Chapter 2

Claire

No. No no no no no.

This can't be happening.

Please don't let this be happening.

"She smells good, doesn't she Bennett?" The deep timber of the man's voice rings out through the still night and my body shivers in fear and disgust.

Suddenly another man is at my side, twining his fingers through my hair. I can't see either of them clearly in the dark. The man, Bennett apparently, leans down close to me and takes in a large lungful of my scent as well. My knees begin to shake in terror and a low growl rumbles from his chest.

"She does smell good. She's pretty too." He says, pecking a kiss to my cheek. My face crunches in despair as I try to pull from their hold.

"Let me go." I beg and the first man chuckles.

"Awe. The little human is nervous." He says, amusement evident in his voice. A sob breaks from my lips as I try to pull my arm from his grasp.

"You're hurting me." I say, tugging my arm again.

"Let her go, Rowan." Bennett says, making the larger man grunt.

"Don't get attached to her. You know what happened to the last one. I will never understand why we keep getting these weak little humans for mates." He sneers, gripping my hand and pulling me down the street.

"No!" I cry ripping my hand free and running towards the door of my apartment complex.

I hear both creatures growl loudly before heavy footsteps catch up to me easily. A thick, solid arm is wrapped around my waist before I feel myself lifted, my stomach coming into contact painfully with a shoulder as I'm carried away. The sudden pressure knocks the wind out of me and I struggle to breathe as I feel my heart pound painfully in my chest, my limbs shaking from pure terror.

"Just let me go! Leave me alone! I don't want this!" I cry as I try to squirm out of the man's grasp.

"Stay still, little one. It will make this easier." The second man, Bennett, says. I begin to thrash harder, tears pouring from my eyes as I try to extricate myself from his firm grasp. I hear a loud sigh as I struggle in vain.

"Are you sure, Bennett. I don't think she's going to be worth the trouble. We're better off just killing her." His words cause me to freeze as fear clutches at me, making it difficult to breathe.

Bennett growls again and tightens his hold on me.

"No. I want her. And the kingdom won't wait forever. You need an heir. We had to wait nearly a hundred years after you killed the last one, they will take your throne if you do it again." He says firmly and bile coats my mouth. I try to stop myself from spewing, but when he jostles me again and juts his shoulder into my stomach, I vomit the meatloaf I just had onto his back and the ground.

He roars in disgust and throws me on the ground. I land awkwardly on my arm, and hear a pop in my wrist as pain courses through me. I scream as tears flood my eyes, and pull my arm up to hold it gingerly. I can't see through my tears, but hear Bennett growl and see his eyes begin to glow green. It scares me and I push back against the wall of a building trying to get away from him. The other man, Rowan, chuckles as he stands and watches.

"You were saying?" He taunts. Bennett seems to gain some control as his eyes slowly lose their glow. He sighs heavily and takes off the shirt I just threw up on, throwing it on the ground before coming towards me.

"No. Just leave me here! You don't want me. I'll just be a pest. Leave me here and we can pretend this never happened." I beg of him and he shakes his head while Rowan chuckles again.

"We can't do that. My wolf has seen you and wants you. We can't pretend we never saw you." He explains harshly, kneeling in front of me.

"Your... wolf? Oh god. Oh no. Please no." I cry. "You're a werewolf?" I ask, imploring the universe that I'm wrong. He nods, watching my reaction. I break down in sobs, cradling my arm by my chest. He reaches out to grab it to lift me and I cry in pain. He lets go quickly and looks down at me.

"What's wrong?" He asks. I try to breathe between my desperate sobs.

"I f-fell on it. When you th-threw m-me on the g-ground." I explain, my voice cracking. He growls again and lifts me by my hips this time.

"I always forget what fragile creatures humans are." He says under his breath, not really talking to me. He cradles me in his arms like a child and begins walking again. I try to squirm away again and he tightens his grip painfully and snarls in my ear.

"Sit fucking still. Nothing you do will get you away from us. The harder you make this, the more you suffer." He warns lowly and my body continues to quake from fear against my wishes. I close my eyes and hold my arms to my body, choosing self preservation. I know he's right. There's no way I could ever get away from them. At least not when they are expecting me to run.

If I have any hope of escaping, I need them to trust me first. I will be compliant, at least at first, and hopefully form some kind of plan to get away from them.

"Stop crying. It's annoying. Your life isn't over, human. It's just beginning." The first man, Rowan, says with a touch of anger in his tone. I can tell he has a short temper. They all do, though, so that's no surprise.

"What's your name?" Bennett asks and Rowan scoffs.

"Don't name her, then we'll have to keep her." Rowan says with a little chuckle. Bennett growls at him, but looks back down at me.

"What's your name?" He repeats, but I'm too scared to say anything. My body won't stop shaking so hard my teeth are chattering.

"Why are you shaking?" He asks when I don't respond to his first question. I don't say anything again. I just close my eyes and try to pretend this isn't happening.

"Really, Bennett. This isn't going to end well." Rowan says gravely and Bennett growls at him.

"We just found her. Give her a fucking chance, Rowan!" Bennett yells and Rowan snarls in response.

"Yeah. We just found her and we're already arguing because of her." He says and Bennett scoffs.

"Because you're being stubborn as usual." He mutters. By the way Rowan angles his body towards Bennett, I know he heard him, but he chooses to ignore the quip as we continue walking.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask, surprised by how small my voice is.

"Home." Bennett responds, and there's no hiding the happiness in his voice. More tears fall down my face, but I try to keep silent so I don't anger Rowan. The power that radiates off of him is stifling and he is incredibly large.

We walk for a few more minutes in silence until we come to a large SUV. I'm grateful I will finally be able to get out of Bennett's clutches, but to my dismay he opens the front passenger door and slips inside, keeping me on his lap. Rowan gets behind the wheel and turns the engine. I watch as the only home I've ever known fades into the distance. When I can no longer see the lights of the city, I sigh deeply, fear and regret taking up residence in the hole in my heart where my simple life once sat.

As I sit uncomfortable and stiff on Bennett's lap, he won't stop touching me. His fingers trail through my hair, across my face, over my arms and he slips a hand under the hem of my shirt to trail his fingertips across my stomach.

"Do you feel it, little one? The bond?" He asks and I look up at him in confusion.

I can finally make out his features, deep green eyes, strong jaw and nose, head of dark brown, flowy hair. Before I realize what I'm doing, I reach out and run my fingers through it, marveling at how soft it is. It feels like electricity running through my fingers where I touch him. He leans into my hand, closing his eyes. When a little rumble comes from his chest it pulls me from my daze. I rip my hand back from him, accidentally hitting my injured wrist. I hiss at the pain and Bennett's eyes furrow in concern.

"Heal her, Rowan." He says firmly and Rowan shakes his head.

"She'll be fine." He says curtly and Bennett growls at him.

"Heal her. Now." Bennett says harshly and Rowan sighs before biting his wrist. He shoves his red, sticky arm into my face, running it along my lips. My mouth curves in disgust as I try to pull away. I sputter, spitting out the metallic substance. I thought it would taste disgusting, but it actually tastes delicious. Some of it unwillingly flows down my throat, and a moment later my wrist is completely normal.

"There." Rowan says gruffly. "Now stop bitching and be quiet the rest of the way."