Running From A Wolf

Chapter 5

"What do you want?"

Wolf man took me to his black Mercedes Maybach, because, of course he drove a luxury car like the rich Alpha that he was. My struggles in his grip had no effect, and he casually led me to the backdoor.

He smoothly glided down onto the backseat, he tall figure folding elegantly. He didn't even look at me as he shut the door, locked it, then chucked me onto the seat beside him like I was a tuft of cotton. My pyjamas and bag followed next. Along with my... lingerie.

I scampered to the furthest corner at the other end of the seat and glared tearfully at him. I couldn't even shift back to human form or I would have to face him naked. I glanced at the locks, trying to determine if I could catch him off guard and make a run for it.

So unfair. My eyes brimmed with furious tears.

"Stop giving me that abused look," he said indifferently.

"What else do you expect?" I tried to roar, but the sound came out too squeaky. Embarrassment flooded across my cheeks but I pretended not to be affected. I had to find a chance to shift and get dressed if I didn't want to fight him in this tiny form, but I doubted he would let me out of his sights again. "And what do you want?"

"You owe me your life."

What. "Are you f*****g crazy?"

His mirthful eyes darkened and I shrank slightly, gulping. He was taller and larger than me in my human form, with broad shoulders, ripped muscles that bulged beneath his turtleneck, and an aura powerful enough to crush armies. Since I was a kitten right now, I almost crumpled under his fierceness.

"I... I mean," I rectified my words, "please can you explain why you're here? I'm a little clueless."

"Like I said, you're alive because of me." Aaron leaned back casually. "Alpha Seamus would have killed you with a clench of his fist had I exposed your presence at his estate. But I let you leave."

'Let' me? I held back my annoyance. "Well, thank you, sir." He continued to stare at me. I shifted on my paws, uncomfortable, then forced myself to ask, "How may I repay your benevolence?"

He raised a brow, his eyes dark. "I want to see you beg."

What? You sadistic mutt!

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "You let me live, tracked my apartment, and came all the way out her, just to make me beg?"

"Yes."

I let out a nervous laugh. "What do you want me to beg for?"

"For your life," he smiled coldly. "I came here to end you."

"But if you wanted to kill me, why did you let-"

"Because," his voice was hard, "I am a predator. And you are my prey."

A tinge of fear spread through my veins. For the first time tonight, despair threatened to consume me. But I had to try. "Sir, why don't you let me go this time? I'll do anything."

His lips twitched. "My name is Aaron Thorne."

"Aaron, what a noble name! As befits the Alpha of-"

"You can call me 'Your Majesty'. Even 'Master' sounds nice."

". . ." I. Hate. Him.

This man was driving me nuts. Even his pack members would greet him with the title of 'Alpha', and here I was, a totally unrelated person, forced to refer to him as if he was a King? He wasn't even giving me the space to shift back so we could speak like civilised human beings!

You pompous mutt!

"Your Majesty," my pointy teeth grinded against each other. I would eat dirt rather than call him the latter. "Please let me live and I promise you, you will never see me again."

Aaron didn't respond. He just gazed at me with narrowed eyes. I peeked at him, immediately trembling at the dangerous scent he gave off. Unintentionally, I tried to increase the space between us but I was already pressed against the door.

A coldness enveloped the enclosed space. I struggled to breathe while facing his vicious mood. What the hell was his problem? He didn't kill me but now he wanted to? He commanded that I beg him, but now he was angry?

Aaron's body was humongous from my point of view. His relaxed legs stretched out and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest. His dark hair was silky in the faint light of the street bulbs. Straight nose and delicate lips. The face belonged on a magazine, at the highest place in the nobility ranking. Yet, to me, it was the face of a devil. Divine, yet cruel.

If I was ignorant of the fact that he was chasing my ass across the city, he would have been the type of guy I'd crush on. Maybe even fantasize about. A dark King...

Shame. The only climax in my imaginations of him ended with me dead.

"Shift back," his deep velvety voice uttered.

"Huh?" I was dumbfounded.

"Shift. Back. To your human form."

"What?" I squeaked, shocked.

Aaron frowned. "Are you deaf?"

I gulped. What was the deal with this guy? I felt sympathy for his poor parents, who had to deal with such an overbearing son.

"I-I, um, I think I prefer to stay like this."

"Are you so fond of death?" His lips held displeasure.

"Can you stop speaking like you're on your periods?" I snapped, losing my fear for a moment. "You're quite annoying!"

"Is that so?" Three words. Aaron's eyes sharpened and his icy smile widened. The smile did not reach his lashes. "Repeat your words. I dare you."

Shit. That look. I had seen that look only on assassins before. And I had seen plenty of those, right before they tried to execute me.

"W-wolf, I apologize, I-"

"Repeat yourself." The golden flakes emerged in his brown eyes, but this time they had a vivid orange outline.

"My tongue slipped...?"

"I can't tell if you're brave for not listening to my words, or just stupid."

"Fine! I'll shift." I was on the verge of crying. "Just... Just calm down. Gods!"

Aaron's expression remained the same. Neither did he say anything, nor did he make a move to acknowledge my words. The silence became awkward as I realised that he had no intention to leave.

"C-can you wait outside?" I muttered, uneasy. "I need to wear my clothes, too."

"Shifters shouldn't be shy of their bodies," said Aaron.

"But isn't it basic courtesy?" I growled in frustration.

"I don't mind."

You don't mind, but I do! "You sure? I would prefer to have some privacy."

"Your preference has nothing to do with me."

Jesus. I really wanted to hit this guy.

"Wolf," I began, but stopped at the cold look he gave me. "Your Majesty, why are you chasing me? Have I offended you somehow? Because although I did trespass, I'm sure this isn't anywhere near the punishment I deserve."

"Three seconds," he cut me off. "Shift back to your human form, or I'll hang your head over your bedroom door."

"But I-"

"Two seconds."

"Wait for a-"

"One."

"Ah!" My fear got the best of me. Pain shot through my body as the bones bent and rearranged themselves. My muscles were on fire while my skin stung. A minute of agony went by and I was human again.

I pulled my legs closer and wrapped my arms around them. Tucking my head down, I tried to minimize my presence. The cool air made me shiver more than the process itself did. An odd sense of vulnerability enveloped me at my lack of power. I bit my lower lip to stop my chattering teeth.

I glared at the man before me. "Satisfied?"

To his benefit, Aaron's gaze was locked in my face. Rather than say anything, he pulled a thick blanket from below the seat. Without a single glance down, he threw the sheet over me. Although confused, I gratefully covered myself, relishing the warmth.

"You have two minutes. Dress yourself and come out." With those final words, he stepped out of the car.

What the heck? If you were going to wait outside for me, why didn't you do it before? You sanctimonious mongrel!

I sighed, remorseful. Even a hundred guts wouldn't have given me the will to sneak into that stupid party if I knew I'd meet a guy like this. None of the night's outcome was worth the hours I had spent sneaking around on the tree, hungry, cold, and inconspicuous. I was never going to allow Kristine to entice me ever again.

I pulled on my garments and the fluffy pyjamas in under a minute. Then I typed out a text to Gabe, asking for help. A few seconds before the two minutes were up, I grabbed my bag, took a deep breath, and stepped out.

Aaron was leaning against the car with his face tilted to the moon. His eyes were closed, his body sending forth a feeling of isolation. Standing there, his cold face seemed to be a bit too...lonely. Something about that scene, that moment, it drew me to him. I stepped closer, resisting the urge to touch him.

"Hey," I spoke softly. "Are you okay?"

He looked at me. I sucked in a startled breath at the glittering gold in his iris. Sparking gold flakes circled around in a brown pool around the iris. The adjective beautiful was a very vast understatement.

". . ."

He didn't say anything. He just gazed at me. Once more, I restrained myself from moving closer. My head was muddled with the excessive attention from a man as gorgeous as him, but anxiety ate up my insides at the silence.

Why didn't he speak? Maybe an introduction would be a good conversation starter?

"Um, my name is Kelsie," I licked my lips nervously. "Kelsie Kiara."

"I know," he said with a straight face.

"And you're... Aaron Thorne," I finished lamely. He just raised an eyebrow. I cringed.

Is that it?

My skull began pounding. I could feel the start of a massive headache, mostly due to lack of rest, but definitely also because of him. Why did he have to kill the conversation like that? Or maybe, I did.

"So," I began awkwardly. "What feat of mine has caught your attention?" He raised his eyebrows and I continued speaking with haste. "I didn't personally offend you at the party. Have I done something else to face your wrath? Do we have a grudge between us?"

"No."

I waited for an explanation but he didn't utter another word.

"No?"

"No."

Kristine, out of all the Alphas in the world, why did you decide on this slow brained freak?!

"Then..." I pushed my luck. "Can I leave?"

"No."

Arghh! "Oh, great lord!" I cried out and all but knelt. "What have I done to be tortured so mercilessly by you?"

"Am I hurting you?" He snorted.

"No?" I blinked blankly. "But the anticipation is worse."

"Most would disagree."

Kelsie. Deep breaths. In and out. In. And. Out.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"You are seventeen." Rather than a question, he said it like a statement.

"Yes," I nodded. "In two months, I will be eighteen."

"Two months, is it?" Aaron faced the moon again, thoughtful.

I gulped. "And... why is that relevant?"

He observed me from head to toe. His gaze lingered on my exposed neck and the cat ears on the pyjamas' hood. Tingles of unexpected anticipation travelled down my spine.

"Do you have a mate?" His cold features turned sharper.

"Huh?" I gaped. At my reaction, Aaron's eyes, which had returned to a shade of mostly brown, began to swirl with golden flakes again.

"No!" I blurted out. "I mean, cats don't have predestined mates. We...we're allowed to create bonds with our own choices. Unless it's of a different species. Then... Well, I don't know."

"Hmm." He turned contemplative again.

His tanned skin glowed below the moonlight and and his hair reflected the moon's shine with silver streaks. His lips were pursed, adding more charm to his sharp jaw.

Aaron was built like an athlete. His body was toned and muscular due to years of training, a fact that every shifter can sense rather than see. Even his body essence from over four feet away was heavily domineering. I could imagine how scared his subordinates would be if they ever faced his genuine wrath.

I tried to probe more into his physic, but, as expected, my senses weren't refined enough. I could only learn more after I turned eighteen. Or if I asked him myself.

And we all knew that I didn't want to cross my boundaries and risk death.

"Your Majesty, may I leave if you are done with your interrogation?" I asked, feigning fatigue.

Aaron held my eyes for a few seconds, then smiled. And to me, the night sky burst open with various glittery stars. He just lifted his lips in a state of smug helplessness, like I was a child begging for a piece of chocolate or candy.

But damn, that curve on his face had the power to destroy countries.

Aaron waved a palm elegantly and two guards in black suits appeared beside him. They got into the car and he turned to follow them. Once he closed the door, he pulled down the window halfway.

"Can I call you Kelsie?" He asked. His face was still a bit aloof, like a god, but I felt my heart beat faster with that one heated look.

"Um, yes," I nodded.

"Then Kelsie," Aaron smirked, his eyes blazing gold once more. "Let's meet again when you're an adult."

And he was gone. Leaving clear winds on his trail.

I spent the rest of that night tossing around on the mattress. It was a sleepless night.