S. Yule - Lycan Christmas

She continued rubbing his back and patting it. Just when she thought all hope was lost, fluid dribbled out of his mouth, and he coughed before letting out a loud wail. Within moments, his color went from grayish blue to a healthy pink. Relief washed through Melony as she rubbed him down, wrapped him back in the blanket, and handed him to Sherry.

“He’s beautiful.” Tears streamed down Sherry’s face.

“He is beautiful. Just like his mother.”

“Mel?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Thank me when we make it back to Sanctuary.” Then it dawned on her that there hadn’t been a slam to the side of the SUV for several minutes.

Had the rogue realized he couldn’t get in and given up? She hoped so because she had to figure out a way to get them out of here. She didn’t know how far away Lorent was, and Sherry and the baby both needed medical attention.

Melony crawled into the back of the SUV again and looked out the windows. She didn’t see any sign of the rogue.

“What are you doing, Mel?”

“I’m going to go get help.”

“No! You have to stay in the car.”

“I have to get some help for you and your son. He needs to be looked at by the midwife to make sure he’s okay.”

Melony knew Sherry couldn’t argue with that logic no matter how much she wanted to. Her baby was the most important thing right now.

“I’ll be all right.”

“Be careful, Mel.”

Melony reached for the handle on the back passenger side. “As soon as I’m out, you engage the locks again.”

“Okay.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, took in a deep breath, and said a silent prayer. Please let the rogue be gone. Please let me be able to get help for Sherry and the baby.

She slipped out the door, and the eerie quietness of the woods chilled her, immediately making her wish she’d stayed inside the SUV. Her instincts warned her danger was lurking, but she couldn’t turn back now. She closed the door as quietly as possible, but the soft click and locks engaging shortly after sounded like a cannon in the silence. She put her back against the side of the vehicle and worked her way around to the front. The baby started to cry inside, and she froze and waited. If the rogue was still around, the noise would surely draw him out.

She cocked her head to the side. Silence. She took in several deep breaths, gathered every ounce of courage she possessed, and sprinted up the embankment and down the road. You had to wear the damn boots with the heels, didn’t you? She had run several feet, just starting to gain confidence that the rogue had fled, when she heard a sound behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder, and choked back a scream when she saw a large wolf chasing after her. She ran until her lungs felt as if they’d burst, but her attempt was futile. She was hit from behind and sprawled headfirst onto the road. She flung her hands out just in time to keep her face from hitting the ground, and turned over on her back to find a naked man with a scraggly beard and stringy brown hair standing over her.

He was huge, and her heart stuttered. Is this how she was going to die?

Or would he kidnap her and do much worse than kill her? She swallowed hard.

“Get away from me. The others are on their way, and they will kill you if you touch me.”

He smiled. “You have the scent. You are mine.”

“No. I’m not.” She wasn’t his. She was Lorent’s. And that’s when it dawned on her. If she got out of this alive, she’d tell Lorent she wanted to be with him. She’d lost so much time with him already, and now she may never get the chance to be happy with the man she loved.

He sniffed at her again, and the wicked smile that curved his lips made her skin crawl.

“I thought I recognized that scent. I think I met your mother.”

Melony’s heart thundered and anger hit her hard when she realized she was looking into the blank stare of her mother’s murderer. She wanted to claw out those black, empty eyes right before she ripped his cold heart from his chest.

“You killed my mother,” she whispered.

“I believe I did, but it was only because she refused to tell me where you were. Mommy was very protective of her little girl, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t convince her that you were mine.”

“Again, not yours. I belong to another.”

The rage that contorted his face made her think that it may not have been a wise thing to taunt him with that bit of info.

“I met your mother quite by accident. I’d been passing through the area when I caught your scent on her. The lovely blue scarf she was wearing smelled strongly of you.”

It had been her fault. She’d forgotten about the scarf she’d given her mother as a Mother’s Day gift. It had been in her room for months, as she’d found it on sale right after Christmas at one of her favorite shops.

“You’re an animal,” she sneered at him, uncaring if she pissed him off more at this point.

He laughed at her, which only spiked her anger further.

“Thanks for the compliment, babe.” He sniffed the air again. “I wonder if you knew Mommy Dear was fucking the good doc.”

“Dr. Carson? He was married.” What the hell?

The rogue shrugged. “Your point?” He laughed again. “Although I have to say Mommy and Doc got into a pretty heated argument while I was hiding out in the cage, waiting for my opportunity to talk with her. Seems Mommy wanted to end things since the doc refused to split from the old lady like he’d been promising. Human men are so predictable—weak. He should have simply taken what he wanted and made her deal with it.”

So that’s what had been wrong with her mother. She’d been having an affair with a married man. That explained the late-night calls, the sudden disinterest in her studies, and the stress that had started marring her mother’s features. The anger was now boiling inside her, making it hard to breathe.

How could Dr. Carson have used her mother like that, and how had her mother allowed it? Her mom might still be alive if he hadn’t been stringing her along, but even that didn’t change the fact that Melony’s scent had been the ultimate cause of her mother’s demise. Guilt washed through her, and she wanted to scream and cry in frustration.

When the rogue bent toward her, the movement immediately snapped her from her thoughts. She brought her foot up and kicked him in the nose with her heel as hard as she could manage. Now she was happy she’d worn the heels. She scrambled to her feet, but just as she made it fully upright, his hands wrapped around her throat. His eyes were wild, and she knew without a doubt he was going to kill her.

“Bitch!” Blood trickled out of his nose and ran in a small stream down the side of his face.

Suddenly, she remembered what Lorent had taught her, and instinct took over. She tucked her chin between his hands and her throat, bent her knees, twisted to the side, brought her arm up and down over his forearms and then up in an arc until her fist connected with his temple.

He let out a roar that sent fear slithering down her spine, but let her go.

Lorent crashed through the trees in time to see Melony execute a perfect punch to the rogue’s temple. Pride swelled in him, but was quickly replaced by anger and fear when she fell backward on her rump and the rogue leapt after her.

Lorent dropped the walkie and charged after him, fury turning his vision red. He leaped through the air and knocked the rogue to the ground before he could grab Melony. Lorent quickly shifted and stood over him, arms held out from his sides, ready for the impending fight.