The New Wolf Ch. 02

A/N: As some of you guessed, there is a bit on NC in this chapter. If that's not your thing please skip to the first *~*~*~*~, you will still be able to follow the story. Special thanks to me editors: jayknie and notsweetenough!

*****

Bang! Bang! Bang! Clara groggily came to. She sat up in bed, not even under the covers and still in the clothes she wore yesterday. It felt like she slept for five minutes but the clock said six. That meant she was out for ten hours at least. The pounding continued and Clara let out a groan. She stood up, feeling hazy. Almost like she had taken too much cold medicine.

"I'm coming. Please stop hitting the door."

The person on the other side either didn't hear her or didn't care. The banging went on and finally Clara grabbed the handle. She whipped open the door ready to give hell to the knocker.

A gorgeous man stood there. His hair was in a military style cut, he was at least half a foot taller than her. His face was hard, a five o'clock shadow already forming. She thought his nose looked like it might have been broken once or twice, but it only added to his good looks. Then she locked eyes with him. Hazel colored orbs looked into her light blue ones. It almost looked like the brown and green were swirling with each other. His pupils started to dilate and Clara realized she was staring.

"I'm sorry for staring but who are..."

Before she could get her question out he dove into the room. Gripping both sides of her face he smashed his mouth against hers. She stumbled backwards and he picked her up, moving them both against the wall. Adrenaline kicked in and Clara turned her head away from his hard kiss. He let out a growl and started kissing her neck. She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him away. She felt his hands on her thighs, he was trying to spread her legs. She squeezed her legs together and felt his fingers dig into her skin, trying to pry her open.

"GET OFF ME."

She continued to push at his chest and started hitting and slapping his face. Another loud growl came from him and he stopped the assault on her thighs, instead grabbing her wrists. She struggled to get off the wall, but he maneuvered himself so she was trapped. He was not doing a good job hiding his intentions and Clara felt herself start to hyperventilate. He didn't seem to care. Moving her wrists so the fit in one of his hands he pinned them above her head. She screamed, so scared she wasn't even sure what words were coming out of her mouth.

They locked eyes for a moment. The hazel was gone; his pupil took over completely. He smashed his mouth onto hers again. She twisted her head to the side, refusing to meet his lips and continued to yell for help. She felt his free hand go back to her legs, again trying to force it between her thighs. Knowing she was too weak and it was only a matter of time until he had her legs spread and buried himself inside her, Clara needed to act fast.

She stopped squeezing her thigs together and brought her knee up, making contact with his groin. The one move she remembered from self-defense class she had taken years ago. He let out an inhuman noise and started to keel over. Clara shoved his shoulders and ran towards the door. She made it about a foot, before she was knocked down to the floor, intense pain exploded around her eye, she hit the doorknob on her way down. He had grabbed ahold of her ankle.

"PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME."

Another adrenaline surge came. Clara continued to kick at him, but he pulled himself on top of her. She felt his hand in her hair and his weight lift up. He flipped her around so she was on her back with him straddling her. She went to attack him, but he was too fast. Again both of her wrists were pinned by him. He moved them so they were again secured above her head in one of his hands.

This time instead of going for her legs he went for her top. The shirt she was wearing was shredded open. The screams turned to tears, she tried not to look at him but could feel his eyes on her exposed chest. Shame filled her as he began to fondle her breast. He leaned down over her and started kissing her neck again. She continued to struggle, but had a feeling of defeat. He was too strong. She needed help.

"PLEASE HELP ME. PLEASE STOP."

Clara couldn't believe nobody heard her calls. His hand slid down her stomach and stopped at the top of her pants. She tried to twist her body away as he began to slide them down. She kicked at him, but it only seemed to help his quest and soon she found herself in nothing but a shredded shirt. He put his weight on top of her, forcing her legs to spread. She let out a powerful sob, when she heard the sounds of his zipper lowering.

"LUCAS, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" James' voice roared through the room.

"HELP ME. PLEASE HELP ME."

Clara couldn't see through the tears, but the weight was lifted off of her. She heard growling and scooted back on the floor, moving herself into a corner. She watched as James had her assailant on the ground. He was fighting back and it didn't look like James would be able to hold him for long. The man got one arm free and swung at the Alpha. Terror made its way through Clara. She wasn't safe yet.

Two more men came rushing into her room and descended on the man. The three of them secured Clara's attacker and lifted him off the floor. He continued to fight as they carried him out. The adrenaline did not fade, Clara held up her shaking hand. She had to get out of here. As soon as she stood up her legs started to give out and nausea crept over her. She steadied herself on the bed and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to give up.

She grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself, not bothering to remove the tattered shirt. She made it to the hall, where lots of people were standing around looking confused. Clara tried to ignore them as she made her way to the stairs.

"Clara are you okay? What happened?" Suzy stepped in front of her.

Clara tried to push past her, but the other woman gripped her shoulders.

"What happened to your eye?"

That was the last of her worries. She wanted to keep moving, but Suzy started guiding her towards her door.

"Come in here," she said.

A muffled sob escaped her lips. She leaned on Suzy's shoulder and let the other woman hold her while she cried. They entered Suzy's room and the door shut.

"Shhhhh." Suzy tried to offer comfort, but Clara didn't think that sensation would ever come again.

A knock sounded at the door. Clara wasn't surprised when James walked in. He had an ice pack with him. He took a step towards Clara and she stepped back. He set the pack on the bed and walked back towards the door. Clara kept her eyes on him when she grabbed the icepack and brought it to her eye.

"Suzy do you have some clothes Clara can borrow?"

The girl went to a dresser and brought back some items.

"Now Suzy and I are going to step in the hall. Get dressed, drink some water, and then we will talk about this incident."

"You mean the man who showed up at my door and almost raped me? Is that the incident you're referring to?" Clara did not keep the fire from her voice.

Suzy let out a gasp.

"You have two minutes until I'm coming back in here."

James put his arm around Suzy and walked her out of the room. Clara wasted no time pulling on the clothing. She went the window and pushed it open, ready to jump the two floors. The bedroom door opened as she was swinging her leg over.

"If you do that someone will grab you down there. I'm willing to bet you would rather not be touched at the moment?"

Clara brought her leg back inside. She walked over to the bed and sat down, putting the icepack over her eye again. As the adrenaline faded the pain from her injuries was becoming more apparent. She felt scratch marks on her chest pulsating, sure they were bleeding. There was some bruising on her hips and she skinned her knee on the carpet.

James walked to a small desk in the corner and brought over a chair. He took a seat. Clara noticed he was staying farther away from her than normal and that he left the door open and unobstructed.

"What the fuck?" Clara couldn't think of another way to phrase her question. A frown spread across James' face and his eyes looked sad.

"I am sorry that happened to you."

"You promised me that nobody would try and hurt me."

"Would you believe me if I said he wasn't trying to hurt you?"

"Are you defending that...that monster! I've never been so scared in my entire life. And you're right, he didn't try and hurt me, he did hurt me!"

Clara could feel herself starting to shake. James moved forward and Clara raised her arm, signaling for him to stay away. He slinked back in the chair. She could tell his thoughts were weighing heavy on him. She didn't care. There was only one thing she was interested in hearing him say and to her surprise the words came out of his mouth.

"Follow me to the van and I will take you back to Laramie."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nothing in the world was supposed to taste as good as her lips had. Nothing was supposed to be as soft as her skin was, or as angelic as the noises she made. Everything about that woman was perfection. Lucas paced back and forth in the cell, unsure why their mating had been stopped. After all it was what James wanted anyway. Lucas met his mate, and she was wonderful. He was so glad he never marked Roxy.

Locking him up like this didn't make any sense. All mates immediately seal their bond upon meeting. It was normal for them to act on instinct. This was torture, he needed release. He reached down and grabbed his throbbing cock, it was harder than he thought possible. He was so close to having the best sex of his life. The frustration was making it difficult to finish himself off.

"You're the talk of the pack right now."

Lucas looked up to see Roxy on the other side of his cell. He went to the bars and gripped on to them.

"Please get me out of here."

"Why would I do that?" Roxy asked. "So you can go rape another girl?"

"Rape?" Lucas look taken aback. "She's my mate. We were..."

"Sealing the deal?" Roxy said. "I wouldn't be so sure she was your mate. In fact, it seems like the whole exchange was a little one sided."

"Is she alright?" Lucas asked.

"She's fine, but I don't think you will have to worry about her for much longer."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh my sweet Lucas, this is just a little hiccup in the road, but nothing we can't have some fun with. That looks very inviting by the way."

Lucas didn't understand what she was saying. She walked back up the bars and put her arms through pulling their bodies together. Her lips were on his and she slid her tongue in his mouth. At first he wanted to pull away, kissing anybody but his mate was no longer appealing to him, but Roxy increased her grip on him, grinding her pelvis against his hard on. He couldn't think straight or focus on anything with this thing.

"Why don't you let me take care of that for you?"

Roxy backed up, the pulled up her dress, showing her lack of undergarments. She walked back to the cell and turned around, bending over exposing herself to him. He needed to get out of here and needed to calm down. The only way to accomplish that was to take care of his erection. Deciding the pros outweighed the cons he lined himself up with Roxy, reaching through the bars he grabbed her thighs and slammed his full length into her in one stroke. She moaned, but he tuned her out and closed his eyes, picturing the face of his beautiful mate.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*

The drive was quiet. The more miles between them and the lodge the safer Clara began to feel, as if this weekend was a bad dream. She let out a sigh and watched as the trees flew by.

"How are you holding up?"

"Better," she said. "I don't want to think about this morning or that man ever again."

"That man was Lucas the Beta, and speaking on his behalf I can tell you he is very sorry for his behavior."

"Sexual assault is not something you can just apologize for and make disappear."

"I take sexual assault very seriously."

"You do? So then is he banished from the pack?"

Clara watched as James struggled with his words. This did not seem like the Alpha she was used to who was so soothing and articulate.

"Do you believe in soul mates?" James asked.

Clara laughed.

"Way to change the subject."

"No, I'm serious," James said. "Do you?"

Clara shook her head.

"Not after my parents."

"Most wolves believe in soul mates. In fact, a lot of us are looking forward to the day when..."

All of a sudden James' voice went fuzzy. Her heart filled with intense pain. White light flashed in front of her eyes. She brought her hand to her chest and screamed. Her ears wouldn't work. It felt like pieces of her heart were being burned away. Soon the pain was too much, Clara let go certain she felt her heart stop beating.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Clara wasn't sure if she was really sleeping or not when James carried her inside her tiny rental house. Either way she didn't feel like opening her eyes. He set her down on the bed and she felt herself melt in with it, unsure she wanted to face anything else. It was several hours later when Clara finally decided to get out of bed. The house was silent and she was grateful for the peace. She went to the bathroom and turned on the light. Her black eye was already turning yellow.

"It should be all the way healed by tomorrow." James' voice made her jump.

"That's another thing you will have to be careful of living around humans. You can't draw their suspicion at all."

Clara nodded her head, eager for him to leave.

"I can tell you've seen enough of me, but we have to lay out a few rules."

He walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Clara followed and pulled out a chair.

"Someone will be here to get you every Friday at 5 pm. We will drop you off Sunday at 9 pm. During the week there is a friend in town. He is a doctor who has helped us out in dire situations. You are to meet with him every Wednesday at 6 pm. These terms are not negotiable."

Clara nodded again.

"I wish you would reconsider. Living along like this is going to make you a magnet for lone wolves. I will not be able to protect you if one gets past our guards."

Clara turned her head in confusion.

"We can normally sense when one is in the area. If that happens you are going to come and stay at the Lodge until they're handled. It has happened where we've been snuck up on before. That makes me very nervous for your safety."

Clara wanted to point out she wasn't any safer at the Lodge, but kept her mouth shut.

"Not I don't allow pack members cell phones, but I need a way to communicate with other Alphas and elders. So here is my number. I'd appreciate you keep it quiet."

James pointed to a card on the table.

"I assume that cell phone in your knapsack is yours? You must keep it on and accessible at all times. This is very important. Do you understand?"

Clara nodded. James looked away not trying to hide the sadness that danced across his face.

"I wish there were another way, but I am a man of my word and I did make a promise. I can't think of anything else to say other than I am so sorry. About all of this. You being bitten, Lucas, I wish it went another way."

"Truthfully none of this is your fault," Clara said. "I can tell you're a good man and thank you for honoring your word."

"I can't get you to reconsider?"

Clara shook her head and James sighed.

"Contact us as soon as there is any issue." He stood up from the table. "Don't let anyone find out what you are, but don't be afraid to make friends. You are a social creature now and being around other people will help you avoid..."

"Going crazy?" Clara finished.

James went to give her a hug and Clara stepped back. This morning's memories were still too fresh, the last thing she wanted was contact. James dropped his arms and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Have a good week. I will see you on Friday."

He started walking towards the door.

"The pain...what was that?" Clara asked. "Will it happen again?"

"I'm afraid so," James said. "Part of the transformation, but it's quick, and each time it comes it will hurt less and less until finally you won't even be aware it's happening."

"Alright," Clara said.

"Remember, I'm a call away if you need anything."

James walked to the front door and Clara let him out. There was nothing more to be said. As the van backed out and the headlights shone down the street Clara felt some sense of relief. She shuddered at this morning's memory, but the silver lining was she was out of that place...for now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lucas leaned back on the bench. He tried to keep calm, but no wolf liked being in a cage. He didn't deserve this. Visions of this morning kept popping up, James had no right to interrupt his mating. His time with Roxy had cleared his head, now he focused on the anger.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

Angry, jilted, aroused. Lucas didn't know which one to pick.

"She is okay; in case you were wondering."

Lucas dropped his eyes to the floor. His feelings switched to embarrassment.

"I don't have a mate, but I do understand the urge to be with your mate is pretty strong, most pairs sleep with each other within an hour or meeting, but it's normally consensual."

"She belongs to me." Lucas looked up. "I make no apologies."

"You didn't hear her screaming for help or begging you to stop?" James asked.

"We locked eyes and I knew she was mine," Lucas said. "I had to have her completely. I wanted to mate with her and mark her right then and there. I couldn't think about anything else."

"Well...she apparently didn't have the same feelings," James said.

"Why not?" Lucas asked.

"I never told her about mates, so she didn't even know such a thing was possible. Then I don't know, you assaulting her might have scared her so bad she couldn't notice that the two of you are destined for each other?"

"You shouldn't have interrupted. She would have figured it out eventually."

"Or she would have rejected you the second she got the chance. Mates can turn each other down. Is that what you want?"

The memory of Clara screaming flashed and Lucas did feel a hint of guilt. He swallowed the feeling away and continued.

"Am I banished?" The thought hadn't entered Lucas' mind until the words rolled off his tongue. His eyes went wide with terror.

"No," James said. "But there are going to be some rules in place. If you break these, you will be. I'm having a hard time explaining to Clara why you're not."

"Did you tell her I'm her mate? She has to feel something for me."

"I was about to," James said. "And then she blacked out from intense pain, clutching her chest."

"Roxy came to visit me."

"I figured." James gave a pressed smile. "So I thought rather than tell the poor girl she has a soulmate who tried to rape her, but since he was unsuccessful he screwed his current girlfriend, which caused her extreme pain because the two of you have met, I might let her be for a while."

"I'll mark her..." Lucas started.

"You would have an unwilling woman marked? That would destroy her," James interrupted. "And make you miserable."

"She couldn't reject me then. We can all move forward," Lucas replied.

"Did you not pay attention to anything? Clara could and most certainly would reject you. She wouldn't be able to resist you, which would make her hate you more. I won't allow any markings unless both parties are aware and agree."

James' words echoed around the cell. Lucas knew he went too far. He wasn't sure he agreed with James though, a marking would solve everything. Lucas didn't really care if she rejected him or was miserable. Clara was his mate and giving her his mark would ensure her compliance with his will. Knowing this was not the argument to make Lucas decided to appease his alpha.