Meridon was deep in the forest. It was dark and the trees were thick. She was deeper than she'd ever been before, still that's what it meant to be a grad student. At twenty, she was the youngest. That's probably why she got the shitest jobs. Still, her intern job as a park ranger was cataloging what species of trees lived in this part of the forest.
Little did she know, but as she was cataloging what types of trees lived out in this part of the forest a pair of eyes were watching her. What was she doing here? Humans never strayed this deep into his forest. She was so young too. For now, he'd watch her. Shadow told himself that he was keeping her safe. Even then he knew he was lying to himself.
Earlier that evening, Shadow realized he needed air. There were just too many people in this cabin; it was supposed to be his cabin but here everyone was. Shadow longed for solitude. He wanted a place where he could hear his thoughts. There were too many of them crowded in. Shadow grabbed his jacket and stepped out into the cold. Not that it bothered him, he was used to it. He just wasn't used to others. He wanted a place where he could just be.
Since the others had arrived he did this often, going out in the night to clear his head. Shadow was more of himself in the darkness. By himself, there was no one to ask questions. In his solitude he had his memories. He had his past and it was both happy and tragic. He could just be.
Yet, the winds from the mountains were strong today and they swept his body. He did not shiver from it. He began to run, his lungs filled with air as the wind whipped his shoulder length black hair.
Shadow watched the woman as she cataloged the trees. He was well hidden in the thicket. Human women had changed since he had last seen them. She was wearing jean pants and a heavy sweater. Despite the fact that she was wearing "men's clothes'' the outfit suited her. Shadow saw her long honey colored hair was in a tight pony tail. It made him itch to run his fingers through it. Her hair should flow loosely over her back so that it could catch in the wind.
Just for a second, he felt doubt. He knew despite modern times, stories of how dangerous werewolves were still persisted. They kidnapped maidens and took advantage of them. They stole and did all manner of unspeakable things. If humans only listened to the song of the woods which they'd forgotten, humans would learn that nothing could be further from the truth.
But one thing was true about werewolves. They captured their maidens, like this woman who had strayed far into the woods. They captured them to take as their true mates. True mates were lovers, they were paired for life.
Shadow charged forward, intent upon his target. This woman, his true mate, would be his. A twig snapped, Meridon barely had time to react to the stranger. As soon as she looked up, she saw a man charging towards her. He was larger than any person she'd seen before. Yet, he had muscled broad shoulders and fine thick hair. Her desire for the man and her instinct to run came to her in a second. Meridon turned to flee. It was to late. Shadow was her caught in his arms.
In an attempt to calm Meridon, Shadow was in his human form. Shadow was surprised at how fast his decision to take Meridon had come to him. It had been like lightening cracking. But, it was to late to go back. He was sure that she was his true mate. He wouldn't put her down or let her go. Now the small woman was in his arms. She was fighting. Despite her protests, Shadow still kept a firm grip on the woman. He was going to keep his werewolf side a secret for now. He had no intent on letting her go.
Meridon was still screaming. Although it was in vain. There were no other humans for miles. Still, she instinctively fought. No one was going to kidnap her.
