The Lycan Claimed Her Fate

4

"Come with me," Kane's voice rang out. His voice was quiet but firm. A shiver ran down my spine. I wanted to object, but it died on my tongue when Kane took my hand in his and pulled me behind him. It was quiet. Kane seemed to be lost in thought. Now and then he sighed quietly, then he made a face. But finally he turned his gaze to me.

It was only when I saw the concern in his eyes that I felt the pain in the soles of my feet. As soon as I grimaced, his hands were under my knees and shortly afterwards he lifted me up. At first I wanted to protest, but then I enjoyed it.

Although I shouldn't. In Kane's arms I felt safe. Protected. As if nothing in the world could knock me to the ground. And that even though I didn't know him. My thoughts were killing me. How could it be that I felt so comfortable with him when I didn't know him? I sighed inwardly as Kane carried me along the forest path.

My heart was beating faster. However, that wasn't really what I wanted, but I couldn't change it. His proximity had this effect on me. An effect that I didn't really want.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, suddenly feeling a certain tiredness overcoming me. The last few hours had made me tired. So tired that I already wanted to close my eyes and sleep in Kane's arms. Kane looked down at me. His eyes were still shining. Almost seemed to glow, like a fire that wouldn't burn out.

"To my house, July," he answered me in his deep voice, which sent shivers down my spine. He was the first person to call me July and not Jules. I had never actually thought it was bad when someone called me Jules, and now I only wanted to be called July. But something inside me told me that my name would only sound so nice coming from his mouth.

"Why?" I asked quietly, feeling myself getting more and more tired. Something inside me just wanted to sleep. Protected in his strong arms. But at the same time I knew that this was completely wrong, because four hours ago I was about to marry Josh. And now? Now I was in the arms of a stranger, he claimed I belonged to him.

Kane looked at me intently. "Do you want to go back and risk Josh never letting you go again? Or do you want to be hated by everyone?" His words made my tiredness evaporate. I glared at him angrily. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have this problem!" I hissed and tried to free myself from his arms, but his grip was iron. His eyes narrowed to slits and he glared at me.

"It takes two to dance, July. It's not just my fault. After all, you ran away from the wedding, which proves you don't love him. At least not as much as you might have thought," he answered calmly. Too calmly. A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I knew he was right. It wasn't just his fault. And he was probably right. Josh wasn't going to let me go, which scared me. I wondered if I'd ever known Josh. If I'd ever known what he was really like. These thoughts made my stomach rumble.

"I won't hurt you, July. Neither will my friends. No one will hate you. I won't hold you captive. I just want you to give me a chance. Then you can leave if you want. I won't stop you. But I also want you to know that I will protect you. From him and from anyone else who wants to hurt you." With each word he said, his dark eyes were on me. Sparkling at me. A lump formed in my throat and I felt warm all over. Josh had never made me feel like he was protecting me.

But now I was in the arms of a stranger who promised to protect me. And I believed every word he said because I saw the determination in his eyes.

"Okay," I murmured quietly, not really capable of much more. A gentle smile played around his rosy lips. Then it suddenly brightened. I squinted for a moment, then looked at the street. My eyes widened when I saw the black car. I would have expected a Mercedes or something like that to be parked there. It looked like one.

But this car exceeded all my expectations. And the worst thing was that I felt my heart beating faster. As a small child, I wanted to drive this car so badly and now it belonged to the man who claimed I belonged to him.

"Do you like my Trans Am?" he asked, opening the door of the black car. I nodded and looked at the car that looked like KITT. I used to watch the series over and over again. I even had the DVDs at home. And now I was sitting in the car of my dreams. Kane closed the door and got in on the other side. Just as I was about to put my feet all the way down, he lifted my legs and put them on his lap. I gasped in shock. He just grinned and turned his head towards me. "I don't want you to be in pain. Besides, I think this is much more comfortable," he said, and shortly afterwards started the engine. Then we drove off while I could only stare at him in amazement.