Twisted Fairy Tale - Little Red

Growing up, no matter if it was in the depths of summer, her grandmother made her wear that stupid red cloak to go visit her up the mountain. She wore this cloak so often that the villagers gradually forgot her name, just calling her Red, or Little Red. Her name was Merissa, and her childhood was that of nightmares.

We all know the story. A big bad wolf stalking a young girl. It follows her to Grandma's house, eats Grandma and lays in wait for Little Red. Red shows up to discover the wolf and is saved by a huntsman. Sadly, this isn't the childish retelling. Grandma wasn't cut from the wolf's belly, no warm happy ending. Just a scarred child with only a cloak to remember her grandmother by.

This isn't that story. You know that story. This is a story that no one has ever been told. It had been years since Merissa visited her grandmother's old house. After her death, Little Red's mother cleaned the abandoned house and left it there for Red when she grew up.

It was on her eighteenth birthday when Merissa decided to make the journey to Grandma's house again. The house was now hers, and she felt the need to go back and see the house she visited so often during her preteen years. It was a long journey through a forest, a narrow road cutting a path through the tall thick tree line.

Unlike when she was younger, Merissa no longer had a bike. Years of not leaving the village made it unnecessary to buy a bigger one as she got bigger. This left her with only one option, which was to make the journey on foot. Over her traditional traveling clothes, she had the cloak her grandmother gave her which was altered to fit her now grown up frame.

Even in the middle of the day, the forest was dark. A thick canopy of leaves kept more than pinpoints of sunlight from reaching the ground between the trees. Only the path leading up the mountain from her childhood had a little more light. As she went down the path, she could only compare it to walking down a dim hallway passing open doors with only darkness inside.

Sweat beaded on Merissa's forehead, her breathing increasing in speed. The forest was cool, the slope up the mountain was gentle. It was not the trek through the woods affecting her in this way. The darkness in the trees and the surprising quiet had her nerves on edge. It wasn't the fear of the unknown, she knew exactly what was in these trees.

It wasn't until halfway up the path that she started to hear noises. It was small things at first, twigs snapping, leaves rustling. Each noise pushed her closer to the edge but she was smart. Merissa knew predators loved the chase, that running now would just set off whatever was stalking her. It took an enormous amount of willpower to keep her pace even all the way to her grandmother's house.

Merissa's calm almost broke, but a deep breath kept her calm until she reached the front door and slipped inside. As soon as she was inside, she closed the door and leaned back against it, breathing so hard she could only hear her own breath and heartbeat.

Many deep breaths later, Merissa finally got her breathing under control, her heart slowing to a manageable pace. It took a few minutes more to step away from the door. It was silly of her really, no way either of those monsters were still alive today. She almost believed that as she started looking around.

Darkness was beginning to fall outside when Merissa came upon a small journal. The chair squeaked as she sat down and began flipping through the journal. It was mostly filled with normal stuff, boring stuff about her life. The last few pages made another cold sweat spring up on her forehead.

10/3

"The monster came to my door today. We all on the mountain knew the beast, but it rarely dared to come up to one of our doors. And the audacity of this beast, talking about my little Merisaa in that way. I will kill it before I let it anywhere near my granddaughter."

"What could this monster possibly want with me?"

Her mind was surprisingly empty, focused entirely on the journal in front of her. So much so that she didn't hear the front door creep open behind her.

10/15

"We tracked down the beast. Deep in the woods, near the top of the mountain, we found his den. We found four beasts and three pups but not the beast we were looking for, his pack we assumed. They were sleeping and we used this to our advantage. Only one beast woke up during the slaughter and it wasn't soon enough to save it's life."

"They killed his entire pack. What could be so horrible that they would go out and kill all of them over me?"

Tears formed behind her eyes, that all to familiar stinging feeling that always accompanied it making her blink. A tear fell onto the journal just above the next entry.

10/17

"I have heard the beasts howling for the past two nights. It must have discovered what we did. I fear for our lives. What if because of what I did, the beast hunts down and kills Merissa instead of courting her like he planned? Have I doomed her? I must send her away for now until this is all resolved."

"Courting? What does she mean by courting? The wolf wanted to date me? How can an animal court a young human girl?"

Tears streamed freely down her face, wetting the journal beneath her face. She was forced to wipe her face so she could see the words.

The journal had her undivided attention. Behind her, the door slowly closed, a large form standing just inside the house. The writing desk she was seated at was across the hall from the front door in the office. The scent of fur and mountain air followed it into the house, slowly wafting towards the office.

10/23

"The huntsman Dale stopped by yesterday to warn me. The beast found his house and tore it to shreds looking for him. He knew it was hunting us now and it was only a matter of time until it reached my house. What have we d'"

The entry stopped in the middle of her writing the word done. It was unfinished, and dated the day Merissa found the wolf inside her grandmother's house and watched it kill Dale.

"How dare you lie to me! What happened that day? How could you leave me with so many questions?!" She slammed her hands down on the desk.

A deep, gravely voice washed over her from the front door. "Your grandmother was a proud woman." Merissa jerked and tipped over her chair. From the floor, she looked up at the large man just inside her front door. Fur was still melding into skin. His elongated face gradually reshaped into the face of a man. Long black hair fell around his shoulders. The only thing that remained from his animal side were his golden eyes.

After everything Merissa had been hit with today, she was shocked to feel herself begin to calm. His gaze was so gentle, his body language calm. His calm was like a warm summer breeze, easing all the tension in her body. She nearly passed out from the sudden shift, the adrenaline fading from her system.

"I told your grandmother, after seeing you for the first time, that you were my future mate. Wolves like me know their mates as soon as they can smell them. I told her I would wait until you were old enough to decide for yourself, but she wasn't going to accept that a monster could love anyone but other monsters." His voice sounded like gravel rubbing together, every note of bass vibrating her insides.

As the wolf stepped further into the office, candle light illuminated his nude body. Finally the scent of his musk entered the room and something inside her stirred. His skin was dark, sunkissed, like he spent just as much time in the sun as a man as he did a wolf. He was tall and lean, the strong body of a runner.

Merissa was sweaty, her heart racing again and she wouldn't have been able to tell you why if you asked. She knew she should be terrified of this man, but there was no fear left inside her.

"When I showed up here after failing to find the huntsman, your grandmother ran for her weapons. I was here to scare her, not kill her. Her heart beat changed and with a pained look on her face she collapsed near the bed where she kept her sword. I knew killing her would make you hate me but I guess her age caught up with her when I showed up here." He looked away, ashamed of what he had done. They had killed his family but he would never want to hurt his mate the way he was hurt by that woman and her huntsman.

"That's when her hunter showed up. I could still smell the blood of my family on his clothes. I lost control and am ashamed to admit, acted like an animal. The worst part was you walking in in the middle of it all." Some of his black hair feel in front of his face as he lowered his head in shame.

Tears welled up in Merissa's eyes again, staining her cheeks further. So many emotions swirled inside of her that she barely noticed when he lifted her up off the ground into his strong arms. His smell enveloped her entire body and started to calm her enough to sort through her emotions.

Dust puffed up as the wolf pulled the cover off the bed, revealing clean sheets underneath. Her body curled up, knees to her chest when he laid her down. He stripped the pillow case from the pillow to give her a dust free place to rest and turned to leave.

Weak fingers grasped at his wrist and gently pulled him toward her. His long body crawled over her and curled around her back, pulling her into his body. It wasn't until she was lost in his scent that she could calm enough to close her eyes and drift to sleep.

In the morning he was gone, and it would be days before she did more than wander around the house, reading the journal over and over again. Almost a week passed before she finally went outside, driven out of the house by her hunger. She was greeted by a pile of dried meats and berries left on the porch for her.

A gentle smile touched her lips and she sat down to eat. It was a few days more before she found the nerve to go into the woods, looking for him. She found herself longing for his scent. Her wolf was out here and she would find him. Her nose wasn't that of an animal, but his scent wasn't hard to find, like her body was searching for it.

Hours passed before she came up to a waterfall. The sun was starting to fall below the trees, the last hours of daylight shining off the rocks at the top of the waterfall. Laying across the largest rock was a massive wolf with charcoal grey fur. Golden eyes followed her every move, his body relaxed, letting her approach at her own pace.

When Merissa came to a stop at the base of the fall, she looked up at him, squinting from the mist hitting her in the face. She watched as his large body stood up and began to hop from ledge to ledge, coming down to her. When he landed next to her he lowered his tail and lifted his muzzle toward her, his nose about chest high.

Slowly, Merissa lifted her hand and gently ran her hand along the fur of his muzzle. As her hand cupped his soft ear, his body began to change. She watched in amazement as his body shifted swiftly from wolf to man, fur melding into flesh, ears shortening, claws receding, only his golden eyes remaining like that night.

The sun disappeared behind the trees as he settled into his human shape. Soft moonlight highlighted every cut of his lean, nude body. His strong, rough hand reached up and touched her cheek, his gaze locked onto her. This time she fully understood the fluttering heart in her chest.

Merissa watched as his fingers tugged at the tie of her red cloak. The silk pooled around her feet, revealing worn traveling clothes underneath. She could only stand there as he began removing the rest of her clothes. Her shirt fell away from her pale skin, handful sized breasts reacting to the open air. Goosebumps covered her entire body, spreading further as he lowered her pants.

Her scent had an obvious effect on the man kneeling in front of her. Sweat dampened his forehead, his breathing was heavier, and his movements began to stiffen. When he stood, her body finally bare, she found that not only his movements had stiffened.

Emboldened by their shared nudity, she ran a cold hand up from his stomach to his chest, feeling every groove of his beautiful form. She watched as his hand came up and his fingers curled around her hand. He brought her hand up to his lips, kissed her fingers, and let out a warm breath over her cold fingers.

The single gesture of affection spread warmth through her entire body, spreading out from her core. His nostrils flared as her scent spiked. Leaves shifted under them as he stepped into her, his other hand sliding around her waist. His fingers dug gently into the flesh of her right cheek, using his grip on her to pull him as close as possible.

Leaning his head down as if to kiss her, he stopped short, letting her meet up, as if still asking if she was ready. Seeing the gentleness in him even in his moment, she was suddenly certain. Her heels left the ground as she raised herself up to meet him, their lips meeting for the first time.

Until now, Merissa would never have equated a kiss with a cage door. That all changed as soon as her lips touched his. It was as if the touch of her lips were the key to his cage door, his animal coming to the surface. Both of his strong hands found the crease just below her soft curves and lifted her off the ground, sitting her on his waist.

Their tongues met in wild passion, their bodies flattened against each other. He could feel her heels digging into his back as she held onto him, loosing herself in his embrace. She barely felt herself being laid onto the damp leaves as he lowered them both to the ground, never breaking their passionate kiss.

Waves of heat rushed through her entire body as his strong chest rubbed against her breasts, the sensation causing her back to arch, pushing herself harder against his body. Tingles ran down his spine as her fingers found the base of his neck, fingers running through his thick black hair.

An animalistic growl vibrated her entire body as he nipped at her lower lip, encouraged further by her touch. His body lowered slightly and a gasp exploded from her lips, into his, as she felt something press against her. Her gentle touch turned into a clinging grip as her insides were parted by his entry, burying her face into his neck.

When his hips finally pressed against her's, Merissa let out a shuttering breath against his neck. She panted against his flesh, every little movement reminding her just how full of him she was. Every twitch sent a surge through her, the pants gradually turning into moans.

Merissa's body finally began to relax under him and she leaned up, kissing him again. When their lips met again, he started moving his body, sliding himself out of her only to push back into her depths. It was slow, controlled, each movement using his entire length. Never before had she described pleasure as torture.

The grip she had on his hair tightened and she arched into him as much as possible. She wanted more but he had stolen her voice with his body, biting at his lip, a soft growl escaping her throat. His chest rumbled and when she realized he was laughing at her, she bit down more on his lip and met his eyes, growling on purpose this time.

Grinning against her lips, he tightened his core and started picking up his pace. By the time she felt each shock of his hips connecting with her's, he was already pulling back to do it again. The pleasure building up inside her had a delicious edge of pain to it. She had never felt this before and nothing in her life would ever be able to compare.

Each time she thought she understood what she was feeling, his pace would quicken, his thrusts would grow rougher. Merissa's nails clawed at his back, holding onto him for dear life. A bubble was growing inside her, pushing out from the inside, building with every one of his powerful thrusts.

She was so lost in her own feelings, she didn't notice his body getting slick with sweat. His panting as fast as hers, his heart racing even faster. Heat radiated off his body, steaming against the cold, misty night air. It wasn't until he started to swell inside of her that she could feel something other than her own pleasure.

Her eyes opened and met his, wild with animal pleasure. The look of passion on his face, the feeling of his breath on her skin, and the throbbing inside her set her off with the next thrust. The bubble inside her burst and a pleasure-filled scream ripped from her throat.

The screaming orgasm got lost in the roar of the waterfall, but it was all he could hear. Music to his ears, her cries of pleasure pushed him over the edge. As he erupted inside her, his teeth sharpened and bit down on her neck. A secondary eruption of pleasure flooded her body, a deep connection settling in between the two of them.

Merissa's entire body was trembling with pleasure as he lowered himself next to her and curled his body around her's. She slowly started to get control of her breathing, snuggling back against his hard body. She kissed the inside of his bicep and closed her eyes, being kept warm by his body heat.

As soon as she went to ask about the bite, she felt his presence in her mind. Without words, she learned the bite was the mark of a mate, leaving his mark on her so other wolves would leave her be. When she was ready, she should mark him, to seal the pact for life.

The thought was framed as an open ended offer, allowing her time to make the decision. He was taken by surprise when she bit down on his bicep, the scent of his blood mixing with the scent of her's in the air around them. He smiled against her neck and closed his eyes, both of them giving in to their exhaustion.

Mated for life. I can live with that.

She drifted to sleep with him, smiling.