Page 25 of Bewitched By the Werewolf
I stride deeper into the forest, concealing my movements and sounds as best as possible, making me near undetectable. The light from the waxing moon is obscured by the thick canopy above. The temperature in the dark forest is cool. A brisk breeze ruffling my hair. At least I’m down wind. As long as she’s ahead of me in the forest, she won’t scent me.
What am I thinking? She’s a human she can’t scent me. But that doesn’t seem to matter to my beast, I’m in predator mode now. Hunting for my prey. If only I knew her scent so I could pinpoint her location better. As it is, I’ll have to rely on my other senses. Senses that supersede any humans. I’ll find her, one way or another.
Deeper into the forest I go, listening for any sound out of place from the natural ebb and flow of the trees and critters in the forest. A deer almost pulls me away from task, temping my beast to shift, hunt and kill. I shake it off and try to refocus. I can feel my body growing in size, my nails becoming claws and my clothing restricting under the press of my muscles.
I’m only dressed in jeans and a t-shirt tonight, foregoing my standard utility belt and weapon. I was off the clock when Logan texted me. At least I don’t have to worry about losing my gun and badge out here. The thought is fleeting as my mind presses away any thoughts not associated with finding my prey. Red hair, red lips. That’s what I focus on. Searching out the one thing she can’t hide in the darkness.
I finally spot a glimpse of red and hide behind the nearest tree, hoping she didn’t see me. I hear the sound of movement then footsteps. Slow then quick, moving away from me. My chest rises and falls with the excitement and anticipation of a chase. The knot at the base of my cock swells in eagerness. I don’t evenscold myself for it. I want it to swell, I want to chase and catch and fuck. The urge so primal and immediate, I can’t suppress it.
The shift doesn’t take over yet. I manage to keep it at bay as I round the tree and jog in the direction I heard the steps. My long slow bounds turn into hurried leaps, my limbs lengthening and somehow in my half-frenzied state, I manage to remove my boots instead of tearing through them. My shirt and pants on the other hand don’t quite survive my unplanned shift. It washes through me as natural as breathing, stretching and reshaping my body to that of an eight-foot-tall beast covered in dark grey fur.
Whatever reasoning I had for being here, or what I was trying to accomplish are gone and replaced with a primal urge to hunt and catch. I know I want the female I seek. I can’t scent her, can’t smell her arousing aroma like I would any other female, but my beast’s reaction to her is the same as if I could. It’s infuriating and I let out a growl as I bound forward on all fours searching for her presence.
Chapter 14: Tess
The woods are dark and eerily quiet as I carefully pick my way around large shrubs and trees, searching for any evidence of werewolves. There have been a few tracks but nothing more than regular standard wolf prints. Nothing bestial. Yet. I figured with most people at the bar for karaoke night it would be prime time for a werewolf to make use of the empty woods. Seems the only one making use of them tonight is me.
I’ve been out here for over an hour and nothing. That is, until I hear a branch snap and a low rumble, almost imperceptible. But I hear it. I always hear everything.
Shouldering my crossbow I ready my arrow-bolt coated in wolfsbane. I’m not stupid enough to think one eight-inch bolt will take down and fully formed werewolf, but one coated in wolfsbane could slow it down just enough. I line up the site and slowly rotate, searching for the cause of the noise. I could have sworn it was a low growl, and it didn’t sound like any animal I’ve ever heard before.
My heart races at the possibility of finally spotting another werewolf. The last time I saw one I was ten years old and camping with my family. It was a regular night at the campfire when we heard screaming coming from the site a few down from ours. When we went to help, that’s when I saw them. Largefurry beasts with massive fangs and claws towering over me covered in dark fur only made darker by the night’s shadows. Giants on their hind legs with double knees and paws the size of dinner plates. I’ll never forget them, no matter how many times my parents say they didn’t see them. No one else saw them or admitted to seeing them. Just me. The people who had been attacked were injured and taken to the hospital but recovered, thankfully. That was the night my obsession began, and it never stopped.
I crouch making myself a smaller target and attempting to conceal my presence. I changed back into my jeans and boots after leavingBlue Moon. Dresses don’t work well for hunting and running through the forest. I settle my knee on a low flat rock, stabilizing my hold on my crossbow. Using the slight rays of moon light, I let my vision adjust even farther to accommodate the night. Most people wouldn’t be able to see much of anything in such low light, but not me. I may not be able to see every leaf and twig, but I can see far better than anyone I know. Kids never liked playing flashlight tag with me because I never needed the flashlight to find them.
A rustling draws my attention and in the distance a shape appears bounding through the undergrowth, which reaches nearly to my waist. A dark fur covered body, massive and moving quickly. My pulse quickens but I don’t flinch. Instead, I line up my sights with the mass of the creature. The werewolf. And I pull the trigger.
My black bolt tears through the shortening distance between us, at the same time I realize it’s coming straight for me. The metal makes contact and the werewolf yelps like a wounded dog, jerking from where the bolt hit. It’s movements stutter and slow, stopping for a moment before standing on its hind legs and leaning back on its haunches. The beast is massive and snarling at the red blooming from a wound on its shoulder.
I hit it. I fucking hit a werewolf. I really hope I caught any of this on camera somewhere. I remain crouched and frozen staring at the creature I’ve been searching for, for nearly two decades. I knew they were real. I knew I wasn’t crazy.
The werewolf turns its attention from the wound in its shoulder and searches the area for its source, eventually settling on my motionless form. I probably should run or reload and shoot it again, but I am so stunned at finally finding one I just freeze. Just seeing it and reaffirming my beliefs is more than I could have hoped for. I mean it’s literally what I was looking for, but I thought I would catch a glimpse in a video or a still shot somewhere. Not an in-person face to face confrontation.
I remain perfectly still hoping it will run away, because, let’s be real, I will not win in a one-on-one fight against a werewolf. I was so confident in being able to handle myself in such a situation, but in reality, I’m getting nervous the longer I remain in its presence. Now would be a very good time for it to eat me, and for me to run away. Before I can, the werewolf makes the first move, using only his one none injured arm to propel himself forward. Straight at me.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to die now. Finally whatever spell froze me in place is broken and I turn and run. I don’t care where I’m going as long as it’s away from the monster beast I just pissed off. I can hear it behind me but the sounds aren’t growing louder, and it hasn’t pounced on me yet like I thought it would have. There’s no way I can run faster than that thing.
Looking over my shoulder, I just barely catch sight of it running in a different direction. Like it made a hard left when coming at me and veered off. I slow to a jog and then stop completely when I realize its not chasing me. It’s leaving, and when it’s out of sight I hear it howl. A warning, or a promise to find me again? I don’t know. Strangely—though I was worried for my life for a moment there—I’m more fascinated with what Ijust saw. My adrenaline is pumping, muscles tightening, and my breathing heavy but I’ve never felt more alive. And more excited.
I need to get back to my trailer and check all the cameras.
I wait a moment longer just to make sure the werewolf is really gone and pivot sharply on my heel, slinging my crossbow onto my back and running full speed back to my trailer.
~Ryder~
She shot me. I can’t believe she shot me with a crossbow. I was not expecting that to happen tonight. I also wasn’t expecting to shift and chase after her. All this time I’ve been being careful about what she sees and making sure no one shifts near her, and I do the exact thing I was trying to prevent. At least I was able to take over enough control to force myself away after she shot me. I wanted to chase after her even more then, and I almost did. I don’t know what would have happened had I not pushed myself away. Thankfully I did.
It is not fun running with an arrow in your shoulder. I’ve never been hit before so this is a first. I don’t pull it out till I make it all the way back to my house. It’s not a short run but I manage. The pain is more a throb and annoyance than anything. It’s not deep and as soon as I shift it’ll close the wound. I can use fairy dust to heal the rest. By tomorrow morning it’ll be like it was never there.
One more reason I’m glad my utility belt is at home rather than strewn somewhere in the woods. I’m going to have to go back and find my boots and clothes tomorrow. Shouldn’t be hard since all I have to do is follow the scent of my own blood.
Rounding the two-story house Hunter and I share, I stop at the base of the stairs to the porch under the motion activated light. I’m able to see the arrow clearly enough to realize it’s not really an arrow but a metal shaft or bolt. It stings when I quicklyrip the thing out of my shoulder, shifting almost immediately to minimize any more pain or injury.
I stand naked in my front yard, staring down at the sharply tipped bolt that’s barely longer than my hand. Even after everything, I smirk down at it in my palm. My Red is a surprisingly tough female. I like that, in a strange way I didn’t expect. At least I don’t have to worry about anyone going after her. She froze after shooting me, but I think that had more to do with it being the first time she’s actually been face to face with a shifter, than not being able to defend herself. Next time she’ll definitely shoot me more than once, if I give her the chance.
It doesn’t seem like she wants to kill me. Maybe capture, interrogate, photograph for proof. But she doesn’t seem like the killer type. Knee you in the balls if you get to close type for sure, but not a killer.
Looking down at my shoulder I inspect the still angry red wound. It’s closed, mostly, but is still sore and tender to the touch. Maybe I left it in too long. I’ll have to use some dust. An injury like this won’t go unnoticed. Intent on getting inside to heal my wound I bound up the few stairs and stop at the top, staring at the remnants of our porch column. It looks like a wild beast attacked it. Which might not be far from the truth. I can’t remember if it was like that this morning or not. Maybe Hunter had a bad day, though he didn’t mention it at the bar. He seemed pleased as a pup rolling in fresh cut grass that he got to spend time with Lottie.
