What Was Wolf Thinking? Scarlet and Wolf

Chapter 11: I Know You Don't Want To Hurt Me

by Down Iris

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I do not have any rights to nor make any money from the characters in this story.

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In just a few minutes, the battle would start. He was positioned at the Eiffel Tower. A huge crowd of people surged around him, unconcerned. He knew that soon they would all be screaming and running away from him while he ruthlessly slaughtered them, but all he could think about was Scarlet.

This was the moment his life had been building towards for the past eleven years, but he had never wanted it to come. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he would have no choice once Jael took over his mind.

Despite knowing this, still all he could think about was Scarlet. How scared she must be, waiting in her cell. How angry she had been when he'd visited her. How he fervently hoped that she could safely escape in the morning. He doubted he would ever see her again. If he wasn't killed tonight by a police officer or someone else, he was sure to be killed tomorrow by the pack for his betrayal.

Finally he felt his mind being twisted away from him. He resigned himself to the inevitable. But Scarlet still stayed in his mind.

It should have been simple, like flicking a switch, and he would become a killing machine. But Scarlet complicated matters.

Instead of going mad and killing those around him, he found himself heading for the opera house. All he could concentrate on was that one single thought. Scarlet. He needed her.

He brushed past the humans around him, pacing towards the opera house. He smelled several other pack members along the way, killing indiscriminately, but they ignored him in their bloodlust.

Finally he reached the opera house. He flung open the door just in time to see Scarlet racing down the stairs. His heart leaped. But when she saw him, she paused, then quickly turned and ran down the other staircase. Just as he started towards her, he saw Ran chasing her. He saw red and ran after them. The door slammed shut behind him.

He reached the bottom of the stairs just as Ran threw Scarlet at a statue. She fell to the ground. Ran, with his focus on Scarlet, had let his guard down and didn't notice Wolf. He crouched, but Wolf roared and tackled him just as he sprang.

They fought for a minute, with Ran getting several scratches in, but no serious damage. Wolf caught Scarlet's eye as he flipped Ran over his shoulder. Then they sprang apart.

"Return to your post, Ran," Wolf said with a snarl. "This one is mine." Scarlet was his and he wouldn't let Ran hurt her, even if it meant killing his own brother.

Ran snorted. "And let you embarrass me—embarrass our family—with all your newfound sympathy? You're a disgrace." He spat blood onto the ground. "Our mission is to kill. Now, stand aside so I might kill her, if you're not willing to do it yourself."

"She is mine," Wolf repeated, his voice tinted with a low growl.

"I do not want to fight you over a human, brother." Ran looked at him with loathing.

"Then you will leave her," Wolf said, getting fed up with this conversation.

"She was left under my jurisdiction. You should not have abandoned your own post to come for her."

"She is mine!" Wolf's temper flared and he swiped at the nearest candelabra, tearing the bronze arm from the wall. Candlesticks scattered across the floor, but Wolf didn't take his attention off of Ran.

Finally, Ran snarled. "Then you've made your choice." He pounced, and Wolf batted him out of the air. They fought for another minute. Scarlet screamed at one point, but Wolf couldn't tear his concentration off of Ran.

Finally, Wolf had Ran pinned to the ground. His wolf side took over in the bloodlust, and he howled to the ceiling. He snapped his jaw around Ran's throat, disregarding the blood that gurgled up. After he released the body, he looked up to see Scarlet running away from him, up the stairs. His bloodlust wasn't sated just by killing Ran. He chased after her.

She had made it outside before he caught up with her. The animal in him, activated by Jael, was telling him to kill her, but the man still inside was trying to reign in that hatred. The man managed to slow the animal, but not stop it. He paced after Scarlet as she ran away.

A part of Wolf knew he could never live with himself if he hurt Scarlet. But another part of him still wanted to kill her.

As howls rose up across the city, Scarlet fell and rolled over, gasping. The man and the animal still fought inside him. He paused in the intersection, struggling, watching her.

"Wolf. What have they done to you?" she asked.

"You. What have you done to me?" He knew his conflict was caused by her.

She made a vain attempt to scoot away from him, but he crouched over her. The man in him managed to keep the animal from biting her neck. Instead, he sniffed it.

"I know you don't want to hurt me, Wolf," Scarlet said desperately. He continued sniffing. "You helped me. You rescued me."

"Things have changed." Things had changed. His animal side was now struggling to get out.

"You protected me from Ran—it wasn't so you could kill me now."

"You don't know the thoughts going through my head." Even he wasn't sure of the thoughts going through his head.

"I know you're different from them." She paused. "You said you never wanted to scare me. Well, you're scaring me."

Wolf growled, but Scarlet reached out and stroked his cheeks, and then kissed his temple. Wolf tensed as Scarlet angled his head back so he could see her eyes, snarling.

"Stop this, Wolf. You're not one of them anymore."

Her words brought the man to the forefront. "He's in my head," Wolf growled. "Scarlet. I can't—" He forced his head to turn away from her, scrunching up his face in an attempt to control his animal side.

Scarlet ran her fingers over his face and through his hair. "Just stay with me. Protect me, like you said you would."

Wolf was about to respond when he felt something hit his neck. He turned towards where it came from, bloodlust returning, and saw two running figures. Then everything went black.

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The next chapter is the scene where Wolf wakes up in the Rampion.