10 comments/ 53434 views/ 24 favorites King of the Jungle Ch. 01 By: warrior_wolf Hi everyone. Here is a story that I stated to write months ago before Starstruck, but I got major writers block so stopped writing it for a while and eventually forgot about it. After going through my computer files I found it again so I thought I'd have another crack at it. This is the first chapter, so tell me what you think and I will continue to write the rest. I've just finished school for 6 months so should have more time for writing now. As always, all characters are 18 years or over. * "You little whore," her father screamed at her as he slapped Max across the face. He had come back drunk as usual from his night's antics in the town. Unfortunately for Max, he didn't get drunk enough for him to pass out when he got home like he normally did. Max knew she was in danger this time. She always knew her father was perverted, constantly walking into her room as she was changing for no reason or having a grope every now and then. This time was different though. Something had happened in town to make her father angry. Whatever it was, he wanted to hurt someone and the closest someone was Max. "You're my daughter and you'll do as I tell you. Now take off your clothes." "Over my dead body," Max yelled back at him. She knew she was being stupid, knew she should just do as he said and let the alcohol have time to dumb him down, but she'd always had a fiery, stubborn personality and she wasn't going to give an inch. Suddenly her father lunged at her, surprisingly fast for the amount of alcohol he had consumed. Max was knocked against the wall of her bedroom, hitting her head hard. The knock stunned Max for a few seconds, allowing her father to pin her against the wall. He started trying to rip her clothes off but was unable to get a good grip as Max started to wriggle around. "Get off me you bastard". "That's it, fight me. You're a slut, just like your mother was. She liked it rough to. Used to scream real loud when I shoved my hard meat into her." "No." Max screamed, managing to push her father away from her. Seeing an opening she drove her knee into her fathers crutch as hard as she could. "You BITCH" he screamed as he went down hard. Max started to run knowing she couldn't stay in the house any more. She didn't know where she could go. She lived alone with her father, about five kilometers out of town on the edge of the rain forest, with no buildings or people in between. She had to hide, somewhere where her father couldn't follow her. Max knew in her heart that she couldn't go back home after this. Her father was obsessed with raping her, obsessed with causing her pain. Max ran to the only place she had ever felt safe, the jungle. As she burst through the back door she heard her father stumbling out of her bedroom. "Faster" she screamed to herself in her head. Max started to run across the empty field, thankful the moon was high and full, giving her light to see by. If she tripped over something now, she would be done for. Suddenly Max heard a click, similar to the sound of someone cocking a gun. As she looked over her shoulder she could see the moonlight reflecting off the barrel of her fathers hunting rifle. "He wouldn't shoot me, even he's not that stupid", Max thought to herself as she continued to run. Her lungs started to burn and her legs felt like lead but she knew she had to keep on going. "If I can't fuck you, no one will," her father yelled just before he pulled the trigger. Pain shot through Max's shoulder and down her arm as the bullet hit her right shoulder. Max went down, hard. The pain was blinding, causing spots to form before her eyes. She forced herself to get up, running on sheer adrenaline now, knowing that her fate would be worse than death if he caught her. Max heard him cocking the gun again. "Almost there," she thought to herself as she came up to the tree line that marked the entrance of the jungle. Max went down hard again as a second bullet grazed her left thigh. A scream escaped Max's lips, the pain in her leg was almost too much. She scrambled to get up, falling down again as her leg gave way. She could hear her father's footsteps getting closer as she resigned herself to her fate. She was going to die. As she started to slip away into unconsciousness a horrible thought crossed through Max's mind. "He's an expert marksman. He shouldn't just be winging me, no matter how drunk he is. He's playing cat and mouse with me." As realisation came, Max knew that she wouldn't let this scumbag win. Forcing herself to get up, she started to again run towards the safety of the jungle. Bursting through the barrier, she was swallowed in blackness as the moon's light was blocked by the trees. Max found one of the paths that she regularly walked on and knew that she could now outrun him. Her father didn't know the jungle like Max did, no matter how good a hunter and tracker he was and he was too drunk to be able to follow her tracks tonight. After Max had run into the jungle a reasonable distance, she stopped to look back. She could see the silhouette of her father standing at the edge of the trees. "Keep running little girl, it will make the hunt more interesting." Turning away with laughter ringing in her ears, Max stumbled deeper into the jungle. Alec was padding silently through the jungle, following the trail of a warthog when he heard the first gunshot. Pulling up short, he sniffed the wind, trying to detect where the hunter was. Being night, Alec knew that he could easily slip into the forest if he had to, but leopards were still hunted in this jungle, especially the large, rare black leopard like himself, so he had to be careful. He could smell the man that lived near his territory on the wind. He was far away and no danger to Alec, so he continued hunting his prey. * * * * Max woke up slowly at the edge of a large pool. After running for nearly an hour she had collapsed from exhaustion and pain, falling into unconsciousness. As she looked around, she realised she had moved from her normal walking path and was in an area she didn't know. Max didn't know where to go, but she knew that she had to keep going. Her father would be after her when he had slept off his drunken stupor, and Max had to put as much distance between them as she could. Her father was an expert hunter and tracker and would be able to follow her trail quickly, especially as she was unable to limit her tracks because of her wounds. Having a quick drink at the pool, Max slipped into the water to try and break up her trail. Pain shot through her body as the icy cold water touched her wounds. She almost passed out again, but managed to stay awake as she swam, using her good arm across the pool. "I'm going to make it, it's going to be ok" Max thought to herself as she reached the other side. However the bank was steeper than she thought and she only managed to climb halfway out of the water before the effort became too much and she once again collapsed into blissful unconsciousness. * * * * Alec was not having a good night. The man had gotten close to his territory and the gunshots had frightened the warthog into hiding, making Alec go without dinner. Heading back to his home he stopped and sniffed the wind, catching a scent. It was blood. Following the scent led him to his favorite water hole. As he searched the clearing with his eyes, he stopped on a shape lying half in, half out of the water. Moving around to get a better look, he caught the scent again. There was something else, something besides blood. He knew that scent. It was the girl that belonged to the hunter, the one that often strayed into his territory. Although the girl had never seen him, Alec often followed her as she walked through the forest. He had no hatred of the girl like he did her father. The girl had never caused any harm while in his territory. Alec growled softly to try and get her attention, to make her aware he was near. When she made no response, Alec slowly crept forward. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and uneven. Something wasn't right. Seeing she was unconscious, Alec pushed the girl onto her back with his paw to get a better look at her. The girl moaned in pain as she fell onto her back. As Alec looked over her body, he saw the bullet wound in her shoulder. "The bastard", he thought to himself, knowing that this was the result of the shots he'd heard earlier. Stepping back from the girl, Alec turned back into his human form. Picking the girl up softly, he carried her back to his hut, deep in the jungle. * * * * Max moaned softly as she opened her eyes, coming awake fully. Her shoulder and leg both ached terribly and her head was pounding. Looking around at her surroundings Max froze. She was no longer lying in the jungle where she remembered last being, nor was she at home. She was in a hut of some kind, but as she looked out the window she could see tree branches and leaves. She didn't know where she was but she had to get out before her father found her. As Max threw back the covers she noticed her clothes had been stripped and a man's shirt put in their place. Her wounds had also been bandaged, but Max couldn't stop to wonder who had done this. She had to go, had to escape before she was found. Even though it would have been safer for the moment to stay put, Max was suffering from delirium due to her raging fever. She couldn't think straight. As Max stood up off the bed, she almost collapsed as she put weight on her injured leg, but managed to grab onto the wall to keep her steady. Pain shot through her injured shoulder, making Max dizzy, but she had to keep going. As quietly as she could, Max made her way to the door and onto the verandah that seemed to run the length or the hut. Making her way to the railing, Max swallowed a scream. The hut was built in a tree, about one hundred meters off the ground. Looking around, Max couldn't see anything to get down to the ground with. There was no escape. Tears started to stream down Max's face. She knew she was beaten. * * * * Alec walked quietly into the bedroom to check on the girl. He had left her asleep while he went to collect some food for when she woke. He had spent hours working on her last night. After stripping her clothes, Alec discovered the wound on her thigh as well. Her shoulder had been a mess and Alec didn't know how well it would heal. Her leg wasn't as bad but had needed stitching. He had given the girl some antibiotics from his kit, but knew that infection was still possible, especially out in the jungle and that she could still develop a fever. Looking toward the bed, Alec swore softly. She was gone. As he turned to the door he could hear soft crying from outside. Stepping onto the verandah he found the girl huddled in a corner, quietly crying to herself. Hearing his approach she looked up slowly, fear and pain etched on her face. Alec's heart twisted as he looked at her. He didn't know what it was, but something about this girl made him want to protect and comfort her. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," "Who are you, what do you want with me?" "It's going to be alright. You've been hurt. I've bought you back to my home. You're going to be fine." While speaking to the girl, Alec slowly moved towards her. He didn't want to frighten her, but he had to get her away from the edge. He could see from her face that she had developed a fever. Alec didn't want to panic her and make her jump off the edge. Max looked at the man walking towards her. She felt no fear looking into his eyes. They were a strange colour, almost like cats eyes, but something about them made Max trust this man. Standing up slowly, Max moved towards him. She knew she was safe with him, knew he wouldn't lead her to harm. Max couldn't explain it, but she felt like they were connected, like he could see right into her soul and see her pain. Max was hallucinating. She couldn't see this man as a possible threat, even though he was a complete stranger. Luckily for her, Alec had only good intensions. Taking a step forward, Max's legs finally collapsed from under her, still weak from the hours spent running through the jungle. Alec stepped forward and caught her in his arms, stopping Max from falling. Holding the girl against him, he looked down at her face. "What's your name little one?" "Max. My name's Max," she whispered softly as she curled herself around Alec's shoulder. King of the Jungle Ch. 02 Hi everyone. I've been getting comments, not all of them favourable, about the names I've used. This is just a little note to set things straight. The names Max and Alec are completely coincidental. The original name for my male character was Chase, but as those who have read Starstruck will know, I ended up using that name for another character. Being stumped for a name, I asked one for my friends advice and she suggested Alec. So its Alec that I used. Once again, the characters in this story are in no way shape or form to do with the Dark Angel series, so get off my back. Once again, all characters are 18 years or over. P.S. My friend is a huge Dark Angel fan so you can all blame her. Happy reading. Chapter 2 Alec scooped Max up in his arms, knowing she was unable to walk. "Max? That's an unusual name for a girl." "It's short for Maxine," she whispered. Max snuggled into the warmth of Alec's chest. Although her body was burning hot from the fever, Max felt freezing cold. Alec took Max back inside and lay her gently on the bed. Moving had made Max's wounds leak through the bandaging and he had to change them. Max lay down against the pillows, feeling sore and drowsy. Although she had barely moved, she was still very weak from exhaustion and her wounds. Although she didn't realise it, Max had lost a lot of blood and it would take days for her to be able to walk by herself. As Alec changed her bandages he found it extremely hard to focus on what he was doing. Max was absolutely beautiful. Although not very tall compared to him, only standing 5ft 8 compared to his 6ft 6, Max seemed much taller than she was. Her body was smooth and graceful, with legs that went on forever. Her waist dipped in slightly and flared out to small but shapely hips. Her breasts weren't too big, probably only a B cup, but they were full and round. Although Max's face would never be called beautiful, her big brown eyes and sensual mouth led an air of innocent seductress that drove men crazy. As Max looked through the haze, she saw the man come back over to her. "What's your name?" "It's Alec little one." "Alec, it suits you." Alec looked down at Max and smiled. Although it was quite obvious that she was now a woman, she was still so innocent looking. "Why is that?" "I don't know. It just does." "I'm going to change your bandages and look at your wounds. It might hurt a little bit, okay." Thinking about her wounds brought Max around enough to remember that her father would be after her. "Please. You can't tell anyone I'm here. If...if he finds me, he'll kill me." Max started to panic again and tried to get up. Alec had to calm her down quickly before she hurt herself even more. "It's okay little one. I'm not going to let your father come anywhere near you. I promise." As Alec checked Max's injuries, she quietly slipped off to sleep. Alec was glad. Sleep would be the best thing to help Max heal. Seeing that Max had settled down for the moment, Alec slipped outside and went on the hunt for his dinner. * * * * Back at the town, Max's father was at the local pub, getting drunk as usual. He hadn't looked for Max yet. Having gotten so drunk the night before, he had fallen asleep and hadn't woken up until late afternoon. By that time, he had forgotten what had happened the night before. He may have simply forgotten Max all together if it hadn't been for his 'mates' down the pub "Hey Bill, how's that scrumptious slut of a step daughter of yours. You fucked the bitch yet or what?" Bill looked up from his drink and memories of last night came flooding back. Swearing to himself, he stood up, if somewhat unsteadily, and faced the rest of the men. "I got a proposition for ya men. My lovely little step-daughter has gone walk about in the jungle. I want her back. It's time the little slut learnt who's boss. I'll give any man that finds her $10 000 and they'll get to have her for the night once I've ripped her open and had my fill." The men in the pub cheered and started to talk excitedly among themselves. Unfortunately for Max, her step-father was very well off, and she was highly desirable among the men in the village. It would only be a matter of time before they found her. Although they weren't as good as Bill at tracking, they were good enough to find a wounded girl in the jungle. Bill grinned evilly to himself. It wouldn't be long. Soon he would have that bitch. Soon he would teach her who was master. * * * * A warm hand stroked her side as lips hungrily devoured her own. Max moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in tighter. He was hungry for her, almost desperate as he pulled Max to him. Max was having the same dream she'd had every night since she'd turned 18, only this time was different. This time her dream lover had a face. It was Alec. Max knew this man, like they had met in the past. She didn't know how, but she knew him, with her body, mind, heart and soul. She loved him, trusted him. As he moved his mouth down to her breasts, he went to lift her arms over her head. Max screamed. Alec's head shot up to see his hands wrapped around Max's wrists. She was screaming in pain as her shoulder was wrenched upwards. Alec let go of her wrists and sat up quickly. What the hell was he doing? He had been dreaming. He was with a woman, his love. He didn't know why, but somehow, he knew this woman was his mate. Looking down at Max, he could see her looking at him strangely through her tears. Laying down next to her, he stroked her hair out of her face. "I'm so sorry Max. I didn't know what I was doing." "I...it's okay. It was my fault too. I...I was dreaming, and you were there, and...and." Max trailed off as she looked at Alec. He was looking at her in a weird way, like something had happened that he was concerned about. Sure, he was concerned about her shoulder, but Max felt that that wasn't what he was worried about. Alec got off the bed and went to get Max food and drink. Although he had made sure she drank through the night, Max hadn't eaten since she had last been at the house. Coming back with various fruits and water, Max fell hungrily on the food. She hadn't realised how hungry she was. When Max had finished eating, Alec checked her wounds. He was surprised at how fast they seemed to be healing. Alec had expected at least some sort of infection, no matter how minor to invade the wounds, especially Max's shoulder, as the wound was so deep. But there had been nothing. The skin looked healthy and pink, the flesh seemed to be knitting together nicely. Even her fever had gone. It was almost like she wasn't quite human. Alec decided to go and visit the elders at the village. He needed to know more about Max, and the elders were the best people to go to. They knew everything. "Max, are you going to be alright here by yourself for a little while. I need to go and talk to some people." "I'll be fine. But where are you going. I didn't know anyone lived in the jungle. I was surprised enough when I realised you lived here. I mean, well, who else is there?" "No one you need to be worried about. I'll be back soon. Get some rest, you're still tired." Max couldn't argue with him there. Her eyes were already closing and she had only been awake for an hour. Max lay down as Alec left. Looking outside, Max found it hard to judge what time it was, but she thought it to be mid afternoon. How many days it had been though Max couldn't tell. She didn't know how long she had been sleeping. Being alone, Max's thoughts turned to Alec. He was unlike any man she had ever met. Max had little experience with men, living where she did. The only male contact she had ever had was from her father and the men in the village, so to Max, Alec was the completely opposite of what she knew men to be like. He was so kind, and gentle with her, like he cared for her as a person and not just a piece of ass. It also didn't hurt that he was good looking. His body structure was so different to the men in the village as well. They were all short, but big, powerful men. Max had always equaled them to Neanderthals. A lot of brawn but not much brain. But Alec. He had muscles, but he was more wiry and graceful. His hair was jet black, and he had the most unusual eyes Max had ever seen. They were amber, with small flecks of green, just like a cat. Closing her eyes, Max lay with pictures of Alec in her head that soon turned into another dream, more vivid and disturbing than the last. * * * * Alec walked through the branches of the trees until he came to a good one to climb down. He had morphed his toes and fingers into claws to help him grip onto the branch but didn't want to turn fully into his leopard form in case Max saw him. Jumping to the ground, Alec made his way to the village. He didn't go there very often now. He and the village had a bad past and he had been exiled. Although the elders still acknowledged him, most of the other villagers pretended he didn't exist. Coming to the village, Alec watched the villagers move inside their huts at the sight of him. It was almost like he bought the plague with him. Alec ignored them. He was used to this now. It had been going on for the last 4 years, since he was 21 years old. Walking up the steps of the head elder's hut, Alec knocked on the door. "Come in Alec." Alec entered and sat down opposite Kikano. "What is bothering you Alec? Something must be wrong for you to come here." Alec laughed to himself. No pleasant greetings, no how have you been? He wasn't surprised. After all, what he had done was terrible. "I need to know something, about one of the humans that live in the edge of the jungle." "You wish to know about the girl Maxine, don't you?" "Yes Kikano. This afternoon, I was asleep dreaming, about her. She was my mate, it was like it was really happening, but not this life, a past life. When I woke up, Max told me she had been dreaming something similar, about me. What does it mean?" "Maxine's mother was from our village. She was one of us. But she was too curious for her own good. She left the village to go to the town. She wanted to explore. She met Maxine's father and fell in love, decided to leave the village for good. But her husband turned out to be a cruel man. One night when Maxine was young, her mother tried to run with her, back to us. Her husband shot her down and killed her. Why he let the child live I do not know. As to the dreams, well, I think deep down you know now why you are having them." Alec sat and listened to Kikano in shock. Max was one of them, a shifter. He did now know why he was having the dreams, although Alec had never even considered it happening to him. It was said in legend, that some shifters stayed together for eternity. Throughout each life time, when the time was right, they would dream of their mate and their previous life so they could find each other again. "Kikano, what am I going to do? Max doesn't know about her mother, or about what she is." "She will soon. Maxine is coming up to her 21st spring equinox. She will soon change, soon feel the urge to become one with her leopard and hunt." "If she's going to change soon, then...I need to get back home, Max is alone." Alec raced into the forest and changed into his leopard form. How could he have been so stupid to have not realised. Shifters can't change until their 21st spring equinox. The week before this happens, the females let off pheromones to let the males know that they would soon be ready to bond and mate. Alec just hoped that he could get to Max in time before another male found her. * * * * Max woke up suddenly from the dream she was having, shaking. It had been so real, so life like, that Max thought it was really happening. She had to look down at her body to make sure she didn't have paws and a tail. Max had been running through the forest, looking for something. But she wasn't human. Looking down, Max saw that she was a sleek black leopard. Jumping through the tree tops, Max jumped back to the ground and came to a beautiful clearing. The pool there was crystal clear, with a small waterfall trickling into it, the grass was soft and green, and there waiting for her was another black leopard. She instinctively knew it was Alec, her mate, her love. Max snapped out of her thoughts, hearing a sound out on the balcony. Thinking it was Alec returning, Max got out of bed to meet him. She really was feeling better. Her wounds had almost healed, and she was able to walk without more than a slight limp. Walking to the door, Max was about to call out to Alec when a large shadow blocked the light from the door. Max screamed in fear and surprise. There was a man standing at the door, but it wasn't Alec. Max started to walk back slowly praying that Alec would return soon. Kahn stepped further into the room and grinned at the girl. He was glad. It looked like no other males had gotten here yet. Kahn had been traveling all day to get to the female. He had smelled her scent on the wind, and knew he had to find her. Shifters were scarce in his part of the jungle, and he had started fearing he would never find a mate. Seeing the fear on the females face, Kahn tried to calm her down. He didn't want to frighten her, but he would do what was necessary to obtain her. "It's okay, I won't hurt you, as long as you submit to me willingly female." "W...what do you want?" "You, my pretty little female. What's your name?" "None of your business. Get out." Max had gotten over her fear of this man. He was just like her father with his talk of possession and Max was starting to get pissed off. "Oh, a female with fire. I think we'll get on well together." "We won't be doing anything together buster. Now get out!!!" Kahn was starting to get pissed off. He liked women with fire, but not outright disobedient. This female would soon learn. Kahn walked towards her with purpose now and managed to grab onto Max's wrist. Max tried to fight him off, but he was easily as big as Alec. Not being able to get away, Max screamed for help. "Alec, let me go you bastard. ALEC, HELP" Max stumbled back as a large black blur streaked past her and slammed into Kahn. Max retreated into a corner. It was a leopard, the biggest leopard she had ever seen. Max was terrified. After everything she had managed to escape from, Max never thought she would end up dying from a hungry leopard. Max sat there watching the man and the leopard fight then froze. The man had managed to push the leopard off of him and started to rip off his clothes. Max sat there staring at him in horror as he began to change. She could hear the sound of bones reshaping and cartilage snapping. Right before her eyes, this man that had been after her turned in to a large ferocious tiger. Alec watched as the stranger shifted. Although he wanted to kill him, he would wait for the man to change. Alec connected mentally with the stranger. Although he was big enough to take him, he wanted to try and prevent a fight if possible. "You have no right to this woman. She's mine." "I sensed no mark on her. You have no claim over her." "She is my eternal mate. She will be mine, just as she was mine in our previous lives. I will fight to the death to keep her if that is what you require." Kahn sat and thought about what the leopard had said. Eternal mates were different. He knew that even if he was able to defeat the male, the female would kill herself to be with her mate in the next life, rather than stay and be a mate to him. Knowing that he wouldn't win either way, Kahn gracefully backed away and slinked off, back into the jungle. Alec turned to face Max. She sat, huddled in the corner, with a mixture of fear and wonder on her face. Alec didn't want to scare her, but he had to show her who she was. If he didn't mark her as his soon, more males would challenge him for the right to take Max as their mate, and as strong as Alec was, he was no match for an entire group of males. Max stared at the giant leopard, sitting no more than 2 feet away. She was scared, of course. This animal could kill her with one swipe of its paw. But at the same time she was mesmerized in the power and beauty of the beast. Watching him rise and come towards her, Max forgot what she had just seen. Slowly sitting forward, Max reached out her hand for the leopard to smell. The leopard lowered it's head and rubbed it against her hand. Fear fled from Max like a mouse flees from a cat. Moving onto her knees, Max opened her hand out flat and started to rub her hand over the big cats head. It sat there purring as Max rubbed it behind the ears. Getting up, the leopard licked Max gently on the cheek before walking to stand in the middle of the room. As Max watched, the great black leopard that had sat there seconds before slowly shifted. The last thing Max saw before she fainted away was Alec, sitting in the leopard's place. King of the Jungle Ch. 03 Hi everyone. Well this is the final chapter of King of the Jungle. I would like to make a big apology to everyone. I, in a way, co-wrote this with a friend. Although I wrote the story, she came up with the initial plot. After submitting the second chapter, I read some comments saying that the story was very similar to one by an author called Christine Feehan. After looking at this book, I realised my co-writer must have gotten the ideas from the same story. Although my story is different in many ways, the initial idea is the same and if I knew it was copied from someone else's idea I wouldn't have written the story. I tried to change the last chapter as much as possible to make it my original work, but I just wanted to apologise to my readers for not producing an original piece of work. However I hope you enjoy what I have written. As always, all characters are 18 years or over. Chapter 3 Animals fled from the sound of men invading their homes. They were all looking, all searching for their prize. All of the animals were in danger. Although the men were looking for a girl, they wouldn't hesitate to bag a prize specimen if they saw one. Many of the men who lived in the village were hunters and all dealt with the black market. Although a $10 000 reward and a piece of ass was a sweet deal, they would abandon the hunt if they killed something they could sell for a high price. Bill combed the jungle looking for his slut. Although he had gotten the men in the pub to help him look, he still didn't want to part with the money and his bitch. He had deliberately led them to look far away from where Max probably was. Bill tracked her trail. He would find her quickly. Her trail was loud and clear and Bill was able to easily track her. He didn't expect to find Max dead, after all, she had learnt from the best tracker in the village how to survive. However he didn't care what condition he found Max in. As long as she was conscience to realise what was happening to her and had a pussy to fuck, he was happy and would continue to pump her with drugs to keep her that way until she died. Moving quietly through the jungle, Bill thought of all the things he would do to Max when he found her, giving him the hardest hard on he'd ever had. This was going to be a truly enjoyable experience. * * * * Alec had placed Max on the bed and was gently stroking her face. "Come on little one, wake up for me. Come on baby." Max could hear a voice far away, calling to her. Struggling, Max started to claw through the layers of blackness to get to the voice. Opening her eyes, Max saw Alec's worried face hovering over her. "Alec? What happened?" "You fainted little one. It's okay. You're fine" "Oh Alec, I had the most horrible dream. A man came in and tried to take me away, and then this leopard attacked him and he...he changed in to a tiger. Then the leopard fought him and he left, then the leopard changed... he changed in to..." Max's voice trailed off as she looked into Alec's face. "It wasn't a dream, was it?" Alec looked into Max's eyes and saw fear and mistrust. He started to panic. As much as he loved her, and he did love her, with all his heart, he would let Max go if she asked. "I know you're scared of me, so I'll move over here, but can you listen to me before you make up your mind?" Max sat on the bed mutely as Alec told her about himself, about her mother and about who she was. "So you're telling me that in three days time, I'll change into a leopard?" "Yes, that's why that man came after you. He could smell that you would soon be ready to bond and mate." "And you protected me from him, but I don't understand. If he was so eager to take me away, why did he leave so easily?" "You and I Max, we're special. Do you remember the dreams you were telling me about?" "Ye...yes." "Well it's a legend of ours, that some shape shifters are meant to be together forever. Throughout every life they live, they end up finding their eternal mate. It's said that they're meant to have dreams about their mate to help them find each other. I, well. I think that we're meant to be, well, that is. I've been having dreams about you to." Max sat there, trying to absorb everything Alec had said. Be with Alec forever? Was that what Max wanted? Thinking back to her life, Max had never had anyone but her mother love her, and she had died so early in Max's life that she barely remembered her. Alec had saved her life and had showed her more love and care in the last few days than Max could ever remember feeling. She had a decision to make. Looking at Alec, at the love and fear of loosing her in his eyes, Max couldn't think of any other choice to make. Rising from the bed, Max walked over to Alec and straddled herself over his thighs. Taking his face in her hands Max kissed him softly on the lips. "I choose you Alec. I want you!" Alec groaned. Wrapping his arms around her, Alec pulled Max hard against his body and fastened his lips to hers. He had waited so long to feel her body against his. Max wrapped her fingers in Alec's hair to pull him as close to her as possible. She wanted this, wanted him with a passion she had never known. He was her dream lover and Max wanted him to make her feel like he did in her dreams. Feeling the bulge in his trousers, Max rubbed herself hard against Alec's crutch. Hearing him moan in pleasure, Max did it again. Forcing himself from the kiss, Alec pressed his forehead against Max's. "If you keep that up this is going to be over sooner than either of us want it to be." "You're a virile young man Alec. I'm sure I could think of something to get it up again." Alec looked up at Max in surprise. Gone was the shy little innocent, and in its place was the playful seductress. As Alec watched, Max slowly unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing and pulled it down her arms. Alec's mouth started to water as he looked over her body. He had seen her naked before, but not when he was hungry for her. Running his hands up and over her back and down her sides, Alec marveled at how soft her skin was. Looking at her shoulder and thigh, he couldn't tell that she had ever been wounded. The skin was smooth and free of any scarring. Alec planted soft kisses around her shoulder making Max moan. Although she was enjoying Alec's slow examining of her body, Max needed him now. Gripping the bottom of his t-shirt, Max yanked it upwards and over Alec's head. Groping down, Max found the button and zipper of his jeans. Feeling Max struggle to open his pants bought Alec back to what was happening. Gripping Max's wrists, he stopped her from going any further. "Max, I know you're still a virgin. I don't want to hurt you. You have to slow down or I won't be able to control myself." "Alec. I've been waiting for you for the past five years. I've dreamt of you, of making love to you nearly every night. We have the rest of our lives together. I don't want to go slow." Kissing him on the lips, Max worked her way across Alec's cheek to his ear. Biting on his ear lobe, Max whispered in his ear. "Fuck me!" That was all Alec could take. Yelling in passion filled rage, Alec picked Max up with her legs still wrapped around him and threw her on the bed. Quickly taking off his trousers, Alec jumped on the bed and landed heavily on Max. Max pulled Alec fully on top of her and wrapped both her arms and legs around him. Finding his mouth, Max thrust her tongue in deep. With their tongues dueling and hands groping, soon they were transported to another place. Nothing existed but them. Alec ran his hand down her side to her snatch. Feeling how wet she was, Alec pushed a finger into her. Max screamed from pleasure and humped her hips towards the hand to get it deeper. Alec was so hard, so horny, he was loosing all control. Feeling Max's response to him, he removed his finger and shoved two in instead, as hard and as deep as he could. Max was squirming in pleasure. His fingers felt so good, but she needed more, needed to feel fuller. Reaching under Alec she searched for and found his hard thick cock. It was so big, at least 9 inches, possibly 10 and so thick that Max could barely fit her hand around it. Getting a good grip, Max pulled it towards her open legs. "Alec, I need you inside me. Please, fuck me." Hearing Max's pleas, Alec removed his fingers and lined his cock up. Although his cock was already nice and wet from his pre-cum Alec rubbed it up and down Max's pussy lips a few times to make sure his entrance was as smooth and painless as possible. Feeling Alec's cock enter her pussy, Max opened her legs wide and wrapped her hands around Alec's ass, pulling him into as deeply as she could. Max screamed in pain as she felt Alec breach her barrier. Alec held himself still to let Max get adjusted to his size. He knew it had to hurt. He was big for most women,. Especially for Max who was still a virgin. God it was hard. He just wanted to thrust into her until she screamed her release. Max started to move under him. The pain had gone and now all Max wanted was for Alec to slam into her. "Alec, please baby, I want it hard and rough. Now!!" Alec braced his arms on either side of her head and started to slam as hard, deep and fast as he could into Max's small body. "God yes, Alec, oh god, harder, yes, fuck me harder." Alec lost all control. There could have been a nuclear war going on outside and he wouldn't have noticed. God she felt so good. Alec hadn't had sex for so long, not since his banishment and Max felt so tight and hot. Feeling that he was close, Alec got up on his knees and slung Max's legs over his shoulders. Max was in heaven. The change of position allowed Alec to go even deeper and harder than before. Throwing her head back, Max screamed as her orgasm washed over her. Max's vaginal muscles squeezed around Alec's cock causing him to have the most explosive orgasm of his life. Panting hard, Alec managed to push Max's legs off of his shoulder before collapsing on top of her. Both managed to wrap their arms around each other before falling asleep with exhaustion. * * * * He was so close he could taste her. Bill had managed to track Max to the water hole. It was strange though. It looked like someone had met up with her. At first he thought it was a leopard, but the tracks leading away were clearly a man. Obviously a leopard had caught the scent of blood and had gone to investigate after Max had gone. The man's tracks were much harder to trace. He knew what he was doing and in some cases Bill lost the tracks completely and had to continue on instinct. But it wouldn't be long now. Soon she would be in his grasp. * * * * Max woke up slowly to the feeling of lips lightly kissing her neck. Remembering last nights antics, Max smiled to herself before rolling over into the arms of her love. "Morning little one." "Morning." "Did you sleep alright?" "I slept in your arms, of course I slept alright. And you know what. Last night I didn't dream." Alec looked at Max funny. "What do you mean?" "You said we dreamed of our mates so we could find each other. I didn't dream last night because I've found you." Alec pulled Max tightly against him and kissed her. God, he loved her so much. They were so absorbed in each other that they didn't hear the sound of someone approaching until the noise of someone clearing their throat startled them. Alec turned to see Kikano standing at the door. Alec was immediately worried. Kikano never came to his home, ever. "Kikano, what's wrong?" "I came here to warn you, then I will be leaving. Maxine's father and men from the village are in the jungle looking for her. I thought you should know so you can take precaution. They pose a threat to us Alec. If you don't deal with it, then we will have no choice but to remove their target. Permanently. I'm sorry to do this to you Alec, but we must ensure the survival of the species." And with that Kikano turned and left. Alec and Max lay in bed looking at each other in amazement. "Alec, what does he mean?" "He means, that if I don't find a way to get the men out of the jungle, then you will be killed." "W..what?" "Max, do you trust me?" "Yes." "Then I need you to stay here." "What, no, I know you want to protect me, but I just found you. I can't loose you now." "Baby, if I don't do something then I'll loose you. I have to do this. If your father is stopped then the rest of the men will stop. I've stalked him enough time to know what he's like. I'll be fine. I love you." Alec jumped out of bed and turned into his leopard form. Turning back once more to look at Max, Alec leapt out through the door. It was time to meet his fate. * * * * As Bill followed the trail, he kept on getting the distinct feeling he was being watched. Although he kept looking around him, he could never see anyone. Bill put it down to just excitement. He felt he was so close to his little slut that he could smell her. Alec was walking along the branches over Bill. He wanted to simply kill him, take him by surprise and rip his throat out, but he wouldn't do that. He had killed a rival clans hunter once before in cold blood. That was the reason for his exile, and he wasn't about to do it again. Running lightly ahead, Alec jumped down to the ground and shifted back into his human form. Standing up, he walked forward until he stood in front of Max's father. Bill heard a noise to his right and swung his rifle around. Standing in front of him no more than 5 feet away was a large naked man glaring at him. "Hello Bill." "Who the hell are you." "I'm your daughters mate. I'm here to have a little talk with you." "Excuse me. Just who the hell do you think you are asshole. So you have my daughter you say. Well, I'm a very rich man, and if you return her to me, I'll make it worth your while." Bill of course expected him to take the offer. No one refused him. Ever. "I don't think you heard me correctly, friend. I'm her mate. For you humans, that's the equivalent of husband, so no, I won't be returning her to you." "Why you fucking little chick..." "That's enough. Now I said we had to have a little talk. You have a choice to make. You can either leave here quietly and swear never to return to the jungle or come after Max again, or I can kill you right now." Bill was getting pissed now and decided to end this joker. "And how exactly do you intend to do that. Last time I checked, I was the one with the gun." "There are forces here besides you gun." "Really, well I don't see any. I'd say that you were at a definite disadvantage. Unless of course you're hiding some sort of weapon up your ass." "Friend, I am the weapon." Quick as lightening, Alec shifted into his leopard form and knocked Bill to the ground. Bill was so taken by surprise that he had no time to react and found himself sprawled out on the ground with his rifle out of reach. Alec looked into the eyes of the man that had caused his mate so much hurt and fear over the years and growled softly. Connecting to Bill mentally, Alec spoke to him in his mind. "Now you listen to me and you listen well. Max not only has my protection, she has the protection of all shape shifters living in this jungle. If any of us even have a sense that you're anywhere near her, we'll be upon you like the devil's wrath. Now, do we have an understanding." Bill was terrified. As Alec talked to him, he could smell the acrid scent of urine. Bill had pissed his pants. "You...you're not going to kill me?" "Not unless you force me to. Luckily for you, Max wouldn't want me to. That's the only thing keeping you alive. Now get out of my jungle." Alec stepped off the man and backed away, making sure Bill couldn't get to his rifle. Scrambling back, Bill rose to his feet and turned to run. When Alec made sure Bill was far enough away, he turned to return to his love. Bill was furious. Looking back, he saw Alec turn to leave. Bending down, Bill pulled the hand gun out of his ankle holster. "If I can't have that bitch, no one will." Pointing the gun, Bill fired. Alec sensed the movement behind him seconds before the gun went off. Although he managed to move enough not to be killed, the bullet still grazed him badly on his left flank. Turning around, he was on Bill and had his throat ripped out before Bill even knew what had happened. It was over. * * * * Max was pacing restlessly through the hut. Alec had been gone for ages and she was getting worried. What made it worse was that Max couldn't get out of the damn hut by herself until she could shift, meaning that if Alec was hurt somewhere she couldn't go to him. Getting so desperate, Max was about to attempt to climb down by herself when she heard a noise behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with Alec. "You weren't looking for me, were you?" He had more that a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Alec." Max jumped into his arms and held him tight. "Thank god you're okay. I was so worried." "I'm just fine little one, especially now that I have you in my arms." Looking down, Max saw red running down Alec's leg. "My god, Alec you're hurt." "It's just a scratch, I'm fine, real...." "Get you but inside mister. NOW!!!" Alec brooked no argument as he let Max drag him inside and on the bed. He had never seen the pushy side of Max, but god she was bossy. Max cleaned and bandaged the wound. Normally a wound like that would need stitches, but Max had first hand experience how fast their kind healed, so she didn't bother. When she was finished, Max crawled up beside Alec and lay her head on his chest. "What happened?" "It's over. He can't hurt you again." "Is he...dead?" "He left me no choice. I tried to give him a way out. He wouldn't take it. To be honest with you, I think in the end he had gone crazed." "Thank you." Max snuggled in closer to Alec and closed her eyes. It was over. Max could stop living her life in constant fear. Feeling Alec wrap his arms around her, Max fell into a peaceful sleep. * * * * 2 days later.... A sleek black leopard was running through the tree tops, looking for something. Leaping through the branches, it jumped back to the ground and came to a beautiful clearing. The pool there was crystal clear, with a small waterfall trickling into it, the grass was soft and green, and there waiting for her, was a male black leopard. She knew it was Alec, her mate, her love. Max was finally home.