Craving Him | MM, Werewolf, Soulmate

Chapter 36

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*** 

Sam

Sam moved through the forest with light footsteps, trying not to make any sound, just as Rick had taught him.

Leaves beneath his feet crunched softly, and he cursed. When Rick won the coin toss, he chose to be the Predator, which wasn't surprising at all. Rick was the best Predator known in history. During his time in The Hunting Games, he was feared for his ambush strategies and tackle skills. Sam's heart raced with nervousness as he tried to look for the trophy. But he was too focused on Rick's presence to look around for the trophy. He had never felt nervous in any of the previous Mock Games.

The thought of Rick looking for him made a thrill shoot through his body. He knew Rick had his eyes on him somewhere in the shadows, studying his every move. Sam knew how good Rick was at this game. He was a master at tracking, moving silently, and striking with precision. He wanted to prove himself to Rick. Show him there was more to him than a guy with a silly crush on his coach.

Sam wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, pressing his back against the rough bark of the tree. He could not see his other teammates. They were probably scattered around in pairs, working on their own drills.

Sam shuddered, remembering how Rick's gaze had lingered on him when he'd called him 'sir'. Sam got a thrill at riling him up, testing the boundaries. When Rick won the toss and announced *"I'll be the Predator. You'll be the Prey."* The words had sent a shiver down Sam's spine. Sam felt like there was more to those words than just the game.

Sam heaved, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. He looked for signs of Rick being nearby. Rick was methodical and patient; going against him in a game was a player's worst nightmare. He'd probably already planned to take Sam down, perhaps waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Sam's pulse quickened at the thought. He renewed his efforts to find the Trophy.

He crawled through a particularly heavy underbrush and sat there to look around to access spots where the Trophy could be hidden. His mind kept replaying Rick's earlier words, the heat in his gaze, the tension between them as Rick asked him to wait. Oh, Sam was waiting, in the game and in life. Heart racing with excitement for the end result.

There was a crackling noise, and before Sam could understand what was happening, he felt a weight take him down. A heavy brown wolf was on top of him, pinning him down with his two face-sized paws pressing down on Sam's chest. Sam looked at it wide-eyed, terrified and maybe slightly intrigued. Sam raised his hand to push it away, then paused, knowing how dangerous that could be. The wolf could snap his hand in two with its sharp teeth. Sam stayed still, not struggling to get free. The wolf's glowing eyes looked down at him not with anger but with fascination. It was observing Sam just as Sam was observing it.

Sam experimentally wigged, pretending to get free, when the wolf growled softly, warning him. A low rumbling sound that sent a thrill through Sam's body. Sam couldn't understand it, or perhaps he did. It wasn't just about the game. This wolf was connected to his own wolf in the most primal way. The two of them had been playing this game of push and pull, the tension that had been building for months.

Rick's wolf was just as obsessed with Sam's wolf as Rick was with Sam. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. Sam raised his hand tentatively. The wolf made a rumbling sound but let Sam touch his leg. Every Werewolf was warned against trusting a werewolf in wolf form, especially if you are in human form. Wolves are wild animals; they don't think like humans, and they don't respond like humans. But Sam also knew wolves weren't immune to their mate's affection.

Sam gently stroked the wolf's side, feeling the heat of its fur against his palm. The wolf stilled, confused momentarily, its glowing eyes narrowing as it watched Sam.

"My wolf has been missing you," Sam whispered, voice low, affectionate. "You are just as big, just as strong as he said you were." Sam pressed his forehead against the side of the wolf's neck, circling his arms around the wolf's body, trailing his fingers along its fur in a gentle, slow motion.

For a moment, the wolf hesitated, its body taut. He was to follow Rick's order, play the game, capture The Prey but it looked torn between his duty and his intincts. Sam could feel the shift in its posture, the way the weight of its paw on Sam's chest lightened ever so slightly. Sam kept going, murmuring soft words of praise in its ear while petting him gently. And then, just as he'd hoped, the wolf released him.

Sam grinned to himself as the wolf pulled back, confused and a little dazed by the affection. Sam stood up,brushing off the dirt from his clothes, his heart pounding with adrenaline and took some measured steps away from Rick's wolf. He had done it. He had freed himself.

Rick's wolf stood there for a moment longer, staring at him as if debating if it should pounce on him again.

Sam didn't waste a second, when he was sure Rick's wolf wouldn't go after him he sprinted through the trees to get away from it as far as possible.

He looked back and saw the familiar sight of the wolf's body morphing to transform back into his human form. Sam grinned. Rick would be pissed that his wolf let him go, but Sam didn't blame him. Wolves were simple creatures.

"Sam!" Rick's deep voice called out, closer than he'd expected. Sam's pulse quickened, but he used the last of his energy into sprinting with full speed. He saw the gleaming sight of the trophy at a distance. Sam knew Rick wasn't as fast in human form, at least not as fast as Sam.

With a final burst of energy, Sam dove toward the pile of bushes that hid the trophy, his hands scrambling to get the dried twigs and bushes off and grab the trophy. Just as his fingers closed around the cool metal, he felt Rick's hand brush his shoulder, but it was too late.

Sam clutched the trophy in his hand, and raised it in the air. The look of surprise on Rick's face was priceless, a mix of frustration and admiration. Sam couldn't help the smirk that spread across his lips.

"Looks like I win, Coach," Sam said, holding up the trophy triumphantly.

Rick's eyes narrowed, but there was a glimmer of pride in them too. "You played dirty, Sam."

Sam grinned, his heart still racing. "Everything is fair love and way and this is both."

Rick shook his head, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Three months, Sam. After the tournament, we'll settle this properly."

Sam nodded, the tension still crackling between them. "I'm counting on it."