The Beta and His Runaway Werefox / ✔️

She refused to move as the day passed. The group stuck around her home the whole day and refused to leave as she stayed quiet and kept in her fox form.

Fear consumed every part of her being as she shook and tried to calm herself down, but she could not do it. So many Werewolves had surrounded her, and she had never feared for her life like that before. The different smells and their habit of talking too much were beyond annoying and entertaining somehow.

She was confused, whimpering every now and then as time passed. One after another, they slowly left for nightfall except for one. The very one that she bumped into and had weird feelings for.

Her heart felt like it was about to explode while she prayed to anything for him to go away. Her dizziness was getting worse as she had not gone this long without food before she felt too sick to move. Her head spun while a loud whine escaped her without meaning to.

“Hey, are you okay?”

She shook, her eyes widening before she placed her tail over her face and curled herself into a tighter ball.

“I dreamt of meeting my mate since I was a kid.” The guy, Harvey, carried on. “My mother told me about the day she met my father. It was pure chaos.”

A small chuckle caused her to title her head from her tail and lift her ears to hear him better. “I thought that when I met my mate, it would be magical in a way. I had so many different scenarios in my head, but you, being afraid of me, was not one of them. Do you know how bad it hurt to watch you run from me after seeing the terror in your eyes? I have never seen someone so terrified.” He whispered the last part with a pained tone. Her heart skipped in pain as she whimpered again. “Unless... Unless you have no idea what I am talking about. Unless what I am saying means absolutely no sense, and in that case, I just wasted my time trying to get you out.”

She felt her eyes frown in confusion as she shifted back into her human form. Curiosity peaked while she got dressed and nervously played with her fingers. “I... I am not supposed to talk to strangers. Please go.”

He fell silent; not a single movement could be heard as she placed her ear against the brick walls to try and figure out where he was. He had been close, super close, but now it seemed like he was nowhere to be found as she sighed and crawled back to her bed again to try and sleep off her hunger.

“Are you hungry? That spear that you had indicated that you were trying to hunt today.” He suddenly spoke, her head snapping up towards her ceiling as a bit of dust and rubble fell on top of her. “Actually, stay here. I will go and get you something.”

Bella’s head tilted, her body standing as she went to one of the small gaps and peeked through. His retreating figure was all she could see through the blurriness of the gap and her own vision. Her body swayed as she held her head and groaned before falling.

Her consciousness went in and out as time seemed to go by in seconds. Tears fell down her face as she turned on her side and cried through the pain. Pain shot through her as her stomach contorted and twisted in ways that made her scream.

Loud running and the sounds of the man begging her to come out broke through the ringing in her ears. Her eyes stared at the cracks of the exit as she contemplated, but then the thoughts of her father crossed her mind. Wincing in pain from her hunger, she wondered if this man and his group knew where he was and if they knew where he was, they could help her find him.

Breathing in ragged breaths, the smell of cooked fish hit her scenes. Her nose followed the air as her stomach growled even louder. “Please just come out and eat something! You are in so much pain, and I cannot take it. If... If you come out, I will leave you alone. I will not come back and let you live here on your own.”

She whimpered again from his pained words as if she could feel his pain. Pushing herself against the wall as she opened her mouth to speak. “Could... Could you find my papa?”

“Yes, I can do that!” He yelled back, his breath seeming to hitch as she frowned in confusion. His reactions were weird and unusual. “Just come out, and I will help you.”

She played with the hems of her shirt, the pain stabbing her in the stomach again and again. “I... I am not allowed.”

“What do you mean? Did your papa place rules on you?”

This time around, his voice sounded angry. Flinching at his tone while she nodded, knowing that he could not see her. “It is for my safety. Werewolves are bad people; you are bad people. I have to stay here until my papa gets back.”

She heard him softly gasp at her words, his breath getting ragged as he spoke through clenched teeth. “My Pack are not bad people. We have people like you in my Pack. We all live together like a family. Your father was wrong! Staying here is asking for death, and this building that you are in will crumble at any second. It is not stable enough for you to stay, but you can still come to my Pack. We will protect you.”

“I am not leaving!” She yelled. Her voice gave her a fright as she covered her mouth with her fingers. Her heart was racing while she continued. “I cannot leave without him!”

“How long has it been? How long has he been gone for?”

She did not respond, her brain trying to count the days that had passed, but as soon as she did, she realised that it had been longer than she thought. “A year.”

“You have been on your own for a year!” He stated as if he could not believe it. His body glided along the walls, and she found herself crawling through the small exit to see him. His body was against the rubble while he stared directly at the opening of the exit. “How long have you been here for?”

Bella gulped, hesitating to show herself, but the fascination with him was clouding her brain. “My whole life.” She whispered as she came out, pulling her knees up to her chest just in case he came near her. “I am breaking the rules. I cannot be talking to you.”

He stared at her, his eyes seeming to darken at the sight of her as she wrapped her arms around herself a little tighter. The pain caused her to flinch, and he did not miss that action. “Fuck the rules! You need to eat something.”

She jumped, getting ready to go back into her small cave as he grabbed the plate that was next to him and pushed it over to her. Her eyes watched his every move as she saw the fresh fish and vegetables on the plate. Her stomach growled in want as she whimpered and shook her head. “I cannot trust you.” She mumbled, eyeing her hole as he tried to reach out.

“Please, just... I will go.” He groaned, his eyes looking pained as she cowered away even further. “I will go only if you come with me.”

Her eyes widened. “No, no, I cannot do that. My papa will come back. I cannot leave.”

His golden-brown eyes showed so much emotion that she could not understand while he ran his fingers through his dark hair. “If you come with me, I will help you find him. We all will.”

“We?” She questioned.

“I am the Beta of the Firefly Pack. My people will help you find your father and provide you with a home and safety, I promise you.” He spoke, his hand reaching out towards her to take while she eyed it.

“What... What is a beta? What is a Pack?”

He paused. “You do not know what... ” He then shook his head as if his mind was going a million miles an hour. “I will help you, all you need to do is follow me.”

She did not take her eyes off his hand, her heart racing so fast that she felt like she was going to vomit. “You will help me?”

“Yes.”

He did not hesitate. Her hands slowly let themselves go before she took his. Sudden electricity shot through her arm as she screamed and shuffled back, her eyes wide in fear from the contact, but he did not seem to care that they were just electrocuted. “What...”

“I will explain tomorrow.” He laughed, his smile slowing down her heart as she reached out again, their fingers grazing as she gasped in amazement. The contact was so foreign, so surreal, that she could not help but run her fingers along his palm in fascination, and he let her with an odd look on his face. “What is your name?”

She removed her eyes from his hand and stared into his own orbs. “I am Bella.”