Chapter 4. Wolf Men

The fishing trip went well, in Carla's opinion. Everyone but her had fun, though she pretended to whenever she saw her two friends looking at her.

A lot of things made her uncomfortable with the situation she found herself in. Mark's penetrating gaze that seemed to glimpse into her soul with its intensity, how loud everyone was being, making them an easy target for whatever nightmarish creature wanted to attack and even how twitchy and paranoid she was acting, was beginning to irritate her.

A lot of things seemed to irritate her these days, she was trying but it was so hard to kick back and relax. She was stressed about her friend; who looked like she was dying, stressed about the creature and stressed about her inability to fix any of those things or at least have an understanding of them.

Carla decided, for her sanity, to push all thoughts on the monster to the back of her mind. As far as she was concerned it was just a figment of her imagination. Right now, her only priority was nursing Carolyne back to health.

On their return to camp, Carla went straight to work, she made sure her friend was eating properly, supplied her with as much water as her body could take and made sure she did not drown in a puddle of her own vomit.

Slowly but surely, Carolyne was getting better and at the rate she was going, she would probably get to enjoy the last few days they had remaining here.

When night time came, Carla was completely exhausted. Taking care of Carolyne had demanded a lot of energy and the very second she placed her head on the pillow, she felt herself doze off, with the comforting sounds of Carolyne's loud snores behind her.

Late into the night, Carla was woken up by the pressing call of nature and slipped out of the tent as quietly as she could, to avoid waking her sick friend. She stumbled across the campground with sleep clogging up her senses and managed to get her business done without any accidents.

The blonde walked towards the unlit fireplace, dragging her feet and mumbling incoherently as she went. Taking a seat on one of the logs, she stared at the partially burnt wood and smacked her lips together, lazily. Carla was far too tired to fall asleep so she decided some fresh air would do her good.

The forest was surrounded by a sleepy serenity, the bright moon casting a delicate glow on the rows of trees that only allowed small spots of light to touch the ground, it was the perfect time and place to self-reflect as the wind soothed and calmed the soul, making it seem as if all of life's problems were simply a figment of the imagination.

Carla thought about a lot of things, including her parents who thought her wanting to take a one-year break before going off to college meant she wanted to ruin her life and become 'a good for nothing waste to society'. 

Her parents were not the most understanding people and expected absolute perfection from her. 

Growing up, they had wanted a model daughter, someone her Father could brag to his fellow professors about and someone her Mother could take along with her to the country club to show off to her friends. 

She had been all that and more, doing everything in her power to please them and placed them on such a high pedestal, they could do no wrong but the one thing she asked for seemed to put a dent in their already fragile relationship. 

Maybe she should just go along with what they say, college could not be that bad. Plus, it was easier to do what they say than go through the stress of fighting them. 

She sighed as she played with a small stick, her mind so occupied by thoughts that she did not notice the large creature slowly creeping towards her. 

With her back to the creature, Carla was left defenceless and taken unawares, when it suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her by the waist with a giant clawed hand.

Before she could react or let out a scream for help, it picked her and took off in the direction it had run towards, the first night she saw it.

Carla clutched the large hairy arm wrapped around her, fearfully as they ran as fast as lightning through the forest, moving so quickly that she felt like they were flying. 

They barreled through the trees, breaking apart logs and branches that were no match for the beast's strength, and she was jostled by the movement but the beast kept a surprisingly gentle hold on her.

After what felt like hours of running, they finally stopped in a clearing that was larger than the one they were camping and the creature plopped her down on the floor, giving her the chance to finally get a good look at the beast.

It was gigantic, larger than any bear she had seen. It had a wolf-like look, with its bared and sharp fangs, a pointed snout that was constantly twitching and large furry ears that were swivelling on its large head. 

She looked at the hands that had held her so gently and could not help the small shiver that went through her. Those claws could rip her apart with a single swipe. 

Carla noted its silky midnight black fur and slowly looked into its eyes. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the familiar gold and intelligent, human eyes staring back at her.

"Mark?" She asked, carefully and the creature tilted its large head, contemplating her figure sprawled out on the ground.

His head snapped up, suddenly and he stared past her with narrowed eyes. Carla turned around as he stood over her, protectively and eyed the empty space for what alerted him. 

There was nothing there.

"What..." He held up a giant hand, silencing her question and pointed in the direction he was staring. 

She stared at the area, waiting patiently for something to happen. A few seconds later, a group of wolves, some smaller than Mark, some his size and some bigger, came barreling into the clearing. 

They sniffed the air and moved towards her sat figure, snapping at her with sharp fangs and she shuffled into her abductors' protective arms.

He growled at them in what she assumed was a warning manner and they backed away, some more reluctant than others. She noticed some of them eyeing her hungrily and made a mental note to avoid them.

The sound of cracking filled the air and she watched with astonishment as they morphed into humans, their skins bulging from the shifting of bones.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing," one of them smiled at her with a deranged look in his eyes and she stood up from the ground, bumping into a naked Mark as she moved away.

"Back off, Kayden," Mark growled at him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side, "I already claimed her."

"Claimed? What the hell does that mean?" She questioned as she looked between the two glaring males.

"Enough of this," hissed the largest and oldest of them. "We are here for a reason, not to rile each other up," he gave Kayden a warning glare that made him back away then turned to look at Carla with a penetrating gaze.

"She will make a strong wolf and partner," he said to Mark whose arm tightened on her shoulder, with a congratulatory smile.

"What..." Mark slapped his hand over her mouth and she growled in annoyance but remained silent when he released her.

"You have not told your mate yet?" The man asked as he walked over to them and grabbed her chin, pulling her towards him. "You do not show the commitment a wolf should have when claiming a mate, Mark," he chastised with a disapproving glare.

"He does not, Beta, which is why I should have her. I'll be a much more enthusiastic mate" Kayden said with a lecherous grin that made the others chuckle, and Carla, try to tug her chin out of Beta's firm but gentle hold.

Beta tightened his hand and she whimpered in pain, tears gathering in her eyes and her legs kicking uselessly as he lifted her up from the ground to his face. "Is that what you want, Mark? Do you want Kayden to have her?" He asked the man with a frown.

"No Beta," the green-eyed man forced out through clenched teeth, "I did not want to rush or overwhelm her so I was waiting for the right..."

"She is your mate, Mark. Whatever moment you think is best is when she will be ready. How many mates do I have, boy?"

"Twelve, Beta," Mark responded, obediently.

"Do you think I got that many by waiting for them to be ready?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he set Carla down and turned her around to face the younger man.

Mark's eyes softened when he caught sight of her teary-eyes and wet, flushed cheeks.

Beta carefully gathered her hair to the side, exposing the right side of her neck. He pulled her into his body with a firm hand wrapped around her waist and brought his mouth to the exposed flesh then whispered, his breathe ghosting over the sensitive skin, "if you are not ready to do the needful, I have no problem with claiming a thirteenth mate," his teeth elongated and he began sinking it into her neck, causing her to cry out in panic.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

Mark and Kayden screamed at the same time and Beta paused.

"I will claim her, Beta, I swear on my life," the green-eyed male promised, "please let her go, she's frightened," he gestured at her trembling, whimpering form.

Beta hummed and unwound his arm from her waist, nudging her to go to the man who had brought her. She walked over to Mark on trembling legs and crashed into his comforting embrace.

"I will give you a second chance because I like you, Mark..."

"Beta!" Kayden protested.

"Shut up, Kayden," the older man snarled at Kayden who became silent and turned to look at the pair. "Go on then. Claim her," he urged, impatiently.

"I can't do it right now..." Beta growled in warning and Mark knew the man had lost his patience. 

If he did not do it now, Beta gladly will.

"What's happening?" Carla asked, confused by everything they had said, "what does he want you to do?" She demanded slapping his chest in frustration and he grabbed her wrists in a tight hold.

"I am so sorry," he whispered into her ear and made his way down to her neck.

Carla's frowned in confusion then her eyes widened and she screamed in agony as his teeth sank into her neck, ripping through delicate flesh.

Her vision blurred and the sound of her screaming grew distant as everything went black and silent.