A Touch of Lunacy

I rolled out of bed and yawned. I quickly showered, trying to get the smell off me. His smell was everywhere. I'd never noticed my sense of smell so potently before. He was never there when I woke up, but he always showed up at night and cuddled against me. I'd scoot away, but he'd just pull me closer. His scent was all over his side of the bed. I glared at my reflection. "My bed. All of it. He doesn't belong there. He doesn't have a side. The bed is mine."

I glanced at my upper arm. Bending close, I sniffed. Growling, I grabbed more soap and went back into the tub. I was not going to be cooped up in this stupid room smelling like that bastard. They wouldn't let me out. Why? Scared I was going to run to the authorities? Every day, that elder came in and explained that over the next year, I'd be going through a change; that, eventually, I was going to be a werewolf like them. I was going to ask that elder if I could just get out of the room. I'd accept an escort to make sure I didn't do anything, as long as the escort wasn't Donovan.

I stopped and punched the water in the tub. I wasn't going to call him by his name. I didn't know much about Stockholm syndrome, but if I held onto the anger and the facts that he'd stolen my life, I could get by. I continued scrubbing until I was red from the friction.

After getting dressed, I grabbed a brass candlestick and started one of my favorite activities. I walked to the door. It was a thick oak door with carvings of wolves howling to the moon and running through a forest. It'd been beautiful... until I found my favorite hobby.

Twenty minutes later, there were fresh dents over a wolf's face, bit of splinter scattered across the floor. I was raising my arm for another strike when someone hit the other side of the door, yelling me to stop whatever I was doing. Glaring, I gave an especially vicious wack, before I picked up a vase and threw it at the door.

"Maybe if someone would let me out of this room, I could do something more productive!" I picked up the candlestick and started hammering the door again. My arms were burning by the time I put the candlestick back and plopped down on the bed. I kicked the bedding off, wrenched open a window and tossed it out. I heard someone yell "hey" from somewhere below. I just yanked the window back down and paced the room. I considered punching whoever came through the door first.

"Katherine, may I come in?" I paused and looked at the door. I wasn't sure I wanted to punch the elder in the face. He'd been pretty decent, except for the whole keeping me in this room. Grabbing a vase of flowers I hurled it across the room, satisfied when the glass shattered, water and petals spilling everywhere.

"You can come in now." The elder unlocked the door and stepped inside. He frowned at the door, tracing his hands over the ruined carving. He moved further in, surveying the room. After a moment he sighed and settled onto the sitting area.

"I believe you're upset."

"Yes, and the sky is blue. How come he is allowed into my room? How come I have to deal with him trapping me in his arms when I sleep? I wake up and have to scrub the smell of him off me." Pausing, I sniffed my hair and threw it over my shoulder. "And I still smell him Am I going crazy?"

The elder paused and shook his head. "You're sense of smell is developing faster than expected. Yes, I can smell him off of you, even across from the room. He's the pack leader and declared that he will sleep beside you, swearing not to assault you." I started pacing back and forth angrily.

"This is my room. I don't want him in it!"

"Child, you do not have to raise your voice. This is your room, but this is his pack and this is his house. Perhaps, you should ask him to leave you alone, until the meeting." I paused and glanced at him. He watched me for a moment and motioned to the seat opposite of him. Sighing, I fell into the seat and leaned forward.

"The other elders have declared that we will have a meeting with you and the pack to discuss you're rejection of Donovan. It's going to be in three days, on the new moon. Everyone understands why you would reject him, but they want you to understand what may happen. I've been asked to leave everything until the meeting."

Twitching, I got to my feet and began pacing. "I want out of this room."

"Yes, I believe your constant attacks on the door, are an indication. But, you must understand that everyone is concerned."

"You can stick me with an escort. A whole cadre of them if you want. As long as none of them are that bastard that got me into this whole mess."

"That is a concern that is keeping you here."

"What do you mean?"

"Many of the men in the guard that would be ideal as an escort are... not mated. They would desire you. Fighting would break out and we need peace, after everything that the leader has put us through. Many want you to accept Donovan, believing that it would calm him; that he may regain his sanity."

"If I have to stay here one more day, I'm going to go crazy. Then, you'll have two nut jobs. I hardly think that's an improvement. One might say the exact opposite. Elder... do you have a name?"

"I was wondering when you would ask. I am Elder Samuel." He bowed his head forward.

"Why can't you escort me?" The elder blinked. He contemplated it for a moment, then nodded.

"I can't see anything objectionable to that. Perhaps you can meet some of the other pack members. It may improve opinion of you."

"Improve opinion? I've been kidnapped, my life ruined and they have a low opinion of me? Is it my fault that your precious leader is crazy as hell?"

"Katherine..." I rushed to the door and pulled it over. The man just outside of the door looked shocked. I didn't hesitate as I kicked him in the balls. As he doubled over, I slammed his face into my knee and started running down down the hall. My leg tingled from the impact. I wondered if his face would be bruised into my leg. I saw a pair of stairs and bounded down them.

People peeked out of doorways, and stared as I ran past. I saw a man out of the corner of my eye rushing at me. I turned towards him and as he about to pounce on me, I punched his throat, twisting my whole body into it. His eye bugged a little and he started choking and coughing. I worried a little that I'd done some serious damage, but tossed that aside. Fuck him. I'm not staying cooped up any more.

I ran to the door and nearly barreled into Donovan as he walked in. His eyes widened in surprise. I brought my knee up and hit him in the groin. He grunted but wrapped his arms around me tightly, squeezing me till I could hardly breathe. I stomped down on his instep and his grip loosened a little. Tensing, I smashed my forehead into his nose, wincing. That had always looked easier in the movies. Stars danced in the back of my head.

Breaking from his gasp, I punched into his stomach trying to put everything I had into it. Leaning back, I kicked him in the side and shoved him out of the way. I glanced around as he fell. Everyone looked a little shocked. I don't think anyone had ever bloodied their leader before. I caught movement and glanced down. He was getting up.

I ran out and forced my legs to keep moving. Several days of inactivity took their toll. I was winded and I didn't think I could go much further, but I wasn't going to stop. I'd rather my legs give out from under me before calling it quits. My lungs burned and I was quickly getting a stitch in my side. I forced myself to take deep breaths and let them out slowly as I ran. I couldn't hear anything except my blood rushing through my veins.

I felt myself tumbling forward before it registered that I was being tackled. "Get off me. I won't be in that room anymore. Let me go!" My face pressed against the dirt, I heard heavy panting. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Donovan pinning me down. I bucked, trying to throw him off. He growled deeply and pushed me harder against the lawn floor.

"Get off of me, you crazy bastard. That's another thing. Stay the hell away from me!" He pulled my arms back and gripped my wrists in one hand. My heart jumped into my throat. I hadn't realized how much bigger he was then me. I struggled, but he yanked my arms and twisted them painfully.

"Stay away from you? As I recall, you ran into my arms not twenty minutes ago." With his free hand, he pulled my hair, twisting it in his fist. My neck craned back as he tugged. He started licking my neck in slow strokes and nibbled on my ear. Chills ran over my skin.

"Get the hell off me!" I kicked my legs back, managing to kick him forward. I screamed as he kept the grip on my arms and he nearly wrenched them out of the sockets. Readying myself for the pain, I threw my head back, smashing into his face again. I hadn't realized that he'd kept a strong grip on my hair until I saw his fist full of my hair. He let my hair and arms go, using them to support his weight as he leaned over me.

I heard feet running up, people begging "Lord Donovan" to let me up. It annoyed me. They're all bastards. He growled deeply, snapping his teeth at them.

"She's mine."

"The hell I am," I shrieked. "I'm not a piece of meat to be fought over or anything. Let me go right now." I tried to push up on my arms, but he pushed me hard back to the ground, the wind getting knocked out of me.

"I'll give you a deal. Kiss me, like you mean it. I'll leave you be for a few days. I'll tell them to let you have free range of the land." He rolled me over onto my back and pressed himself against me from his groin to my chest. My eyes widened as I felt his hard-on. He leaned close to me and I only saw his eyes staring intensely at me.

"Agree? One kiss. I'll let you be and you'll get to go where you please."

"Donovan, this is not right." I glanced up and saw Elder Samuel standing over us. His voice was calm, but his face was angrier than any I'd ever seen. I wondered if that anger was towards me or Donovan.

"Get out of here, all of you. I'm not going to hurt her. Away, all of you," Donovan growled, his head whipping around to snarl at them. I hated it. I felt like a bone a dog was trying to claim, snapping at the other dogs to keep them away. I looked up and saw them retreating. Did him being their leader give them no backbone? They didn't agree with him, but a little snarling and menacing and they were all cowering. After a minute, they all left, Elder Samuel beingn the last and extremely huffy about the whole thing.

"Fuckin' cowards," I muttered, glaring at their retreating back. Donovan's mouth quirked up, a smile that quickly disappeared as he looked down at me. My eyes widened. He had to have a broken nose and there was blood all down his mouth and chin. He sat up, touching his fingers to the blood.

"Yes, definitely a fighter," he murmured as he licked the blood from his lips. He ripped off a sleeve from his t-shirt and wiped the blood from his face until he was satisfied that he'd gotten himself as clean as he could.

"So, I believe you're name is Katherine. I just realized I'd never properly introduced myself. I'm Donovan of the Moon Claw pack, Alpha wolf and leader of the pack. I believe it's been made clear that you're my mate."

"I'm not!" A muscle twitched in his jaw. A part of my brain was screaming not to piss off the crazy guy basically pinning me to the ground.

"Twice, you've run away, and twice I've caught you. If you reject me, the scenario's just going to be played out again. You run. I catch up. You fight and run again. I will catch you." He pressed his hard-on against me. "Though, I do have to say the chase is very pleasing."

"But, I'm losing track of what I started off from. One kiss, and I'll leave you alone till the meeting during the new moon. My brother will watch over you; I can trust him to keep his hands himself. Do you agree? One kiss, how bad could it be?"

"If I say no and to just get the hell off me?" He leaned forward and licked my jaw. I saw a flash of sharp teeth as he leaned in.

"I won't leave your side. From the moment you wake up to the minute you fall asleep. I'll keep you on a chain. I'll feed you food from scraps of my dinner. I'll stick you in a cage in the corner of my room until you beg to be let out, and then I might not let you out still." The blood drained from my face. This guy was just sick.

"One kiss and you'll leave me alone?" I hated myself for asking. I was playing his little game. But he'd started rubbing his hard-on against my mound and I wanted him to stop. Something inside me was liking how he was putting me under his complete control. It sickened me and I needed to get away from him.

Leaning forward, his lips grazed against mine, along my jaw and he whispered into my ear, "I swear it by the moon." I nodded. He nipped my ear and growled softly, "Say it. Say you agree to give me a kiss."

"I'll kiss you if it means you'll leave me alone and let me have free range to the grounds." He nipped my ear. "Not forever," he whispered. "I'll leave you alone till the new moon meeting. Say it."

I didn't understand why he was pushing this. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "I'll give you a kiss in exchange for you leaving me alone till new moon and letting me have free range to the grounds." He grunted approvingly and nuzzled my neck. My eyes closed and I bit my lip. I hated how sensitive my neck was. I could feel tingles spreading through my body as he ran his hands lightly along my ribs.

"Enough, let's just get the damn thing over with," I gasped. God, my voice was much to breathy. He nibbled my lips softly, and I hated how I started to respond. His finger brushed against the sides of my breasts and I arched up against him. His tongue ran across my lips softly and I opened my mouth, letting him in.

I realized with a start that I was running my hands up his biceps and gripping onto his shoulders. I broke the kiss and pushed him away. I was a little surprised when he didn't resist. I looked into his eyes, and blushed at what I saw in them. No one had ever looked at me with such lust and I felt shy. I scrambled away from him and wiped the feel of his lips from mine with the back of my hand.

"Stay the hell away from me, okay?" He nodded, his eyes tracing over my every curve. I wanted to wrap my arms around myself and run back to my room. I stood tall and marched my way back to the house, trying to forget the feel of him against me. I wondered why I hadn't called him a bastard, resolving that I had to be firm with myself or he'd win.