Page 16

I smena's head stopped sending and receiving signals. Infact, it went blank as she watched a man turn into a huge leopard right in front of her.

W.H.A.T!?

What happened next, she had no idea. All she knows is the walls of her bedroom was closing in on her. Why is the floor suddenly moving up to meet her face...?

She was barely aware of her body hitting the floor.

Wolfariane, on the other hand, watched the woman's eyes go very wide, then it rolled back into her head and she dropped on the floor like a heavy sack, out like a light.

Degar in his leopard form turned towards him and grunted, pushing his head in the woman' s direction.

"I did expect her to faint, Degar. Who wouldn't? She saw a man morph into a leop." He made no move to pull away from the wall, but his head was working.

Doesn't the woman have a heart condition? Is it okay for her to faint like this?

The leopard shifted back into the form of a man, Degar was watching the woman worriedly, "You sure it's not a heart failure or something, Alpha King? What if she dies right now? It sure looks like it."

Wolfariane focused on Ismena. Indeed, her breathing was abnormal, coming too fast in short breaths.

"Wait for me outside." He ordered softly.

Degar inclined his head and walked out of the bedroom door, leaving the dying woman in the hands of his Alpha King. His worry didn't end because he knows that the woman is his mate and she is a non-changeling, the specie Wolfariane despises so much.

Will he try to save her by the old ways or will he result to those medications that are as useless as nipples on a breastplate? It worried him greatly.

Inside the bedroom, Wolfariane uncurled from the wall with the fluidity of a wolf and the predatory laziness of a cougar, his steps a charismatic regality as he walked toward her and stood in front of her. His arms crossed, he stared down at her with a frown knitting his brows together.

Then, he bent and lifted her into his arms. Going towards the bed, he deposited her gently on top of it. What to do with her?

For some reasons he couldn't decipher, he watched her features captivatingly. The way black long lashes covered her eyes, the pale white softness of her skin, the rise and fall of her breast, those exquisite curves that emphasized the sexiness of her body.

Mine. She is mine. Mark her! Make her mine...!

The sudden darkish—yellowness of his surrounding told him how close the wolf is to the surface, than the sudden overriding hunger to take this woman, mate and mark her in a way that will brand her to be his forever.

Shit. He squeezed his eyes close and battled to rein in the supernatural hunger, at the same time, to control his other half.

If he's going to save this woman's life, he has to do so in complete control of himself or he will mate with her in the process.

A few minutes later, with some semblance of control being his again, he opened his eyes to the normal light of the woman's bedroom, painted in pink and yellow.

Then, he lowered himself on top of her, angled her head using his hand to give him better access, he took her lips in a kiss that was meant to revive.

A kiss he premeditated to be simple, but at the touch of his lips to hers, the fire burnt holes from his lips to his chest, down to his groins.

His tongue plunged past her lips instead, tangling with hers, groaning as the taste of her burst through his senses. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open as he kissed every corner of her mouth, his tongue licking and sucking her cute little tongue until a moan slipped from her throat.

Her body is on fire. That was Ismena's first thought as she drifted back to consciousness.

Like she's under the hot coals of fire that was spreading through her body in a good way, teasing her nipples to hardening until her breasts were heavy and swollen inside her bra. The fires burned its way down to her vagina, slicking her body in the most intimate way and making her ache so badly.

Her eyes opened, all her world centered on the weight on top of her...on the lips devouring hers. Whimpers tore from her throat as wrapped her arms around his neck, offering her open lips submissively to the demanding insistence of his. God, this hunger...!

"More..." She moaned, widening her legs so the cushions of his lower body settled heavily on the apex of her thighs where she arched the most. Her eyes rolled back into her head as pleasure swarmed her head, "Yes..."

"Yes..." He seconded in a hungry growl, rotating his clothed hardness to the slick part of her. The scent of her arousal filled his senses, messing with his head like a fierce aphrodisiac as he sucked on her lower lip hungrily.

It was a kiss of fire, basked in a desire so uncontrollable, Wolfariane angled her head to the side, brought his tongue to her neck, so tempted to swipe at that sensitive vein that calls to him with a hunger that is immeasurable.

The same sensitive vein he'd licked three nights ago when he lost his head in that hotel room. The same licks he'd regretted later, because it dripped a bit of his essence into her and gave her his scent.

Essence he has no business giving her because he does not want to take her as his mate.

But, as he held her on this bed, it was hard to keep his tongue apart from THAT part of her neck. It was impossible. Hell, he can't not lap at that vein.

So, as he rotated his hips again to connect his hard díck to the core of her femininity, he drew that part of her neck into his mouth and sucked. Hard .

"Oh my God...!" Ismena's body nearly came off the bed at the intensity of the pleasure that assailed her, a strangled scream tearing from her throat. Her body shivered under his, her senses drugged with the feel of him.

"More... Do it again... Please..." She gasped, angling her head to the side to give him better access to that erogenous zone she never knew she had before.

"God!" Wolfariane tore himself away from her and rose to his feet, turning away from her as he engaged in a supreme inner battle to rein the hunger in. It was hard. It was very hard.

Take her!

Raise that flimsy gown, tear off her panties and bury yourself deep inside her!

Mark her!

Suck on her essence—that sensitive vein of her neck meant for your mouth!

Suck hard on it while plunging into the depth of her wet seeth and pumping her full with your cum!

Bite down on her essence and make her yours forever!

His hands balled into a fist, his claws sliding out and flexing into his palm. His eyes closed tightly. It was harder this time. Way harder.

His body flamed. His díck throbbed. He'd underestimated this hunger. He'd underestimated the NEED that comes with the mating heat. He'd underestimated this female's power over him.

Ismena leaned up on the bed and pulled herself into a sitting position. Her body burned badly but her chest has never felt any better. She caressed that spot on her chest which was hurting all evening, but there was suddenly no ache there anymore. She has never felt better .

But, what happened? How is she lying on the bed? She remembered his driver entering her bedroom and then... CHANGING INTO A HUGE CAT!!!!

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Blood of Jesus! Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!!!" She rushed out of bed like she's being pursued by the very demons. The reminder was like a dash of cold water to her heated body.

Standing, she backed away from him until her back pressed against the wall but she'd managed to put great distance between them. "I didn't just see that, did I?"

Her voice was high and shrilly, "It was a f-figment of my imagination, right? That can't be p-possible, right? He didn't just turn into a big c-cat...right?" She asked hopefully, staring at him with wide eyes.

"He prefers to be called a leopard. And no, it is not a figment of your imagination," his tone hard, like he is angry at her. He turned and faced her, "Unless, you will like him to come and show you again in order to convince you otherwis—"

"No, no, no, no, don't worry, I g-get the idea now. I don't need a repeat, I a-assure you!" Her heart was thudding in her chest, the memory of Degar turning into a big cat—no, a leopard—repeated itself in her head over and over again. "Is this a dream...!?"

She began feeling faint again...

"Don't you dare faint on me again, female." He glared at her.

Yep, that voice was enough to snap her right back to consciousness. For a man that just kissed her senseless few moments again, and had her body on fire, he is sure looking so calm, cool and in control. Does nothing ever ruffle him?

"So, he is a l-leopard? Your driver?" She swallowed .

"His other-half is a leopard. And, he is not my driver but an Alpha leader of the leopard clan," he corrected, "Degar is strong, powerful and a conqueror."

Ismena remembered clearly who an Alpha is. Why won't she? When her best friend has been ringing it to her ear since their high school days.

God, she must be out of her mind, but this really happened! Men that turn into animals!? Is she really mad to believe this!?

But a lot of things were making sense at the same time.

Wolfariane's extraordinary strength that night he rescued her from her abusers.

When he'd told her repeatedly that he is not a human male.

The raw power and masculinity he emitted just by standing doing nothing but frowning.

Not to mention the things he does to her neck with his tongue whenever they're kissing.

And the constant change in the color of his eyes suddenly made sense too. Blue. Green. Amber-gold. What is he?

"So, if he is a l-leopard? W-What are you?" Her throat dry like sandpaper, she swallowed again.

Wolfariane watched her carefully. "I would have showed you if I thought you were ready for that instead of calling Degar. You are not ready to handle that information now, so I will withhold it. The important ones you can handle, I will tell you."

"You are going back with us to our home now. It is called Naturiah. The home of Changelings or Shape-shifters. There you will see a whole lot of us who can take any form that is their nature; cat, wolf, rat, leopard, mountain lion, deer, tiger, Et cetera." He paused.

Then, "If my ring is in the wrong hands, this non-changeling world is no longer safe for you because they will come for you. They will torture you in ways you have never imagined before, it will be a bad way to go." He stated firmly .

Ismena wanted NOT to believe him desperately, but she found herself believing his frightening words. Because, even though it's turning out to be that she doesn't know a mountain lot about this man, she does know a few things; he doesn't joke or jest.

"So, are you saying that I am your c-c-captive b-because I am in danger?"

"You are my captive because you stole and pawned something important to me, and I plan to hold you captive till I have it back. You have no choice in the matter." He informed her swiftly, crossing his arms. "I merely told you what you might see as a benefit while you are in my custody."

"No..." She was shaking her head vigorously, "No, no, I don't—"

His head snapped up all of a sudden, his nose flared, "What is that smell?"

Before the words were out of his mouth completely, the sound of gunshots rang out in the air. Several of them. They are being shot at.

They are under attack.

All hell broke loose.