Tara's Fate

Chapter 4

Kent had been right. The pack members avoided the building that held the library as though it were infested with a deadly contagious virus. Martin wished the knowledge found in the library was actually a virus. Then maybe the pack members would all get infected and get inspired, especially the older generation. They still gave him constant headaches with every idea he presented.

Martin had built the library five years ago and had it stocked with books on every genre. Educational, motivational and fiction, anything to grab a person’s interest, but it had not received the enthusiasm he had hoped it would. Not even half of his expectations had been met. The building was like a sacred place which everyone gave a wide berth. Even their ancestral grounds didn’t receive such treatment.

The only werewolves that took the time to go there were the younger ones who at least held an iota of curiosity, but most were also forced to do so in order to complete a school assignment.

It really irritated Martin that the pack was not interested in expanding their knowledge, but he hoped with time, things would change. So, holding that hope, he continued to stock the library with the latest books every chance he got.

Which meant the back room in which he had locked the woman in was actually a storeroom for all the excess books that had yet to find a place on a shelf in the primary space of the library.

A wave of worry hit him suddenly. Martin hadn’t thought of it when he had locked the human in the room. Now he wondered if he was going to find the books shredded to useless pieces as he walked back to the library after three baths and a good scrub.

His skin felt raw and his wolf was more than pissed at him for getting rid of the sweet scent of the woman. It was sometimes a challenge to balance the beast’s desires and needs with the human side. Not all werewolves had excellent control over their wolf's side and the animal tended to be more dominant and forced its wants on the werewolf at all times.

If Martin had been one of those with so little control over his wolf, he wouldn’t have been the ruling alpha of the pack. The wolf was strong, agile and demanded submission of the pack members. But where logical reasoning was concerned, he deferred to his human side, which did not reason with animalistic, raw, primitive instincts.

For the beast, solutions to general disagreements tended to border along the lines of violence. And other problems were prioritized by basic needs that had to be met at all costs. His more equipped, rational human brain, on the other hand, exercised diplomacy, patience and self-control. Of course, to some level.

It was night and day in comparison, and Martin had to balance both to be a good alpha and ensure his pack was safe and happy.

He reached the library and wasted no time going inside. As expected, the place was deserted and quiet. Martin shook his head with the disappointment he always felt because of it, but didn’t give himself time to dwell on the matter. Not today, he thought. He had something else more pressing to focus on.

A something that smelled like the sweetest fresh air, felt just right in his arms and had a healthy stamina to struggle and fight for miles. He dared imagine for a second how all that resilience could be put to better use. Martin immediately shook his head. Those were not thoughts he was supposed to entertain, he reminded himself.

He walked purposefully all the way to the back room, which he unlocked and opened without preamble. In his mind, he had already imagined shredded books all over the room. He was shocked at what he found instead. The woman he had locked inside was seated on the floor with a pile of perfectly intact books around her.

They were not torn and destroyed, as he had feared. Rather, they were stacked like she had been going through them or planned to go through them. And from the looks of things, that was exactly what she was doing.

She sat on the floor with her legs crossed and had an open book on her lap. Even at the sound of the door violently opening, she raised her head slowly, like she did not appreciate the interruption.

Martin did a double take and shook his head slightly, puzzled. It was definitely a transformation from the woman who had screamed and cursed over his shoulder just an hour ago.

“You have a very nice collection here,” she said slowly as she carefully closed the book she had been reading and set it aside.

It was very hard to reconcile the image he had left with the one he found. Martin tilted his head. “You seem to have calmed down.”

Tara looked at the man. He was now dressed in a pair of black jeans and a plain white t-shirt that stretched across his chest and hugged his muscles. To say it plainly, the man was mouth watering sexy, even though his muscles were now covered and out of sight. He really looked like one of those descriptions she was always reading in a good steamy book: Tall, handsome, with a healthy air of arrogance.

Of course, she still had the image of his naked body burned into her brain. She didn’t think she would ever forget it. And speaking frankly, she never wanted to forget it. That was fuel for her healthy imagination.

She looked him up and down. Even though he was now dressed, she could still make out every muscle she had seen earlier. If anything, she realized the clothes emphasized his muscles instead of hiding them.

His black shoulder length hair appeared wet, which made her realize he must have taken a shower while he had left her locked up in there. It reminded her how much she really wanted a shower as well, even though her mind was still more preoccupied with studying the man’s looks.

His body was captivating, but his face, especially his eyes, didn’t make her think of hot, sweaty s*x.

His handsome face was tight, like the man had clenched his jaw very hard. His eyes were just plain frosty blue. He was not happy about something and Tara knew that something was her. Although she still didn’t understand what she could have possibly done to this man to get such a reaction.

She stopped her appreciation of the man’s body when she remembered he had said something. Thankfully, her brain was more alert than the rest of her senses and she remembered his comment. ‘You seem to have calmed down.’ Was he serious?

“I can’t say I had much of a choice in the matter. It was either I calm down or I go crazy. I didn’t like the second choice much… Although, maybe being locked up in a room full of books might have helped as well.”

Martin regarded her for a moment in silence. He heard what she had said and saw how calm she looked, but something caught his attention. He could catch the scent of her arousal easily in the air that was usually heavy with the smell of books. The woman was interested in him and his wolf was going wild as he reached that realization. It did not help his determination to remain in control and distant.

Martin cleared his throat and forced his mind back to what was in front of him. Not the sweet smelling woman with a lean body that barely hinted of curves even if he had felt some when he carried her. He definitely didn’t focus on her chocolate brown eyes surrounded by smooth pale skin and high cheekbones. And not her long black hair that looked chaotic and messy, with twigs and leaves stuck within. No, he tried not to focus on all that, but the woman he had found wandering in the forest ‘under suspicious circumstances.’

However, despite his determination to remain stoic, he found his mind wander and his eyes swept down and looked at the books she had been perusing. “Do you like books?”

She looked shocked for a second. Obviously, she hadn’t expected such a question, and not in a curious tone, for that matter. He watched as she also looked down at the books around her.

“Who doesn’t? Well, I know not everyone is into books… but look around, there is a book for everyone in here. I even found one about how to unlock a locked door without a key.”

Martin raised his brows and blinked. First, he couldn’t believe they were discussing books and secondly… What?

He crossed his arms over his chest and blocked the entire doorway with his body. “A book about escaping locked doors? I will have to make a more careful selection next time,” he murmured, almost to himself. Then asked rather curiously, “And you attempted to put this knowledge to good use?”

The woman shook her head. “No, I knew sooner or later you would be back. I have already gotten lost in those woods once. I do not look forward to repeating the experience, especially not at night.”

“Forest.”

“Excuse me?”

“It is a forest, not ‘woods.’” He gave her a look like he expected her to know the difference. After a pause, he continued, “So you just assumed that I would let you go… and show you the way out?”

Tara shrugged. “Ever heard the saying, ‘between the rock and a cliff’? or rather, ‘better the devil you know than the angel you don’t know.’”

“I am familiar with both,” Martin responded quietly with a frown, wondering what the woman was trying to say.

“Then you get my point.”

It took him a second to think about it, but he got it. Martin looked away. It was very tempting to continue discussing with the woman like they were old friends, but Martin forced himself to remember why she was there in the first place.

“What were you doing in the forest?” he asked in a very cold, hard voice. Any warmth that may have found its way into his voice during their discussion was now buried under a thick layer of anger, self irritation and suspicion.

Tara felt the change more than heard it. She was still seated on the floor, so she looked up at him. She took a breath and stuck to her story. “I told you, I was exploring, and I got lost.”

“Is it your first time exploring?” Martin asked with a tilt of his head.

“Uhm... No… why do you ask?” Tara frowned. The man made her very uncomfortable and his eyes seemed to see right through her. That couldn’t be good.

Martin smiled with an icy glint in his eyes. “For starters, only an incompetent… amateur... would go exploring in the forest in a pair of designer flat shoes.” He kept his eyes fixed on her face and saw the color raise in her cheeks. “And… you are a terrible liar. So let’s try this again. And please, spare me the lies this time... What were you doing in the forest?”