Puppy Love

Puppy Love

My bed is soft, but not nearly as warm as I wish it to be.

I shiver underneath the thick covers, tossing and turning furiously. I struggle to get warm, yet only the cold embraces me. The desire for a certain man grows at an alarming rate, as I know that one touch from him would instantly make my body go hot with passion.

But at the same time, I am afraid of him. Sadness and a strange fear races through my mind as I recall once again his confession to me, his impassioned plea for forgiveness that strangled my heart. I wanted to rectify our misunderstanding, but he refused to listen. I could tell that he was stressed, his eyes full with pain and desolateness. He was almost desperate for me, as if I was his bread and water. Just remembering that one look from his statuesque features ashamedly brings a tiny tingle of happiness to my heart.

But what is he truly desperate for? Is it just for our mating to be fulfilled, or because he loves me for who I am?

Once I really think about it, if I was not his mate, he would not have fallen in love with me at all. In fact, I would have been dead now. I would have been given everything I asked for on that one awful night.

"I can tell you are thinking hard," a deep voice cuts through my pondering state. His words are followed by a little laugh, and the crinkle of a smile.

"Ray?" I slowly sit up, struggling against the headboard. Looking up at his grinning face, I reluctantly smile back. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you. Everyone else is in the car."

"How long has it been?"

"About three hours. It's time, Mona." His face is now deathly serious. "We cannot stay here anymore. Our lives are at stake."

"I feel so woozy..." I attempt to swing my legs off the bed, clutching Ray's shoulder for support. "Please, help me," I whisper into his shoulder, leaning on his broad form.

Without another word he sweeps me into his arms, cradling me like a baby. It feels so good... so warm. As I look up at him, I can see his concern and determination. For a minute, I see another in his place, with bright blue hair and smooth skin.

"Forgive me," I quickly apologize, slipping into the vast nothingness as my eyes slide to a close once more.

* * *

The first thing I see is Danae's face leaning over mine. Now she seems as young as a teenager, with luscious, dark hair. As I sit up, my own flaming red hair slaps against my arms. For some reason, I feel extremely nauseated.

Her large eyes search mine with great concern. "Are you okay?" she asks softly, and I grasp her arm tightly.

"I don't think so," I confess, "I think I am car sick." Being in a car like this reminds me of... that fateful journey with my parents. I haven't really been overly fond of them since then.

"What's wrong?" Ray twists in his seat, staring at me. I try to avoid looking up and seeing the whiz of cars in front of him.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," I confess, holding my stomach. His eyes carefully examine my appearance; obviously trying to decide for himself how bad of a condition I am in.

"Xavier, we are going to have to park the car soon or Mona will vomit all over the seats." Ray turns his head back to the front, leaning forward in his seat. "I don't know where… but we need to find a safe place to either get some meds for her or to ditch the car completely."

I spare one glance outside of my window but all I can see is miles and miles of road. There is no gas station, no store of any kind.

"Where are we going to hide?" I inquire, my voice coming out a little raspy and low.

"I'm hoping that when we reach Pack 24 they will help hide us, but if they don't, then we will continue to travel north until we reach one of the sanctuaries," Xavier says firmly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Even from the back I can sense his fierce determination, his desire to escape the invisible villain.

Miles and minutes pass, and with every bump I feel a new wave of nausea. Ray keeps his gaze focused on me, somehow encouraging me without words. Danae is just as tired as I am, leaning her head against the window.

CRACK!!

My head leaps up as a resounding noise fills the air. "What was that?!"I scream, searching for the source of the noise. Xavier jerks the car off the road and races towards the trees on both sides of the interstate. "Hold on!" he yells, narrowing his eyes. The speed escalates from 80 mph to over 100.

CRACK!!

A gasp escapes me as I hear the same sound again. The window beside me splinters as a small metal ball is suddenly wedged inside of the thick glass. Spider webs blossom in the small area, reaching to the far corners of the window. "WATCH OUT!" Danae screams, tugging me over to her side just as it shatters, glass shards falling all around us. One hits my leg, and instantly blood starts to drip from the small wound.

We are all jerked around as he navigates us into the forest. I am thrown against the opposite seat where the glass is, Danae unable to hold me. Tears slide down my cheeks as I feel thousands of tiny pieces pierce my body. I crawl back over to her, and begin to break down as I hold her arm. There is another blur of movement and Ray is at our side, shielding us both from the waves of glass flying towards us.

"We are going to have to ditch the car!" he yells to Xavier as another shot rings out. This time it hits the window that stretches across the back. "Normal bullets wouldn't shatter windows like these," Ray mutters to himself angrily as cracks run through the back window.

"What do we do?" I ask, mashed between Ray and Danae. Many more gunshots crackle through the air as we swerve deeper into the forest, scraping past trees and rocks.

"On the count of three, open the door," Ray instructs me calmly.

"Why? If we do, we will be killed by the bullets!"

"Mona." He stares into my eyes, serious as ever. "This time, you are just going to have to trust me."

My fingers reach the handle, gripping it tightly. Tears are flowing like a waterfall from my face onto my shirt and jeans.

"1-"

"Ray, don't! That's what they want! They are trying to scare us into leaving the vehicle!" Xavier shouts, twisting around briefly, "They know bullets can't seriously injure us!"

"It's safer out there than it is in here! We are all getting hurt by the glass!" The shattered pieces from the back window are falling like rain on our heads, scraping our skin. "And anyway, I don't think those are normal, run-of-the-mill bullets," he continued. Xavier raises his head once more, eyes alert.

"2," Ray whispers in my ear, shielding me as best he can. My hands are clammy from holding the metal handle. I hold my breath, waiting for all this to end, for it to be over. Maybe I will wake up and find out that this was all a dream.

"3!" My eyes slip to a close as I wrench the handle open. There is a blur of motion as we all fall towards the ground, and for a moment, it seems as if all this is occurring in slow motion… as if we are just gracefully falling out a slowly-moving car.

Ray zooms out of the car, grasping both of us in his arms before we ever hit the ground and we are gone, traveling faster than the car ever did. In seconds Xavier is right along beside us.

"Let me take one," he tells Ray, holding out his arms slightly. Ray rolls his eyes, and soon I find myself in Xavier's strong arms. I almost sigh with relief as I lean back against his chest—although I hate to admit it—I have missed this so much.

Almost as much as I have missed him.

For what seems like ages we run through the forest, bullets shooting through the air. One hits a tree by us and it cracks, falling right beside us. I gasp as another drops to the ground soon after. Bullets aren't supposed to be able to knock over trees.

Another series of trees plummeting to the ground follow a series of gunshots. "Xavier!" I scream as a gigantic one blocks our path; this one was laced with quite a few shots. Xavier turns quickly and we both realize that we are trapped in a circle of trees. "Who could have planned something like this?" I ask, my breath coming in short gasps.

Without answering my question, Xavier leaps to the top of the tree and prepares to jump off of it.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," a deep, commanding voice erupts from behind us. Chills race through my spine as we turn to see a man standing in the center of the circle. He had beautiful golden hair, much like Wes's, that stopped right at his shoulders.

Xavier narrows his eyes. I can tell these two are not exactly friends. "And why not?" He stands firmly on the top of the tree, not backing down.

"Members of my team are stationed on every side. There is no chance of escape." The man laughs a little, smiling brightly. "Hello, Xavier. Good to see you again, though I certainly did not think I would be seeing you so soon. Why don't you step down from the tree?"

Xavier doesn't waver.

"Did you see our newly developed bullets?" He gestures to the sky as a bunch of shots race through the air. "These are specially modified to have the ability to pierce the toughest of skins. Good thing you avoided them so far… if one hit you, it would have hurt."

Suddenly the man notices me in his arms. "Is this the convert? She's a pretty one." Xavier's grip tightens around my form, holding me even closer to his warm chest. "How about you convince your boyfriend to step down before anyone gets hurt?" He asks me, a hint of contempt laced through his seductive voice.

"Maybe it would be a good idea, Xavier," I whisper into his ear, fright clearly painted onto my features, "they seem to know what they are doing."

"I'm not going to give you up." At these words, butterflies flutter in my stomach and a blush inches its way onto my cheek.

The man dramatically sighs. "Bring them out, Daemon."

An imposing man with sunglasses comes out from behind one of the trees, carrying two men. He places them near the feet of his leader, emotionless.

"Say hello to Jake and Wes," the leader smiles, pulling a dark object out of his pocket, "or I should say, tell them your goodbyes unless you get down from that tree." Thick, blood-stained bandages are wrapped around Jake's arm and Wes's calf. They must have been hit by those deadly bullets.

He holds the dark object over their heads. I recognize it to be a gun.

Where is Yi? He couldn't be... dead, could he?

Xavier looks down, and slowly steps to the ground. Anger is laced through his gaze as he lifts his head and glares at the man. He doesn't seem to notice that Yi is missing.

"This is your fault for trying to run," the man says plainly, "it didn't have to be this way."

"You know my reasons for running," Xavier replies evenly, his eyes like lasers. The man shrugs in reply, a slight smirk dancing across his handsome features.

"I'm afraid we are going to have to bring you all in." With a wave of his hand, several figures jump over the trees into the circle. Most of them are strong, handsome men, not one of them appearing to be over the age of forty. The rest are beautiful wolves. Their eyes flash an emerald green.

Feeling rather awkward, I stumble out of Xavier's arms and stand beside him. Scanning the row of men, I see no familiar faces. Danae and Ray are a few feet away from us, obviously trying to judge how powerful their opponent is.

"You have to let Mona have a trial," Xavier insists firmly, "or I won't surrender." He steps towards the leader, clearly intent on picking a fight. Immediately two tall men surround him, forbidding him from proceeding any farther.

"Why should I do that when you so blatantly broke the rules and even tried to escape going to headquarters?"

I listen to their argument for a few seconds, and then my gaze wanders. I search my surroundings for other werewolves, wondering if any more were hiding in the bushes. Maybe if I run as fast as possible, I could escape while the leader's attention was focused. Without making any sort of noise, I inch towards the tree trunk…

…Until I spot a huge, handsome dog with silky smooth chocolate fur and a large caramel splotch on his eyes leaping over the trees. Its eyes roam the circle, then stops on me. We stare at each other for a minute, frozen. Tears spring to my eyes.

He flies my way, sprinting a mile a minute. By the time he reaches me, I'm laughing and crying at the same time.

"Scotty!" I exclaim as he rubs my hand with his soft head, just like he always did in the past. He has gotten so big now, almost as large as I am. Heads turn to watch us, but I don't even care. "What are you doing here?" I ask him, "Where have you been?"

He barks once, staring deeply into my eyes. I wish I knew how to speak dog.

I hug him by the neck, drowning in the warmth and softness of his fur. It is so good to be with him again.

A hand touches my shoulder, and I look up to see the face of the leader, his face in a grin. "Why is he with you people?" I ask him sharply.

"Because he trusts us," he gently says, "and so should you."

I stand up, scanning the faces that are looking at me, crawling over my face and body. Immediately my gaze connects with Xavier, noting the look of bewilderment on his features.

"I have to go with them," I tell him calmly. His eyes grow wide.

"Why? They are going to kill you, Mona." Distress is laced through his voice. "Don't you realize that?"

"I have to go with Scotty," I insist, rubbing my hand across his back.

"I can't let you give yourself up because of a dog!"

"Well," the leader bumps in, "I think you can and will." The two men around Xavier grab his arms fiercely. "And Mona," he tells me in a low voice, "I'm very interested as to how you and… um… Scotty know each other. Both of you can tell me all about that later."

He raises his voice. "As you all know, there's a sanctuary near here that can take us back to the headquarters. Let's get moving."

As I glance at the members of the pack, I suddenly notice Ray and Danae's absence. They must have escaped while the leader was talking.

"Are you ready?" the leader asks me softly, "My name is Ferrars by the way."

"Nice to meet you," I smile thinly, "and I have to warn you, I can't run as fast as you guys can. That's why Xavier was carrying me here."

"No problem." He sends me a beautiful smile, sweeping me into his arms. However, all I can feel is the coldness of his arms and chest. For some reason I don't trust him at all.

After a short while we reach a small clearing marked by very bright green grass. As I look up to the sky, I notice how clear and perfect it is. Wasn't it a dark, stormy gray this morning?

Ferrars gracefully puts me down, and then navigates to a rock planted in the center of the clearing. Two strong men follow him and place their hands on the rock. With much effort they lift it, placing it slightly away from where it used to be.

"Take the prisoners first," he commands. A slightly skinnier, handsome man with dark brown hair grabs my arm, roughly dragging me to where Ferrars is. "Be gentle with her, Soka," he cautions my escort. I can feel his calculative gaze scan me as we pass him.

I gasp when I see a deep tunnel where the rock used to be, small and dark. Without realizing it, I clutch Soka's arm tightly. "Are you scared of the dark?" he asks with a little laugh. I glare at him in response, though still sticking to him like glue as we slowly descend down a small stairway into the tunnel. 

"To be a werewolf, you sure don't act like one," Soka comments, "you seem like a regular human, besides your green eyes of course. The master even carried you! He never does anything like that for anyone. He seems happier today than he has been in quite a while."

Feeling like my companion is in the conversational mood, I ask, "Is he the leader of all the werewolves?"

"He's actually the second son of the real leader, but he is next in line to the throne."

"What about the first son? Shouldn't he take over?"

Soka casts me a laughing glance. "You really don't know, do you? Zayn told me that you didn't have a clue back in the forest but I didn't believe him until now."

"I don't have a clue about what?"

"The first son isn't… suitable to be our leader. Although I have to say, he's much better at being a leader than Ferrars is." He snorts. "Ferrars always needs someone to chase, fight, or kill. He can't take more than five minutes of peace."

Silence reigns through the tunnel, the only sounds being the monotonous footsteps as the rest of the group begins to follow us. "Where are we going? What is this tunnel for?" I ask him worriedly. This tunnel seems like it goes on forever, and I'm not sure if I can take much more of this.

"Headquarters," he says softly, "and this is what you would call a portal. The council has a ton of these scattered around the world, hidden in places called sanctuaries. They can take you wherever you wish to go. It is very useful for werewolves who are trying to escape some sort of persecution."

"How can they take you everywhere you wish to go when there is only one passageway?" I don't see any other tunnels leading off this one, which isn't saying much since I can barely see anything.

"All you have to do is think about where you want to go as you travel through the tunnel and you will come out of the portal at that destination."

"You talk too much, Soka," a dangerously deep voice interrupts our conversations, "you shouldn't be telling all this stuff to the prisoner." I look back and I can barely make out the outline of his face.

"What does it matter, Zayn? She's not going to last very long at Headquarters. Who cares if I tell her a few of our secrets?"

"We don't know that. She might get lucky. Ferrars seems to like the look of her."

"He was just acting like a gentleman. It wasn't because he liked her."

I say nothing, slightly offended.

After a few minutes we see a light at the end of the tunnel. Excitement flows through me as I realize that I am so close to getting out of the tunnel and seeing the "Headquarters" for the first time.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Soka laughingly asks as I almost trip on a root. As we reach the light, I can finally see his face as he makes fun of me. I punch him in the arm, surprised at how comfortable I feel with this guard, especially considering that he is bringing me here to die. I guess it is because inwardly, I feel like I am going to be okay.

As long as I have Scotty.

"It's so bright!" I shield my eyes as we step out of the tunnel. I feel immense relief as the world greets me once again. The grass is perfectly green here, the trees elegant and healthy. Even the sky here is just as clear as it was in the sanctuary.

But even more beautiful is the castle right in front of my eyes.

It is so big, with its turrets reaching towards the sky. A sparkling, crystal clear lake lies behind it, wrapping its arms around the entire castle like a moat. There is a gigantic wall surrounding the entire area, which makes it seem even more like a castle out of a fairy tale.

"This is where the council lives?" I ask Soka.

"This is where everyone who is important lives," Soka says plainly, "and yes, that would include the council and their mates.

"Is there any children living in there?" I ask, remembering Ray's words when he told me about the impossibility of having a child between two werewolves.

"Rarely ever are children born in the castle."

"But what about the leader?"

"That… was a special case." Soka loudly snorts and Zayn knees him in the back. "Ouch, man! What was that for?"

"Show proper respect," he says fiercely. As I glance back this time, I can see a large scar stretching across his rather grotesque features.

Ferrars heads to the front of the group, his long golden hair shining in the light. "Guards, take the members of Pack 101 to the dungeon," he commands, unsmiling. As Soka drags me past Ferrars, however, he stops him. "You're coming with me," he says, grabbing hold of my arm. Soka disappears into the train of soldiers who are vanishing into the castle. Xavier, as he passes us both, shoots Ferrars the glance of hell.

Ferrars laughs. "Your friend is funny. I think he likes you."

"Maybe." I decide not to tell him about Xavier and I. That would not help either of us.

He starts walking to the castle, dragging me along. He has a surprisingly tough grip, one that I could never break out of. "You better count yourself lucky that I'm feeling nice today," He grins, "you don't want to be where your friends are, that's for sure."

I keep silent, determined not to give him any sort of answer. Looking at my feet the entire time, I am whisked through the castle, sadness finally beginning to creep into my heart. Where is Scotty? The whole reason why I did not put up a fight was because of him, and now he is nowhere to be found.

"Here we are," he finally says, stopping at a small door. "This is a little bit better than those dungeon rooms. Even though you are our prisoner, you are still a lady and deserve to be treated like one… especially since you might not be staying here very long."

I finally lift my head as the door swings open to a simple room about half the size of the one at the mansion. However, it looks clean and probably is way better than the dungeon cells. "Thank you," I softly say, walking into the bedroom. The bed is pretty large and inviting, beckoning me to lie upon it.

"If you want to change into some better clothes there are some in the closet," he smiles, walking over to a door and opening it to reveal quite a few outfits. "There are also a few necklaces in this drawer that were left here by some of the ambassadors."

I search through the closet until I find a beautiful, yet simple top with a skirt that gathers at the side. Closing the door so he can't see, I change within seconds. It is amazing how fast I can accomplish things now.

I exit the closet and move over to the drawer just to look at the jewelry these people left here. All of it is beautiful, but the one that stands out to me the most is a small emerald orb dangling on a thin silver chain. If I stare into it, it almost feels like I am looking into Xavier's eyes.

"Let me help you," Ferrars's voice turns seductive as he takes the necklace and fastens it around my neck. I can feel his breath on my neck as his fingers play with the ends of the chain. "You look very pretty," he comments, smiling at my form as he steps away.

Against my better judgement, I look away. I wanted to yell at him for hurting my friends. For capturing us against our will. Even though I know it will do no good.

Friends. I have friends now.

Friends who mean so much to me, even though I would never admit it.

Ferrars frowns when I don't say anything in response to his compliment. "Are you worried about your friends?"

I nod slowly, and he walks even closer to my side. He takes both hands and places them firmly on my shoulders. Electricity arises from his touch, shocking me to the bone. Is he insane? What is he doing?

I try to calm down my anger, knowing that it will not get me anywhere.

"It is true that your pack has committed a grave offense," he starts solemnly, "surely you understand the necessity of enforcing the rules. Without rules that are respected an followed, our entire world would fall apart. With that being said, however, you have just met probably the only person right now who can help you out here, and maybe even your pack. So please... please do not cry." His voice turns tender and he drops his arms as a small tear begins to run down my cheek.

I'm... crying? Over what?

After questioning myself in confusion, I look back into Ferrars's bright eyes. "Could you save us? I'll do anything."

 His eyes darken with my words, clouding in its center. I wait for a few seconds impatiently. "Ferrars? Did you hear me?"

I don't even know why I am begging the enemy for help. Since when have I ever been so desperate?

"Uh... yes. I did. I don't know what came over me. I apologize. Uh... don't worry about it. I'll take care of you, I promise."

I do not like where this conversation is going. I suddenly realize that one of his hands have been touching my shoulder this entire time. No wonder I have been shivering so much.

I treat him with one of my best, though obviously fake smiles. "Thank you, I really appreciate everything you have done."

His face suddenly freezes, and contorts into a scowl. "What are you doing to me?!" He asks, extremely frustrated. It is as if he has become another person, staring at me like I normally would a piece of steak.

That's it! I knew he was bipolar.

"Doing what?" I ask, shocked. There is a blur of motion and then suddenly I find myself on the bed, pinned down by Ferrars.

He looks like an animal now more than ever, staring at me hungrily. Fright jolts through me as he reaches to unbutton the top of my shirt. "Please…" I beg, tears beginning to form and roll down my cheeks.

Completely ignoring me, he impatiently rips open the first button, then the second. I almost scream as his eyes begin to glow bright like the sun…

But then they stop glowing almost as soon as they started. His face is full of bafflement as he seems to return to his normal self. "What is this?" he asks angrily, "you are mated?"

I look at the mirror to the side and suddenly notice a small mark near my neck. It is in the shape of a crescent moon with a circle around it. "How long has that been there?" I wonder aloud, rubbing the spot with my fingers.

"And what is this?!" He stares at the gap between my shirt and the skirt, where a similar mark lies on my hip. "But you have such an irresistible smell… this is impossible! I can't even control myself around you, yet you are mated to not one but two men?"

He backs away, staring at me with fright. "What are you?"

"Can you explain to me why you assaulted me just then?!" I ask furiously.

A slight pause follows as Ferrars tries to recover. "It's your smell," he groans, "it is so intoxicating that it nearly knocked me down when I first saw you. I was planning on marking you as my own, but looks like two people beat me to the punch. It should be impossible to be mated and smell like that! I don't understand at all."

"Did you say… I was mated to two men?"

Ferrars roughly steps forward and points to both of the markings. "These are mating markings. The reason why my eyes were glowing was because I was trying to mark you, but I stopped because of the shock of discovering that first mark by your neck. If you are mated, you are supposed to smell kind of like a rotten egg to everyone but your mate, but you are not like that at all."

He nearly runs away from me, staring as if I am an alien. "Good night, Mona. I apologize for my rudeness, but right now it would be best for both of us if I stayed away from you. There is some food on the tray." He shuts the door quickly, and I hear a click shortly after. He locked me in.

I stand up and examine myself in the mirror. I had never really noticed the markings before, with them being almost like regular, minuscule birthmarks. Today has definitely been a day of surprises. For one, I'm surprised I am still alive after Ferrars looked at me like he was going to eat me.

Totally exhausted, I plop back onto the bed, wondering how the crap I got two markings. It is almost too much for me to take in all at once. Is Ferrars a genuinely nice person or is he the person that I caught a glimpse of tonight?

I remember Ferrars's angry question, "What are you?", with complete confusion.

What am I?

A few minutes later, the door squeaks open to reveal a majestic, beautiful dog. It shuts behind him as he comes towards me. "Spotty!" I smile, patting the spot to my left. "Come and sit by me."

As he joins me, I find myself telling him everything that has happened with Ferrars. Spotty has always been so easy to talk to… I was always able to tell him anything that was on my mind ever since I was young. Minutes stretch into hours as I pour out my fears, hopes, and past since he left.

His big eyes search mine as I confess, "Ferrars… he was going to mark me until he saw these." I show him my two markings, and he growls. "He… asked me what I was, Spotty, and I don't think I have the answer to that. Do you have any clue? I know I have changed, and it has been so long since we parted…"

"Why are you even here, Scotty? Did they kidnap you?" I ask him after a few moments of thought. He stared at me in response, unblinking. The peculiarity of this entire situation seems to hit me at this moment. The werewolves here are not really the type to keep pets.

Suddenly overcome by sleepiness, I lay my head down on the pillows. "Goodnight, Spotty," I shoot him one last smile, "thank you for listening."

He lays his body near mine, curling around me so I can almost hear his heartbeat. His soft breath against my neck feels so much different than Ferrars's did earlier. For some reason, both of us being together like this feels… so incredibly perfect.

My eyes slip to a close, my mind drifting off into wonderland.

In the middle of the night, I briefly become suspended between sleep and full consciousness. Confusion arises within me as I realize a broad chest is now against my back instead of soft fur, two legs almost intertwined with mine. An arm is slowly caressing me, stroking my stomach, arms, and thigh; and lips are murmuring soft words to my ear.

"You are only mine..."