Chapter 5 5: Trapped in My Arms

Chapter 5

Samuel Kan

With a guttural roar, I broke free from the women restraining me and leapt through the window in my wolf form, making them stumble back in fear.

The potion my brothers had given me would have a weaker effect, but still - my time was short. I had to find a place to wait it out. I still had a chance.

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a shadow perched atop a tree - or perhaps... a woman? But it didn't matter now.

I kept running through the trees, stumbling with every step. My blurred vision made the escape difficult, and I knew my brothers would soon send someone after me. I needed a place to hide and activate a magical barrier.

My wolf form was imposing, common among war wolves. My size and silver-gray fur made me an easy target. It was hard to hide among the bushes, especially under the potion's influence. I shifted back into human form and lay hidden beneath the shield I could create.

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed behind me. A branch broke just a few meters away - someone was following me.

I crouched low among the foliage, feeling the potion seize my body. With all my strength, I focused on forming the barrier.

Slowly, the protective magic surrounded me. No one outside would be able to hear, see, or sense me. It was my only chance to stay safe from my brothers.

"It's done..." I muttered to myself, letting out a groan of pain. My chest burned from the potion, and I needed to suppress it somehow.

As I focused on purging the poison from my body, a soft sound echoed through the garden between the trees and shrubs.

It wasn't the heavy stomp of boots I expected from my brothers - but light, hesitant steps, as if someone was approaching with care.

My vision was still hazy from the potion, but I managed to make out the silhouette of a woman. She wore a voluminous white dress, though its details were impossible to discern.

Confusion clouded my thoughts. How could she see me? The barrier should have been active, blocking all visual contact. I frowned, suspicious.

"Sir... are you all right?" she asked softly, approaching slowly.

I shook my head, warning her to stay away. But who was she? An accomplice of my brothers? She shouldn't have been able to touch me - the barrier would protect me.

Or so I thought. To my astonishment, she stepped through the invisible shield without hesitation, crouching beside me.

"Impossible..." I muttered, my breath unsteady. She didn't hear when I told her to stay back.

"Heavens... what happened to you?" her voice trembled, filled with genuine concern. "Do you need me to call for help?"

I could sense my brothers drawing near. The woman beside me clearly didn't recognize me - and judging by her fear, she had nothing to do with them. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her inside the barrier before they could find her - or me.

Darkness and the potion's haze clouded my vision, but my sharp hearing picked up their rushed footsteps.

She struggled in panic at my sudden movement, but I held her tight in my arms.

"You're insane! What are you doing?" she screamed, thrashing and kicking weakly. Her strength was pitiful - the weakest I had ever felt.

"He must've come this way! The girls said he jumped out the window!" one of my brothers' voices echoed through the forest as their men spread out to search.

The woman suddenly went still, silent against my chest as she watched the shadows moving around us. It almost felt as though she, too, was running from something.

The barrier worked perfectly, shielding us from my brothers. But how had she managed to enter it?

Never before had anyone been able to cross my magical camouflage barrier - let alone see me through it.

This woman was different. Something inside me told me she wasn't who she appeared to be. If she were a wolf, she could've easily escaped my hold. Was she... human? A human here? But even humans couldn't see me, much less pass through the barrier.

As long as I was under the potion's effects, my brothers might have a chance to get what they wanted. But I wouldn't yield. My magic shield protected me, and I could keep it active as long as I wished.

Still, the wedding must have already begun long ago. I didn't know how late I was. Maya must be terrified, thinking I had abandoned her. Each passing second gnawed at me, the anguish of not being by her side consuming my chest.

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the ache of longing and frustration burn within me.

Then, a soft moan of pain broke the silence. It was the woman I'd trapped within the barrier. Her weak, pleading voice stirred something strange inside me - pleasure, guilt, and confusion all at once.

"Hey..." she whispered desperately. "Are you going to kill me? Let me go! Help! Someone, help me!"

She screamed as loud as she could, but her cries were useless. The barrier blocked every sound, isolating her from the world outside.

Panic overtook her eyes as she realized she was trapped.

"Who are you?" she asked. I let her move slightly away, though I kept her within the shield. But I could feel the loss of control creeping in - I couldn't have a woman here, not now. Yet if I let her go, I would be found.

Another growl tore from my throat. The potion's effect was reaching its peak. A burning red light radiated from my body, engulfing me completely.

The potion consumed me, driving me from reason - and now, I wanted her. She had become my escape, the release I didn't want but couldn't resist.

"Unlucky you, crossing my path..." I snarled, my voice rough and distorted. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the crimson glow of mine.

In that moment, she was my prey.