Chapter 8|The Black Eyed Wolf.

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Alex wandered into the woods restlessly, his body was restless, his mind was, his soul was in a jumbled mess. A dark feeling began to bloom from the deepest part of his soul, it moved all the way from his head to the tip of his toes, ran deep in his veins he felt his head spinning in a daze. He stopped in his tracks and listened to the beat of his heart, it was pounding and his whole form was shaking as if he was electrocuted.

Alex subconsciously clenched his jaw hard at the intense and strange yet familiar feeling. He felt it when his bones began to shift, like one in a daze he tore off his shirt and jeans before springing into the air with a loud howl.

When he dropped, a black wolf lay in place of the human in the fog, it was as black as midnight with sleek fur that shone in the dark, the scar on the man's face was exactly as the one on the wolf's, its eyes were the sleekest of black with a touch of gold that lit as per his feelings. His paw slapped unto the ground in a strong yet firm move.

He howled loudly in pain, it was seering through his brain. The ache was similar to the one he felt before he shifted.

Realization dawned on Alex making him grit his fangs in annoyance. A part of his memory returned, it was like a slideshow but only for the events that happened to the wolf and not the man from the time it first surfaced till date. He saw war, blood, lots of it, he felt pain, loss, love and betrayal in a rush. The feelings whooshed past his brain in a blur it felt too surreal, like a mere part of a dream.

He raced through the forest, moving with the strength of a hundred men. The thrill of exerting this much energy made him feel more alive than he's ever been. His wolf spoke to the man in him, it warned him to do the right thing, what shocked him most was that it warned him not to hurt Isabelle. His chest constricted at the brief mention of her name.

There was pain in the unfamiliar shift but there was also ecstasy, a sort of satisfaction that coursed deep into his skin. His paws thundered the earth until he had exerted most of his energy. Returning to the top of the hill he released a loud howl that made Isabelle shiver back at the cottage.

She wrapped a shawl around her barely clothed shoulders and walked out into the night in a cold that was unbearable for a person as frail and fragile as her. Her teeth clattered in the dark, fear had took hold of her chest in a tight squeeze, not for her but for the man who left in a rush and was still no where to be found.

Another loud howl reverberated through the air making her quicken her steps. The sound of her feet making contact with the gravelly path in the woods was the only sound she could hear apart from the occasional howl that seemed to be released in a timely fashion.

She gripped her shawl tighter. With every step she made she could hear the howl sounding closer, Isabelle chided herself for moving towards it and not away from it but still found herself not correcting her mistake. She trusted her judgement too much to fear for herself at the moment. Her instincts propelled her forward.

A toe-curling growl that seemed to escape from the deepest part of a man's chest stopped her dead in her tracks. All the blood in her body transferred to her head before freezing.

For a moment she was clueless as to what to do until her feet took up to itself and ran deeper into the woods. She found Alex sprawled on the ground shirtless.

A fear she's never felt in her life crept up her spine. She released a shriek before flinging herself to him.

"Alex," She shook his bare shoulders hard in a frenzy, "Alex wake up." She pleaded, raising his head to her shoulder, "Wake up please, I need you." She sobbed on his chest and caught the faint sound of his heartbeat.

Elated that he was still alive she shook him harder, her pleads sounding more frantic.

"Alex, Alex, wake up, please." She pressed harder willing at him to awake. Isabelle made a move to raise from her position on the floor only to stop at seeing his eyes fluttering open, his eyes seemed distant, the orbs ablaze like molten lava. It scorched right through Isabelle's heart until she felt her arm growing limp and her chest heaving from worry.

Gradually, his eyes moved and stayed put over her face like one memorizing her features. Realization dawned on him, he took his palm to her face and stared at her harder.

Isabelle felt the first drop before another followed. She was never a weakling but the sight on him on the ground laying lifeless for the second time made her feel strange things, made her feel hollow, made her feel like shrieking the pain she felt out in anguish.

Alexander's finger rubbed at the tear that was sliding down her cheek, he wiped it away along with all the others that followed. In a hush whisper he asked her why she was crying. The vehemence of her sobs stopped her from responding.

In a swift move that seemed too unlikely to be done by a man who was on the ground moments ago he rose up and took her with him. His shirt was flung a few feet away from them in tatters but his pants were still intact.

Without giving it a second glance and her an explanation he took her into his arms and turned to the direction of the cottage, it was dark but Alex's vision was perfectly clear thanks to his wolf resurfacing. It made his senses clearer, his sight, his ears, his sense of smell, everything became louder in his head.

It felt like a foreign feeling to him due to the fact that it has been several days since he connected with his wolf. Since he had a clue as to who and what he was.

He walked to the cottage in silence, only stopping when they were in the confines of the warm bedroom. He dropped her on the bed with the aim of returning to the sitting room to rethink what he just went through.

Isabelle understood his intention, to stop him she began speaking, "I was afraid when I couldn't find you, I heard howls and thought something had happened to you." A tear slipped out of her eye, a tear she immediately brushed away hating the idea of him thinking of her as a weakling.

"I don't like you worrying yourself over me," He lowered to the ground beside her until he was on his kneel and was almost eye to eye with her. "I'm fine, nothing will happen to me as long as you're safe."

"I can't help being worried, you left suddenly I thought I did something wrong." She whispered hoarsely.

Alexander tensed at her implication before his eyes moved to the door, guessing his next move Isabelle's hand flew to his upper arm, it flexed at the contact subconsciously. "Don't go." She whispered with her eyes on the floor.

He fixed his eyes on her lithe form and shook his head. "I must go, about what happened earlier. I don't know what overcame me but I promise.."

She interrupted him by placing her finger on his mouth "You don't need to promise me anything, it wasn't your fault, don't put blame on yourself." Her voice shook briskly as she spoke.

"No." He groaned, "You don't understand the depth of the situation Belle, I molested you, I used you, you're worth more than a brief quench of thirst..you're..."

"Alex," She interrupted, "You did not molest me and neither did you use me. You were careful and thoughtful."

A groan escaped from his chest, he exhaled harshly at how she was trying to justify his actions. It was unheard of.

"You are someone I'm supposed to be most helpful for, you saved me when I was reduced to nothing. Heck I don't know anything about myself and neither do you but you're still being patient with me, God knows when or if we're getting out of this darkness at all but you're still being optimistic about it." He took her cheeks in his palm and gazed directly into her eyes, "Instead of me to be bowing in gratitude to you I'm doing nothing but insulting your position and using you to quell down my baser needs, for things that have no concern with you. Forgive me."

She placed her hands atop his hands that were still on her face and with her eyes fastened to his she reassured him in the most gentle way she could, "If you are to be blamed for anything then I should be as well. Yes you initiated it but I wasn't pushing you away or denying you." A stain blushed her cheeks as she bit unto it trying to voice out the words in her head. Lowering her head shyly she completed her sentence. "I felt like a wanton for wanting more, I've never been kissed before. But I enjoyed yours and anticipated it even."