Red and the Wolf

Here we go again! Chapter 5 is finally out. FINALLY. You guys must hate me so much for being plagued with constant writer's block. >_<

All I can say is enjoy!


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The rain was still falling. The sound was soothing but it could not ease the slight tension in the air. Red was still nervous to be around him. Jack could smell it off of her. Did she not know the effects she had on him? How he longed to tear away at their clothes and make love to her until she faints? To stick his face into her hair and breathe in her scent. To taste her skin. To feel her body writhe under his in pleasure. How beautiful and how weak she was physically. Jack has seen many beautiful women in his time but she...she made him want things he never wanted before. He wanted to berate himself for acting like a lovesick fool...it enraged the wolf inside of him. This small insignificant slip of a woman can make even the deadliest of canine...act like a mere puppy, excited, and longing to be petted and given treats. And because of that the Wolf hated Red. Jack sat there and stared at her. Could she be the one to fully tame the beast inside? Red was playing with a lock of her hair absentmindedly while watching the fire crackle and pop before her. She was waiting for him to speak. He could look at her forever...while holding in the snarling wolf. Jack ran his fingers through his thick black hair. He had to speak. To say something to her. Was he trying to make her see him as a human instead of a wolf? Maybe.

"I..." He stopped there. Red looked at him with those big brown pretty eyes. He tried to find any hint of disgust or fear or loathing. Something to make him agree with his wolf and push her away. But what he found was worry, warmth, and understanding.

"Yes Jack?"

Her voice was like flowing honey. Jack gave her a quick smile. And when she reciprocated Jack's heart almost stopped. For a split second he forgot who he was and where he was. All he seen was her. All he seen was a future with her. Jack had always loved being a wolf. It gave him a freedom that nothing else could. But what was freedom when he was still caged in by his curse? Never to interact with humans for fear of being recongnized and hunted down. As much as Jack loved driving fear into the hearts of hunters and farmers alike, he knew that one day he could make a crucial mistake and end up as a pelt for a hunter. It was a fate that Jack never want to happen. He knew his strength. But he also knew the strength in numbers. Jack was one man. Hunters traveled in groups. He was tired of running from them. And if they see Red with him they will automatically think she was in leagues with him. They might even assume that she is his bitch. As much as Jack would like that to happen...it could jepordize her life and it was the last thing he ever wanted to happen.

"Jack?"

Jack shook his head and his eyesight came back into focus. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he was making an ass out of himself by staring at her. "I'm sorry." he mumbled looking down trying the squash the rare flush of red rising into his cheeks. Red giggled lightly. "You are quite the character, Jack the wolf." She scooted closer to him. It seemed in his random act of silliness; the nervousness Red had in her had dissapitated. She had rather enjoyed being stared at by the Man-Wolf. It made him seem more human and surprisingly it made her feel desired and beautiful. Red had found Jack to be a handsome man from the very moment she seen him. Raw and rugged. A slender yet masculine face to match a body rippled with muscle. A body made for sin. Red was in awe of him. He was the first man to ever take her into his arms and hold her like he did. She looked up into his face. His eyes were as captivating as the scars that decorated his body. The fierce intensity of his eyes scared her. Whenever he looked at her it sometimes made her feel like he was looking into her soul. Into her heart. Red was spending some time trying to push the feelings away. She wanted to feel sadness and pity for him, but that's what she only wanted to feel for him. But her heart was saying otherwise. How could she love him? He was a creature of the night. It was not normal. Sadness and pity...she felt. But whenever he looked at her the way he did. It gave her goosebumps. It made her want to feel something more. Did she desire him? Was it the lure of the mysterious werewolf drawing her in? Red had never felt that way before. She could almost feel a pull onto her nethers. A pulsing twinge. He looked up at her. Once again those eyes bored into her. Can he tell?

"Red...I'm ready to tell you how I became a werewolf."

Red's heart sped up. She had a feeling this was going to be hard on him. Red reached out and took his hand into hers. She almost melted at the warmth his hand was giving. It made her wonder if he was perpetually warm like that all the time. "What ever you feel comfortable with...you can tell me." She smiled sweetly at him and patted the back of his hand lightly. His hand trembled slightly. Red glanced down at it and seen how tiny her hand was compared to his. She looked up and noticed that he had done the same. Their eyes locked.

Jack's heart began to beat faster than normal. How could a person have such deep soulful eyes? He wanted to kiss her so badly. His other hand came up and cupped her cheek lightly. Her skin was so soft he was sure if he pressed a little harder onto it...it would bruise. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He stroked the apple of her cheek lightly with his thumb. "I am comfortable enough to tell you anything you want to know." He slid his thumb down and ran it along her plump lower lip. She had let out a shuddering breath and Jack caught wind of something extra sweet in the air. Arousal. Jack bit the inside of his cheek to prevent a grin from spreading onto his face. "I am ready." She whispered as she opened her eyes and focused them onto him. The way she claimed she was ready and the look in her eyes...It was taking all the willpower in the world to keep him from ravaging the woman. 'Stop thinking with your cock, Jack.' he thought to himself. The ravaging can come later. He needed to focus.

Jack sighed as he prepared himself to tell her his story about his life. He spent most of his life trying to keep it in the back of his mind...to avoid the baggage of his memories. Red looked attentive almost immediately and nodded to him in reassurance. Jack closed his eyes and began to speak. "All my life I had to hide from hunters. It happened when I was a little one...only seven years of age. My mother had took me out of the safety of our home and brought me into the forest on a full moons night. Of course I questioned her motives but she told me that we were going on a special trip. So I followed her. I believed every word she told me and I loved my mother too much to disobey her. Then I was knocked out. When I woke up I was surrounded in complete darkness. The place smelled like animal and I bound and gagged so I couldn't scream. I thought something had happened to my mother. I cried." Jack opened his eyes and poked at the fire with a stick. "I heard gunshots outside and then my mother had come in. When I was untied and my eyes were uncovered I seen that my mother had been shot. Her strength was astounding because she picked me up with her good arm and ran out of the cave. I was confused by the whole thing. I had no idea that the person who shot her was my own father."

Red gasped and covered her mouth with a delicate hand. She had no idea that his father could have been so cruel. This was definitely shedding some new light on Jack and it was only endearing him even more in her eyes.

Jack continued to speak. "My father; Jakob Holden is the leader of the Nachtjäger and is a glorified werewolf hunter. As revenge when my mother was out alone one night she was bitten by a werewolf. She had managed to hide the curse with the help of an old medicine woman named Rebecca. She made a potion that calmed the wolf's bloodlust by adding essence of wolfsbane and other-"

"Jack." Red interrupted him. "Jack...that old woman you speak of is my Grandmother."

Wide green eyes locked onto deep brown. He sniffed the air to see if she was lying. She wasn't. "I told you I can help you with your curse." Red said with a smile. "Now finish your story. I would like to know what happened next."

Jack nodded quickly. He had so many questions to ask her, but he had to respect her wishes. She wanted to know more so he will give her more. "Unfortunately that night the potion had run out and we were ways from your little town of Hessen. My mother was trying her hardest to keep the curse under control. But she couldn't any longer. She transformed and all sense of thought ceased. Even though she was an animal I was still her cub and she needed to protect me. So she grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt and hoisted me onto her back. When I was on her back...I felt safe. I wasn't scared anymore. Because when I seen her change...it scared me so badly that I wanted to run away. Even through the transformation...she still loved her son." Jack ran his fingers through his hair as he felt his eyes well up with tears he thought he had cried away a long time ago.

"Do you miss her?" Red asked softly.

Jack looked at her. "Every single day. My mother was a saint. I loved her more that anyone could ever have. And my father...he took that away from me. My mother had put me in a tree to keep me out of danger while my coward of a father took her on with his pack of hunters. I cried out to my mother when she was attacked. One of the hunters seen me and shot at the tree breaking the branch. Before I could fall all the way; my mother with all the strength she had lept up into the tree and caught me. My shirt unfortunately had ripped from the sharpness of her fangs and she bit me on the shoulder to keep me from being severely injured. It had hurt so much and there was blood everywhere. Her jaws were amazingly strong. She pulled me back onto her back and she lept down...by then I was dizzy from the pain and the blood lost of her fangs puncturing the skin. In her act of desperation...she had passed the curse to her only son. She ignored the hunters and tried to tend to my wounds but she was shot at again. All four limbs were damaged beyond repair. She was turned into a broken and defeated female wolf. My father dealt the final blow."

Red gasped with her hand still covering her mouth. "How could anyone be so...cruel?" she asked in disbelief.

Jack took her hand into his and stroked it lightly with his thumb. "The world is a cruel place, Red. There is no place for weakness; especially in these lands." Jack looked into Red's face. Her lower lip was trembling as if she was about to cry. "I learned it the hard way, love. I hope you never experience the pain I've gone through. I lost my mother in a way I could never heal from."

Red felt an overwhelming sadness for Jack. It was not pity. It was sadness. It was radiating from her like invisible waves of sorrow. She couldn't help the tears. If she had lost her grandmother that way...she would never be able to cope without her.

Jack sighed and pulled Red into his arms. "No need to shed tears for this old wolf..." he said trying to make light of the situation. He liked Red best when she was smiling and happy. He didn't know what to do to make her depression go away. He could taste her sadness. It was thick and made the back of his throat constrict. She trembled in his arms and sniffed lightly. "Red?" he asked lightly. He could smell the salt in the air from her tears. "Please stop crying..."

Red looked up at Jack. Her face was pink and tear stained. Jack stroked her cheeks lightly; brushing away the wetness on her face. "I'll be fine, Red...Please don't cry..." He held onto her tightly; hoping the beat of his heart could perhaps soothe her. He closed his eyes. Jack couldn't tell her that his father was still hunting him. That after watching his father kill his mother; he ran away as fast as he could. His father would finish what he couldn't do almost 15 year ago; if he had the chance. Jack wouldn't give him that chance. He would run and keep running until he or his father died. 'But what about Red?' a little voice whispered in the back of his head. If she could cure him...he would ask her to marry him. It wasn't because she healed him or that she was beautiful. He needed her innocence to balance out his darkness. He did a lot of bad things in order to survive alone. He sighed. What was he going to do?

She wanted to touch him so badly. Red wanted to do something that would ease his pain...his suffering. She reached up tenatively, her fingers twitching with nervousness. She was so close to touching him...and faster than her eyes could register; his hand clapped around her wrist. It wasn't tight but she knew suddenly that he could break her wrist if he wanted to. A new fear spread through her body like a wildfire. Red managed to contain herself. "Jack?" Her voice came out calm. He took her hand gently and placed it against his cheek. She gasped. His skin was surprisingly smooth and so very warm. It was nice. She ran her fingers from his temple down to his lips. When her middle finger slid along his lower lip; his eyes opened. They were focused on Red. He flicked his tongue out and tasted her finger. Red pulled her hand away quickly and clutched it as if she was burned.

Jack chuckled lightly. The poor woman in his arms was turning bright pink. He loved teasing her. It kept her from being sad, and it kept him from awkwardly trying to cheer her up. "Little Red..." he growled out as seductively as possible. He was doing this to keep his mind off of his past. Jack licked his lips slowly. Red was watching him the way a frightened creature would watch a predator who had them cornered. She tried to climb out of his arms but he tightened his grip on her.

"Let me go." she said feeling more angry than scared.

"Why should I? I like holding you."

Red folded her arms and huffed while making a face. The man was impossible! Jack began to laugh. It was masculine, hearty, and was filled an amused sort of mirth. It send a tingling sensation up and down Red's spine. It was a nice laugh. She couldn't help it. Red laughed a little along side him. His face was lit up with joy and he looked so genuinely happy that she couldn't resist.

"You are absolutely adorable, Red."

Red rolled her eyes and tried to squash another blush threatening to rise to her cheeks. "You just like teasing me."

Jack leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Indeed I do...but it's fun getting reactions like that out of you." He grinned at the lady in his arms. "I could do it forever and never get tired of it." His grin faltered a bit and slid into a smile. It probably looked strange on him but he did it for Red. To let her know that he wasn't teasing her or belittling her. "Okay...now that we're done with my life story-"

Red snuggled into his arms. "What happened to your dad?" she was looking up into his face, searching an answer.

Shit. He thought he could bypass all of that with his sexuality but it didn't work. "Well...I don't know what happened after that..." Jack said before looking to the side. "He tried hunting me down but I'm too fast for him. My father gave up a long time ago." He hoped she couldn't tell he was lying.

"Oh...okay." Red said looking at the fire crackle and pop. It was starting to go down and needed more wood. Jack reached over and tossed a log into the dying flame. Red leaned over to blow lightly into the glowing embers beneath the fire. They glowed brightly with every puff of breath she sent it's way. Jack watched her. "You mind telling me about your grandmother and her amazing cure?"

Red looked up at the top of the cave. "Well...my grandmother has been teaching me about herbs ever since I was a small girl." She paused for a second. "My mother died when I was born, and I never knew my father so my Grandma was the only one around who could take care of me. I love her dearly." Red smiled lightly. "She told me that because I'm going to be of age soon...she was going to teach me supernatural cures. First she taught me how cure people who have been turned into goats and other farm animals by witches. But after that she started teaching me lycanthropy. She told me that it would only be used in a case of an emergency. The actual making of the potion requires the blood of the original...Oh no..." Red stopped talking and looked at Jack. "It...it requires 3 drops of blood from the original werewolf who bit you..."

"Oh..." he said looking down. All the humor that was on his face had disappeared. Sadness over took.

Red reached over to touch him and his skin jumped under her fingers. She felt so bad. Red was filled with so much joy at the fact that she could help him that she over looked one of the main details. "Jack..." she said softly as she embraced him in her arms. He didn't hold her back. She held him as tightly as she could. "I'm so sorry..." She took his face into her hands. His face was blank. The man was normally so animated...he just looked dead. "You being a werewolf won't change how I feel about you..." she said before kissing him on the nose with a sad smile. He looked into her eyes and she was compelled to kiss him right on the lips. A little voice in the back of her head was telling her to do it. And for once she listened to the voice and pressed her lips against his.

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"Did you see that?"
"Disgusting. Can I go down now?"
"No."
"But I want to rip him apart!!"
A soft high pitched giggle emanated from the darkness.
"You scare me at times, Jackel."
"Pleeeeease?"
"I need to get the okay from the Boss."
"And then I can kill?!"
"Yes...you can do what ever you want to him. But remember the girl is to be left unharmed."
"Whatever you say Mistress."

A soft movement in the trees and then silence.

The rain had finally stopped.


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So that's the end of chapter 5...^_^ I know it took a year and a day for me to get it out but I finally got it out! >_< Man...I'm such a bad person! I'm sorry for not posting as quickly as most writers. I deserve a beating, lol.