's pack needs reinforcement. More Lycan hunters are moving deep into the forests and encroaching into their territory. They are killing and eating wolves for food."

"The last of our wolves kind are more endangered now than ever.

Grandfather sent word yesterday, we go east to Derrick's territory tomorrow,"

"I will go. Don't worry about the girl,"

"She is already trouble for you. You couldn't turn tonight and didn't hunt with us as brothers. You know how important you must train often. And she caused an avoidable fight between us and the Waynes. Just in one night!' Jace snarled.

"Get rid of her," Edward growled. "Give her back to the Waynes,"

"They will kill her. She is not one of them. A novice,"

"Nevertheless theirs. For meat or for sport. They got her first. Let her go," The two men melted into the bushes.

Michael returned to me with a Grimm expression on his face.

"Let's go."

"Where?' I asked him.

He didn't reply. He picked me up again and walked into the bushes. I was now sure more than ever i was going to die.