Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Adjusting - 15. Chapter 14 - Sprinting
Running. It was nothing new to me. Others considered it a fun pastime, or maybe an evil forced upon them by their malevolent dictator, otherwise known as the gym teacher. However, to me, it was as much a part of my life as breathing.
Sometimes, I wished my life didn't rely so thoroughly upon it.
Sometimes, I wished I could just take a break from it all.
Sometimes, I wished it would all just end.
Of course, none of my wishes would ever be granted.
The howls of wolves were getting louder behind me. It seemed as though no matter how hard my paws pounded against the ground, no matter how fast my heart beat, no matter how loud my gasps for breath became - they continued to gain on me.
My eyes remained on the ground in front of me, focusing in on every stray tree root and low-lying plant that covered the forest floor. A small trickle of moonlight passed through the gaps of the trees, leaving me to depend on my squinting eyes to tell me which way was safest to go.
With my eyes watering from the wind and my chest heaving from my panicked breaths, I pushed forward, hoping that I'd eventually outrun them.
Instead, I stumbled upon a rock I had missed in the shadows of the trees.
I tumbled, scraping my front legs up worse than before and sending rocks deep into the cut in my stomach. I ended up falling through some thorn-covered bushes, letting out a high-pitched whine when I did. I lay there for a few moments, with the blood seeping into my eyes, trying to figure out if it was worth it to continue fighting.
Then, a noise came from my left.
I didn't know what it was; I'm not even sure why I paid attention to that tiny sound of dry twigs snapping when I could hear the heavy thumps of the wolves that were coming for me. And yet, I turned my head anyway toward the noise.
There was a clearing.
For some asinine reason, I felt as though if I were to make it to that clearing, everything would be okay. All the bad guys, the monsters, and the bogeymen would disappear - but only if I got through the trees and into the clearing.
So, after taking a few moments and many heavy pants to get back on my paws, I limped the five or six yards between myself and the tree-line. As soon as I was passed the foliage, I collapsed onto the grass, letting it tickle my sides as I tried to catch my breath.
I was feeling so tired after I had made it so far. In fact, I was pretty damn proud of myself.
I deserve a nap right about now.
Just as I was closing my eyes to take said nap, a familiar scent wafted through my sensitive nose. Said scent was immediately followed my a strong hand gripping the scruff of my neck and yanking me up so my upper half was hanging in the air while my hind legs still rested on the ground. I let out a yelp of fear as I took in the man in front of me.
Naked, covered in sweat, and staring at me with soulless, green eyes.
"Hello, sweetheart," Alex chuckled with a twisted grin. "Did you think you could escape me?"
Still being in my canine form, I could only growl at him in disgust and attempt to break from his tight grip.
"Now, now, Adrian, there's no point in struggling. You won't get away from me."
I fought even harder, this time jumping completely off the ground and kicking at his legs with my hind feet. Alex was too quick, though, and he dodged the attack before pinning me on the ground, holding back my front paws and my head with both off his hands.
"Why do you fight me? You can't win. I will be your Alpha, and you will be mine."
I snapped my jaw at him, only resulting in him slamming my face back into the dirt. Pain ricocheted through my skull and I couldn't keep back the wine that escaped from my lips. His hands wrapped around my neck, freeing my front paws but leaving me whining and scratching for air.
"You will be mine, Adrian. Mine to keep, mine to take pleasure from, mine to twist and slice and burn, but most of all, mine to control."
As black dots and dark purple blots covered my vision, as my legs and torso and head slowed in their movements, as my my hearing began to fade and my ears filled with buzzing, as I slowly began to die, Alex pushed me further into the ground. My lungs stuttered. His hands tightened. My eyes closed.
"Like hell he will be."
Alex let go of me immediately and stood up before turning around to face the voice. I gasped for breath, turning on my side and shaking in the dirt as I fought to bring air into my lungs.
My eyes were still closed as I lay on the ground, and with my body focused on taking in oxygen, I only managed to here the scrapes and scuffles in the dirt, only with what sounded like words but were still unintelligible to my malfunctioning ears.
After some time - seconds? Minutes? Hours? It was impossible to tell - of just lying in the dirt and wheezing, I felt someone grab hold of the scruff of my neck. My head whipped around and my eyes shot open to look at the man.
"Shift," he demanded.
I complied, and a whimper followed by a cry fell out of my mouth as my bones and skin and muscle bent, twisted, broke and reformed. The adrenaline had worn off, and i was left with all of the pain from my injuries. I lay amongst the weeds, a pitiful, shaking, naked figure.
I heard the Alpha sigh before he bent down to my level. Ever so gently, he eased his hands and arms under my body.
"I'm gonna try and make this quick, like a Band-Aid," he said.
I didn't bother nodding, instead only giving him a soft whimper.
"Alright, here we go. One, two... Three!"
My scream filled the air as he yanked me up and into his arms while bringing himself back to an upright position.
"Shit, sorry," he muttered.
I rested my head on his shoulder, panting heavily like my distant canine cousins. The wolf seemed to wait for me to catch my breath before he started to move. I could tell he was attempting to keep my ride as smooth as possible, yet I felt every dip in the dirt and every raised tree root as he ran through the forest, finding myself frequently biting down on my lip in an attempt to keep my screams in. The effort worked somewhat, though whines and moans still managed to slip past my lips whenever the path was too rough.
After a while of running, we managed to make it back to the pack house. As he carried me through the yard, people kept running up to us, babbling away in loud voices. Instinctively, I turned away from them all and into his chest, closing my eyes and shutting out the noises around me. I felt him walk for a little bit, around corners, up some stairs, down a hall, before he jostled me slightly in order to open a door.
I turned away from his shirt when the door shut behind us and realized we were in a bathroom. A small whine escaped from my lips as he set me down in the bathtub. By now, the pain was constant, blurring out the wolf in front of me as he gently removed my clothes before cautiously washing away all the grime, dirt, blood and other substances staining my hair and skin.
Reality came back to me for a brief moment when he lifted me out of the tub and wrapped me in a clean, fluffy towel. Once dry and covered, he settled me better in his arms before carrying into my bedroom and tucking me gently into bed, sans towel. Consciousness waning, muscles exhausted, eyelids drooping, I struggled to stay awake long enough to quickly grasp his arm before he could leave. He stopped moving the blankets around and his brown eyes met my tired blue ones.
"Thank you, Brian," I whispered.
Brian stared me down before he nodded and finished fixing the blankets around me. He then stood up straight and watched me for a moment, seemingly attempting to figure something out.
Unfortunately, I was out of all energy at that moment. My eyes closed, and as I fell asleep, I heard heavy footsteps, followed by the soft opening and closing of my bedroom door. With that I fell into a deep dreamland, filled with wolves and knives and fangs - before they were washed away with kind brown eyes. Them, blackness.
- 8
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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