Wolfblood: the Price of Loss

A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who has read, commented, and voted favorably; it's truly a blessing to have readers as active as the ones here. I will keep updating weekly, though the days may change depending on how long it takes to get the individual chapters approved, but overall, I think we should be done in a couple more weeks or so. Now, somebody asked for longer chapters and this is my attempt at doing exactly that. Again, thank you. Let's move on to Ch. 05.

*****

Valery ran through the sparse woods like an insane animal and pushed herself to go faster with every passing second. She might be smaller than other Weres in her wolf form but she was also built for speed and came close to beating Richard many times, in one of their silly little Sunday games.

Richard

, she thought, guilt going through her as it had for the past 2 weeks every time she'd thought about him. She would make it up to him, she promised herself but at that moment, she didn't have time to feel guilty or for distracting thoughts. The need to get away was all she had to concentrate on and with any luck, she'd be away from the vast land Hector owned, and end up in the dense forest that it eventually led into. She didn't know the area well enough, but her more lucid runs in the night and the maps in the cabin had given her a general idea of where she was.

Valery didn't know where she'd go...perhaps back to her pack. It was her best bet and she'd be able to explain to them what happened. Oh, they'd all be furious with her but she hoped Annet at the very least, would understand her sentiments to deal with this on her own. She had been surprised when she'd detected Vincent's scent on Hector and she had had a brief flashback of the feelings that had overwhelmed her when he'd betrayed their bond. Slowly, she had started to forget them but they had surged forward, pushing through her defenses and she'd responded in panic and horror, wanting to get away from it all again. But Vincent was

there

, he was nearer than he'd been in weeks and she did not want to see him. When she'd jumped through the kitchen window, his scent had engulfed her and she'd felt her wolf hesitate in its escape. But she'd been in control and had pushed the beast to run as fast as it could, they both needed to get away from the one person who had caused them the most damage with just a few interactions.

Would any of them come after her? She didn't know the answer to that and that's why she was pushing herself to get away as fast as she could. Hector had never hesitated in going after her every time the wolf had tried to escape in its anguish and insanity. He'd always followed her without hesitation, stayed just a few paces behind and was quick to restrain her should she go too close to the perimeter or try to attack him. He'd been patient, persistent and unyielding in his duties and she'd expressed her gratitude for that several times. If he were the one to come after her, she certainly had no chance of escape, she knew that, but she would most certainly try. Vincent, on the other hand, had rejected her more than once. What he was doing there, she didn't know; how he'd gotten Hector to bring him to her, she also had no idea on, but she was certain he'd never come after her. He'd already shown she was more than abhorrent to him and even though the thought pierced through her swiftly, making the wolf whimper slightly in pain, she'd accepted that fact ages ago and was not going to hold out any hope for him.

Her hackles rose as she detected the faint movements of someone running after her, pursuing her. Valery's heart dropped as she tried to distinguish the almost silent movements of her pursuer which were swift and yet discreet. He was quickly gaining on her and while she was yet to feel fatigue in her body, she was running as fast as she could but nowhere near where she wanted to be. The pace of her hunter increased, as if he'd caught sight of her and despair washed through her; was Hector really going to force her to face Vincent?

The faint sounds of her tracker disappeared suddenly and she almost stopped in surprise. One of two things had to have happened: either, Hector had given up on chasing after her, which was highly unlikely given his their recent history, or he had chosen a different tactic of hunting her down. One which she was not familiar with and would most likely get her captured in seconds; he was an efficient bastard when he wanted to be. Incentive renewed, she tore through the trees, finally getting a far off glimpse of the road that ran between the land she was on and the beginning of the dense forest ahead, before it was suddenly obscured by a pair of blue jeans, making her skid to a halt.

Her pursuer had quite literally fallen from the sky...no, that didn't make sense. He must have jumped down from the trees above, right in front of her and she hadn't gotten a hint of his scent as he'd so skillfully hunted her down until he was right in front of her. Her wolf paused and then backed up a few steps as Vincent's scent engulfed them, causing a slight shiver to go through the animal's body. She could feel the animal's anger as their supposed mate stood before them, hindering their freedom. The wolf started to growl and they raised their head as one to look at the face of their betrayer.

Valery was taken aback when she saw the sadness on his face. He looked...weary and just sad. Nothing like the picture of the arrogant man who had all but chased her out of his office or the beast that had claimed another woman right in front of her. His green eyes darkened when he looked at her and she saw his lips turn upwards slightly, giving her a small smile even if his sadness did not disappear. She felt a brief moment of confusion before the wolf's anger flowed through her. He was sad?

He

was sad?! Did he have any idea what she'd gone through in the past weeks because of him and he dared to stop her as she tried to find her way out of the mess he'd created? Her growling increased and she heard him start to speak.

"Valery, please, I..."

That was as far as he got before she launched herself at him, claws extended and mouth open in a snarl. The wolf went straight for his neck, ready to tear at it but he'd anticipated her move, grabbing her front legs in one hand as he pushed the other out to the side of her head, keeping her sharp teeth away from his neck. The momentum of her jump had pushed him backwards suddenly and he stumbled, twisting himself so that he took the full impact of the fall. She twisted herself in anger, trying to get out of grip and it slackened, surprisingly, enabling her to get away from him.

He stood in one place, watching her carefully as she glared back at him, a low growl rumbling in her chest. If she decided to stay and fight him, she'd lose, that was a given. He was a vampire and infinitely stronger and faster than her. She wasn't even a regulation size werewolf and didn't stand a chance against him. Her options were slim but there was no way she was just going to back down and let the bastard have whatever he wanted, whatever he came for. She'd sooner hurt herself trying to get away than do that.

Her mind made up, Valery turned away from him swiftly and took off in a different direction, hoping she could cut back and get to where she had been going originally, as slim as her chances of success were. Her wolf was starting to put up a little resistance however, and she could feel its hesitation in going along with her plan.

"

What are you doing? We don't stand a chance against him

," She thought in frustration.

"

He's here, now. We must face him.

"

No

, Valery thought firmly; that was not the way this was going to go. She tried to force her dominance over the wolf like she had several times before but she felt it fight back just as hard; it was used to getting its own way. Her progress slowed as she struggled with the wolf, snarling and growling as they both fought for dominance and in a flash, Vincent's scent covered them again, making them pause as they turned as one to stare at him.

"Valery, I just want to talk with you, please. I'll let you go after that, I promise," he said with his arms outstretched and palms open, as if he was trying to calm a savage beast.

She felt indignation join the emotions that had been warring within her; he thought

she

was savage? Her wolf growled in response to her thoughts, agreeing with her but it still wanted to fight the vampire who had betrayed them and was determined to get its own way. With Valery distracted, it launched itself at Vincent with a snarl. As prepared as ever, he still managed to restrain her and she felt embarrassment flush through her at how easily he did so. Her wolf was not to be deterred however and fought against his grip, clawing at him and pushing against his grip.

Vincent was not so quick to let them got this time and held on as they tousled with him in the forest, her snarls filling the air. He gave her a few liberties sometimes, not restricting her movements that much. That was until she bit savagely into his arm, tearing away at the flesh, jolted at how much she liked the taste of his blood. He hissed in pain and suddenly, was no nonsense, effectively flipping her over beneath him, making the animal whimper in surprise. He clasped her front legs in one hand and curved his body to wrap his powerful legs around the rest of hers. The wolf growled in frustration as he incapacitated it within seconds and brought his second hand over its head, pinning it to the ground.

"I didn't want to do this, Valery but you gave me no choice."

A shiver went through the animal's body again and its fur stood on end for a few seconds as Vincent's calm voice reached them, his lips close to her ears. She was surprised, almost impressed at how quickly he'd turned the situation around; Hector had never been able to do it that quickly. At that point, she didn't know where her own emotions stopped and the wolf's began as she realized she'd never have been pleased with anybody restraining her. She could feel, however, her wolf's growing contentment with Vincent's strength and tactics...was it turning against her again? A growl escaped and she felt Vincent tighten his hold slightly.

"I need to speak with you and I know that you're not inclined to do that willingly after how I treated you and I'm really sorry for that."

The animal became silent as he spoke; he had both their attention now. His voice was getting quieter and sadder, she thought; a shard of melancholy pierced her heart at that realization.

"I can't express how sorry I am and I don't want to hurt you anymore. I will however, impose myself on you until you let me express myself."

She shivered again and the wolf growled once more.

"I want to show you what I feel for you;

how

I feel for you. Please let me."

No

! She tried to yell at the wolf but it had gotten a mind of its own and she fought with it again, not allowing it to give in to his dominance but it fought her still. They snarled and growled out loud as they struggled against each other and stopped as Vincent flipped the animal again, angling himself to look into its eyes.

"Valery, I need you change back," he said firmly, practically ordering her to.

She rebelled against his command but her wolf didn't. Her frustrating, disloyal wolf practically laid down for him and stopped struggling with her, letting its presence recede until the fur from her body started to vanish and its form became her human body, naked and restrained by the mate she hadn't asked for and didn't want.

Vincent's hold loosened almost instantly as the shift came to an end and he rolled onto his back, taking her with him so that part of her torso lay across his chest and he held her there firmly, not allowing her to escape. She was angry and felt betrayed by her own wolf, she wanted to scream and yell in rage but knew that that would do her no good; her own helplessness was very apparent to her and she felt her eyes prickle with tears at her frustration.

"I'm sorry," Vincent said, his deep voice rumbling through his chest and reverberating into her own.

She glanced up at his face and found him watching her closely, a frown knitting his brows together and his green eyes piercing into hers with a look so intense, she turned away almost immediately.

"Then let me go," she said, her voice coming out in a whisper. She didn't want to look at him, speak to him or face him. She just wanted to be away!

He did as she asked and his arms slid away from her body, making her shiver and get a few goosebumps at the feeling of his hands on her naked back. She stood up quickly and glanced at him self-consciously, finding his eyes on her still, roaming over her body. She saw a muscle twitch in his jaw and his eyes suddenly travelled up to look into hers, green eyes darkened and practically smoldering in his heated gaze. Heat flushed through her, whether in embarrassment or not, she couldn't tell but she turned away from him, covering her breasts and the area between her legs with her hands. Valery had gotten used over the decades, to the openness with nudity Weres had and hadn't felt uncomfortable with her own in an age. But all that was stripped away from her with just one look from Vincent; she really didn't want him around.

Valery felt the leaves rustle behind her and felt something drape her shoulders a few seconds later, making her jump in surprise.

"Here," she heard Vincent say and turned her head to find his shirt covering her. She hadn't taken much notice of it before but it was black, its smooth material sliding over her body almost soothingly as she silently slid her hands into it. She noted the tears in it that her wolf had made and swallowed to try and get rid of the guilt that crept up at the thought of attacking him. The soft cotton material felt good on her skin and she hazarded a glance at him as she buttoned down the shirt, finding him standing and still looking at her with that intense gaze he'd originally given her, the heat that had made her blush, thankfully gone from it. She glanced away quickly again, not wanting to show him the strange emotions his presence, touch and overwhelming scent were starting to create in her.

"Will you come back with me?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I don't want to," she said, finally fixing a glare on him. "Do I have a choice though?"

"I just want to talk to you, to discuss...this," he said, finishing the last word with his hand gesturing between their bodies to hers and then his.

Valery looked at the pleading look in his face and her gaze inadvertently slid down to take in his white vest, tucked into his loose blue jeans. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly looked back at his face and found a small gleam of amusement clouding his gaze, taking away from the pleading look she'd found there before. She looked away from him quickly, fighting down the embarrassment and heard him sigh.

"Valery, it's quickly becoming dark. I won't hurt you...please."

"You don't know the meaning of that statement, Vincent," she said, saying his name like it was a curse and seeing his face slip into a blank mask. "I'll go back to the cabin, but I don't have to listen to anything you say."

Without looking back at him, she started walking back to the cabin, realizing how late it had gotten as the sun made its descent.

"I could carry you back, it'd be easier that way," she heard him say behind her and lifted her nose in the air in response.

No way in hell was she ever going to give him that chance. She stuck to her stubbornness for quite a while even as the leaves crunched beneath her feet and she repeatedly stepped in mud. She was going to end up hurting herself, she knew, but perhaps it wouldn't happen if she was careful and she turned back to glance at Vincent, wondering why he hadn't insisted on carrying her. That thought disappeared promptly as pain seared through her body from her right foot and she looked down to find she'd stepped on a twig with long thorns.

In seconds, Vincent was by her side, lifting her to sit in his lap as he sat down on a nearby log himself. She tried to protest against him, telling him she'd be fine and trying to push his hands away but one warning look from him and she faltered in her resolve.

"Let me tend to you, Valery. I don't want to have to restrain you again."

She stopped and looked away, only flinching and hissing in pain as he suddenly pulled the twig with its thorns, out of her foot. He hesitated then, glancing at her briefly before he grazed his right thumb against the fangs that had suddenly appeared in his mouth. She watched in fascination as he turned his attention back to her foot, rubbing the blood that flowed from his thumb onto her heel. A few sharp pains shot through her foot, making her flinch again but after a few seconds, the ache that had started was gone. She looked back at him and he gave her a soft smile, surprising her when he lifted her off his lap and into his hands like she weighed nothing.

"No more protests on my carrying you back, I hope," he said as he stood up, not really asking before he swiftly moved through the trees at supernatural speed, heading back to the cabin.

In no more than a minute, the cabin was before her and she was grateful for that fact, wanting, once more, to get away from Vincent's overwhelming scent and the strange feelings of contentment her wolf radiated as he'd held her close to him, well protected in his strong arms, cradled against his almost bare chest. Her wolf might be quick to warm up to him but she was of no such mind and she still wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Instead of putting her down though, he quickly shifted her weight onto his other arm, holding her like she was made of paper and opened the cabin door, walking quickly into the well-lit though small living room where they found Hector seated, flipping through a rather large book. He, in turn, took one look at them and nodded behind them to the stairs.

"Clean clothes are in the bedroom," he said simply, going back to his book, but not before exchanging a look with Vincent.

For his part, Vincent quickly and quietly carried her swiftly up the stairs and into the bedroom, placing her gently atop the bed. He straightened and she felt a little chill go through her at the sudden loss of his arms and protective embrace. But she was better off away from him, or so she thought and stood up to walk away from him, putting as much distance between their bodies.

"I'd like to take a shower," she said pointedly, when he didn't make a move to leave.

His lips turned upwards in a slight smile and she heard him exhale sharply as if in amusement, but his eyes were still fixed on her, their green depths quickly unnerving her as she stared back this time, almost unable to look away.

"Of course," he said, breaking their staring contest and turning away to walk out of the room.

Her eyes followed his form, taking in his well-muscled bare arms and the wide expanse of his back, muscles rippling underneath the vest as he moved. Valery glanced at his narrow waist and the jeans that hung off his hips, curving around his butt. She blushed as she remembered looking at the very same anatomy on the first day she'd seen him in a suit and appreciating how perfect his ass looked. The memories tumbled into her mind after that, one after another, coming unbidden as she remembered the feeling of his arms around her, his lips moving sensually over hers and then to her breasts. Her nipples hardened at the memory as a wave of heat flushed through her at the deeply erotic memory of his fingers buried in her hot wetness, stroking her to orgasm.