Chapter 1

The wind swirls around a stick-thin girl, pushing the rain into her face so that it slaps her cheeks. She is tiny, small and skinny, her eyes a brilliant green that shines like emeralds. However, thick glasses hide their spectacular beauty, with lenses that dull the brightness and color of her eyes. Her soft, wavy hair is a striking red, cut sharply at the shoulders, giving her a childlike face to match her childlike body.

She sits, her thin dress clinging to her soaked skin as the rain pounds her form even more resolutely on the muddy ground. Thunder rumbles overhead, crackling lightning strikes the air. All she sees is darkness. For her, there is only darkness.

She knows she is in mortal danger. Lightning is near and if one tree catches fire, the whole forest will burn. She has nowhere to hide if this happens, no one to call for help. Her cell phone is next to her, dead from the constant downpour of water. However, it is easy for her to stay calm.

Life is no longer important to her, so she doesn't care if it sizzles.

A single tear drains from her eye, swimming down her cheek, joining the rivers of water rushing over her body. A living nightmare surrounds her, the terrible breeze throwing rain in random destinations, plants swaying. A tree is about to fall on top of her, leaning over, precariously on the verge of breaking away from its trunk.

She barely notices that she is crying profusely, her tears accompanying the storm's efforts to make her as miserable as possible. She feels dirty, the mud making her stomach feel nauseous. On a whim, she wishes for a hot shower, with hot steam embracing her.

Movement is impossible for her.

She wants to get it over with here. Right now. It would be so easy...so sweet that the pains of life would fade away. She wonders why God had to give her the ugly face, the childish shape, and the snobby attitude that made so many people hate her.

Why did she have to be the unlucky one?

Now she can't see, the rain blinding her. Her glasses slip off her nose, falling to the ground, the lens quickly sinking into the dirt. Incredibly, the water begins to pour down even harder from the restless sky, the temperature dropping by the second. Goosebumps appear on his arm. Her breaths become visible, clouds appearing in wisps directly in front of her.

The cold gets worse.

She looks at the ground, uncertainty in her features. Is she really ready to let herself die here? Is it time for her to leave this world?

A small hint of fear enters her thoughts.

She soon realizes that these may be her last breaths. She tries to savor each one, reaching out with a delicate hand to try to catch the clouds that linger before her. The question runs through her head, making her dizzy.

Is she really ready to die?

The thunder gets closer, the clouds overhead part a little. Through the crack in the clouds, she can see a full moon. She looks at it, amazed by its beauty. It is truly a marvelous sight, the perfect circle lit by pure white light, the only incandescence currently in her world. It is a symbol of hope for her, the hope that she will continue. I hope that everything will be all right.

Suddenly, a hard stone hits her shoulder. She gasps in pain, her shoulder throbbing from the impact.

The moon disappears as the dark clouds steal her away.

Another object lands on her knee, the same pain happening again. The girl remains in her position, pain etched on her face. She grabs the strange rock, holding it close to her eyes so she can see it. Her eyes widen.

"Hi," she whispers as another rock rushes toward her. It's big, the size of a penny, falling at an incredible speed. It's aimed at her head.

She sees it coming, an incredible ball of energy, ready to deliver the killing blow. She is frozen. Death is finally here to take her. That's what she wants, right? She should be happy. Deliverance from pain, from endless suffering, is here.

Fear is the thing that takes away her happiness.

There is a shared silence, then there is a howl in the night as the terrible ice rock claims its destination.

***

He can hear her. Her quickened breathing echoes in his ears, signaling her proximity.

He ventures closer to the presence, to the thing that dares to be on his territory right now. It is a terrible moment for the intruder, whoever it is, because tonight it is the strongest.

Tonight is the night of the wolf.

He's alone, but that's just fine. He works best when he's alone.

Sure enough, it's a horrible storm, the rain pounding on his back, almost making him collapse. He wonders why he's trying to break in during this awful weather. The wind rips the leaves from their perches on the trees and throws them violently into the air, lightning flashing over his head. There is almost a constant roar, almost ruining his concentration. He shakes his head, trying to fend off the storm's efforts to distract him. His paws crush the grass beneath him as he pushes deeper into the forest. Trees loom before him, casting their dark shadows over his hairy form. Danger is in every direction. But he does not hesitate.

He is fearless.

The presence grows stronger and stronger, the wind sending the scent to his nose. It's a sweet scent he's never smelled before; a curious mix of strawberries, bananas, a flavor he can't distinguish, and a hint of mint. It's a delight, an intoxicating smell that he will remember forever, even when this "it" is long dead. He had never felt this aroma around a werewolf before.

The smell is so sweet that he wonders if a human could have actually wandered among them. Humans usually have good smells, but none as delicious as this.

He feels as if something... binds him to this smell. A desire suddenly begins to fill him, a desire to get closer to the source. This attraction is relentless, and he feels himself falling even harder into the realm of lust. He begins to crave that curious smell, and his paws begin to move on their own. He doesn't need to follow it, because something in the smell guides him right to it. He begins to think that this creature might be a difficult thing to kill.

In fact, killing it may not even be an option, for he fears that if he does, he will lose his mind.

It's already drawing him in, begging him to come closer. The smell invigorates him even more as he gets closer to his target, weaving a web around him until he can never escape. He is the fly, and this is the spider. A miserable feeling builds up in the pit of his stomach as he realizes he is powerless.

What kind of trick is this crafty creature playing?

The scent is incredibly strong now, almost overwhelming him with its beauty. For werewolves, scent is everything, and he experiences lovely aromas every day. Nothing, however, equals this beautiful emanation that makes his head spin with giddy pleasure. He feels as if he is close.

Suddenly, the scent becomes bittersweet, a sharp note corrupting the melody. Fear and terror penetrate the scent, obliterating the sweet quality and polluting the smell he craves. Now a sinister stench fills the air, and the terror the creature feels fills it as well.

Somehow, he can tell the emotions he's feeling through his smell. However, the downside is that it begins to feel the same emotions as he does. The smell is now still intoxicating, but filled with need. He needs him.

Desire is quickly entering his body. He wants to feel that smell again, but not the one it was currently emitting. He wants to make it happy, then the taste of fear will disappear from the aroma. He desires that particular sweetness with an intensity he didn't know he possessed.

His paws begin to fade as they race through the forest so fast that even he can barely see them move. Desire runs through him, intensely corrupting his mind until all he can think about is the smell. He must have it.

He reaches a small clearing, next to a thin stream that flows into Lake Ray a few miles away. It's a beautiful little area, with pretty flowers and green bushes, graceful, tall trees. The aroma is irresistible here. The creature must be in this vicinity.

His eyes search for it, looking for the evil thing that manages to produce such an attractive smell. At first, we don't see it anywhere. But after adjusting his eyes a bit, he sees a silhouette in the earth. It's a tiny thing, a small form covered in thick mud, only a slender back seen from its angle.

He circles the creature warily, trying to make out its features. It's hard to make out, the mud camouflaging it in the dirt. When he walks right past it, his heart stops beating.

Although she's not an overly pretty creature, she's still the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

She's a human girl, with bright green eyes that have a fascinating quality, pulling him in, never letting go of her gaze. Her hair is ruby red, falling over her shoulders, the rain making it wet and shiny. Her body is small, but well made, the rain merging her tattered dress to her form.

A sudden jolt of pain encircles his heart as he realizes what's happening, the beats getting faster and faster. He begins to panic. Is this really happening? Why now? Why, with a human like her?

But nature refuses to listen to his pleas, binding him even more to the young woman. This could not be true.

A burst of white light erupts, surrounding his being, then rushing to meet the girl. It plunges into her skin, soaking it with white light. She doesn't notice, her eyes misty with tears, looking at her toes.

He is however affected. The realization that he has just done something terribly, horribly wrong shocks him, making his whole body twitch.

Shock, as well as anger and annoyance, run through his body. Nothing good can come of it. Nothing at all.

However, the reluctance fades as he looks at her. As it begins to take effect, he feels himself falling into a bottomless pit of endless love. there is no turning back. He is trapped in the tempting spider's web forever.

Suddenly, another taste of horror explodes in the smell. The hail begins to fall and he can tell she has been hit. Her eyes, as she looks up, are listless. She looks behind him, as if she doesn't even notice he is there. Painful tears wash over her, running down her form. A small gash on her leg emits dark droplets of blood. He suddenly feels the need to protect her, to guard her. What is he doing, just standing there? He needs to move!

A small scream escapes her, tearing through the night as a huge chunk of hail rushes toward her. Her eyes suddenly close, fear overwhelming her. The smell is consumed by terror, a terror he must eliminate if he is to find that sweetness again. He jumps immediately, trying as fast as he can to land on her form. To protect her.

He lets out a guttural howl as he rises to be her shield.