Moonlit Desires
Chapter One
Victoria Blake stripped herself of her clothes, the call of the Moon so strong her awed gaze refused to leave the revered orb in the sky. Naked, unashamed, she inhaled deeply, the scents of Mother Earth surrounding her in a flurry of delight. The light of the Moon basked over her skin like a lover's caress, glowing passion of the night around her. Victoria took a step forward, her skin itching with the first signs of Change.
She emitted a soft laugh as she wriggled her toes in the fresh soil, her feet elongating into long, nailed paws upon the soft dirt. Victoria fell to her knees as her tendons popped out of place, and she closed her eyes, wishing to savor every moment. Bones crunching, ligaments stretching, Victoria laughed again as her back arched and her muscles bulged. The laugh became a quiet moan as the Change rippled down the length of her spine.
Sleek, grey fur sprouted from her body, and Victoria let out one last gasp of pleasured torture before the Change completely consumed her, wrapped her in animalistic instinct and joy. New smells pummeled her senses, swirled around her before they tantalized her very hunger for the wild.
The only witness to keep her secret alive was the Moon.
Free. Victoria could think of nothing else as she bounded around the small clearing, adrenaline pumping through her like a rocket. She dreamed of nights like these, when the night was young and the crisp air ripe with scents. When she was free of every human restraint, when nothing could keep her from her ancestors' habitat.
Exultation roaring through her veins, Victoria leapt past the gnarled tree and wove in and out of the underbrush, snuffling every corner she could find. Overwhelming scents tantalized her nostrils; the blood of Prey, dark soil freshly unearthed, the spicy, mysterious scent of a roaming male, searching for a mate. The scent of something dead loitered on the bark of the trees.
Gentling her pace to a trot, Victoria searched the shadowy edges of the trees and lifted her snout high. Someone else lingered here, someone close. Males usually hung around the forest at night, none of them a true threat. A wicked thrill ran up her spine at the thought of toying with them. Perhaps it was Jacob, her next-door neighbor. Maybe it was even Quinton, her best friend. At any rate, Victoria couldn't wait to howl in triumph at the sight of their tails between their legs.
She panted softly, her breath catching the leaves as dew. Victoria came upon the trickling brook that separated the forest, and she dipped her head to lap at the cool water. A twig cracked in the farther area of the woods, and her ear perked up. Another stick splintered in the distance, echoing in the seemingly endless forest.
Intrigued, Victoria raised her head and licked her muzzle before she hopped to the other side. A thick scent, full of power and hunger, permeated her senses. The male was strong, much older than herself. At eighteen, she knew she had to be careful. Older males-usually adult males-did not like to be bothered unless there was an offering to Mate. Nevertheless, she took her chances and prowled toward the breeding scent, her muscles twitching in anticipation.
The scent grew more concentrated, and Victoria soon found herself in the exact position of the male's whereabouts. She located the snapped twigs and branches, but as she glanced around, she could find no trace of a male presence.
Except one.
Spinning around, Victoria let her lips curl back and growled as the all-too-familiar presence eased its way toward her. Out of the shadows came a black form, meandered toward her like a predator out for the kill. As he sauntered closer, Victoria inched back a step.
Moonlight graced his rippled muscles, his fur tipped by stars. Larger than most males, he'd conquered almost all in strength and agility. He watched her briefly before he bowed his head in greeting, but she made no move to return the gesture. His powerful body straightened. Golden eyes peered at her calmly, and he took another lazy step toward her.
Victoria crouched and snarled deep in her throat, daring him to come closer. Gabriel accepted the challenge and headed straight toward her, his scent heady with provocation and arrogance. Flinching, Victoria jumped away as he made two more steps in her direction.
Gabriel flashed her a toothy grin, his fangs long and feral, gleaming brightly from so far away. But he backed down anyway, moving farther apart from her. Victoria relaxed, but only just. Her entire night was ruined. All because of him.
As she watched him lick his lips and observe her in return, her anger ignited. He was just another male out for sex, out for something she didn't want to give. At eighteen, she should have Mated and settled down already, but it was something she refused to do. The males who wanted her were like him: patriarchal, brutish, and unable to treat women equally. They were either that or just plain immature.
Because of it, she had to endure watching fights over her and attempts to gain her approval time and time again. She was sick of it. Sick of the male psyche. Sick of Gabriel Crowe.
He was the worst of them, always coming back, offering her gifts and promises she knew he wouldn't keep. He was a ladies' man, a seducer, a man insisting that she belonged to him. Gabriel Crowe was temptation sown into one broad, muscled package, a temptation many women had fallen for. He was rebellion, seduction, perfection. Probably identified for being the biggest bad-ass of the known universe.
Gabriel suddenly leapt toward her, knocking her down so abruptly, she half-changed back into human form. Pinned beneath him, she watched helplessly as his own sinewy body morphed into the handsome man he knew he was. Victoria forced herself not to look down.
"Hello Victoria," he rumbled, his voice deep and spine-tingling. "Perfect night to see you here."
She rolled her eyes. "Get off of me, Gabriel." Twenty-four years old, and still he couldn't get over knocking women off their feet.
He pulled away as quickly as he'd jumped upon her. "Do you know what's coming up?"
"I don't care."
He grinned, his smile captivating and wide. "My birthday. Do you want to know what I want?" His scent grew thick and strong.
She stayed where she was, pulling herself up only enough to brace herself on her hands. She crossed her ankles. "A bigger penis?"
He growled softly. "To intensify your pleasure, maybe." The blue of his eyes sparked to a honeyed caramel color before his heated gaze traveled downward. "I want you, wrapped up in nothing but tinsel and icing."
"In your dreams, big boy."
Gabriel laughed. "Every damn night." Something in his stomach twisted as she blushed unexpectedly, and the sensation dipped lower. She licked her lips, and his blood scorched is veins at the image of her pretty tongue licking him.
"Well, I'm going to leave now. Thanks for ruining my day." Victoria moved to get up.
He pinned her down again, and Victoria grabbed his broad shoulders, struggling to push him away. Gabriel didn't budge, his gaze intent on the trees behind her. Victoria whimpered and squirmed beneath him.
"Gabriel, this isn't funny anymore. Get off!"
"Stay still," he ordered. Gabriel lowered his body closer to hers, until they touched almost intimately. He supported himself in a position that looked remarkably similar to...
Victoria gulped. She dug her nails into one of his biceps practically as large as her thigh and struggled to put space between them. "Cut it out!" When he didn't respond, Victoria raised her head and clamped her sharpened teeth over his neck in a strong bite.
"Do that again," he said quietly, "and you might not enjoy the consequences."
She blushed and pulled back, wishing that, in this moment, she could shape shift into a gopher and dig a tunnel far away fromGabriel. Victoria stared up at him, furious that he couldn't just leave her alone. His gaze wasn't on her, but still fixated over her head and past darkened trees.
Craning her neck, Victoria turned her head to find what he stared so intently at. The male scent from before hit her nostrils again, this time strong and foreign. At the edge of the shadows stood an unidentified male, his brown coat and silver eyes fixated upon them both. Gabriel let out a vicious growl, and unlike the growl he'd given her, this one was violent and foreboding.
The werewolf took a step toward them, his scent growing violent and aroused as he looked Victoria over. Gabriel's hair became shaggy and long, and he bared his teeth.
"You are not welcome here."
The dark intruder took no notice, his attention still upon Victoria. He licked his muzzle, as though he could savor her just from her scent and her looks. Victoria shivered and clung to Gabriel for protection immediately, sensing the danger the stranger's presence ensured.
When the werewolf took a step closer toward them, Gabriel's muscles bulged and stretched, the beast inside of him threatening to take over. The stranger had no right to look at her. Victoria was his in every way. The brazen show the stranger put on infuriated him even more. The putrid stench of the stranger's scent calling out to Victoria to Mate sent him over the edge.
"Mine!" he roared, his face half-changing to his other side. "She's mine! Get away!" Spittle shot from between his fangs and onto the grassy forest floor.
Without another gesture toward Victoria, the stranger turned silently and left them.
Alone.
Gabriel's figure crackled back to normal, his body still more muscular than almost everyone Victoria knew. Yet knowing this didn't stop her from exploding in fury on him.
Sinking her claws into his arms, Victoria managed to shove him away. Her eyes flashed with contempt. "I do not belong to you! How dare you?" she screamed at him.
"You are promised to me by Mother Earth. I will have you."
She let out a wretched, incredulous gasp. "Y-you can't be serious! This is impossible! I will never be yours." Victoria began to shift back into her wolfish form, preparing herself to flee.
Gabriel lashed out at her and grabbed her, pulling her close. Victoria's panic turned her back into her human self, so stunned she could hardly move. His large fingers made their way into her hair. She fought to resist his iron-grip, but to no avail.
"You have no right!" Victoria spat.
His eyes grew cold and burning hot at the same time. "That is where you are wrong. I have every right, to you and everything that pertains to you. You are my queen, my wolf, and I will have you as mine." Gabriel released her.
She leapt away, Changing as fast as she could. Turning on her heel, Victoria bounded away from him, as fast as the wind could carry her. Regardless of her attempt to escape him, his call to her remained with her the whole journey back.
"One way or another, princess wolf, you will be mine."
Panting with labored breath, her chest burning like fire, Victoria reached the small clearing that had begun this whole bout of strife. Turning back into human form as she ran, Victoria sprinted naked to her pile of clothes. Falling to her knees, she grabbed one of the articles, prepared to draw it over her head, when she smelt the fetid odor rising from her clothes. It was then that she noticed her clothes were dark and stained with liquid, and at a second glance, she realized what it was. Victoria flung the item away.
Urine. The malodorous smell burned her nostrils with every breath she took. The scent rose from her clothes like toxic vapors, and it immediately brought tears to her eyes. This was not the possessive smell of Gabriel; this was the unknown odor that she'd encountered before.
The stranger, whoever it was, had been there. He'd had the audacity to urinate on her clothes, to claim possession to her without her permission. Suddenly, the prospect of having someone protective like Gabriel around appealed to her.
Throwing her head back, Victoria let out a strangled wail of desperation and hopelessness. She was doomed. Not only did she have to ward off suitors she already knew, she now saw a bigger problem: a stalker.
"Gabriel!" she cried out. "Please, Gabriel." Her chest ached. Her vision swam.
Victoria sank onto the grassy floor, fresh tears springing up as darkness threatened to take her. Her breath became slow, her eyesight blurry. Victoria sank into nothing, unaware of the muscular figure kneeling by her and lifting her with care.
Please let me know how you like my new story. This is my first werewolf creation, so I hope you all like it. Thank you for the support on all of my other stories, and I'm sorry that I've been really bad with updating lately.