Beautiful Creatures Series

Chapter 13: 11

Stanton had spent three long, happy days in bed with Aurora. His plan was starting to backfire on him. He could barely keep up with her. Every time she was close, he found himself lost to her desire. Stanton had just finished a workout in the sack when he pulled on some pants and headed for the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it all in one shot. “Come on, Baby, let's go again. Aurora purred as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his back.

“Hummingbird, I need a few minutes,” she groped him, and he jumped and backed away. “Seriously, Baby, I need food. If you want me to survive, another go around.”

Aurora laughed. “Am I too much for you, Big Daddy?” She teased.

He nodded. “Yeah, a little bit,” he said, drinking his water.

She reached for him again, but a knock at the door disturbed them. “Oh, thank God,” Stanton muttered. “Someone is here. Go get dressed,” he waited for her to gather some clothes and walk into the washroom to get dressed. Stanton put down his water and answered the door to find Gordon. “Hey?” He said, trying to catch his breath.

Gordon looked him over. “Did I can’t you at a bad time?”

“No, come in… please,” Stanton stepped aside to let Gordon in. “What brings you by.”

“Well, I heard you took some time off work. Thought I’d pop in and see if you wanted to get a drink with me and talk.”

Stanton rolled his eyes. “You been talking to Darrell?” He asked suspiciously.

Gordon gave him a funny look. “No, should I?”

Stanton shook his head. “No.”

“You look like you just ran a marathon.”

“Marathon, yeah, you could say that.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Stanton lied.

Just then, Aurora came out of the bathroom dressed and presentable. “Hello, Gordon,” she said, coming over to the two men.

“Hello Aurora, you’re looking good,” suddenly, Gordon took a deep breath like he smelled something, and he stepped closer to Aurora, which made Stanton nervous. “You smell good too,” he muttered as he started to breathe a little harder like he was getting worked up. “You smell really good,” Aurora took a cautious step back. Stanton could see an intense arousal flash in Gordon’s eyes. Gordon’s hands came up like he wanted to touch her, and he got a crazed look in his eyes. “Oh, God,” he said, looking her over and moving closer, but she took a step back. “You are just…’ His hands were trembling like he was trying to resist the urge to grab her.

“Gordon, are you ok?” Stanton asked with concern.

“Yeah,” Gordon groaned, and then he backed away. “I have to leave. I have to leave right now,” he said, making a break for the door.

Once he was outside, Aurora looked at Stanton. “That was weird, right?”

“Yeah. Give me a minute,” Stanton went outside to find Gordon getting on his bike. “Gordon, what the hell was that?”

Gordon got back off the bike. “I’m sorry I can’t be around her,” he pointed at the house. “You have to keep her isolated.”

He was the second man to have told him that. “Why?”

Gordon looked like he was still trying to control himself. “She’s in heat. I can smell it on her. It’s so strong. She’s giving off fuck me pheromones like you would not believe,” he rolled his shoulders and shook out his hands. “Two minutes around her, and I felt crazed. I can feel it in every cell in my body. I’m warning you do not to let her get around any of the men. A weaker man than I is not going to be able to stop. The other guys catch her scent, and you are going to have a God damn stampede on your hands. They will break the damn door down to get to her.”

“She’s not the first female in the pack to be in heat.”

“Not like her. Her scent is stronger than most.”

“How come I can’t sense it?”

Gordon laughed. “You do, judging from how worn out you are… believe me, you do.”

“How long do I keep her isolated?”

“For as long as she’s in heat,” he said, getting back on his bike.

“How long could that last?”

Gordon shook his head at Stanton. “Six to eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks!” Stanton gasped. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re kidding? I can’t keep it up for eight weeks.”

“I’ll do my best to keep the pack at bay. You keep her inside,” Gordon revved up his bike and took off.

Stanton ran his hands through his hair while he absorbed what Gordon had just told him. “Eight weeks… fuck me,” he could not keep doing this for that long. She was going to kill him. “I may have bitten off more than I can chew.”

***

Stanton lay in the bed next to her as Aurora kissed his next. “Hummingbird, I need to sleep,” he muttered, never opening his eyes. He was so tired. She decided to let him sleep.

“Ok,” she said, still feeling worked up. She needed to do something to relax. “I’ll go for a walk,” she said, getting out of bed and getting dressed.

“You do that,” he muttered in a sleepy haze and rolled over, giving her his back. He was already asleep before she reached the door.

Aurora stepped outside for the first time in what felt like forever. She needed some fresh air. Aurora headed for the woods but stayed on the trail. She’d been walking for a while when she came to a clearing and saw a beautiful old house. She wondered who lived there. She had only been standing there for a few minutes when she saw the side door open, and some of Stanton’s friends came out, including Darrell.

They looked right at her, and she noticed how they were all acting a little anxious, and Darrell had begun to pace his porch like a wild animal in a cage as he watched her. Aurora was getting a bad feeling, and she took a few steps back. Darrell stopped dead in his tracks, looked right at her, and then he let out a howl that triggered the other men to do the same, then they charged her.

“Oh shit!” She turned and ran. Aurora had no idea what was going on, but she had a feeling she didn’t want them to catch up with her. Aurora was strong; she could hold her own fairly well against most men, but she was no match for three full-grown Lycan men.

She ran hard along the path, trying to get to the safety of her home. She was getting close when, from the side, she was blindsided by Lewis as he slammed into her and knocked Aurora to the ground. She rolled onto her back, and he tried to kiss her neck. “Get off me!” She screamed as she pushed on him. He fought her, and suddenly Lewis was ripped off her and thrown twenty feet into a tree.

She looked up to see it was Darrell that had rescued her. Kenneth moved to her, but Darrell’s eyes began to glow, and he snarled, baring his fangs to keep Kenneth back. Somehow, she didn’t think he was protecting her. Darrell turned to look at her, and Aurora could see the crazed look in his eye.

“She’s mine,” Darrell growled. He was on her in seconds. Aurora did her best to fend him off, but he was so strong. He was kissing her neck as he hiked up her skirt.

“Get off me!” She screamed, trying to push him off her. Aurora punched him in the face knocking him off her. She used this time to get to her feet and run. Darrell was on his feet in seconds and chasing her, Lewis and Kenneth, right behind him.

Out of nowhere, Stanton appeared, and he tackled Darrell to the ground stopping the pursuit. Aurora stopped running and turned to watch. Stanton got up and put himself between her and the men. Darrell stood up and squared off against Stanton. He was twitching like a junkie looking for a fix.

“Get out of my way, Stanton,” Darrell growled.

“No, don’t do this, Darrell,” Stanton begged. “This isn’t you. Fight it.”

Darrell’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he shook like he was trying to shake something off. Then he leaned over and braced his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “I’m trying, man. I’m trying,” he sounded like he was struggling. “She smells so good. It’s so hard.”

“You're stronger than your baser instincts,” Stanton told him.

Suddenly Darrell shot up straight. His eyes were glowing, and his fangs were showing. He looked completely insane. “Give her to me,” he growled.

“No.”

“I will go through you,” Darrell warned.

“Please don’t make me hurt you,” Stanton warned.

“I will tear you apart,” Darrell warned.

“It’s just the pheromones, Darrell. They are making you crazy.”

Darrell shook his head and blinked like he was dazed and trying to shake off something plaguing him. He then looked at Aurora. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he shook again, and then his eyes lit up once more, and he charged her.

Stanton changed quickly and attacked Darrel toppling him to the ground. They both scrambled, and then Darrell changed. Torn clothes on the ground and two massive beasts were staring each other down. The tanned-coloured wolf Aurora believed was Darrell attacked the dark reddish-brown wolf she knew was Stanton. They scratched and bit at one another, rolling and flipping as they each struggled to put the other down. There were fur and fangs everywhere. While the two powerhouses fought over her, Lewis and Kenneth fixated on Aurora. Both were breathing hard as they began to circle. This was not going to end well. She knew she could not outrun them, so she prepared for a fight.

Kenneth rushed her, but before he reached Aurora, Lewis blindsided him as the two men fought over who would have her. Kenneth came out victorious and came at her again, but then the tanned wolf snapped at his lower leg and knocked him off his feet. The tanned wolf came after her, but then the reddish-brown one jumped on his back and bit his neck, thrashing his head, causing them both to roll.

There were a few more growls and biting, but then the tanned wolf crawled away. He quickly reverted to his human form as he remained on his hands and knees, panting heavily. Stanton changed back and again positioned himself protectively in front of Aurora. He seemed concerned by the scratches and bite marks all over Darrell. Aurora watched as his wounds began to heal, as did the matching wounds that covered Stanton. “Are you ok?” Stanton asked Darrell.

“Fine, I’m fine,” Darrell groaned as he crawled away. “Please take her and go. Go now before I lose my mind again.”

Stanton turned and grabbed Aurora turning her and rushing her through the woods. When they reached the cabin, Stanton urged her inside, and then he shut the door and made sure it was securely locked. “What the hell is going on?” Aurora demanded.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said, placing his hand over the nasty bite mark on his side. He groaned and braced his free hand on the table to keep himself upright. Now that the threat was over, he needed time to heal.

“Try,” she insisted.

He looked at her and then made his way to the bed and laid down, growling from the pain. “You’re in heat.”

“I’m in what?”

“Heat, you’re in heat. It’s when….”

“I know what heat is… I’m not a dog.”

“Not, but you are a wolf,” he snapped back at her. “You are giving off a pheromone, a scent that is driving the males of our species into a sexual frenzy. The scent you are giving off is so strong you are

literally driving them mad. They are not in their right minds.”

“Why aren’t you acting like that?”

“Because I already get to sleep with you. Every time I get worked up, I get a release. They don’t. They are trying to fight biology, but you can’t fight centuries of instinct,” he turned his face toward her. “I think it would be best if you didn’t go outside again.”

“For how long?”

“Until you’re not in heat anymore.”

“So, a day or two?” She asked, wondering if being in heat was the same as having her period that only ever lasted a few days.

“Eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks!” she gasped.

“Look on the bright side. You are at least halfway through, so maybe another two or four weeks.”

Aurora sat down on the bed. She was to be cooped up for that long. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t have anything to do outside the cabin. Winter was just around the bend, and they had already harvested the garden and prepared the dirt for use next spring. Still, the idea she couldn’t go anywhere was depressing. Sure, with Stanton home, it was fine she had someone to spend the time with, but when he went back to work, she would be alone and bored out of her mind. Still, she would very much like to avoid another incident.

“I need to rest,” he said, closing his eyes. Looking at his wounds, Aurora was sure Stanton required sleep to repair the kind of damage he has sustained. Aurora crawled into bed with Stanton and cuddled up to him. She felt bad that he was hurt defending her, but she was glad he had come along. She didn’t

think she could have fought Darrell off on her own. So, she would stay right here by his side, offering him comfort until he was well again.

***

Darrell limped into his washroom after having dragged his sorry carcass back to his farmhouse. Kenneth and Lewis had gone home, also feeling beet up and confused. He stood naked at the sink and splashed his face with cold water, then looked at himself in the mirror. His fingers gently grazed the deep claw marks Stanton had left across his chest. It stung from the light contact.

Now that Aurora was no longer close enough to smell the madness that had clouded, his mind had passed, and he had regained full control of his mental faculties. It was crazy he had just been sitting in his living room with the boys enjoying a football game on tv. Then out of nowhere, he caught the scent of Aurora in the air. It was so intoxicating, and within seconds he was crazed with lust. He couldn’t think. All he knew was he had to have her.

It was the strangest sensation. He’d never lost control like that before. He felt so bad about attacking Aurora. He really had to apologize to both Aurora and Stanton for his behaviour. Only he was going to wait a few weeks. An apology would be meaningless if he lost his head again. He needed to be sure she wasn’t in heat anymore before he paid them a visit. For now, he needed to rest.