For the first time a wolf...

It was going to be one of those nights. Rick sighed. He wanted so badly to lose himself inside her, but the pleasurable intimacy filled him with satisfaction. That girl belonged to him. He would see to it that she didn't walk away. Resigned, he picked up the blankets.

Sighing, he pulled the covers over them and closed his exhausted eyes. An exhausted Cassie slept soundly. On second thought, perhaps there was no need to return to Gaia so urgently. He did not intend to keep the ship at anchor in Chaboneharbourr. Not after having found the girl.

He was thinking about solving the problem with the Council of Ancients and he let out a low curse. He was the firstborn and heir to the mantle. If the pack intended to still have an alpha to lead them, it would be interesting for Regan and the others to reevaluate their decision about exiling their wife from the castle. Oh, he wasn't coming back. The border...

From a distance the creature bared its deadly fangs in anticipation at the scent of blood it smelled in the air. For a long time...a long time, they didn't feed. They had almost gone extinct. It wasn't just the vital fluid that flowed through a body that sustained them. The magic accentuated the flavour and gave them strength. He was not ICHICHOS.

Ichichos would have fled when they discovered a wolf. No, they were more feared. They were creatures from stories told by ancients at the edge of a fire that served to scare children. There were even those who guaranteed that they had never existed. They were not nature's creation. It was the creation of pure magic invoked by the mighty ones who craved limitless power.

They fed on both vital fluid and magic. That girl had both.

He was hungry and would surround his prey waiting for the right moment.

The fire in the hearth still burned faintly though most of it was ash radiating a pleasant haze.

But something woke Richard up. It wasn't a sense of danger. There was a woman's scent in the air. Images began to invade his mind as he tensed his muscles and opened his eyes. The cave... He sat up suddenly uneasy to realize with a veiled curse what he had never imagined. He was alone there.

Had the girl run away from him?

It was clear that she had run away! The reflection was bitter as I looked around. He had probably made the girl afraid after last night. She would have reason to defend herself against him after the Council's reaction. But, Rays! One would suppose he believed he had no part in her exile decision.

He leapt to his feet, filling himself with recriminations. He didn't use to be such a heavy sleeper. The girl had woken up before him and hadn't realized it. She searched for her clothes and gun belt, cursing again. He was going to find it naturally. This time it would be very clear that she would no longer tolerate these situations. When he found her… Ah, he imagined the pleasure of turning her ass red as he spanked her. Or wring that magnificent neck. God! There were sorcerer hunters throughout the region. Did she imagine sheltering where? In Garro's tavern? Just the thought infuriated him.

Marching hard across the wet, fluffy earth, he decided to return to Gaia, as soon as he found her and resolved issues related to the Council. He just wasn't such a heavy sleeper. But last night... God! That girl drove him crazy. It was a simple fact that no amount of military training could prepare him to face. She couldn't be that far away. The torrid dreams full of promise set her body on fire. He had taken too long to sleep.

It was also impossible not to remember her wonderful night and promises. Only the dreams. The memory alone made him feel a tightness in his groin. Goo, God! There was, in addition to the feeling of guilt for the unpardonable carelessness, the pride of possession. She might still have had admirers in the infernal tavern, but it was in his arms that she'd sighed and shivered and moaned her name before...

There was an unnatural commotion in the silent forest.

He noticed the quiet of the animals in the early morning, finding the calm strang as if it were a storm about to break. The forest... It was an animal instinct that always prepared its senses for the start of a battle. He unsheathed his sword attentively and anxiously. Where was the hell girl?

A loud, furious howl rippled through the silence causing a flock of startled birds. He looked around the hill in astonishment. A wolf? Right there?

The howl showed irritation and fear and was followed by terrified human screams.

-Hell! - he grumbled. Did she transform?

They were unable to assume animal form so far away. It couldn't be a wolf.

He had already expected to find the men dead when he finally made his way across the clearing. He didn't expect the sight that appeared before his eyes.

One of the men was dead, his throat torn apart by the animal's fangs.

Two more men raised daggers, cursing in an attempt to defend themselves. Morgan whistled in disbelief, recognizing the weapons used by these strangers. They were sorcerer hunters! For the first time, he turned to the angry animal. baffled

It was a female.

Angry and cornered, growling.

And showing the attack position, as the hunters tried to corner the animal against the rocks. It wasn't just any wolf they hunted. The animal was bigger than most. Their fur was white as snow, long and thick. It could easily reach three feet in size. Ears raised and pulled back showed anger and fear. Morgan let his eyes fix on her and time itself stopped at the greenish glow they mirrored.

Cassie!

One of the armed men charged the animal again, roaring in fury.

-I do not intend to lose those wonderful eyes, my dear. - He smiled as he removed the sharp wooden darts from his waist. - They will guarantee me a real fortune after you have satisfied me.

The other partner showed irritation.

-You can only be crazy, Roger. He could easily have taken advantage of the girl's charms had she been a sorceress. It's a mestizo.

-Precisely, you coward. The damn pack isn't around. Not the alpha. She is still poorly tolerant of wolf weed. I want to see her arrogance when she's between your legs without the bastard being able to shift. Can believe. It was a wolf who informed us of her whereabouts.

A wolf? Rick gritted his teeth imagining Philip.

Overwhelmed with fury, Richard Morgan advanced, sword drawn, prepared for the attack and agility guaranteed by the natural skill of his kind. The first hunter didn't have time to show any reaction when his head was cut off by his blade. The stroke of his sword was merciless, accurate, and powerful. Blood splattered the air and the dead man's companion soon afterwards created. The animal advanced towards him, overcome with rage as it sank its sharp fangs into its pursuer's throat and shook it in the air as if it were nothing.

For a long moment, Rick breathed heavily. His keen ears searched around for more hunters without being able to make out anything. He let his lungs out slowly, turning to the wolf.

- Cassie!

The animal raised its head with ears pointed up in dissatisfaction and focused attention on its dead prey before growling.

A bestial growl erupted from the animal defending the downed game.

-You will not feed on his blood, petite loup. It's forbidden. We don't feed on human blood, girl.

The wolf didn't seem to agree between successive, furious snarls. Morgan tried to approach her calmly, reaching out toward her in a friendly gesture. There was a hierarchy among wolves. An alpha's decision was always respected. The girl belonged to his pack.

- Cassie!

She dug deep furrows with strong paws, revealing growing irritation and baring her teeth defensively.

Richard kept his eye contact steady, searching her mind and all he could capture was confusion and fear. The girl had no idea what was happening and acted on her baser instincts. Self-preservation. Like any wild animal, she feared and distrusted humans. It was a curse indeed.

- You don't have to be afraid of me, girl. We will. I want you to revert to human form, okay?

The words were calm as he forced himself to keep his breathing even and steady. All well. She was then a half-breed and she turned away from the source of magic. Amazing!

That the first few times was not an easy process while they still had not mastered the skills with ease. It was laborious.

-Look into my eyes and relax. Morgan commanded decidedly, letting his gaze gleam black as night. - Just relax and breathe. Release the energy... slowly...

The animal growled and howled, looking for a bewildered exit.

-Obey! - Morgan became insistent.

His voice command had a compelling appeal to obey and was ingrained in their gene. He was forcing his will to prevail over the jumble of conflicting emotions that overwhelmed her to bring her into human form. She almost doubted that she would succeed.

What did they know about mestizos?

Another irritating growl reached its ears and the animal recoiled. Astonished, he noticed that the wolf lowered her head in submission after facing him when so many older wolves wouldn't even dare.

Little by little he glimpsed even more perplexed the girl abandoning her animal form, lying on the ground and without any reaction. Her clothes were torn, her ragged skirt pulled up to her hips to show off her toned legs. Her hair showed wild disarray lit up a face that displayed a deathly pallor.

- Cassie! - he could barely speak. What if she had been wounded with wolf weed, sir? - Cassie. Look at me. Is she hurt? - This time her voice sounded strong and clear approaching.

There was no response from her as she stared dazedly at the scene around them and the bodies. She was splattered with blood. Still unresponsive, he touched her forehead, brushing away the tangle of dark curls as he smoothed out her skirt, or what was left of the fabric. He noticed her gaze lost and with an expression that he didn't know how to interpret. A moment later she broke into low, sobbing sobs as he held her in his strong arms.

-Are you hurt? Did they hurt you? - He asked a little awkwardly.

Morgan took a deep breath, smoothing her hair. He still felt even more unprepared with the situation; women who seek him only for the pleasures of sex like Mayra.

Her breath was pleasantly warm, spreading heat through her body as tears wet his chest. She was a tempting woman.

"Wh-wh-what happened?" she asked looking at the clearing and its dead in astonishment. He didn't remember how she got there.

He shook his head, thinking like a warrior again. It was likely that those dead men weren't there alone. That place gave the impression of perhaps being a camp. They needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

-Can you walk, my dear? - he asked attentively to the dead men.

They were undoubtedly hunters. He'd seen too much of that scum to be fooled. They generally used light weapons, daggers and daggers always soaked in poison. They needed to return to the safety of the cave.

- Cassie! Can you walk? - he insisted cursing himself for the lack of sensitivity. He needed to be practical and objective to keep them alive.

She nodded, accepting the hand he held out to help her up.

-They are ...

He swore, tugging at her hand as they walked quickly out of there. Rays! They were hunters! She didn't remember anything, damn it?

-Let's go back to the cave. Later we go to the gipsy village. A village that will shelter us. Good and reliable people. It's certainly not a place Phil would walk. A good meal...

She said nothing or complained at the brisk walking pace he decided to adopt as they crossed the clearing, heading back into the forest.

Cassie kept walking, seriously thinking about what she could have done in her life to deserve the unfairness of these ordeals.

Especially in the ordeal that she walked with hard steps in front of her indifferent to her tiredness to keep up with him. She practically had to run to keep up with his long strides.