The Lycan Claimed Her Fate

2

Suddenly more men jumped up and came out of the ranks. 1, 2, 3, 4 and countless other men now walked towards us. They were not even close to being as muscular as Kane, but still tall and broad-built.

They also walked forward with a self-confidence that could not be normal. Three of them stood right next to Kane, while the others lined up a few meters away. I felt sick to my stomach and feared for my freedom and for Josh. Would they do something to him? This question made my heart pound with fear.

"I made myself clear, Mr. Patrick. She belongs to me," Kane said, stepping closer to him. His voice had now become several octaves lower and more threatening. An ice-cold shiver ran down my spine.

Josh swallowed, but was not intimidated. "I made myself clear too, Mr. Bennett. Jules and I are getting married. Now get out of here." For a moment, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. You could hear birds chirping in the distance, a river rushing, and then Kane raised his hand. The men stepped closer.

Their faces were grim and expressionless. They surrounded us. More like Josh and Kane than me and Aunt May. Kane's expression turned aggressive. His eyes flashed dangerously as Aunt May gripped my arm tightly.

"You asked for it," Kane said, and swung his arm around. That's when I switched gears. My protective instincts came out and took over. I thought I only heard Aunt May scream, but then I heard my loud, angry scream. Everyone stopped.

"Stop! Stop now!" I heard my trembling voice shout. The men who had first obeyed Kane's orders stopped and looked at me in awe. They lowered their heads as if to say: Yes, madame. From here I saw Kane's nostrils flare. His chest rose and fell rapidly. Then he slowly turned his face to me. His features were twisted with anger. His eyes were black.

"Just because you think you have some kind of claim on me, you shouldn't think you can cause trouble here, let alone hit my friend!" I hissed angrily. But I couldn't completely deny that I was captivated by his eyes. And I couldn't deny that I would have liked to sink into his strong arms. His chest rose and fell unevenly and he looked angry. I felt cold.

"I don't just mean that I have a claim on you, July. I have a claim on you," he said, looking deep into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat and I wanted to tell him that this was nonsense and that he was crazy, but the words got stuck in my throat when I felt the fluttering in my stomach and the heat that crawled over my skin and made it tingle. It was suddenly so hot here and that was certainly not just because of the sun that was high in the sky and shining down on us mercilessly.

"But you can't hit him anyway," I said, much more gently than before. And I surprised not only my relatives, but myself too. I had simply addressed him as "you", as if I had known him forever. His expression softened. His jaw no longer twitched.

"That may be true, but I don't like having to share my property. And he's not the right one for you and yet he thinks he's contradicting me, July," he breathed, stepping closer to me. His words jolted me back to reality. Property. I wasn't his property! I didn't belong to anyone! I quickly backed away and bumped into Josh.

He put his hands on my hips. But no matter how much I prayed that the same heat would come over me as I had just now, it didn't work. This touch was just a touch. Nothing more. Kane growled. The growl came from deep in his chest and sounded so terrifying that I shuddered.

"Go now, we have a wedding coming up!" Josh hissed and pulled me closer to him. However, I didn't feel the desire to sink against his chest and into his arms. Instead, my gaze slid to Kane's arms and I wished those strong arms would wrap around me. Hold me tight. Press me against them. I quickly pushed these thoughts away.

"There won't be a wedding, but please," Kane said coldly and ran off with his... friends. The men walked down the aisle so proudly and confidently that everyone seemed to grow a little smaller in their seats.

No one really trusted these figures. I slowly pulled away from Josh again. He looked at me expectantly and questioningly.

"Can we become husband and wife now?" At these words, a lump formed in my throat. Kane's eyes appeared in my mind's eye and I felt warm again. I thought about his masculine features and his scent. About how much I wanted to sink into his eyes.

No matter how hard I tried to push these thoughts away, it didn't work. I just thought about him even more and felt the butterflies in my stomach getting stronger.

"Jules?" Josh asked, looking at me with concern. Aunt May seemed to know what was going on inside me. She didn't look happy. Tears came to my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I croaked. Gasps of surprise filled my ears, along with murmurs and sounds of outrage. I didn't understand myself, but something inside me told me I couldn't marry Josh. I would never be happy.

"You can't be serious, Jules! Just because of some sick psycho? You don't even know him!" Josh hissed and you could see that he was now angry. I shook my head and tears ran down my cheeks. "I'm sorry." With that I ran away. The long dress in my right hand so that it wouldn't hinder me as I ran.

Countless tears ran down my cheeks and I no longer knew what was right and what was wrong. It felt like my life was turning around without asking me first. Who was I anyway? Yesterday I still saw myself as Josh's wife and now?

Now I wasn't marrying him because of a strange guy who claimed I belonged to him! Sobs escaped my throat and I ran towards the forest that bordered the Montarios' property. The gravel crunched under my quick steps while more and more hot tears ran down my cheeks. They were all right.

And I didn't understand it myself. But I couldn't marry Josh. Not after my decision had wavered so much. Anger boiled up. Anger at the stranger who thought I belonged to him! What bullshit! He doesn't even know me! When I entered the forest, I was grateful that the trees were hiding me.

They protected me from the burning glances of the guests and from Josh's disappointed ones. I would probably never be able to face him again. Sobbing, I made my way through the dark forest, which now seemed like a longed-for escape.

No one would find me here so quickly. With every step, my shoes rubbed more against my heels and toes, which is why I skidded to a stop and frantically took them off. My chest rose and fell with shallow breaths while my heart pounded wildly. I quickly looked around. No one to be seen. Good.

I quickly grabbed my shoes in my free hand and ran on. The soft moss gave way beneath my feet and I occasionally stepped on a few pine cones or splinters of wood. However, I completely ignored the pain and ran on.

Ever closer into the dark forest. However, a rustling made me pause. Gasping, I came to a stop and listened intently. I could hear my rapid heartbeat and the rushing of my blood in my ears. I stood very still and waited. But then I couldn't stand it any longer and looked around. There was nothing to see except a few glowing eyes.

I gasped in shock and backed away. These glowing eyes must have been at about the same height. That meant that the something was at least bigger than me. But these eyes were... huge. Like those of an animal.

And they glowed in a strange amber color. It was hiding behind a tree. And it just wouldn't let me out of its sight. This intense look seemed somehow familiar to me,but I was so panicked and afraid that I couldn't think of anything. Then I ran as fast as I could. At some point I would find my way out of this forest safely...