A Wolf Scorned by Taylor Spratt

Amira

“Help! Somebody, please, can you hear me?” I screamed so hard my throat went dry and still the forest was silent with no help to be seen.

“Mi- Amira.” Syrus said, his voice muffled by the blood.

“Thank the Goddess, you're awake.” I pulled Syrus against me and with what little of his strength remained, he gripped my arm for support. “I tried calling for help but nobody heard me.”

“Not surprising. We’re too far from the cabin and from the town for anyone to hear u-,” his face twisted in pain and he wheezed.

“Can you help me back to my room?” he asked between labored breaths.

“Your room? Are you crazy? You need a hospital.”

“Ha, little wolf. This is an Alpha wolf you’re dealing with. It’ll take more than a single hit from a fire sphere to kill me. Besides, I’ll heal faster from the comfort of my own bed."

Syrus pulled on my arm to sit upright. He then pushed a hand to his knee.

“Wait, wait. You might strain yourself or, worse, bleed to death.”

“Not if you help me,” he rebutted.

Deciding there was no use in arguing with him, I swung his arm over my shoulder and helped him to stand.

Slowly, he and I traveled through the trees, back toward the cabin.

I’d known Syrus was a large man, but I never imagined just how heavy he was, and it wasn’t even like he was leaning on me all that much.

“There we go.” I helped him over a large tree trunk in our way and he thanked me. I glanced over at his chest and, though there was still a lot of blood, it seemed the large wound had at least stopped bleeding. His healing speed was truly remarkable, even for a wolf.

I didn't think I'd ever been so close to Syrus before. I studied his face and my eyes fixated on his impossibly long and thick eyelashes. His every feature was so delicate, so refined, so strikingly beautiful that it just wasn't fair.

How could one person, let alone a man, monopolize so much good looks just for himself?

His eyes shifted down to meet mine. I quickly looked away but it was too late. He saw me ogling him.

Geez.

I bumped open the cabin door with my hip and we filed inside.

“Mil-” I called out but before I could finish Syrus stopped me.

“No, no need to wake him.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’s a hard working Beta. Let him rest. Besides, I would much rather the assistance of a pretty young she-wolf than Miles.” He laughed boyishly before gripping his side and wincing in pain.

“See, I told you not to overdo it.” I helped Syrus through the kitchen, up the staircase, and into his bedroom.

Once inside the room, I took him to the bathroom and left him to stand in front of the mirror, supporting himself on the sink.

“Where are your clean towels?” I opened the tall cabinet between the sink and the toilet and saw nothing but cleaning supplies and a few rolls of toilet paper.

“Check- in the bedroom. There's a- cabinet beside the door.”

I flew back into his large bedroom and opened the cabinet. Inside sat six clean, white towels folded neatly, one on top of the next. I grabbed the first towel my hand touched and hastened back into the bathroom.

“Gimme a little room here.” I reached past Syrus to turn on the faucet and wet the towel. After it was sufficiently wet, I rang out the towel and gently dabbed at his bare chest.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Syrus sobbed like a little pup at the doctor’s office as I gently cleaned his wound.

“Stop being such a big baby.”

Syrus pouted, protruding his lower lip cutely. “Now I really will have to punish you for that one.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I wiped the last of the blood from his chest. “Have any bandages?

Syrus reached over my head to open the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. He tugged a long spool of white bandages free and I took it from him.

I told him to raise his arms and he obeyed.

“You’ll be gentle with me, now won't you?” Syrus shot me a wink and, by the cheeky grin that now crossed on his face, I couldn't help but think he was enjoying toying with me.

I unfurled the long bandage and wrapped it around his midsection in several layers before tightening it securely at the bottom.

“Good, now you're all set, big boy. I haven’t got a lollipop for you so this will have to do.” I gave him a slap to his shoulder and he grunted.

“I was just having a little fun with you. No need to be mad.”

“I’m not mad.” I waved him away before strolling out the bathroom door.

“Wait. Aren’t you at least going to help me into my bed, Dr. Amira?”

I turned to face him. His pupils were huge and he pouted those pink lips of his, shooting me the most criminally adorable look I’d ever seen.

“Pweaty, pwease?” His pout gave way to a devilish grin.

“Fine, but only because it’s my fault you got hurt.” I swung his arm over my shoulder and took him over to his large bed by the window and helped him sit down.

Now that his life wasn’t in danger, I finally had a minute to notice his room. It had that same peculiar tv hanging on the wall that mine room did. This room was more rustic than mine. It had a fireplace at one end of the room, and a punching bag hanging from the ceiling in the other.

Pictures of what I assumed to be his family adorned the walls and the tops of the bedside tables, giving the space a cozy feel.

One picture stood out amongst all the others. In a large picture frame sitting above his bed sat what had to be the most beautiful woman I had ever set eyes on.

Her long auburn hair was as curly as it was shiny, and it dangled all the way down to her elbows. Her cheekbones were high, her skin flawlessly smooth, and her nose as tiny as a button.

Her eyes however, were her most striking feature. They were a large, deep set blue that glimmered like the midday sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Syrus said, eyeing the woman with pride and sorrow.

“The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Is she your mother?”

“Mhhm.” He nodded and his faint smile disappeared. A darkness set in his eyes as he watched the woman in the picture and I remembered that Miles had told me she died when Syrus was young. Not wanting to bring up any bad memories for him, I excused myself and made for the door.

“Wait,” Syrus said. “Would you mind sitting with me for a little while?”

“Me?” I poked my index finger at the center of my chest.

“Of course you, silly. There’s no one else here.”

He wanted me… to sit with him? Had Syrus hit his head after he collapsed earlier?

Heeding his request, I sat on the edge of the bed beside where Syrus sprawled out.

“Hey, I don’t bite. Come a little closer.” He waved a hand inwardly.

“Well you are man spreading,” I pointed out, and he seemed amused as he brought his long legs together and reached for a pillow to prop himself up.

I scooted over a few inches and looked around the room, my eye landing on just about everything but Syrus. I couldn’t believe I was actually sitting on Syrus’s bed. What was I even thinking?

“You okay over there?” He batted his lashes.

“So how come you wanted me to sit with you?” Reluctantly I turned to face him. And for the first time, I became fully aware of that fact that not only was Syrus half naked, but his eyes were glued to me. It was like he was just as surprised that I was here as I was.

“Do you hate your Alpha that much?” He looked skyward. “That you wouldn't want to sit with him for even a few minutes while he recovers?”

“Hmph. It really gets you off doesn’t it?” I threw my hair behind my shoulder to stare him down.

“What does?”

“You being my Alpha.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because you keep saying it over and over again. I’m your Alpha this. I’ll punish you if you don’t behave, that.” I mocked, throwing my voice to do my best Syrus impression.

“I keep repeating myself because it’s the only way to make you realize that you're mine,” he said matter of factly.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

That one word echoed over and over in my head. Leaving me more and more confused. Was this just another game of his?

Before I could question him, Syrus changed the subject. “I’m really proud of you, you know. Your powers are still in their infancy but today marks the first day in the journey to your full awakening.”

I rubbed my hands together then threw them far apart. “You know I was hesitant to try your little game, but it was really cool to feel that rush of power, you know? It was like bang! One minute I was just plain old Amira and the next I was unstoppable!”

“I like plain old Amira. There’s nothing wrong with her,” Syrus said under his breath. Then he sat up and, careful not to aggravate his wounds, he scooted over so that his large frame hovered over mine on the bed.

His steely gaze burrowed into mine and my body warmed from the power of his scrutiny. A dark presence loomed beneath the shimmer of his eyes, one that called to me and intimidated me all at once.

Syrus was power incarnate, an alpha among alphas, so much so that his wolflish scent permeated every inch of the cabin, possessing it and marking it as his territory.

My body quivered as his sinfully seductive eyes cast a spell on me, rendering me powerless to resist.

Without even realizing, my head lowered and I gawked at his strawberry pink lips. My mouth moistened and the side of his lips curled up into a grin.

“Why do you keep staring at my lips?" He inched himself closer until our arms touched and his face hovered over mine. “Is that your way of trying to get your Alpha to kiss you?”

Surprised at the openness of his question, I took a long blink and shook my head.

“Is that what women normally do when they want you to kiss them? That seems a little odd to me.”

“Oh?” His chest brushed over mine and his face came in so close I could feel the warmth of his breath tickle my nose.

My toes curled and my breath came in quick bursts as my temperature seemed to skyrocket.

I was playing a dangerous game against a master of seduction, and based on the spasms wreaking havoc between my legs, he was winning.

“Oh? Then just how would you get a man you were interested in to kiss you?”

He scanned my lips, visually devouring them and slowly traced the length of his lower lip with his tongue.

“Well um, first I would need to be interested in the man.” Who was I kidding? Syrus was off the charts alluring. He rang my bell in every way possible. Every fucking fiber of my being wanted him, despite the fact that I knew he was two-faced. But I would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

“Oh, I see.” He looked away and then back at me, resuming his sexually hypnotic hold over me. “So, say you were interested. How would you get him to kiss you?”

“I don’t know. I- I never had much time to think about that in the hole.” I was tongue tied, almost stammering. Every nerve in my body was now electrified, stirred awake by Syrus's Alpha presence. My body craved his touch. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention and even Wolfy wagged her tail, utterly enthralled by his dark charm.

“You don’t know, huh? Well, I know. You wouldn’t have to say or do anything. All you’d have to do is sit there, looking as beautiful as you do. Any normal man would trade his left foot just to kiss you,” he said.

My heart fluttered like a swarm of butterflies and a dam broke inside me, sending powerful waves of need straight to my core.

A calming silence filled the room as Syrus made a move, swinging his head lower.

I tilted my head back and puckered my lips eagerly waiting for our lips to touch. Flames erupted under my skin in anticipation of his warm embrace.

A mere inch from his lips locking on mine, he halted, leaving my puckered lips hanging in suspense.

“Any ordinary man would be dying to kiss you, little wolf. But make no mistake. I am no ordinary man. Us Alphas are harder to catch.” He winked before completely pulling himself away to fold his arms behind his head and lay upon his two fluffy white pillows. “But you're welcome to keep trying though. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll catch me.”

I couldn't believe what I’d just heard.

“You smug little bastard.” I yanked the pillows from behind his head and threw them across the room.

His head fell hard to the bed and I gave him the finger.

“Hey! Injured wolf over here,” Syrus bitterly complained.

“Yeah well, I didn’t want to kiss you anyway.” I did what I should have done from the beginning. I left his room, slamming the door behind me.

I set off down the hallway toward my room. I pulled the door open and entered my dimly lit bedroom and closed the door behind me. Sighing, I leaned my back against the door. The worst part in all of this was I really did want to kiss him. Could I really have been falling for that jerk?

I took a look over at the windows and saw that someone had drawn the thick curtains, blocking out most of the outside light and casting the room in a thick shadow.

Pushing off the door, I sniffed at the air, catching a whiff of something unfamiliar. Someone unfamiliar.

Wolfy howled a desperate warning that she, too, sensed something was wrong.

“Hello? Is someone in here?” I walked throughout the room searching for the source of the unfamiliar scent.

My search led me to the closed closet door. There was someone in there, a he-wolf.

I took a step back, hoping that whoever was in there hadn’t discovered I’d blown his cover.

What if it was someone from the hole, here to drag me home? A knot formed in the back of my throat. What if it was Alpha Logan?

Okay, Amira. Just slowly back away from the closet, open the door and run like hell.

I arched my back to slowly turn away. But before I could make my move, the closet door swung open.

I jumped and a gigantic male emerged.

“Okay, pal. I’m only going to ask this once before I start screaming. Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room?”