Hunger Awaits
Chapter 7

I knew that she would ask questions after seeing Tenaya shift, but I hadn't figured out what to say. She stared at me patiently waiting for my response. I searched her eyes and body language for any signs of fear and there was none, so I decided to tell her the truth. "Yes Kendra, we are all wolves. It is in our blood, our heritage. Does this scare you?" She sat and pondered for a minute then shook her head.

“No, I am not scared of you or your family. I am however frightened by the other wolf I saw." I took a deep breath because now I had to tell her what was happening.

“About that other wolf, there are two more with him. He is also a werewolf, for a better sense of the word. Jace thinks that him and his buddies are Rogue. Meaning they left the pack they are originally from and are highly dangerous. They don't follow the same rules that the rest of us follow." She looked at me and I could see all sorts of questions burning in her eyes. She was handling this better than I thought she would. She should be running away screaming by now but instead, she had a somewhat peaceful look to her.

"So what happens now? Why does this other wolf keep following me?" She asked me. I could see a little bit of confusion in her eyes. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to answer that question yet.

“I'm not sure. He obviously has some sort of objective but I don't know what or why. Usually, our kind doesn't hunt down a human like this, but with them being rogue who knows. Unless you are one of us too he shouldn't be this obsessed with you." Her eyes got wide and I could see her processing something in her head.

“Well, how would I know if I was? I mean I have never shifted into a wolf that I know of." I laughed a little at her. She was amazing, here I am telling her that she is being hunted by a werewolf and might be in danger and she wants to know if she is one. "I'm serious Matto. Obviously, this other wolf has an obsession with me, don't you think it is weird?"

"Yes, I do think it is weird. That is why everyone is out tracking him. I stayed behind to protect you. We will get to the bottom of this." She seemed to calm down and took my hand.

“Thank you, Matto. You already have done more for me than any man ever has, well except for Paxton. He stayed by my side after my ex tried to kill me." I felt an anger rise in me when she said this and also curiosity.

“Tell me about your ex." She looked at me and I could see the pain in her eyes.

"His name is Ryker. We were together for about six months before I finally agreed to move in with him. He was so nice and sweet in the beginning, but as soon as I moved in he changed. He became possessive and controlling. I was cut off from everyone except my friend Audrey, I refused to be cut off from her. One night I came home from work and caught him in bed with another woman. I left him and ran straight to Audrey's house, which was a mistake. He showed up one night when I was alone and knocked me around for a little bit." She paused for a moment and I saw a tear in her eye. I took her hand in mine and smiled at her.

"You don't have to tell me anything else if you don't want to," I said to her.

She smiled back at me and then took a deep breath. "I want to if you think it might help." I nodded at her.

“It might help, at least it will give me an insight into your life a little." She continued.

“When Audrey came home he told me to get rid of her or he would kill her. So I went out and talked with her but slipped her a note telling her what was happening. She played along and when she left the house she got help. When the police arrived Ryker held a knife to my throat and then stabbed me in the leg when I tried to get away. Long story short he was arrested, but right before we came here I got a call that he had escaped." That last part made me wonder.

“Did Ryker have any friends?" She nodded.

“Yes. He has two that followed him around everywhere." Everything was starting to make sense, but without proof I didn't want to jump to a conclusion and scare her.

“I'm sorry that all that happened to you Kendra no one deserves that. You are such an amazing woman for moving on with your life and I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you while I am with you."

She looked out the window and I followed her gaze. The snow had started again and was really coming down. I knew that Jace, Koda, and Tenaya would replace shelter or head to the resort if they could, but I was still worried. I needed to know what was going on out there. "Kendra I am going to step out for a minute. I need to try and get ahold of the others, but I can only do that in my wolf form." She looked at me then said something I wasn't expecting.

“Then stay and shift here. I want to see you, the real you." Her eyes met mine and I saw something in them that made me feel comfortable. I stood from the bed and walked over to the door. I felt the transformation coming and within seconds I was standing on all fours in front of her. Her eyes never left me and I could hear her heart beating faster. "Matto you are beautiful." She said to me I bowed my head to thank her.

I concentrated and finally found what I was looking for. Tenaya's voice entered my head. "I lost them. The weather is really getting bad guys we should head to the resort." I started to lose her so I focused harder. All the while Kendra's soft eyes were on me waiting patiently. I could hear Jace and Koda's voices agreeing with Tenaya. I focused all my energy and called out to them.

“Tell Kendra's friends that she is fine and as soon as it is safe to move her I will." They all acknowledged me and then I heard nothing. I knew they either shifted back to their human form or they were too far away. I shifted back to my human form and stood in front of Kendra completely naked. When we shift back we are always naked, but we have kept clothes hidden around everywhere. I watched her as she looked at me and licked her lips. I could smell her lust for me and I wanted her to, but she was still hurt.

"Oh my." Was all that escaped her lips as she looked me up and down then locked eyes with me. Her body was aroused and her scent was making it very hard for me to stay calm. I quickly grabbed the blanket lying on the end of the bed and wrapped it around myself.

“I'm sorry Kendra. It is such a natural thing to me that I had forgotten you were in the room." She shook her head then smiled up at me.

“No need to apologize. You are absolutely beautiful in all ways." I sat next to her on the bed and looked at her.

“You know I would completely understand if you wanted to run away screaming. This is all a lot for someone to take in." I said to her. She scooted closer to me then I felt her hand on my cheek. I turned to face her and she looked deep into my eyes, as her hand crest my cheek.

“Matto, I could never be afraid of you. I can't explain it, but ever since we met I have had a sense of comfort around you." I knew how she felt I had the same feeling and right now, as I looked at her all I wanted was to taste her lips.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Thank you, Kendra." She pulled herself closer to me, so close that I could feel her breath against my cheek. "Kendra, What are you doing?" She took my chin and made me turn to face her. Her eyes locked with mine and then she put her lips to mine. I couldn't control myself now. I wrapped my arms around her and let myself go. I could feel her heart racing as our kiss intensified. Her hands traveled from my face down my back making every hair on my body stand up. I slowly laid her back onto the bed our lips never leaving each other. I wanted her so bad, our bodies were entangled now and I didn't want this to stop. The more intense our kiss got the more I could feel her body temperature rising. Mine was rising as well and I slowly started to feel the urge to shift coming over me. I pulled myself back from her and saw some disappointment in her face.

“What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head at her. "No, I just need a minute. There is just something about you that makes me lose control of myself. I don't want to hurt you." She sat up in bed and watched me as I walked over to the dresser and grabbed some jeans. I walked into the bathroom and quickly put them on. I turned the water on and splashed some on my face then looked in the mirror. I had to be careful. I don't know why every time I get close to her like that I lose all control. I knew that there was something about her that was different, but I just couldn't figure out what it was. I had my suspicions, but I couldn't believe that she would be one of us and not know. I walked back out into the room and saw Kendra trying to work her way out of bed. She had managed to pull herself to the side of the bed already and was trying to stand up. I ran to her side and caught her just as she stumbled forward.

"What are you doing? Your leg is broken and we didn't have the proper supplies to cast it here." I said to her as I held her in my arms. She looked up at me with apologizing eyes which made me laugh.

“I'm sorry. I just really needed to use the restroom and I called you but you didn't hear me." I picked her up and took her into the bathroom. I set her down and let her do her business then took her back to the bed. She smiled at me. "You know when I stood up it wasn't very painful. Are you sure the leg is broken?" I nodded at her.

“Yes, Tenaya was the one that checked it. I guess there is a small possibility that it wasn't as badly broken as we thought. Either way, you should stay off of it until we can get you to the hospital to check it." I kept the conversation that Tenaya and I had to myself. If Kendra was one of us she should replace out on her own terms.

She seemed to accept my answer then let out a yawn. I stood up and went to leave the room. "I will let you get some sleep. I will be in the other room if you need me." A shot of panic seemed to fill her eyes, as she looked up at me.

“Matto, please stay with me." Her voice was soft but I could sense her fear. I walked back up to her.

“There is nothing to be afraid of. No one will get in here." She nodded her head.

"I know that, but I just feel more comfortable with you in here." I went to sit down in the chair next to her but she stopped me. She touched my hand then patted the bed next to her. "Sleep with me. There is plenty of room. Plus this is your bed." I chuckled to myself a little. She was very persuasive with her cute smile. I couldn't say no to her.

“Ok, but if you start to feel uncomfortable just let me know," I said as I climbed into the bed next to her. She nodded her head then pulled herself close to me and laid her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and just laid there holding her. This felt right and I somehow knew that she was meant to be here with me. I heard her soft snoring and I smiled as I pulled her closer and fell asleep holding her.