Page 1 of Red

1.

Predator

I’m not stalking her. I’m only making sure she is unharmed. Isn’t that what a perfect gentleman should do? Ensure she returns home safe and sound from her date?

I’m far from perfect. Nor am I a gentleman. Not even a human.

I also, most certainly,amstalking her and have been for the past couple of months. I keep finding excuses for my twisted behavior, but I simplyhad toinspect for myself… As I always do, constantly lurking in the shadows.

Tonight feels different, however. The stakes seem higher. It’s their first dinner outing, and in my mind, that makes things more official after weeks of his advances. I realize the implications of what this could possibly mean for the two of them now. Naturally, I wouldn’t allow such an atrocity to ever happen. To be frank, I’mactivelylooking forward to having a reason to annihilate the son of a bitch already.

Except, she doesn’t invite him inside. Which means he gets to live another day. What a pity.

Awkwardly scratching his full beard, he appears almost as disappointed as myself. Next, frustration sets in as he balls his other fist.

I will rip your fucking throat out faster than you can start praying to your god if you force yourself on her.

Masquerading as decent, he refrains from doing anything unsolicited and stays collected. Nonetheless, I can imagine the repulsive things that are going through his head. I must give it to him, he is surprisingly patient. Much more than me, since waiting for his smallest mistake is pushing me to the point of no return.

Before leaving, he steps closer to her, and I barely get any time to brace myself for what’s to come. His palm reaches low on her waist, under her open red wool coat, while he raises his other hand to graze her cheek. He leans, pressing his disgusting lips to hers.

She reciprocates.

She won’t be able to do that to me. Well, not in this form, at least. I don’t have lips… But I very much intend to lick hers.

Their kiss is a silver dagger to my heart—a toxic poison stinging like the bite of a venomous serpent. An all-consuming jealousy shreds my already fragile sanity, sending ripples of rage through my entire body. The intensity of my envy is a wildfire, fueled by my obsession.

Knowing he’s already a dead man walking, I descent into madness, conjuring scenarios in my mind that give me perverse satisfaction—scenarios in which his mutilated body is lying in the pool of his own blood for daring to touch what’s mine.

In moment of self-reflection, I’m haunted by the realization of the darkness within me. But the moment passes as quickly as it came.

Maybe I could walk away and let her be happy with him if he wasn’t such a piece of scum…

No, not even then.

She’s mine.

Mine.

And mine only.

I refuse to watch, staring at my paws on the ground, and time drags for eternity.

Driven by my possessiveness, I almost lose my restraint and dash toward them to fulfill my sinister urges.

Then I remember why I’m doing all of this in the first place—to control myself around her.

It can’t be going the best because I hear a loud snap, and it registers that I must’ve put too much force on the tree trunk.

Startled by the sudden sound, she quickly says her goodbyes before closing the door on his imbecile face, leaving him alone on her porch. Just like a good girl she is. My beautiful Julia.

She’s the center of my universe, and the mere thought of another orbiting in her vicinity prompts me to assert dominance, to mark my territory, to take her as my mate right here and right now.

This wicked need is my darkest desire that I battle with every second of every day since the first moment she’s captured all my senses and I understood we were fated to be together.

Something she’s entirely not aware of yet. Living each day unsuspecting, oblivious to the severity of my fixation and the future together that awaits us.

However, regardless of how this all might come off, her free willisof large importance to me. I might be a slave for her, but I hunger for a genuine connection, her love born of choice, never shackles disguised as destiny written in the stars.

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