Seduced By The Rogue Alpha (BBW Shifter Romance) (3 page)

“Are you cold, Dirk?” Annabel asked as she began to wrap the Lycan’s wound.

“No I’m fine,” he replied.

“It’s just that… I was wondering if you uncomfortable with…oh, never mind.”

“With what?”

“You just seemed a little uneasy with being so
exposed
. I can find some more clothes for you if you want. I may be able go into town tomorrow and pick up some more.”

“Exposed? You mean naked? No, of course not. You Homin are the ones that get embarrassed by nakedness.”

“Well, some of us more than others,” Annabel responded sheepishly, her attention now focused on the wrap.

“Why? Are you afraid of the cold? I’ve seen the fires your people make. Surely those would keep you warm instead.”

“It’s not just that. It just isn’t done,” Annabel was beginning to struggle to explain human customs of modesty without revealing her own insecurities. “It isn’t considered correct to be so open with your body. It’s something Beatrice taught me, ‘a man only wants to see you unadorned on your wedding night’.”

“Who’s that?”

“My, uh…my mother. Anyway we simply don‘t let people see us without the proper coverings.”

“Not us. It’s a thing of pride for Lycan’s to be exposed to the open elements. To run through the wild Wood with nothing inhibiting the wind on your skin,” Dirk exclaimed jubilantly but then his voice dropped too. “Just so long as you have the great bulk and sinew to show off.” This change in attitude piqued up Annabel’s interest again.

“Really? Why is that?” Annabel asked, now noticing that he did put on the tunic.

“Well, if you’re in a Lycan pack, your body’s everything. It’s a demonstration, a boast of what your capable of, for the rest of the members of the group. Being bulky and hulking demands respect, while being lanky and…” Dirk’s voice trailed off again and the excitement in his auburn-shaded eyes faded. Annabel was being to understand where he was coming from.

“You know, I don’t really share the same values of the rest of the people, uh Homin, around me. Why look at these loose fitting dresses I wear. They aren‘t exactly the concealing garments Beatrice wants me wearing,” she laughed gaily.

“But you still wear them.”

“Well, I have too. That and I do feel a little…uncomfortable.”

“With what? I haven‘t met many Homin but the ones I have aren‘t nearly as open as you are.”

“My people believe that as women, we’re supposed to be thin and slender. Not rotund and so unshapely.” Annabel bit down on her lip, cursing herself for blubbering out her own insecurities. Dirk looked confused then tilted his head and smiled.

“So it would seem I want your body, and you want my type of body. It seems we were born into the wrong families.”

“I guess we were,” Annabel chuckled quietly. Her mood rose with the phrase ‘I want your body’. She had never heard such words of praise from another man, not since her father died. Even if he didn’t mean it in the prurient manner Annabel desired it was still nice to hear.

  She looked again into Dirks eyes to see the intent behind his words. Their steadiness and clarity indicated honesty in his statement. The two of them were kindred spirits, not just for being considered physically unfit for their respective societies, but also for desiring affection. Annabel moved in closer to Dirk and placed her hand on his.

“Do you think you can move this leg well enough to leave?” she asked softly. He accepted her hand and then guided his other hand up her arm. While lightly brushing her soft skin, he answered, “No I don’t think so. It’ll take a while to heal yet.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she replied.

“How can I repay you for such kindness,” he asked.

“Like this,” she responded by grabbing both of his hands and guided him to both her copious breasts, which Dirk began to rub, slowly at first, but with increased vigor Both of them were now breathing audibly through their noses and about to perspire, responding to the heat between them. Annabel leaned into Dirks face, but rather than responding in kind, Dirk began to snarl. To Annabel’s shock, his face began to contort in agony and he shoved her from him with tremendous strength and pulled back. He lied curled and writhing, covering his face, trying to muffle tortured screams and huffing air. After a spell of staying still, Dirk’s breath returned to an even pace. He had stopped twisting in pain or crying out in agony. She rose to carefully approach him, curious of what had happened.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m alright. It’s just that I can’t control when I change,” he replied, his breathing still somewhat heavy.

“Why not? What did I do? Did I make you upset or something?” She continued, this time waiting warily at the edge of the stall.

“We skin changers, long ago we tied ourselves to the natural world using the Mist. And in the case of the Lycan, we took on the strength and ferocity of the wolf and bound ourselves to the moon. So whenever we get excited or passionate, it triggers the change. Most of us learn to control it when we are young by focusing on something that gives us greater emotional satisfaction than the feeling of the moment.”

“And what about you? What do you focus on?”

“I haven’t learned how. I haven’t had anyone to teach me,” he said, his face turning to the ground with a feeling of anguish written on his face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn‘t know.”

“It wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I‘m especially prone to the turn since I‘m wounded.”

“No, I meant for asking. It wasn‘t any of my business and I shouldn‘t have pried,” she hurriedly gathered herself to leave.

“It’s okay,” he said.

“You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like until you heal.” And with that, she whisked off to the cottage.

  The next day, Annabel continued with her routine as she always had but with a new twist. She performed her chores, gathered her herbs, but would now, in secret, steal away to the barn to aid Dirk. The two of them would converse; Annabel would talk about her day and in return, Dirk would give her stories about his life growing up in the Wood and about the mysteries of the Mist. The Mist intrigued Annabel, she had heard numerous stories about them, but most of them were contradictory or vague. However, Dirk‘s tales were far more consistent and detailed.

  The Mist, he explained, was the source for all thinking beings, both men and the skin changers. It was an almost living field of great magic, which contained all of the creativity and wildness of minds’ emotions, but lacks the body to put it into form. Instead, the haze is a collection of light, sound and color, which reacts to those with bodies in spectacular and fantastic ways.

“That place sounds amazing. Where is it?”

“In the lost South,” Dirk explained. “Far away where most do not dare to find.”

“Why, it sounds wonderful. Why hasn’t anyone attempted to enter into it?”

“Fear,” Dirk replied flatly. “Some have tried, but most have been consumed.”

“Consumed? What do you mean by that”

              “They were consumed by the reflections of their mind inside the Mist. Keep in mind, it reflects the intents, feelings, and desires of the people, which enter into it. Most of the people who have tried to enter the Mist have done so out of a desire to achieve power. At least that’s what they say.”

“And so they saw the ugliness of their own wants and that’s what drove them to madness?”

“Exactly.”

Annabel paused briefly to absorb what Dirk had said. She had always thought that the mystic things outside the village were either entirely evil and frightening or good and benevolent, not potentially both, at the same time, both unpredictable.

“Still,” she said, “it sounds like a great place to go see.”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Perhaps we should go see it sometime. You know, when you are better.”

A sharp feeling of fear welled in Dirk but was suppressed by the strange attraction he felt for Annabel. All his life he had been told to avoid the valleys of the rolling Mist, but being around this girl made his fears dissipate.

“Perhaps we should.”

  After a half a week, Dirk was strong enough to stand, and a few days later, to walk and run. It was immensely satisfying for him to move around freely and unhindered by injury. But the greatest source of satisfaction he had was the ability to repay Annabel’s abundant generosity.

“I think I can finally help you out now. I can return the kindness you have given to me.” He announced to Annabel.

“There’s no need for that,” she replied pleasantly. “Your company has been more than enough.”

“No, I’d like to, I want to,” he said with enthusiasm, his small bristly tail wagging eagerly.

“I could use some help gathering herbs for the market. I could take you with me to learn which ones I need.”

“Great! And after I learn them, it‘d cut down your work time. If I help you, then we could spend more time together afterward.”

  The suggestion filled Annabel with a kind of warmth she’d never experienced before. It wasn’t something purely spiritual or carnal, but both. She felt it in both in her chest and in her loins. After a long night of trying to understand what she felt, it came to her: she had a strong, romantic attraction to Dirk. All her life she had thought that her desires, her physical urges, were entirely different from the proper ceremonial expressions of affection within marriage, as Beatrice had taught her. But all of that was wrong, and Dirk had shown it to her.

  The next day, Annabel carefully snuck Dirk out into the field with her. For the next few days, she taught him all of the different herbs and roots to gather. He studied her instructions carefully and learned quickly. In a couple days’ time, he would gather Annabel’s herbs and roots while she finished her other chores.

  A week later Annabel had earned so much from the excess of goods Dirk had delivered that she decided to buy him a new set of clothes. While not princely, the woolen pants and shirt she purchased looked far better than the tunic he had worn. With great excitement, Annabel beckoned Dirk in one day when Beatrice had stepped out. A feeling of affection swarmed within her as she presented Dirk with the new clothes.

“For you for helping me,” she announced, happily.

“But I was repaying you for treating me,” he said, unable to mask the smile on his face.

“Yes, but I wanted to do this for you. Please put them on, I want to see you wearing them. I‘ll be right back.” As Dirk changed, Annabel retrieved the long mirror so he too could observe his new garb.

“Here,” she said planting the mirror in front of Dirk. Rather than standing taut and proud, Dirk winced at his reflection.

“Oh, right. I forgot you’re weakened by mirrors,” she apologized.

“It’s not that,” he chuckled, “we are just suspicious of man made things which imitate the wild world. That and I wish I could fill out the fine clothes you bought for me.”

“No, you look fine, quite fine.” her voice became more sultry and quiet.

“I’m no Shank,” he said.

“Who?”

“Never mind.”

“But I do understand your trepidation, though. I hate looking into that mirror. Beatrice makes me do it all the time for new dresses.”

“Come here, then,” beckoned Dirk. Annabel did as she was told and stood between Dirk and the mirror.

“I couldn’t possibly see why you would hate looking at yourself in this mirror,” he said placing his hands on her shoulders. Annabel stared into the reflection and observed the mirrored image of Dirk kissing her neck all while pulling down the straps of her dress to expose her rosy, ample breasts. Annabel moaned softly as he did, leaning into him, enjoying the image she was seeing. Dirk moved his hands up and down Annabel’s curvy frame, traversing and exploring its parts with interest. Perhaps this is the time, she thought, and she pressed back into him hard grabbing his side to pull him into her. But unfortunately, he recoiled grabbing his temple and trying to focus himself. It wasn’t as painful or long as last time, but he still hadn’t mastered how to control it, that feral beast within him.

“I’m sorry,” he said kissing her head. “I want to, but I can’t.”

“It’s okay,” she replied. “Soon you’ll gain control, soon…”

  As the weeks wore on, Annabel heard more and more about the conflict with the Lycan’s, only this time, there was proof to the stories. Occasionally, bodies and pelts of great wolves would be brought back but also fewer and fewer young men were returning from the hunt. The peace within the village stood on the edge of a knife, it seemed with everyone ready to descend into madness. The emotional aura had been affecting Annabel and Dirk. He was determined to change that. One night, as Annabel and Dirk talked in the barn, Dirk abruptly sat up.

              I’m going to leave,” he announced to Annabel.

“What? Why?” she shrieked with worry.

“I don’t want to. But I can‘t see your people fight with mine. And I can‘t watch you worry about what‘s going to happen next. I need to speak with my pack and with Shank. ”

“Who’s Shank? You’ve mentioned him before, what can he do?”