Page 101 of Cursed Beasts

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling lost, lonely and oddly with an intense longing. The clock chimed, making Katarina look at her watch. She thought she found a secret spot, but if she knew better, she would know we could find her by following her scent.

She now had an undertone of Lucien’s scent, and it made her even more desirable. They were my pack, and we had always assumed we would mate the same person, but after Vivienne, mating a Belladonna soured my stomach. No matter how much of a pull I felt towards her, I was here because of her family, and nothing would change that.

My hate was ingrained deep in my heart, my betrayal was the only thing keeping me alive, it made me see tomorrow if only to make her family pay. If we mated, she would ask me to spare her family, and that wasn’t an option. They ripped away my life, all of our lives. For what?

When she left the library, I went back outside to wait for the change. I never welcomed the change so willingly, but lately, when my wolf took over, it was a welcome reprieve from my thoughts and life. My wolf pushed forward as I welcomed oblivion and the peace it gave me.

* * *

I wokeup to growling and the smell of Katarina.

She looked terrified, backing away from me. Behind her, I saw Aeon and Lucien running towards us in their wolf forms. The need to protect her was instinct. I tried to speak when I barked, realizing I was still in my wolf’s body.

I didn’t have time to be gentle when I pushed her with my head, hoping she realized I wasn’t my beast anymore. Pulling on her shirt to follow me, she quickly seemed to understand that I was trying to help her.

“Please growl if you understand me,” she panted, as she pushed herself and he immediately growled. “Oh, thank the goddess.”

I pushed her to take a left turn, trying to figure out where I would take her to keep her safe. But a thought formed in my mind that if I left her, Lucien and Aeon might do the job that I wouldn’t be able to do. They would kill her, solving our problem.

My wolf instantly pushed forward, hating that idea, and as much as I wanted her gone, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I pushed her to turn down a path that would lead straight to the front door, giving her a chance to get inside and hide her in the library. There was a spot that if she climbed up to, none of us could reach her.

Aeon and Lucien were gaining on us as she reached the front door. She yanked it open when Lucien lunged for her, and I had to jump in front of her before he hurt her. Katarina’s scream was all I heard when Lucien landed on me as he tried snapping at her.

She must have fallen, as I saw her quickly get up. I rolled over, yanking Lucien back when Aeon jumped on my back and then launched forward. Thankfully, she headed to the east side of the manor. I stepped on Lucien, hoping to hurt him enough that it took him a minute to recover while I figured out how to get Aeon away from her.

Another scream sounded in the hallways when I turned a corner, seeing Aeon dragging Katarina by the foot while she threw a knife at him. I growled loudly lunging at Aeon, pinning him to the wall, baring my teeth, and biting his neck to subdue him. I yanked him back and into a wall, hopefully knocking him out. When he didn’t move, I dropped him, stepping back slowly in case he was trying to fool me.

I was about to go after Katarina when Lucien pounced on me, trying to go for my neck. He was slightly bigger than I was, weighing a little more than me. When he landed on me, all of the air was pushed out of my lungs. I saw an opening as he left his neck open, when I pushed myself up, and barely missed his neck as he backed away to run after her.

All he wanted was to get on the other side of me to keep chasing her. I got up quickly, exerting myself to catch up, when I saw him enter the library. Pushing myself a little more, I tackled him, rolling us around until I was on top, grabbing his neck and throwing him. He hit the wall with a yelp when I began to look around for Katarina. She sounded like she was going up the metal staircase and I followed the sound.

I caught up with her, keeping my expression non-threatening.

“Oh, thank the goddess it's you.” Her lips trembled and it looked like she was about to cry.

Before she let go of all of her emotions, I pushed her chest with my head in the direction I wanted her to go. Once she started walking, I moved in front of her, keeping an ear out for Lucien. We got to the ledge above a bookcase and I pushed her into it hoping she would understand that I wanted her to climb it.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” she asked, when I pushed her against the bookshelf.

“Is there some kind of lever or what am I looking for?” She looked confused.

I huffed in annoyance that I couldn’t talk to her. Looking at the bookshelf I put my paws on a shelf and tried to climb up.

“Are you telling me to climb up there?” She looked up and then back at me.

I nodded.

“Fuck, ok if you say so, but if I fall to my death, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. She laughed, but quickly threw her arms around me.

“Thank you, I know you hate me but thank you for not letting me be eaten.” She pulled away, kissing my nose making me jerk back and rub my paw against my nose.

“You’re so dramatic and I think I like you better when you can’t talk back to me.” She smirked as she climbed the bookshelf. “You can hate me tomorrow Sir Fluffington; I'm sure I can come up with something for you to hate me for.”

She called out as she reached the top of the bookshelf and got on the ledge.

“Holy shit, this is cool!”

---