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My eyes had since adjusted to the darkness and I could actually see a little firelight flickering around his shape.

“What are you? What do you want with me?” I didn’t expect him to answer, but I had to ask. I wanted to pretend like I was dreaming, thrust into some nightmare where this big sinful creature crawled out from the deep woods and snatched me away.

He cocked his enormous head to the side, his ears twitching. The creature didn’t have blunt teeth, but sharp ones I envisioned he needed to tear into the flesh of his prey. Dark fur completely covered him. He had a long snout, pointed ears, and large, round black eyes.

His shoulders were impossibly broad, his arms muscular, bulging and thicker than my thighs.

I refused to look any lower than his defined abdomen, but I didn’t have to notice that what he was sporting down below was huge and very hard. I snapped my gaze up to his face to see him looking at me almost inquisitively, as if he were just as curious about me as I was about him.

“What are you?” I whispered, asking again because he hadn’t responded. It was a prolonged second before he huffed out a breath.

“Wolf,” was all he said.

I pushed myself up and scooted all the way back until the rocky wall stopped me from retreating. After pulling my legsup to my chest and wrapping my arms around my knees, I just stared at him, trying to make myself as small as possible.

All I kept thinking was,don’t make sudden moves, don’t make him mad.And then, on the heels of that thought, I remembered the look he’d worn when I thought he was going to strike me.

“I am me,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You’re not human,” I stated the obvious. “What are you?”

He didn’t answer for long moments, just stared at me, and I could tell by looking into his dark eyes he was highly intelligent. It was the way he watched me with this probing stare, like he could pick up every single little nuance that made me...me,and dissected it all.

“My kind has always been here. Since the beginning of time.”

I let that sink in. Okay. So he was just different from me. Although it might be hard for some to accept that, how could I deny it when he was a living, breathing wolf-creature right before me? I hadn’t seen a lot of things in my life, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

“I am what I am.” If he was the type to shrug, I had a feeling he would right now, as if what he said was the simplest of facts. “I've seen humans come and go through these parts over the decades. I learned their language, listened to the stories they told each other, and learned about their world. They would callmea monster, but the things I’ve heard these men say, the way they spoke of their females… and they are the ones that are the beasts.”

I felt something tighten in my chest and it wasn’t unpleasant.

I didn’t know how long we stayed silent, but never once did he take his gaze off of me. He still crouched on his haunches, that gigantic body blocking the only escape. Although I wasn’t stupid. I knew that even if I tried to run, he would catch me. He was a predator, that much was obvious.

“Why did you take me?” I felt like I'd asked this question a million times, but it was like he couldn't—more likely wouldn’t—answer.

He made this noncommittal grunting noise before he turned and stalked toward where the firelight was flickering.

I exhaled roughly, not realizing how much I’d been holding my breath intermittently.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, assuming he wanted me to follow, but I stayed put long enough my ass felt numb. I would have stayed here the whole time if not for the thought that he’d come back in here and haul me out like a rag doll.

I was on some kind of pallet that was covered in thick furs on top, and pine needles and dead grass underneath.

The smell that surrounded me was damp and heavily smelling of earth. Although I knew I didn’t want to go out there, and didn't want to follow him, I also was very aware he’d just hunt me back down.

So I stood, knowing I should probably figure out what the hell was going on.

9

Marcella

Once I stood, I stayed where I was for another long minute. I was afraid to leave, to go out there and face whatever Wolf had in store.

But finally, I tentatively moved down the tunnel until it opened up and curved to the left, showing a large open area. I could see Wolf sitting before a fire, his immense body still seeming to dwarf the cavernous area.

His arms hung between his legs, his focus on the flames, and thank God the position that he was in shielded the massive erection that I had felt digging into my back. Because yeah, this girl had for sure looked.

His attention was on the spit angled over the flames as he manually turned it, roasting whatever small creature he skewered through the center.