Lone Werewolf

Drowned

He was fast, coming up to my side – "Eden you should slow down."
For once both me and my wolf agreed that we should speed up. I was tired of taking orders.

"Eden!" he warned again, sounding further behind me. I heard him mutter, "I don't know what Chloe's been teaching her," under his breath.

My frown deepened and I sped faster, my lungs beginning to my protest and my calves aching – but I wouldn't give up. I won't slow down. I won't.

His footfalls were heavy behind me as he chased after me, I turned to the right and I could hear him tossing tree branches out of his way in my wake.

I couldn't stop. He was chasing me. "Stop!" he yelled, causing my eyes to widen and my blood to turn to ice.

My heart was still pumping fast, faster than my footfalls as I tore through the forest. They were behind me, chasing me – forcing me towards the lake. I didn't want to go there, but I could see Jonathon on my right.

"Stop!" he growled menacingly, "Stop running!"

I jumped over a tree root, almost stumbling before I kept going, faster and faster towards the lake clearing. Fear drove me onward – maybe I could run past the lake and escape for good.

"I'll kill you!" he yelled, growling loudly in frustration. My eyes widened as I saw a wolf jump in front of me, cutting me off so sharply that I barrelled into it, sending me sprawling to the floor. My back hit the grass of the clearing – I could feel it tickling at my arms and I could hear the birds on the lake screeching as they fled the wolves.

The wolf that had tripped me was on my chest in an instant, claws digging into my flesh as it made sure I couldn't run any further. Jonathon was still in his human form and he was livid, his muscles rippling as he stormed up to me; I could see him from the corner of my eye, above the snarling jaws of the grey wolf.

My hair was in his grasp faster than anticipated, ripping me away from the wolf causing an agonising fissure in my stomach where the claws had been. I cried out, stumbling back on my feet, now feeling the burn of my ankles after my frantic sprint.

He punched me in the jaw, cracking my head to the side, his hands still gripping my hair as he forced me to stand.

"Are you going to run from me again?" He bullied, glaring down at me.

"N-no," I replied, unable to shake my head due to his tightening restraint. Until he abruptly dropped me, making me fall to the ground, my head cracking against the dirt. I had expected more and was confused, until I was hauled onto James' shoulder, who had shifted. I was momentarily disoriented, the blood rushing to my head and I could see the ground speeding past until his feet were on the wooden slats of the pontoon.

I gasped trying to free myself from his hold, but he held fast, his nails digging into my bare calves. I was petrified of water and they knew that.

They just didn't care.

I was frozen in fear when he kept going, I could see the murky water below me, I was deliberately hanging near the edge. His foot stopped where the wood dropped off, where there was no more land but endless depths of water.

I could scarcely breathe, my diaphram expanding faster to get air into my lungs as I stared wide eyed into the depths. James dumped me from his shoulder, landing me in front of them both, feet scrabbling to stay on the decking – I could feel the rough edge of the wood on the base of my foot.

Jonathon's hand shot out to my neck, pushing me back until I had to grapple onto his arm to keep myself from falling, my tiptoes frantically trying to find purchase on the edge – scraping the skin in the process.