BeWere My Heart

Chapter Five

“Selene.” Merrick whispered, “Can you feel it?”

Selene’s eyes met his, “I can feel everything…Is this what it feels like?”

“Yes, but only a thousand times better.” Merrick could see the change in her. The moon had lulled her into a trace. She undoubtedly felt the pull towards the earth—towards the wolf inside her.

The moment was short lived as Selene realized she was sitting next to a completely naked man who was crouching at her side. She closed her eyes. “Merrick, your…your not wearing any clothes.”

Merrick couldn’t help himself, he tipped his head back and laughed loudly into the darkness, “Selene I can’t wear my clothes when I Change.”

“W-where are your clothes.” Selene asked nervously.

“I will get them, wait here.” Merrick moved. Selene hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Wait.” She looked back into Merrick’s eyes, “This is our last night to be together. After tomorrow…we may never have this chance to be together again.”

Merrick’s soul screamed out that he should take her. She offered herself to him, she knew that they were meant to be together. But he had promised Patrick, “It would be wrong.”

Selene’s hand traveled from his shoulder up into the hair of his nape gently running her nails against his scalp. “How can this be wrong, when it feels so right?”

Merrick stood pulling Selene up with him. They stood staring at each other, slowly shifting from side to side, letting the wind move their bodies. Merrick reached out his hand and placed it against her heart. He could feel the life in her. He watched as her eyes dilated even more, signally the wolf inside her desire to be set free. Had it been a full moon she would have already succumbed to the dance.

Their bodies moved closer, Merrick’s naked form pressing Selene back against the tree behind her. Her arms hung over his shoulders and then slowly came forward to trail down the wide expanse of his chest. Merrick then pulled her tight up against him, his arms like bands of steel around her. But she did not feel trapped. No place had ever felt so perfect then when she was in Merrick’s arms.

Merrick moved in closer, her lips begged to be kissed. But before his lips could claim hers he turned his head away, he spoke into her shoulder, “I can’t betray Patrick’s oath.”

Merrick then dropped his arms from around her body and moved away, back into the darkness to find his clothes. Selene stood with her arms around herself, shaking body. She felt battered and bruised and so hurt by Merrick dismissal. She knew about his promise to her father, but it shouldn’t matter, their love should be what mattered. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, she tilted her head back and once again caught sight of the moon. And then as if by just seeing it she felt re-energized. She felt her body being pulled deeper into the forest and she was running before she even knew she had taken a step.

“Selene! Stop!” She heard Merrick call out to her, but he seemed so far away. She didn’t stop, she couldn’t stop, she had to escape herself, she wanted to escape her skin.

She ran faster than she had ever run before, her sandals long since lost behind her. She didn’t even feel the ground beneath her soles. Dodging in and out of trees and over fallen logs she raced into the darkness, her hair like a flag flailing behind her.

Suddenly she was not alone. She felt them before she saw them. Not thirty yards away, she could see their eyes burning in the darkness .She stopped up short, backtracking several steps. The wolves were large, while not as big as Merrick they were still formidable in their size and Selene felt fear sink into her heart. The larger of the two took several steps forward, he had dark brown fun with light colored face and white tipped ears. He hunched low and sniffed the air.