Chapter
The large alpha wolf grasped her against its body, snarling. It made a strange throaty sound. It was laughter, as it held her in a vice like grip, and then lowering its head, inhaled her hair and neck deeply.
"The hunt with you never fails to thrill me…" he growled grasping her face with a clawed hand and pulling it up to meet him. "My little doe…"
"Let me go! Please… Thorin… you have to take control…" she beat her bound hands against his hard expansive chest with all the strength left in her body. But it neither moved nor reacted to her, merely grasping her mithril chains and pulling her wrists against his body as though she were nothing but a puppet.
"Right now – your honour is safer in my hands." The creature snarled. "The man you so love, is confused and blinded by words… and this…"
It tapped the arkenstone that was tucked into the waist of her dress! She hadn't even realised that Dain had placed it there before she had set off running, and had been surprised it had even remained there without falling out all this time!
"Please – take it! I don't want it. I never did – I only looked for it in exchange for Thorin –"
"It matters not now – both you and the stone are mine." The beast growled again before he ran a finger along her jaw, down her neck and to the bare tops of her breasts, where the dress was cut provocatively low. "Tell me little doe, would you prefer to be a sacrifice for consumption or coupling…?"
The wolf didn't stop there, tracing a sharp, clawed finger down the front of her dress and all the way down her torso before pulling her in tighter against him. The fear rose in the pit of her stomach further as she realised she had been pressed against the beast's enormous hardened member!
Whimpering she pushed and kicked at the huge beast, and it let her go without warning, allowing her to fall onto the hard ground. But before she could sit up it had crawled over her, pinning her to the cold, hard surface.
She could feel all of him, hard against her, with its strangely humanoid body, as it inhaled her deeply again, as though she was some sort of delicacy! Instinctively she turned her face away, still half-expecting to be mauled.
"Do you find me so repulsive, my little doe, that the thought of offering me your fecund body even once is so unbearable?" He gently moved her face back to find his, meeting her warm brown eyes with his icy irides.
"Is… is that… what you… want… from me…?" She slowly found the words after freezing under his strange piercing gaze.
"You are our mate… I would never consume you." He slowly moved her dress up, the material now ragged, torn and covered in moss, grass, twigs and leaves.
Suddenly a forceful blow struck the wolf. It moved with lightning speed to get off her and stand in between her and his attacker.
Completely taken aback by the turn of events, and her wrists still bound by the mithril she scrambled backwards along the ground, away from the fight, to spot a slightly smaller wolf covered in a rich brown fur! It was Kili!
It reared up on its hind legs and howled into the moon, before fixing its gaze back on their leader. Then suddenly within seconds the two wolves were locked in a tense battle. The black wolf was clearly holding back, but even its lightest strikes appeared to be quite enough to knock back the smaller brown wolf several times. Punch drunk, shaking his head, and still believing her in danger, the brown wolf faced its opponent one last time. But this time Thorin knocked him back hard, the brown wolf flying off and being thrown against a tree trunk, where it slumped down unconscious.
"Nooooo!" She cried out, tears filling her eyes at the thought of Kili coming to any harm. She began to crawl towards him, only to be grasped by Thorin and lifted onto her feet.
"He will be fine." The giant wolf growled in her ear. "You won't unless we get you back to the cars and get you home."
"The old man. We need to get him too - that's Thrain –"
"Very well. When Dwalin joins us we will send him to collect him." The giant alpha picked her up in his arms as though she weighed nothing more than a mere baby!
"And Kili?" She asked nestling herself safely against his chest, where she could feel his incredible body heat.
"The boy will follow your scent. I have no doubts – for his instinct to protect you is overpowering his instinct to hunt!" The beast began to race on.
Wrapped in its soft furry arms and against its warm chest, she finally felt strangely safe. She could help but imagine this must have been like having a real fur coat – if they made werewolf fur coats of coarse!
As he raced on they were joined on either flank by two more bounding wolves whom she recognised to be Dwalin and Fili. But without stopping the alpha growled several times, and suddenly the dark furred wolf disappeared, while the golden one, whom she knew to be Fili, remained.
After a while they could see the road appear in the distance as it cut through the barren landscape like some strange giant snake, and soon after that she recognised Thorin's black SUV parked on the side.
They could also hear the growls of other wolves not far behind as they moved through the field towards them.
"Get in, and drive back." The large beast set her down on the ground hastily by the car.
"No! I told you – not without Thrain!" She found the door open and the keys in the glove box. "I don't know how long Dwalin left this here for, but in London, this car would be gone by now…"
"Must you have a quip for everything?" He grunted pushing her towards the car again.
"Hang on…" she rushed over to the back of the car, where she opened the boot and began to rummage around as fast as her fully frozen hands could manage.
She turned to find the the large brown-furred wolf had returned with Thrain, and she rushed over, opening the rear door, to get him into the car. He looked worn and cold, shivering profusely. Carefully she wrapped him in a heavy blanket she found in the back.
But the Iron Hills pack had found them too! Three wolves stood around them at the back, as the larger red-furred wolf became locked into a battle with Thorin. They could only watch on as the two clashed, strike by strike, teeth, claws and blows. The other wolf was shorter but bulkier in appearance than Thorin, but it still fought with an anger that clearly came from deep within it. Each beast had sustained bites and wounds that gaped and bled, but carried on.
At one point the red wolf knocked Thorin to the floor pinning him down and strangling him, until he threw it back. Having landed heavily on the ground, the other wolf struggled to get up, when Thorin finally began to kick and beat it back. He appeared to carry on despite the weak reactions of the other creature, who was clearly quite punch-drunk, when they were all halted by the arrival of another small group of Wolves from the Iron Hills. The three new wolves carried between them the lean and still semiconscious body of the young mahogany furred wolf, that Thorin instantly recognised as Kili!
"I think this is where yer fight ends my Lord!" One of the wolves growled. "A blood debt it to be paid – just give us the woman and all will be put to right –"
A loud bang froze them all where they stood, each wolf pricking it's head up to look in the direction of the noise.
By the open boot to the SUV Shobha stood reloading Dwalins favourite shotgun and it was aimed back at the wolves holding Kili within seconds. She had the ammo belt thrown across her chest, in stark contrast with the soft white dress and it's ridiculously tight bodice.
"Shame on you all!" She yelled angrily. "Do you think Marina would want this? For you to tear each other up in her name?! I don't think so. And me? You know all those MOD military men? Well, my father works for the MOD: So if I mysteriously disappear, then I promise you he will be back here with hundreds more of those men, and more helicopters, guns, nets, tranq darts, and cages. And he won't rest until they have torn down your shitty little town, and trapped each and every last one of you!"
The red wolf shifted slowly to look at her, while each of the others seemed to have fallen completely silent at first. When one of the angrier wolves in the pack, holding onto Kili, growled in frustration.
"Uh-Uh. I wouldn't do that if I were you." She cocked the shotgun, clearly aiming it at him. "Besides what are you getting revenge for? Way I see it, you have raised his son; Dain is his adoptive father, and Thorin is his biological father. So get over it. And figure out how to tell him. What would he say if he knew about all this…?"
"I still say eight against three… and I like my odds with that –" This time the chestnut-furred wolf was cut short by a shot that grazed its ear, just enough to nip a small divot out of the edge, which trickled with a few drops of blood. He whimpered and looked around a little taken aback.
"Actually your maths is wrong. Three wolves plus me… and don't forget Bessie here. Yup. Dwalin taught me himself. And although I am all for a world without guns, it turns out that I am a fucking good shot! Ironic huh?! So… I could probably get three rounds in your thick skull, plus another three in your friends next to you, before any of your pack got to me." She released the barrel, removing the used shell and letting it fall to the ground before loading another at lightning quick speed, while keeping her eyes on the creature.
Despite her racing heart, and cold hands, she was agile, changing the cartridge purely by feel. What's more she could feel Dwalin and Fili rising tall on their hind legs just behind her. She imagined they made quite a menacing looking pair. "And actually if you count in Dwalin and Fili here, who's inner wolf has some real anger issues delaying anyone getting at me. Then I would say I could get another three rounds in to another of your comrades brains too. And I think thee of these slugs will do a pretty good job at fixing a werewolf problem?"
At first the Iron Hills pack all stood surprised at her brazenness, but when a wolf closer to them began to move towards her, she spun her gun round at it and fired. The round passed right through its ear, leaving a clear ragged but round defect in the skin as it exited the other side. It clearly hurt the creature since it hastily retreated back to its fellow werewolves.
"Seriously?! I'm not joking! This was a warning the next one will land between your eyes!" She warned again. "But if you don't believe me – then go ahead mother fucker!"
"You heard her. Let the lad go… he has no involvement in this." Dain finally spoke as he got to his feet.
Suddenly Thorin stood up tall, his wolf form as majestic as his human form, in his hand he held the Arkenstone up to the night sky, and it shone brilliantly in the glow of the moonlight.
"I rule Erebor, under the stone! It is my divine right!" He growled so ferociously that the other wolves all retreated further still. "Any creature found within our borders that does not belong will be dealt with this very night!"
She watched with a mixture of fear and awe as he then howled into the cold night air, his enormous silhouette clear and strong against the large moon that shone bright in the sky. The noise he made was so clear in the silence of that night, like some sort of call to arms, that it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end!
The beasts from the Iron Hills needed nothing more, crouching low, they slunk back into the darkness. Dwalin rushed over to pick up the unconscious form of Kili, while the alpha turned towards her.
"No closer –" she pointed the shotgun at him too.
"You are not going to shoot me, little doe." He stood towering over her, holding the barrel of the shotgun in his clawed hand.
"Lass…" Thrain called out from the vehicle weakly.
"I need to go now. He needs to get in the warmth…" she backed away carefully, although the large black wolf followed her. "Will Kili be okay…"
"It will not be safe for you to take him until he is changed back." He grunted gently as he continued to follow her. "Go home now. But I need you to do something for me.."
She backed up against the car, unable to speak, only to have him take a step closer.
"Take this. And when you do, take your slumber in his bed tonight." It gently offered the Arkenstone to her before stepping away.
…
She blinked in the darkness, having jolted awake and lay statue still trying to listen. There was a sound of quiet movement again. Cursing herself for not leaving on a light when she finally collapsed in bed, and still aching from the last few days, she finally pulled herself to sit up. Thorin's room was enormous, but his bed was even bigger! He could have entertained at least three of her in addition to himself on there! She scanned the darkness again, but it was pitch black.
And then she could hear it – the softest sound of breathing, coming from her right. It appeared to be moving closer.
Slowly shuffling herself in the opposite direction on the bed, she slipped her feet out onto the cold marbled floor. Hasty for sleep after having sat with Thrain for a while, she had only grabbed clean underwear from her own room, and so had helped herself to one of Thorin's soft tunics to bed. Despite its generous proportions, it left her legs quite bare, and cold.
Standing up, and turning to listen again, she found herself stepping into the large muscular figure of Thorin. He grasped her tight to him steadying her.
"It's just me, my lady. I've got you." He whispered soothingly as he held her close. "You're shivering…"
"I thought – "
"No more wolves tonight, my love. You're safe here." He found her lips, while his arms encircled her little waist greedily. "After I returned I didn't want to wake you while I showered."
"Did you check on your father –"
"Aye, my lady. Dis sits with him, but he is sleeping soundly now." He swept his fingers through her silky hair. "He is very frail, has lost so much weight and aged greater than I imagined he would have over these decades, but it is certainly him. Though he still cannot recall his name…"
"I think it will come to him in time…"
"Dis said he kept asking for you. That you had to sit with him for a while – thank you." He sounded genuinely grateful. "How did you know it was him?"
"It made sense. I think he disappeared to hide the stone. He was probably was planning it all the time, that's why he made the map and hid his journals in the London vaults, but when the collapse happened he realised he had run out of time. And I think that's when they caught him. Maybe they thought he was a vampire because he was leaving Greenwood." She shrugged. "He has clearly been part of some biological weaponry test programme. Oin is coming early tomorrow to check on him. We can do toxicology then. I thought it was a bit much taking bloods tonight after everything we've been through. But he told me he could no longer change… into a wolf."
"Aye. Even Dis said that he could recollect some things. But he could not remember any of us. Just that he had children once." He brushed her cheek with his thumb tenderly. "He also told Dis that you never gave up on him even though he could barely run."
"The thing is, he told me there were several others they had caught over the years. So I should to tell my dad –"
"I intend to send some of our men in over the next few days."
"What?! This isn't some mindless bunch of soldiers! They have tactical weapons and manoeuvres. And there is a woman – a redhead. Attractive, in her forties maybe… she's in charge –"
"Let's talk more about this tomorrow… maybe discuss it with Dwalin and Balin…" he gently took her hand in his and kissed it. "But first you must promise me that you will NEVER become involved in clan matters like this."
"I would have been at risk even if I didn't know. At least here, I got to find the Arkenstone – and your father for that matter!" She shrugged cheekily and raised her eyebrows. "I mean you should be asking me to get more involved who knows what improvements will come about –"
"Mahal woman! You were nearly killed tonight!" Thorin frowned angrily in the dark, pulling her tight in his arms, kissing her roughly again. He could feel her hands running over his bare chest to find himself incredibly aroused. It was almost as if they hadn't been captured at all.
Placing one of his hands over hers, he gently guided her hands further down his body so that she became aware that not only was he growing painfully erect by the second, but also was entirely naked. Initially she moaned into their kiss, as she explored his growing need, but then suddenly halted, like she had been reminded of something terrible.
"And you have a son…" she tried to keep her tone neutral, although she couldn't help feel disappointed about it all. It felt as though her relationship with Thorin was about to get a whole lot more complicated.
"Yes, my lady. Are you upset?" He searched her face, even in the darkness he could see her attempts at concealing her true feelings. "I never thought –"
"I guess you need to process it. I mean, Dain's son… does he even know?!"
"I do not believe he does yet… Thorin Stonehelm."
She was unable to control an escaping guffaw, although there was something about this whole revelation that reminded her of Mike and Ria.
"You mean she named their kid Thorin, and you didn't think to wonder why?! Okay, sorry – I guess that could be for any reason –"
"There was a previous Lord Thorin – an ancestor…" he replied irritated at her reaction. In truth he should have seen it coming all along. In the past he had always thought of Dain as a fortunate man for marrying Marina, but she had always been complicated. "I can see this is upsetting you my lady, perhaps it is better if we discuss things when you are less tired."
"Nope. Honestly, I think this is something that you and your son probably need to process. And it's wrong of me to interfere." She reached up on tip toe to kiss him, feeling his face in the darkroom guide her. "When you are both comfortable with matters, then we can talk. Until then you need time and space to figure it all out…"
"And us…?"
"What about us?"
"I love you Shobha. Do you still not see this?" He asked quietly.
"And I love you Thorin. And I am not going anywhere." She reassured him, pushing down that niggling feeling within her that worried she was not being entirely truthful. "Come on… we need some rest…"
She crawled into bed and tugged at his hand as he crawled over her, letting his hands run up her thighs to gently lift up his tunic.
"My clothes look good on you." He smirked as he kissed her again. "But I think they would look even better off…"
"Okay – I know they do this in movies and fan fiction where the hero and heroine have rampant sex about ten times in one night after some big fight scene… but I was almost mauled, eaten and possibly raped by werewolves tonight, and not in that order necessarily! I ache all over! I am not ready to be fucked into the next age just yet…" she kissed him again, a little apologetically.
"It matters not to me, my lady." He whispered pulling her close, as he settled himself next to her in his giant bed. "I too am not going anywhere."
…..
Dear All,
Thank you for following so far. Lots more revealed in next few chapters as I come to a conclusion.
Hope you are all keeping safe and well.
Please do keep posting your thoughts xx