Lone Werewolf

Panic

I ran, my feet pounding against the ground, my heart pounding even faster as I sped away from him. I had to push past people, almost tripping over their feet in my haste to escape.

My blood was rushing inside my veins, pumping me with adrenaline as I tore away from him.

He now knew I was alive.

Jonathan.

I gasped, gulping in air as it rushed from my lungs. I had no idea where I was going but my senses were so muddled it didn't matter. I knew someone was chasing me, the fear of that propelling me further until I was breathing fresh air. I was surrounded by green but paid it no attention, fighting the nausea within my stomach.

My wolf was going wild, howling and snarling in anger, threatening to claw her way out. She wanted to kill him and take her revenge for all the years of neglect.

I found a space between a tree and a bush and wedged myself into it, making myself as small as possible to hide from him.

They'll know I am alive.

Anxiety roiled in my chest, gripping my heart almost painfully, trying to drive me into oblivion. My entire body shook as it became drenched with the torrential rain and I clutched my dripping hair, gripping it tight to ground myself and stop the darkness drawing me in. My stomach churned.

"Shit!" I heard a voice swear loudly, "she's beginning to shift."

"This is bad," Celia, I think, answered but I clamped a hand over my ears to quell the high pitched squealing rattling in my skull. "You have to calm her down."

"Eden! Eden!" my mate cried in vain, voice muffled by the noise in my head - even drowned out by the rushing of my blood. The world felt like it was tipping on its axis.

"Eden, I need to you calm your breaths and count with me okay? Deep breaths, 1, 2, 3..."

I didn't hear the end, too busy fighting the rising anger and fear from deep within me, struggling to suppress the needs of my wolf.

"It's not working!" he yelled, panicked now.

"You have to do something! You're her mate!"

There was a moment of chaos before strong arms wrapped around me and I was pulled against a warm chest. I fought, trying to fight the new restraints and trying to see who my captor was but black dots swam in my vision and I had to close my eyes against the blur. It made me feel sick and dizzy. 

My attempts were futile and I had to relent to the warm iron grip, quivering and quaking in these arms. My wolf howled once more in my mind, pushing me closer into the chest until I could hear a heartbeat thumping through their thin shirt, but of course, I knew who it was.

Cesare's heartbeat was fast, but began to slow, along with my breaths as I squeezed my eyes tight shut against the waves of panic and anxiety rippling over me. At least I didn't feel like I was being torn apart anymore.

"Shh, it's okay." He hushed me, clutching me tighter before I was floating mid-air and the hard grass was no longer underneath me. His heartbeat was still pounding, but the bond forced mine to beat with his until we were in sync. I sighed and gripped onto his shirt with a fist, forgetting why I had panicked in favour of a few moments sleep.

**

I burrowed further into what felt like fire, warming me up slowly from the inside as I tried to ignore the dampness seeping into my back, droplets dribbling down my temples. It was so darn comfortable. Arms were keeping me securely to a chest which rippled with each breath, rising and falling in perfect sync with mine. I had always dreamt of what a hug felt like.