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12

Marcella

T wo days. That’s how long I’d been in this cave with Wolf.

He’d watched me like a hawk, following me wherever I went, touching me anytime he was close enough.

And every night he forced me to sleep beside him, would touch me… pet me slowly and gently, stroke me between my legs until I shook and came. He didn’t try to fuck me. And I was shameless in admitting every night when I was on the precipice of going over the edge, I’d almost beg him to put that monster cock inside of me.

I glared at him over the fire as he skinned and prepared a rabbit he’d brought back after he went hunting.

I’d tried escaping then, but I hadn’t gotten more than five minutes from the cave before I heard him roar out. Running had been almost laughable. He’d caught me moments later, tossed me over his shoulder like a bag of laundry, and spanked my ass hard enough I’d stilled from the shock.

So here I was, glaring at his big, furry body as he sat there, oblivious to my annoyance. The scent of copper tinged the air, and I should have been gagging, but the other scent, the one of cooking meat coupled with the sound of it sizzling, had my stomach growling and my mouth watering.

“For you,” he grunted, and tossed a small cloth bag toward me.

I eyed him warily before reaching for it and opening it up. Inside was an assortment of berries and nuts, some I’d never seen before, others I recognized when I picked during my hike.

The polite side of me wanted to thank him, but the annoyed part—which currently was a hell of a lot stronger—had me grinding my teeth together, and instead set the bag aside.

He kept working on the animal, but I could see he watched me intermittently out of the corner of his eye.

“I know you think you’re keeping me,” I said in an even tone. You caught more flies with honey than vinegar, my grandmother always used to say. But I also knew Wolf didn’t give a shit about any of that. He had to be the most stubborn… creature I’d ever met in my life.

“But I’m supposed to meet a boat on Monday. If I’m not there, they’ll come looking for me.”

He didn’t respond as he started opening up the animal with one of his black claws. I held in my gag reflex at the sight of the blood oozing out of the gaping wound. And then he just started pulling out entrails and tossing them aside.

“They won’t find you.” His tone was stoic, as if this was the most pointless conversation he’d ever heard. What a strange thing to realize, given the fact he wasn’t even human, and it wasn’t like he had anything else to do.

Wolf cut off pieces of meat and started cooking them over the fire. And although I knew he liked his raw, he never ate before me after that first time. He waited until I got my fill before he ate.

I hated and loved how that made me feel, how it softened my heart slightly toward him.

But the truth was if I took away the fact he kidnapped me and was holding me hostage—which were pretty big damn cons in his corner—Wolf had only ever taken care of me.

He made me his priority with shelter and warmth and food… and, of course, pleasure.

Nightly, he’d taken me to the pond where we’d wash and he’d all but rip the clothes from me to wash them. He didn’t care that I told him—demanded—he take me back to the cabin, and if he did, I’d have more of a variety.

I stopped bringing it up when he said he’d much rather I go naked.

It had only taken me two days of having to wash in the pond like an animal, and of course, watching him touch himself in the most obscene manner, before I’d quickly gotten over being self-conscious. It was all just skin, right?

And what was the point of caring about that kind of stuff when, in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter?

Besides… Wolf was very adamant about touching every inch of my body and giving me at least two orgasms before he let me go to sleep.

He’d slowly remove my clothing, run those big furry paws over every inch of me, growling low and in a way that had my pussy so wet it was embarrassing the effect he had on me. Then there was the whole jerking off like an obscene bastard as he watched me. He got off on being an exhibitionist.

As I imagined that, I felt my face heat.

I cleared my throat. “You don’t care if anyone comes looking for me? What if they find us and capture you to do crazy experiments or something?” At the thought of that, my stomach went sour and my heart started beating a funny tempo.

I didn’t like the thought of someone hurting him.

“Let them come,” he grumbled out and turned the meat, the continued sizzle of it cooking on the rock overly loud. “If they are smart and clever enough to find my lair,” he said slowly and looked at me. “And think they can take you from me…” he paused, his voice ominous. “They can fight me and see if they win.” His voice dropped lower. “They won’t. But they can try. I’ll rip their heads clean off their necks and feast on their blood.”

He went back to cutting off strips of meat, his mannerisms like what he’d just told me was everyday conversation.

I stared at the fire, lost in my own thoughts. I reached up and started braiding my hair, something I’d been doing the last two days to keep the tangles at bay.

In fact, I’d had to resort to really roughing it up in every aspect. Brushing my teeth with mint leaves he brought me, using sand along the edge of the pond to scrub myself before rubbing my skin with these pungent leaves he gave me, which I guess acted like soap.

When I glanced up, he had his gaze locked on the motion of me braiding the locks.

“Will you teach me?” His deep voice had my thighs involuntarily clenching. I was like Pavlov’s dog when it came to him. Just a rough growl from Wolf and my pussy perked right up.

“You want to learn to do my hair?”

He grunted and gave a nod of his boxy head.

“But why?” I felt my brows pull low in confusion.

“I want to care for you in all ways, and that includes ensuring you don’t have tangles.”

Oh God. There went my heart, doing that funny beat in my chest again.

I glanced away, my face burning. I hadn’t blushed so much in my life. “Okay,” I whispered, not allowing myself to look at him because I knew that would cause my brain to turn to mush and any self-control vanish. “I’ll teach you.” I closed my eyes and breathed out.

A long pause filled the cave, and I focused on the fire again before I tried one last time.

“Will you take me to my cabin?” I glanced at him again. “Please? I want my things. My sketchbook and pencils, my clothes, my comb and toothbrush and just… all my shit, Wolf.”

Although he brought my jacket and sketchpad from when I’d been running, the paper had gotten damp and torn, dirty from the fall, so was now useless. I also had nothing to draw with. And I was feeling a certain withdrawal from not being able to sketch.

“That will make you happy?”

His question surprised me, and I stared at him for long seconds before nodding. “Yes. That would make me happy.” Amongst other things , I thought to myself.

He grunted and went back to work cutting up the animal.

“Then I’ll take you where you need to go.”

All I could do was sit there and stare at him. That had seemed so… effortless. Why was it so easy now, but he’d made such a big deal about it before? Wolf glanced at me as if he read my thoughts.

“I’m an alpha. I’m dominant. And I always get my way.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes.

“But I can’t expect you to accept the situation and me, if I’m not willing to do the same.”

I blinked at his candor. Damn Wolf for making me like him a little more.

He grabbed the meat off the fire, not even acting like the heat bothered him, and brought the food over to me.

He sat in front of me, and I didn’t shy away as he picked up a piece of meat and gave it a few seconds for the strip to cool off.

I just stared at him, feeling something strange grow in my chest. For being so beastly, he was this gentle giant deep down inside.

Wolf held out the food and I went to take it from him, but his low growl and a small shake of his head stopped me.

“Let me feed you.” He leaned forward and focused on my mouth. “There’s nothing I want more than to please you, Marcella.” He was breathing harder now. “And feeding you gives me great pleasure. So open for me,” he huskily murmured.

I parted my mouth and let him slip the food inside.

“That’s my good girl,” he all but purred. “I want you to be happy here. I want to give you whatever you need and desire.”

As I chewed, my heart was pounding and my body was lighting up.

“And if it’ll make you happy to gather your items, so be it. I’ll take you at first light.”

Wolf was changing the rules. He was going from captor to caregiver, and I shouldn’t have felt myself wanting him because of how soft he was being toward me.

I knew what I’d do when he took me. Gathering my things from the cabin wasn’t the real reason I asked again.

I’d try to escape. I knew that would probably be my only chance, because as much as Wolf took care of me... this wasn’t my home.

Right?