The mate bond sizzled between us as our eyes locked, and for a split second it felt as though the world around us stopped spinning. There was no looking away, it was just me falling deeper into his hypnotizing eyes until I memorized every colour in them. At that moment they were mostly black, just a sliver of the forest green joining in as a circle around his dilated pupils. Oddly a warm, comforting sensation was poured over me as I found myself getting lost in the moment.

Is this what Viviana brags about?

The euphoric feeling was short lived as reality came crashing down with a bang or rather a light cracking, and the sound of glass crunching underneath his boots was just the thing I needed to send me straight back to the issues at hand. My eyes roamed his body up and down, the same way a bratty child would, doing a double take at the way Morpheus stood there with dark mist floating around him, his aura thick enough to choke me. Okay, so the cloud I'm picturing behind him doesn't actually exist, but that's what would follow him around if this was an anime.

Too frightened to make a noise, praying in vain that he would use his exceptional hearing instead of his sight, I choked back a cry as I finally took his appearance in. Morpheus was practically foaming at the mouth as his body shook with rage, his jaw clenched tightly as his straight teeth turned jagged, a sharp fang protruding out from the side of his plump lips. Thickened hair stood up on his arms and continued down to his large hands, darker than before. The clothing he had on looked ridiculously tight against his increasing size, ready to rip apart at any moment. His hands were balled up into fists at his sides, not caring for the blood that had leaked out from the already healed nicks in his skin. The healing process finished before he could even feel the sting of being scratched.

His appearance reminded me of a wild animal, furious and itching for warm blood. And, I was the small rabbit in his line of sight.

I kicked and screeched as soon as he started to advance forward, closer, the same way a predator would go after their prey. With his canines on full display, testing me, acting as a silent threat to keep me in my place. His massive body curved around my much smaller one, just highlighting the fact that I was a dwarf next to a giant. Considering my bedroom wasn't as large as a ballroom, not even close to being called spacious, he was still far away, but so close at the same time.

A vicious, husky, unsatisfied whine filled the air, but it did not sound the same way an innocent puppy would. No, this was a beast. Morpheus' lip curled up at the sight in front of him, at the wonderful view of me cowering at his feet, covered in sweat and tears, and struggling to breathe properly through the overwhelming stress. Something I couldn't deal with on my good days.

During this moment, my petty self shined through as sour thoughts bounced around in my mind, letting in the sickening rumors of the oh-so-great Morpheus and allowing them to cloud my judgment on him. But, let's face it, history is history and the truth is the truth. It happened. Every bad thing that he was said to have done was done, and deep down in my heart I knew he did it with a smile.

Is this how he likes humans to be? Terrified, and at the mercy of werewolves, just waiting for what was to happen next. Is he going to finally do it? Reject me, stomp on my heart and throw me to the wolves, or would he kill me himself? I wondered without a cutoff, with no limit for me to stop, the ache boiling in my chest couldn't even put an end to my painful thoughts. But, my free thinking was quickly ended when his hand shot out to grab onto the chunky leg that was weakly striking at him. Thankfully, I was able to throw my leg in the opposite direction before he could get his claws into me, the success of the action surprising him and myself. Ha! Take that, you oversized dog! Then, without wasting anymore time due to my sudden inflated pride which would deflate in no time, I crawled backwards before stumbling up onto my feet. My balance awkward. Morpheus' face lit up with excitement as I stood there struggling like a newborn deer. Viviana always told me I was a snack, and in this case I really was a whole meal. To a werewolf, that is.

"Don't come any-any closer!" I stammered, my warning falling to the floor as he ignored it flawlessly and took another defiant step towards me. My bottom lip jutted out as my eyes blinked rapidly, tears still finding their way through while I lifted my hands up in front of me. Leo was right. Morpheus is livid, and I'm the reason. Again, I pleaded, "Stop. Please, don't-don't come any clo-closer."

"Emery," Morpheus spat out, poison dripping off his tongue, my name coming out as if the mere idea of it was bitter. His dark eyebrow twitched. Yet, he stuck his hand out slowly, and nodded towards the palm of his hand gently, almost hesitating. The same way a dog would hand a toy back to their owner, tail wagging in anticipation, to just snap their jaws around it and pull it back right before their owner got a hold of it. My resistance to hold his hand angered him even more as his chest vibrated with a low growl. "Emery, I am not known for being a merciful man, no, not at all. Forgiveness is not something I hand out, and it is not a thing you should take lightly. But, here I am, offering you yet another chance, a chance that I suggest you take."

The sound of his guttural voice made me coil back into the wall, my arms wrapping around my shaking body as I searched desperately for an escape route. The closest one was the locked door. Curse you! I mentally slapped myself, imagining my head go side to side as I continued the assault. Curse you for the taking the proper precautions with intruders!

My jaw instantly dropped down to the floor once I noticed how close he had gotten. A blush had began staining the tip of my nose, the fat of my cheeks and the top of my ears. The short nails on my fingers dug into my skin, leaving no impression except for the agitated, slightly red flesh. I couldn't help but gasp at his next move, something in me snapped, a voice, 'checkmate'.

Morpheus dipped his face into the crook of my neck, probably feeling the heat of my skin rise with worry and my rapid breathing coming out completely uneven, especially at the unexpected contact. Sparks bounced along, his touch helping me more than he realized, even more than I understood. It was him, it is him, just him, the fear of it being someone else was creeping in as I ran through the house, but it wasn't anyone else, it was Morpheus. He broke the calming silence by whispering lowly, awfully close to my ear, "You're lucky I am a man of tradition, mate." Gulping down the lump in my throat I got ready to speak up, but my words didn't get the chance to come out. "Because if I was not-" his nose trailed the area under my jawline, causing me to shiver under his touch, but as soon as I found myself relaxing he did something to make me jump. Lightly, his teeth nipped at a spot on my neck, "-there would be a mark right there."

There was no escape. Morpheus had accomplished his mission to cage me. His heavy arms held me in place as his hands were planted into the wall around my body. Even his legs were trapping me in, my own were useless as they quivered under my weight, threatening to give out. There was no words. For once in my life, I was utterly speechless. It was like my ability to speak had disappeared, almost as though it was taken and locked away.

Morpheus didn't distance himself from me at my clear defeat, instead he started to emit a content rumbling in his chest, a subtle purr, he won. The mate bond was beginning to take it's toll, the heat of his satisfaction with my loss turned me drowsy, one could even say I was drunk on the emotions he gave off. He was tempting me, run, scream, cry, it would do no good, he could come after me as though I was a piece of candy. Something to take, something to claim, something to eat.

He spoke up again, his voice smoky, alluring, "Unless-" Morpheus stopped, clicked his tongue in anticipation, and then asked, "-are you a fan of games?"

Entranced, my eyes widened and focused onto the way his fangs elongated, the way his tongue shot out to leisurely lick his teeth, sliding across them in a teasing matter. In my defense, he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Would I have felt the same if this was someone else? No, absolutely not, definitely not.

His smile stretched, showing how much of a beast he truly was, when I nodded. "Would you like to play one, Emery? It will be fun, I promise."

Something in his eyes shined at the sound of my trembling voice, "Wha-What is the game?"

"You see, mate, werewolves are playful creatures. They enjoy many things, but their favourite game of all is the game of chase." He lowered back down to rub his cheek against mine. "And, I admit that I do love a good game of chase, but I have an interesting feeling that this one might be the best one I will ever play."

"And, the-the rules?"

"Simple, you run and I follow. But, I am a fair man, so I will give you a nice head start, how does that sound?" He drew back to show a look of determination, there was no fear, no panic, no concern, nothing of the sort. "But, I must warn you, once a werewolf latches onto their prey, there is no turning back. They hunt until someone turns up dead, whether it's them or their prey. There is no stopping. Only running, and running, and running. Because, mate, as soon as I catch you again you will not be getting away. This will be final. You will be mine. Forever."

I was not a runner, never was. A pros and cons list started to show up in my head, building itself up as though I was drawing it on a piece of paper. To graduate, I needed to have a gym credit, and so I took the easiest one. A secure pass, or so I thought. Everyday I dreaded going because all the teacher wanted was to run laps, around the gym, around the school, around the small town. I hated it. I enjoy the simple things in life, a nice walk through the streets, a light stroll in the woods, but to run? Don't bother asking.

But, my parents did not raise a quitter.

And so, with all my might, I ran. Morpheus pulled himself off of me as soon as he felt my knees lift up from their weakened state and I slipped past him effortlessly. My feet had picked up pace once I flew down the stairs, heading straight for the front door like a raccoon on steroids. My hands unlocked both doors that were in my path with ease, as though they were never locked in the first place, as if they were already open. The only thing in my way was the wind hitting my skin, the coolness of the air smacking me and trying it's hardest to get me to stay, to pull me back.

But, it didn't work. I had already jumped straight into the dark abyss.