THREE
t r u s t

"WHAT am I going to do with you, Red? Silly girl, going out into the woods alone. Don't you know what kind of creatures could be lurking about?"

Eleanor was being carried in the man's arms, feeling oddly safe from the intense heat his hold offered.

Her lack of sleep suddenly rolled in slow waves of exhaustion, previous nights of insomnia biting her in the ass.

"I do love to chase. I told you not to run, but I take it you don't obey often, female. In time, you will learn."

By now, the conversation was even more one sided than before. Jack didn't seem to care, however, as he continued speaking.

"That was a pretty bad fall, you have yet to return to normal. You should really be more cautious."

I'll try not to run the next time a burly, naked man is chasing me in a forest.

"You should rest, I know you can barely keep your eyes open."

After a short pause, he said,

"You do not know what I am capable of.

If I were you, Red, I'd be careful before I trusted a monster."

Shockingly, those were the words that lulled her to her sleep.

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Eleanor woke up in an unfamiliar cabin, immediately hit with drowsiness.

Just as it would be on a regular day at home, Eleanor's hair was a mess, and she could practically feel the stench of her own breath as she exhaled.

She never appreciated girls in films and novels waking up looking perfect; it was completely unrealistic, especially in comparison to her current cave woman appearance.

However, she felt that wasn't the only thing wrong...

"I assume you slept well? It seemed so from that snoring of yours."

Eleanor frowned, still intoxicated in a drowsy haze. Everything in her perspective was a blur.

The man of the woods was fully dressed now- thank God. She wasn't sure she would've been able to handle his lack of clothing for much longer, for his sinewy skin had her flustered by something foreign.

He stood up, making his way to Eleanor, who tumbled out the bed as quickly as she could.

"A-alright, enough is enough. Who are you?" Eleanor demanded.

"I would tell you I was the man of your dreams, Red..." He loomed over Eleanor, still groggy from sleep.

"...Though, I think I'd more likely be found in your nightmares." He raised a thick, dark eyebrow at her, with cruelness so harsh that she almost looked away.

"Does the 'man of my nightmares' have a name, or is he going to keep pretending to be Cinderella?" Eleanor asked, unsure of where this witty side of her had originated from.

"It's not important." The hard look in his eyes faltered in amusement as he looked back her.

"I am Eleanor." She spoke slowly, raising an eyebrow.

"Eleanor..." He closed his eyes as his husky voice fluidly repeated her name, as if committing it to memory.

There wasn't a word in the world that seemed fitting to describe the man.

Beneath the layer of a rugged, dark persona, there seemed to lie more to him than he let on.

The prospect of finding out enthralled her, and despite everything that had played out thus far, Eleanor found herself drawn to him.

"Now that we have moved past this unnecessary introduction, tell me why you were here. Trespassing." He was no nonsense, the previous demeanor of playfulness vanishing into thin air.

"I was picking apples, but I didn't mean to go this way; I wasn't aware anyone lived in this area." Eleanor muttered, unable to meet his piercing gaze any longer.

"Yes, most people are not. I am the only one left, the only man who owns land here any longer." The man stated with territorial pride.

"Wouldn't you rather be with, you know, people?" Eleanor queried, biting her lip.

"No. I keep to myself so that I am not disturbed," His tone had changed, not as rough, but significantly more distant.

"What drew you to this place, female?" The man's eyes burned with hungry curiosity, speaking after a short pause had passed between them.

"I find solace with nature, as well as familiarity. I've been here thousands of times, and I thought I knew the area quite well; that is, before I ended up here." Eleanor responded, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Solace?" He repeated, circling around Eleanor's frail body, which had always reminded her of a small child rather than the nineteen year old she was.

She could sense him, hyperaware of their closeness as he bent down so his mouth was level with her ear, her back against his front.

"Was it the flowers, or the way the birds sing? Or was it the hidden beauty of being in the woods?" His voice took on a sugary-sweet tone.

Suddenly, at a speed faster than human capacity, he faced Eleanor yet again.

He traced a long finger down the base of her neck, causing an unexpected tingle to zip through her.

He looked Eleanor up and down, moving only his eyes as the rest of his body stayed rigid.

"Is it everything you thought it would be? Perhaps even more? Or did you realize it was nothing like you thought?

Here is not a place for people like you.

It is for those who've suffered. The fallen souls, damned to live after loss." 

Jack smiled as Eleanor began to squirm.

Her mouth became dry. Truly, she wanted to stop listening to him, but she couldn't. It was as if she had an incessant, fervent need to cling to his every word.

"People don't appreciate life enough, not until they're taking their last breath, and that's when they are truly themselves. They hide behind a facade of what they allow others to see, so far from what they really are.

Within their vulnerable states, the darkness arises, leaving the world significantly less bright than it once was.

The woods are unpredictable."

"Haven't you learned, sweet Eleanor?" He cooed, running his fingers down Eleanor's caramel colored locks.

He touched underneath her chin, then moved the pad of his thumb down to her jugular, pressing down harder than necessary.

"I could have you dead in seconds." He whispered, a stomach-lurching flame of fire burning in his steely grey eyes.

"Then kill me." Eleanor spoke simply.

"Unless perhaps, you need me for something. Which you do, don't you? What is it?" She questioned past his limits.

At her words his eyes darkened, and the glare returned, even deeper than before.

"Don't get it twisted, Red. I was trying to do something nice by helping your sweet ass out. You're still the prisoner, and I, the authority."

He told her in a low, menacing voice that made her tremble.

It wasn't with fear but something else that wasn't quite pleasurable- though, nowhere near bad.

"What do you want from me? I have nothing to give to you.

Damn, you should see where I live." Eleanor shook her head and laughed humorlessly, gazing around the cabin once more, noting its homey furniture and rustic style.

In that short period of time, his eyes never left hers, and they glistened with the thinnest thread of calmness as they stared at each other wordlessly.

"Something you could never grant me." He said vaguely, then turned away from Eleanor, the radiating power between the pair vanishing.

There came a thud from outside, and Eleanor knew the moment between them had ended.

The man looked up instinctually at the sound of the noise, creeping towards the door.

Eleanor observed his movements.

He was stealthy, soundlessly walking closer to the noises.

She heard a howl from outside, and the sound increased vastly, until it became a chorus of howls.

He growled, back stiffening at the prospect of danger.

Eleanor stood frozen in her spot, unable to move.

"Don't move." His eyes glinted red like they had earlier, quickly returning to their natural grey.

She began to slowly back away, clumsily falling into the bed.

Jack wrapped a single arm around her waist, forcing her to look at him.

A strange look entered his eyes.

"You should get comfortable, you're not going anywhere, Red. You're going watch every second of this." He had an eerily calm, level voice, annunciating each word with clear confidence.

There was something off about him.

Not the intimidation, or the raw, angry disposition- something beyond her.

She stared up at him as he began to twitch once more.

"Red?" Eleanor raised a curious eyebrow at him, hoping the subject change would distract him.

He looked at her as if he knew what she was doing, but paid no mind to it.

His intriguing grey eyes burned into her own deep blue ones. He tugged on her shawl, raising an eyebrow at its color, silently answering her question.

She took a better look at him, entranced by his curly, untamed hair and stubble.

He was ferocious looking, though his elegant facial features suggested he hadn't always looked so worn.

By the way his nose was just a little crooked, Eleanor could tell he been in his fair share of fights. His lips that seemed to be held in a permanent snarl were a pale pink color and opened slightly, observing Eleanor as she did him.

Eleanor's breath caught in her throat, remembering old fairytales her grandmother would tell her in warning.

The freaks come out at night, Eleanor dear...

Vague memories ran through her mind, but she could not piece them together.

Eleanor's subconscious drew her closer to him, and she felt herself going into a lightheaded reverie as he got nearer.

He cleared his throat and shook his head, causing a loose tendril of hair to hang above his eye. She felt an urge to push it out of his face.

His voice rumbled from his chest, and Eleanor once again found the shiver that ran down her spine rather odd.

"The darkness has come. Try not to let it consume you, my dear." Jack lowered his voice, husky breath tickling Eleanor's ears.

And with a primal howl, Jack leaned back, tilting his head.

They are ruthless, incapable of human emotion...

The sound of bones snapping filled the room, chilling Eleanor to her core. He looked disgusting, like an abomination to mankind as his body contorted into something unnatural.

She watched as he transitioned, sick to her stomach. She was unsure of what he was becoming, yet was fully aware that it was far from human.

The line between man and beast was thin, wavering to nothingness. Canines took place of human teeth, and fur replaced the remainder of Jack's body, whose mass had grown to tremendous proportions.

In his place was a wolf, and out the door he ran, the sound of shucking blood and ripping flesh all she could hear.

Eleanor stared from the window, frozen.

She looked at the wolf's blank expression as he  crunched and disintegrated bones until they were dust, ripping ears off with bestial hunger.

That's why their urge to kill is never satisfied.

And that is the way it will remain until the end of time when we are long gone, and the world's gone mad.

"Lycan." She murmured against the pane of glass, breath fogging her vision.

Either that, or Jack Sommers was happily leading Eleanor into the darkness, just as she suspected he would.

.

A lot happened, am I right? Oh god, hope it's not too much!

Eleanor knows now... And she didn't pass out! All her observations of his interactions led up to that, so I suppose it was some type of cheesy foreshadowing haha.

Please tell me if you find any plot holes or typos! I'm so excited to write this that I hardly even look back on it lmao.

I hoped you enjoyed chapter 3! I hope I'll see everyone real soon.

Please vote & comment! Tell me what you think of Feral. ((: