Born to Lead

Hunted

Laura began to feel an uneasy feeling creep over her as she shined the light around. Walking again, faster than before, she heard a slight ruffle of leaves coming from behind her. Listening to her gut, she picked up her pace to a jog as she scanned the area ahead of her. Her heels dug into the soft earth beneath her feet leaving behind the indention of her stilettos. Another rustle of the dead leaves, a lot closer to her than before, stopped her in her tracks.
Frantically she spun around searching the trees and the ground off in the distance. At the corner of her eye she saw a blur of grey and out the other she saw white. Something big. Her chest clenched in a tight knot and her blood ran cold. With every ounce of will power she had, she took off at a run dropping her cell and clutch in the process. Pushing her way past low hanging branches and matted dead leaves on the ground, her heart pounded in her chest.
She was knocked to the ground by a white blur. The air knocked out of her lungs, she struggled for breath. Scrambling onto her back panting and desperately trying to get herself back up into a position to defend herself, she met face to snout with this biggest white wolf she'd ever seen. Running up behind it came the the grey blur she'd seen, growling fiercely. Never a day in her life did she imagine her death being torn to pieces by two unnaturally huge wolves. She began to panic, not having any type of weapon to try to defend herself against these wild animals. Out of no where an enormous black figure ran into the white wolf, crushing of bones from the impact filled her ears. The grey wolf charged the figure with razor sharp teeth. The wolf latched onto the stranger's arm, but was flung against a tree and crashed onto the ground. The figure rushed the wolf and spoke in a deep menacing roar, " Shift wolf!", while lifting it up by it's throat.

The wolf growled in fury and Laura, frozen in her spot, witnessed as the animal began rearranging bones within its body, changing forms. Fur receeded and in its place naked, perfectly tanned skin appeared, All the while Laura watched horrified. Fully shifted, the wolf, now a man, struggled against the stanger's grasp around his neck almost a foot off the ground, helplessly pleading to be released.

"Let me go!" ordered the now naked man. The being in black responded by tightening his grip on his neck.

"Who is your master dog? Who sent you for her? Tell me!" The figure loosened his grip slightly for his opponent to speak.

"I don't know why he wants her," he replied breathlessly, "he just sent us to capture the girl and return her to him unharmed. Distract her companion with two paid humans and lure her here."

"Who sent you?"

"Demetri." He said with a slight smirk.

At the name the creature holding him visibly tensed, tightening his grasp as his victim writhed in pain against his grip.

"She's mine!" the dark hooded being yelled. Snapping the shifter's neck with one hand and released the lifeless body to crumple to the ground.
That sickening sound snapped her out of her frozen trance and she ran.

Laura's POV

I ran deeper into the woods off of the path where fog began to blur my vision. Big mistake. Running as fast as I could in these damn boots, hands out stretched in front of me beating the limbs and tall brush out from my path. I tripped over something hidden under the fog landing face first onto the ground. Still aware of my surroundings, I dragged myself to my feet taking off again.
Running into a clearing I see IT just standing there, as if waiting me. My feet stop moving and I am frozen in place by both cold and fear, I could only watch as this strange figure approached.

"What do you want? Who are you?!" I yell as it comes closer, slowly.

Straining my eyes to see the figure emerging from the fog, "What are you? What are you doing here?"

As the figure drew closer I couldn't believe my eyes. Blood red eyes and pale white skin, shaded by a black hooded coat was the first thing that caught my eye. Then I began to realize how huge the figure was. At my small stature, this terrified me. I couldn't will my legs to move, I could only stare. Closing up the space between us, the figure moved at a speed so fast it blurred in my vision. Just inches away from my face, the creature's chest and shoulders were a large mass suddenly in my vision. Finally able to move my body, I lifted my head to find it staring down at me with hungry eyes. Scared shitless, i ran.

My mind screamed "RUN" while at the same time something inside me wanted to go back. Out of no where, a wall of black stopped my futile attemp to escape flinging me backwards at the impact. I couldn't breathe for what seemed like hours. Struggling to catch my breath again I began to feel the pain of the impact.

He was still standing over me! Watching as if he were fascinated by something. Then I realized he had his hand reaching out for me to grab it. At this point i knew it was impossible to escape and I could only accept the worse. I reluctantly took his hand, immediately recoiling. As if an imaginary spark ignited at the touch. The shock on his face said he felt it too.

"What are you?" I asked with a shaken, out of breath voice.

At first he said nothing and offered me his hand once more, "Take my hand. We have to move quickly." The strong features of his astonishingly beautiful face were finally revealed as he removed his hood from his head. I gasped at the sight, never ever in my life experiencing such pure beauty. Framing his gorgeous face long thick brown locks fell to his shoulders in perfect waves. Seeing the shock and admiration plainly painted on my face he said," I am Cole. Take my hand. You must come now. It is not safe." Something in those red frightening eyes made me trust him.

I grabbed hold of his hand and he pulled me up with unhumanly strength as if I weighed no more than a feather. Once on my feet he said," Don't be frightened. I won't harm you." His voice melted through my body like warm honey. So frightened and confused i began to feel dizzy. Head spinning, I took a step forward then I felt my body falling. Before I hit the ground he caught me and lifted me to his chest. I lifted my head and saw him looking at me with concern and anxious eyes. Those beautiful, horrifying eyes. Then my mind slipped away from me. The last thing I remember was trees flying by so quickly while laying helplessly in his arms. This stranger's arms.