The Good Daughter

Chapter Three - Green

She couldn't move. Her limbs were frozen – they were so close that she could almost feel the electricity zapping between them. Rowynn couldn't deny she was frightened of him. That look on his face was so monstrous; how could someone not be frightened? He was on top of her like a wild animal and he never even flinched when his open wounds grazed up against her. But what really had the she-wolf so hypnotized were those eyes of his.

They were green pools of... nothing - absolutely nothing. No emotion to speak of radiated from his cold eyes. The only image she caught was that of total treachery. Someone had made him this way. Someone gave him that hard, unnerving stare.

Raine's smooth, worried voice was slowly getting harder and harder to hear. Her father was also calling out to her as well. Jack's voice faded every moment she stared into this man's dark and hallow eyes. Rowynn stared up at him and slowly, very slowly, lifted her hand up to his cheek. She was timid with her actions – something that was strange to her – and let him know that she was no threat.

He was showing his dominance, letting her know that she was below him and that she was weak. He wasn't just any human. He knew what she was, and he knew how to behave. Rowynn was sure he didn't mean it to come across that way, but the longer his gaze held hers the more it looked as if recognition was starting to flicker in his eyes.

As suddenly as that glimmer of recognition came, it left just as quickly. He bared his fangs at her and his grip tightened once again around her throat. She tried not to show that she was amused by his show, but the soft laughter that escaped her lips came out all the same. She didn't understand why he was doing this. She could have just thrown him off her if she wanted, but this was something different in her otherwise sheltered existence.

"Shift!" he growled.

Rowynn stayed silent. She wasn't about to let him get the better of her. He may have had the upper hand before, but she would play this game for much longer if he thought he was the big wolf in this situation. He was a human. He had nothing on her power.

There was a moment of complete stillness before he propped himself up with both of his hands, having let go of her throat. All she could do was stare up at him, trying desperately to figure out this strange man.

It seemed like hours had passed them by before he finally got up off her. It was like she had defeated something inside of him. He swiftly moved to his original place near the rocks and tilted his head back, his eyes closing as he let out a soft sigh. He was hurting, there was no question about that.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked as she lay on the ground, not even bothering to get up and inspect the situation. Her head was tilted towards him, watching carefully as he struggled to breath, let alone speak.

He had a tormented look on his face as he said, "Someone asked me that a long time ago. I was in a damn similar situation now that I think about it." His eyes were still closed as he spoke, and his face now showed absolute suffering. "But yeah, I'm okay."

Yet, he still managed to force a laugh.

Rowynn smiled and looked up at the tops of the trees as she rubbed her neck. "Good," she laughed, "Because I was about to take you out if you kept choking me, human."

She didn't mean it to come out so harsh, but at no point did she say she forgave him for manhandling her.

That last sentence seemed to get his attention. "Oh yeah?" His scowl could have taken down a small army. He was petrifying, and Rowynn knew it shouldn't have been this fun to mess with him.

She gave him a couple of awkward glances, but never made eye contact. She was still unsure of him.

"You're just a human, and you're weak right now." It was a fact she was naturally stronger. He knew she was a shifter, so he should have known better. If it were any other shifter, he'd be dead right now for even attempting to restrain them.

Despite his wounds, he was quick to retaliate and shot up to his feet. She had about a second to stand up and back away, barely missing his hand that swiped at her, fire dancing as the flames brushed against her cheek.

"You can make fire dance."

The memory quickly disappeared, but she recalled a time when she met a human who could make fire dance at his command. He had promised to teach her. He could make a lot of things dance.

He was no normal human.

As he stood, he resembled a wild animal. He was a good six-foot tall, and broader than most shifters – which was saying something. But just as suddenly as he had gotten up to possibly kill her, he stepped away, his face shadowed in an emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on. His reprieve was far scarier than his onslaught of attacks.

His breaths were coming out heavy and strangled. "You- don't know anything about me, puppy, so-"

His eyes suddenly widened, and the full extent of his wounds were finally catching up to him. Rowynn didn't have time to fully put her emotions back together before he started to fall forward, and collapsed onto the forest floor.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. '?' she thought. He had referred to her as a pup earlier. Only older shifters called young one's pup's. He certainly knew a few things about her kind. Who was this man?

She didn't wait too long to think about it before she turned around and took a step forward. She could feel the bruising around her throat, and her face contorted painfully. How did he even manage to put a mark on her? He certainly didn't feel that strong when he was choking the life out of her.

She would have run for my life if something didn't hold her back. Something she thought she would never get the chance to hear, or feel. Something she had thought was lost to her.

Her wolf. She could feel it stirring. Somehow, it felt warmer, lighter, and less alone.

That was the first time she had ever felt something there. It was the first time she felt – truly – that it was alive inside of her.

Rowynn put a trembling hand to her chest and felt her heart start to beat faster and stronger – as if everything that had ever been broken or hurt inside of her was mending itself.

'Were you waiting all this time for him?' Rowynn asked herself. Had her wolf been hiding all this time, just waiting for him, of all people?

She could feel her wolf hurting and it just about broke Rowynn's heart in half. Her wolf was weak after being dormant for so long. Rowynn slowly turned around and looked at the nameless man collapsed on the forest floor.

Her jaw clenched as she neared him, knowing for certain that there was something special about this human. Something she couldn't just leave to die.

She just hoped she wouldn't regret what she was about to do.