Chapter 8: Lost in a Forest with my Enemy

"Nathaniel, let's go!" As I say, he looks at me being a little surprised. "Don't try to act smart, Alexandra." "Ahh, what a relief! Finally, he opens his mouth." "I'm not smart though, still thanks to you." He scoffs listening to me. I think I should tell him now.

But before I say anything, he asks, "Why did you try to run?" As he says, I lower my gaze. Exactly, this is the matter bothering me.

"You know I am just eighteen, and I have a family, and they love me so much. If I die, they will get hurt," I reply him hoping he understands my situation.

"Look at me!" He thunders. I look into his eyes. "Who is there in your family?" I don't know why I get emotional after he asks me about my family. It feels like I can cry anytime, so I lower my gaze.

"My sister, brother-in-law, and niece-nephew." "Where are your parents?" "They died when I was little." In response, all I hear is his chuckle.

"What a pity, Alexandra. What a curse you are! You killed your parents even in a made-up story!"

As he utters those words, my heart feels wounded, unable to bear the weight of his allegations. Tears begin to pour down my cheeks uncontrollably.

He lifts my face with his middle finger, demanding, "Where's Jason?" Gripped with confusion, I ask him, "Jason? Who's Jason?"

Anger fuels him to the fullest, which is clear in the grinding of his teeth. "The man you destroyed me for! The one you waged war against your own pack for!" His accusations shock me to the core. "I've searched for you for eighteen long years," he continues, "but found you nowhere! You ended me and my lover, and now you think I'll forgive you? Never. I will take my revenge so ferociously that not only you, but also any other living existence, will not dare to betray."

His words sting like sparks, and I can no longer bear the weight of his lies and allegations. "Enough!" I cry out, pleading for it all to stop. "I can't take it anymore."

He grabs my face forcefully and yells, "How dare you raise your voice?

"I won't need a second to separate your head from your body," Nathaniel says with a sneer. I manage to free my face from his grip and push him away. It dawns on me that escaping his grasp won't be easy. I sit silently, don't know what to do.

Nathaniel stands up and slowly retrieves some long vines from the nearby bushy ledge. He sits back down and begins twisting them slowly, then hands one end to me, instructing me to hold it tightly. I comply, gripping the vine firmly. Later, I realize he's making a rope by folding the vines one by one. With the task complete, he advances towards me, as if he's about to strangle me with the makeshift rope. I instinctively hug my neck gently with both hands, but he forcefully pulls them away and ties them behind my back.

"How cruel are you, Nathaniel?" I manage to ask. "More than you can imagine," he replies coldly. "But you forced me to do it. If you hadn't tried to escape, there would be no need for tying you."

Holding me with his other hand, he starts walking forward. After a while, I ask, "Where are we going?"

"You don't have to know," he responds sharply. "And why are you walking like this?" I persist. "You don't need to know," he dismisses. "I don't feel like walking," I protest weakly.

At my words, he looks back at me without saying anything and pins me against a tree making me gasp. He brings his face near me like wants to do something nasty to me making me flinch. "I think you will my my naughty touch, isn't it?"

"No, please! I didn't mean that." I say immediately. "Let's just walk. I'll like walking more now."

He smiles proudly listening to me and tells me to start walking but it feels like I'm stuck. I'm stuck at my death's world capturing smile.

I don't know someone's smile could be so beautiful! The bell begins to chime in my heart, heralding the arrival of my first love. In this moment, time pauses, and the world fades away. I just stare at him with a fearless heart. For this smile, war can be declared against the world. I am lost in a fantasy world with the prince of my dreams. How happy that world, how beautiful that scene, how peaceful that smile! But the owner of the smile does not take a moment to bring me out of the dream world.

"Hey, girl! Can you hear me?" He calls and shakes me to respond. I come to my sense by his continuous effort otherwise this dream can't be lifted by anyone.

"Alexandra, what's wrong with you?" He says being annoyed. "Ahh, what's your problem? Can't you see I'm dreaming? Why is this smile so beautiful?" I say this without realizing it, but immediately correct myself. Hearing this, he is completely stunned. He looks at me in silence for a long time. His eyes wander. We both look at each other for a long time, as if we have known each other for ages.

After few seconds, he breaks the eye contact and start walking. Once more, we begin walking just like we did before, but now, my heart thumps loudly in my ears, like an irritating clock ticking away.

"Wtf Alexandra? Do you need a slap? You're not allowed to fall for this hyena. I'll never allowed it." I'm following him ignoring the dumb heart of mine.

It's noon now, and the sunlight peeking through the tree's canopy suggests it's about noon. Suddenly, I feel a pang of hunger. "I'm hungry," I say but he teases me saying, "How much can you eat? You devoured like a monster last night." I defend myself, "Seriously? I didn't eat that much, just a normal portion. And I don't follow the rule: if I eat one meal, I've to skip the next. I eat regularly."

"What are you saying? You claim to be human, but do humans eat this much?" He asks. "If you won't accept me as a human being, then just assume I eat a lot and prepare my food," I reply. Hearing my words, I watch as he cranes his neck to look at me.

"I think you already know about me and if I get hungry, you're gone. It's not me, it's you whom should try to search food and fill my belly to ensure your safety." I am deeply worried after listening to him. It's true, he is an werewolf and if he gets hungry, I have no way to live.

Because of my foolishness, I've put myself in danger once more. As I venture a bit farther, I catch the sound of water splashing nearby. His eyes light up at the sound, filled with excitement. As we approach, we discover a massive river flowing right before us, its clear waters glistening under the sunlight.

He looks at me, smirk conquers his face. He untie my hands immediately. "Dear, I'm so hungry. Fill my belly otherwise you know who will be the food?" "This jerk!" I grit my teeth in anger. "This is a river, okay?"

"Full of flesh." Without saying anything further, I stepped into the water. The cold, fresh water sends shivers down my spine but also leaves me feeling rejuvenated. The water is so clean that everything is visible. Despite my attempts, I fail to catch a single fish. Meanwhile, he keeps staring at me with keen interest, which I find quite amusing. While I'm busy praising the beauty of the fish, my focus on catching them quits. However, if I can't catch any fish, he won't let me off the hook.

He starts getting annoyed and gradually moves closer to me. As soon as he enters the water, he catches a huge fish while devouring the fish raw. Witnessing this scene, my stomach churns. How terrifying their taste bar can be! I cough to grab his attention, and as he eats, he looks at me. "Do you eat humans like this?" He smirks upon hearing me. "Hmm, I do eat humans like this. However, I'll taste you differently, you know?" He licks his lips seductively making me scoff. "This monster can't think straight. Go to hell." "I'll take you with me." "I won't go with you." "But you are already here with me."

He keeps eating fish one after the other, unaware that I'm not eating at all. My mind grows increasingly agitated, wondering how long I can endure this situation. Exhausted, I finally sit down on a nearby stone. It feels selfish of him to eat alone. I sit with a frown, saying nothing, filled with anger but unable to express it. When he comes and sits beside me, I turn my face away. "I know you're upset with me, but there's nothing to eat except raw fish. Here, just take it and fill your belly," he says, placing a raw fish in front of me. Feeling hungry myself, I reluctantly bite into it, holding my nose to bear the smell. After a few bites, the strong fishy odor makes me gag, and I begin to vomit, emptying out everything I ate. After vomiting a few times, my energy is drained, but when I turn around, I realize he's gone.