Wolf Man

(I'd like to apologise for any geographical or medical inaccuracies but I wrote this off the top of my head. Hope you enjoy and as always feedback is appreciated xxx)

*

Alaska was a bitch in the winter. A person could freeze to death if they weren't careful and didn't cover up enough. As it was, Hannah Ossian wore more than enough, but the heater in the car still had to be turned on full blast. It was annoying. God, but how she missed London.

Hannah sighed and focused on the road, the roads here were slicked with ice and flanked by ten to fifteen inches of snow, she was lucky they'd managed to clear this much. Glancing up at the sky she winced at the heavy cotton like grey clouds, they looked so threatening that Hannah fully expected a storm to attack the land at any second. It's the snow storm they've been going on about, she thought grimly. She just hoped that she made it to her cabin before it all came down on her and stranded her out here. Just the thought had her shifting in her seat in fear. Hannah had issues with storms.

As she started on the uphill battle to her cabin, she frowned when she glimpsed something big, dark and shapeless lying on the side of the road. It was such a sharp contrast to the unblemished whiteness of the snow that it was impossible to miss. Hannah squinted. Was it an animal?

Slowing the car down impatiently, Hannah left the engine running as she opened the door, gritting her teeth against the freezing temperature. Quickly she rounded the hood at a slight jog as she peered at the thing warily. And it got a lot bigger as she got closer to it. Her dark hazel eyes widened in astonishment as she saw that 'it' was actually a man lying face down on the snow...and he was surrounded by smears of crimson which stood out amidst the stark whiteness of the snow.

Gasping in alarm, Hannah ran to the unconscious man and regardless that only denim covered her legs, she knelt down beside him and caught at the man's extremely broad shoulders then grunted at the effort it took to turn him on his back.

As she finally managed to turn him, the hood which had been pulled over his head fell back. Hannah sucked in a sharp breath as she caught sight of the unconscious man's face. He was absolutely stunning! His skin was a perfect shade of mocha with an amazing, regal bone structure, his mouth was a touch wide but with deliciously full lips, his eyelashes were black and impossibly long and curling. A wealth of shiny jet black hair framed his face and spilled onto the snow.

Fascinated she reached out without thinking and rubbed a strand of silky hair, it was beautiful hair and impossibly long – it would probably reach to mid back. He was completely devastating...and bleeding. On his dark blue parka over his chest were two bullet holes which were framed in almost black crimson rims.

God, he's been shot! She thought in horror. But somehow that propelled her into action. Glancing at her car she let out a groan at the thought of dragging him across the distance to the car, he would probably just end up with more bruises.

Hannah pulled her gloves off and tossed the two pieces of leather on the snow before reaching for his shoulders and attempting to drag him up. The man weighed a ton! But then again she has never tried to lift an unconscious man before. Then suddenly she felt the intense feeling that you get when you're being watched...it was a really eerie feeling.

Her eyes flicked up and collided with electric aquamarine eyes.

Startled, Hannah gasped and jerked back, letting go of his shoulders abruptly as she moved instinctively away. The guy fell back with a small crunch of the snow and cursed in a low groan of pain. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them into slits and glaring at her with undisguised displeasure.

Hannah snapped herself back into attention and once again knelt over him. "I-I'm sorry, you startled me." She said earnestly and leaned over him to look into his face. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot." He snarled irritably.

Hannah raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed that." She said dryly. Men. They really knew how to be first class pricks...even when injured. "Come on, can you sit up?" She asked as she bent closer to him to slip a supporting arm under his shoulders.

Those incredible eyes narrowed in what seemed like suspicion. "Why?"

"So I can help you up." The look on her face only seemed to irritate him even more. But then what kind of question was that? Wasn't it obvious under the circumstances that she wanted to help him?

That incredible mouth perfected a truly sinister sneer. "Believe me lady, you don't want to help me."

"Well then why would I suggest it?" She was beginning to feel like just leaving the ungrateful idiot to it. Here she was trying to be a good Samaritan and the guy was being an ass. "Look," she began matter-of-factly, "I'm really sorry you've been shot and naturally you're not in a pleasant mood. I can sympathize. However, having said that, there's a snow storm on the way and I want to be home when it hits. Now to be truthful I'd feel a lot better about myself if I didn't leave you here to die of frostbite and blood loss." She arched her eyebrows in question. "So... if you could just cooperate here with me, I'd be very grateful." She finished and watched him to see his reaction. After what seemed like ages, his eyes not changing in expression and staring at her disconcertingly, his head moved in a slight nod of acquiescence. He braced his arm on the snow and pushed up with the help of her supportive arm into a sitting position.

"Okay now, let's try and get you up." She murmured and they both groaned with the effort it took to get him on his feet. "Let's go," she urged, "before you collapse." That comment earned her another glare although she didn't know why, he was obviously in very bad shaped...and that really worried her. There weren't any medical facilities anywhere near by and even if there were, turning around would just ensure that they got trapped in the snow storm. The smartest thing would be to take him to her cabin and try to do something about his wounds with her poor excuse for a first aid. Not that she knew first aid anyway.

They somehow made it to the passenger side and after settling him in the seat she rushed to her trunk and popped it open to extract a thick black blanket. Moving quickly she arranged it over him to ensure he wouldn't develop a worse condition. Then, without so much as a word she slammed the door on his side shut and ran, slipping slightly on the ice, to the driver's side and got in.

Pulling her seat belt across her body and slotting it in, she reached for the gears at the same time she glanced at him. "Are you comfortable...." Her words faded away as her eyes fixed on the sight that occupied her passenger seat. Panic slammed into her and cut off her wind pipe as she stared in fascinated horror.

An enormous white timber wolf lay immersed in the black blanket and turned pain filled eyes in her direction when she continued to stare in shock. Hannah did what any normal person would do. She screamed.

In the midst of her screaming she began scrabbling for the door handle behind her, unable to take her eyes from the wolf.

"Oh God," she gasped as she felt the door handle give and she turned with the speed of light to jump out and run for her life. She even had one leg out the door when a hand – not a paw – wrapped itself around her arm in a death grip. She turned her head sharply and looked down at the mocha hand on her arm, then eyes wide she glanced back up. Her eyes encountered aquamarine ones yet again, which were once again narrowed in irritation.

"What the hell are you doing?" He hissed through clenched teeth, and his hand flexed on her arm, sending an arrow of pain through her.

She winced and tried to jerk her arm away from him. "Let go!" She whispered in a daze as what she had seen went round and around in her head. It wasn't possible, it couldn't be possible! It was him, it was the guy that sat beside her, and there was no wolf in her car. It was the cold; the cold was doing things to her brain. Could the cold cause brain damage? She'd never heard of such as thing. "Look at me!"

At the harsh command, she found her eyes flashing back up to his. Her eyes were caught and held.

"You agreed to help me didn't you?"

Helplessly she nodded.

"Well now you don't have a choice. Even if you don't like what you happen to be helping, you offered and now you'll follow through, do you understand?" He was snarling again, his gorgeous features a little bit more pale then they had been when she had found him.

"But I saw a – a w-wolf in y-y-your seat! I swear just a second ago, a-and y-you were g-gone!" She stammered in a low tone, it was as if she were speaking to herself, trying to convince herself that she wasn't crazy. She stared back at him, her eyes had a far away look to them.

He just stared back, he didn't move one facial muscle but instead...he... just stared...and the way he did it... it was like she was being stared at by a predator...a thing that knew how to scare without the slightest effort...a thing that could kill without the slightest effort...

Hannah's mouth fell open and she jerked back from him, only she couldn't because his hold on her arm was like a steel clamp. Her mouth formed a soundless 'O' as it dawned on her. Slowly, she allowed it to close and folded her lips as she registered the new information... "You mean...you're the uh..." she closed her mouth again and nodded in an odd jerking movement. "Are you...going to... harm me?" She asked quietly.

Another hiss of impatience left his lips and he released her arm. "Lady, does it look like I'm up to attempting to kill someone for no reason right now?"

She cocked her head as she looked at him. "Well gee, since I've never met a wolf man before I wouldn't know when he feels the urge to kill a young female travelling alone in the middle of no where." Her eyes widened mockingly. "Oh my goodness! Do you think I'm overreacting?"

He sneered at her then leaned back in his seat. "Are we going or not? Because I'm getting tired of holding human form."

"Do you mean you have to turn back into a – um..."

"Yes. Are we going or not?"

The door slammed shut in response. "Why the hell not?"

* * *

It was instantaneous, the minute they got out of her car in front of her cabin, the snow began to fall... not in little flakes, but large thick ones that didn't melt as soon as they touched skin or fabric. It was a short walk to the front door but by the time they got inside it their clothes were completely covered.

As she closed the door, Hannah allowed herself to sink down on the floor and forgetting she was supporting half his weight, he went down with her and... they ended up sitting side by side staring at her fire place.

Rolling her aching shoulders, she turned her head to look at him. He was truly spectacular...and to be truthful she'd never seen a guy look that good in her life. Not even with two bullets in him. Bullets.

Hannah sprang to her feet so fast she almost fell back down again, then quickly she ran over to the phone on her nightstand and dialled for the hospital... and received a dead tone in response to her frantic punching in of the numbers. Gritting her teeth she set the phone back down – then she let out a mind blowing scream when she felt something nuzzling her ankle.

She flung herself onto the bed and jerked her legs up. The classic reaction of someone trying to avoid spiders. Carefully she looked over the edge of the bed and watched in frozen fascination as the white timber wolf looking up at her with gleaming aquamarine eyes morphed into the stunning guy she'd brought home with her... and the guy now had a smirk on his face.

Hannah glared and it was her turn to snarl. "That is not funny."

Those lips just curved into a half smile which made him even more gorgeous. "From your point of view," was the retort she received.

"You'll regret that when you realise that all the lines are down and that I can't get you a doctor or even," she smiled evilly, "a vet, and you'll have to contend with me and my first aid box."

That wiped the self satisfied smirk right off his face. Saying nothing he leaned back down on the floor and closed his eyes. And what a view he made lying back on her floor looking all fiercely male. Oh great, this is all I need, stupid overly female thoughts about some creature that was shot and can't seem to do much but sneer and snarl, she thought.

Hannah sighed and looked around her small cabin. What in the hell was she going to do? Yeah, so she had a first aid box like everyone else but that didn't mean that she had any idea on how to use it. She glanced at him again and then with another sigh she got up and stepped around him and went into the small bathroom there. Muttering about the unfairness that this had to happen to her she got onto her knees and pulled the wooden box from under the sink. As she righted herself she turned and found herself staring once again into the eyes of a wolf. Her hands tightened on the box but she didn't say anything, instead her eyes remained locked with the wolf's mesmerizing blue ones. Even that was off, wolves were only supposed to have blue eyes when they were cubs, they were never blue in adulthood.

She had to admit that she was pretty fascinated however and it was that fascination that prompted her to take one hand from her box and then reach to the head of the animal beside her.

Slowly and somehow afraid that the wolf would turn on her she allowed her hand to touch his head. When the wolf didn't show any sign of attacking her or displeasure she began to pet him with a firmer hand. And he coaxed a smile out of her when he began to turn his muzzle into her caresses.

He truly was a beautiful animal...except he wasn't just an animal was he? No. He was the man that she had found lying bleeding in the snow. With a grimace at that reminder she dropped her hand and was stunned when the wolf came forward and nuzzled her neck with his muzzle. The feel of it, cool and wet on her shoulder tickled and a giggle escaped her lips before she drew back.

She dropped both hands onto her lap and sat back on her heels. "I guess you should turn back now. Or I won't be able to fix up your wounds this way."

The wolf cocked his head at her for a second, eyeing her curiously before stepping back and then in the blink of an eye he became the man version yet again. Just like his wolf self had done he remained sitting, his head cocked slightly to the side, eyes narrowed in concentration as he assessed her.

Feeling a bit nervous being watched like she was a tasty prey, she broke from his gaze and turned back to the first aid box, opening it and looking at it's contents. It really didn't look like this was going to be fun. "Uh...I hate to tell you this," she mumbled as she scoured the box, "but I have no idea how to get bullets out of people. I missed the lesson on how to treat a werewolf." "I'm not a werewolf."

She shrugged as she continued to look for something that looked as if it could help take things out of someone. "Yeah, you'd be a lot hairier I guess." A lot hairier because she had a feeling he was all smooth and inviting – quickly she snapped out of it before her train of thought could be finished.

More then a little bothered by the continuous wayward thoughts on this supernatural being which had just arrived suddenly on the scene, she threw him an uneasy look and felt herself heat up in embarrassment when she saw that he was still staring at her. Looking back into the box she saw a pair of tweezers and fell on them with relief, holding them up for him to see. "What about these?" She asked, looking at the metallic implement. That would surely hurt.

When she looked at him she saw him eye the tweezers with an indifferent shrug. "You probably won't find anything else, unless you want to go at it with a knife?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, and then laughed bitterly when she met his query with a horrified expression.

"Fine then. Tweezers it is." She muttered to herself. But as soon as she said it she let out a loud yelp when his parka and then the t-shirt underneath it faded away to leave only bare skin on view.

And the first thing she noted was that she had been right, all smooth skin. Suddenly she became aware that she was gaping and clutching the tweezers to her like they would somehow protect her from the raw sexuality oozing from the guy in front of her.

He arched a mocking brow at her. "Are you going to put those to use or just clutch them to you in protection of your virginity?"

This time her mouth fell open completely and her cheeks blazed into an embarrassing red. Arrogant prick. She thought in anger. Then with a sweep of her eyelashes she got herself back under control and dismissed him with an ease that would have made her Cousin Bridget the Rude Midget proud.

Not even bothering with the thought of how painful it would be for him she simply slid closer and ignoring the heat that seared her palm when it touched his skin, she shifted the tweezers in her hand and went to work.

Feeling quite sadistic she resisted the urge to smirk when he flinched the first time. But to his credit he only flinched twice and did not utter one sound during either of those times. Although the tell-tale drops of perspiration that littered his chest all over by the time she pulled out the second bullet proved that it had indeed been very painful. Still not feeling charitable towards him after his rude, unnecessary comment and jibe she picked out the packet of adhesives and tossed them his way along with a bottle of pure alcohol. "I'm sure you can manage the rest." She said sweetly, not even looking his way before she turned and walked put of the bathroom. The problem was that it was a very small cabin. There was a blizzard outside so she was absolutely stuck with a rude and annoying werewolf who probably had gotten the notion that he was God's greatest gift to the world in his head.

"Cause that's all that was missing in my life." She mumbled as she fell onto her bed, not even bothered with taking off her boots or jacket. With a sigh she hugged a pillow and looked at the clock at her bedside table. They were going into evening now, and it was going to be dark very soon. "Story of my bloody life." She mumbled into the pillow. She glanced at the bathroom and saw a shadow move. He'll still be there awhile, she thought and lay her head down on the bed. But as she allowed sleep to sweep her away, she had the impression of a dark shadow falling over her...