Feral Awakening (The Feral Series-Book 2) (28 page)

 Ava looked out the
windows of the truck. “I don’t get it. It doesn’t look any different than the other
towns we drove through. This is McLaren territory?”

 Teagan smiled at her
confusion. “Were you expecting caves or huts or something? We live just like
the humans do. We will pass by several homes owned by members of the pack. There
is a town not far from here where we get supplies and shop. The alpha’s home is
the largest and used as a meeting place. That’s where we will be staying. It’s
where my mother and father live and sometimes a few stray pack members too.”

 Turning down a long
winding road lined by tall trees they could see a large compound of buildings
rising out of the hillside. This must be the alpha’s home. There was a large
main building that appeared to be part log cabin and part stone. There were
several outbuildings surrounding the main house made in the same style as the
house. It was all rather sophisticated and yet rustic, the materials having
been chosen to blend in with the landscape surrounding the home. Kat loved it.

 Kat could feel her
heart beginning to pound as they pulled into the large circle drive. Ava and
Kat exchanged a look as Ronan came to a stop and turned the truck off. With a
deep breath for courage, Kat opened the door and left the safety of the SUV. As
she looked at the front of the house, the door opened and a large man stepped
out, holding the hand of a much smaller woman. Their faces lit up with
pleasure, they quickly headed down steps of the small entryway. This must
surely be Ronan and Teagan’s parents.

 They were a very
handsome couple and Kat could see where Ronan and Teagan got their good looks. Both
men had dark hair like their father and the same enormous build and strong
chin. Kat was surprised at their mother. She seemed too small and way too young
to have had such large sons. Her hair was a lighter golden blond that was
pulled up elegantly in a smooth bun at the base of her neck. She wore an ankle
length skirt with a coordinating silk blouse… and God bless her… cowgirl boots.
Kat was shocked at how small and feminine she was considering that she was a
female Lykan.

 Their mother broke
away from her mate and ran the remaining distance to her sons. “Oh thank the
gods. Ronan!” She threw her arms around her mountain of a son with tears in her
eyes. “I have been so worried about you!” She hugged him fiercely before
releasing him and wrapping Teagan in an equally tight hug.

 “And you. I’m so glad
you are okay. When we heard you had gone feral…” Her voice cracked with emotion
as tears filled her golden eyes.

 “I’m okay mom. Everything
is fine. Mother, I would like to introduce you to my mate. This is Ava. Ava
this is my mother, Elana.” Teagan reached behind him and took Ava’s cold fingers
in his own pulling her closer. The smile on Elana’s face became strained as she
met her vampire daughter-in-law for the first time. Ava awkwardly held out her
hand to her, not sure what she should do. “It’s very nice to meet you Mrs. McLaren.”

 Elana’s smile returned
as she dodged Ava’s hand and wrapped her in a hug. “Welcome home my dear.” Ava
smiled in relief and returned the brief hug. It looked like she may at least
have her mother-in-law on her side.

 Teagan’s father
watched as the introductions were made, his expression unreadable. “Ava this is
our pack alpha and my father, Thomas.” Thomas nodded in her direction and
clamped a firm hand down on Teagan’s shoulder. “Ava welcome to the family. Son,
it’s good to see you.” Moving to Ronan he did the same. Clamping an iron hand
onto his son’s shoulder and giving him a shake. “Good to see you son. Your
mother and I have been worried about you. Who did you bring us?” Thomas looked
to Kat standing slightly behind Ronan. Putting his arm around her shoulder
Ronan tucked her close to his side. Whether for comfort or to keep her from
making a run for it she wasn’t sure.  “This is Katianna, Kat I’d like you to
meet my parents, Thomas and Elana.

 Ronan’s mother simply
stared at her with her hand over her mouth for a moment before grabbing her
from Ronan and hugging her tightly. Stepping back from Kat she kept her hands
around her waist and simply stared at her in wonder. Kat was confused by her
reaction. She looked like she had seen a ghost. “Thomas told me but I didn’t
believe him until I saw you with my own two eyes. It’s really you. You look just
like your mother! How is this possible?”

 “You knew my mother?” Kat
looked at her in confusion and surprise.

 “Well yes dear. Didn’t
Ronan tell you?” Elana looked at Ronan in confusion. Ronan very subtly shook
his head in the negative at his mother, hoping she would pick up on the hint. “Well
there will be plenty of time to talk later. You all must be tired from all that
traveling. Come on in, we can talk later after we get you settled.”

 Ronan’s father inclined
his head in Kat’s direction, the expression on his face as though he was trying
to solve some kind of puzzle. “Katianna, it’s good to have you back with us. Why
don’t we get the ladies inside where they will be more comfortable.”

 Kat looked at Ronan in
confusion. Why was he suddenly not meeting her eyes? Why did Ronan’s parents
seem to know her? Something was definitely going on and Kat was getting tired
of Ronan leaving her in the dark. Maybe Elana could shed some light on things
for her.

 The road weary group
began to make their way into the house. “Come with me and we will get you
settled so you can freshen up, you too Roan.” Kat stifled a giggle at the
pointed look Elana gave Ronan’s shaggy head and hairy face. His mother clearly
did not approve of his new “Benji” look. Elana was quick to take charge of her
female guests and whisked them up to their rooms.

 Ava and Teagan had
been shown to a room they would share and Kat had one all to herself. She
didn’t even know where Ronan’s room was. It was strange being without him for
the first time in days. The room was beautifully done in rustic browns, greens
and tans. The enormous bed frame was made from unfinished cedar logs and Kat
had tried to lie down for a little bit but her racing thoughts wouldn’t
actually let her sleep. She had put away the borrowed clothes from Ava along
with her dirty and wrinkled cloth’s Ronan had hastily packed for her.

 Leaning against the
window she looked out at the landscape outside of her window. It was so
beautiful here. It was wild and open and natural. She loved it. She could
easily see why the McLaren’s had claimed it as their territory. She wondered
briefly how far the McLaren territory reached. She hoped the tour Ronan’s mom
had promised her would include the land outside of the compound too. She would
love to go and explore.

 A soft knock
interrupted her thoughts and she quickly padded over to the door to answer it. As
she suspected, Ronan’s mother Elana stood there with a warm smile on her face. “I
thought if you were rested enough we could start the tour of the house I
promised you.”

 Kat smiled in
gratitude. She was getting bored up in her room and her curiosity was getting
the better of her. “I would love that. Let’s go.” Kat quickly slipped her shoes
on and followed Elana out into the hallway. They quickly made their way through
the house as Elana proudly showed her home to Kat. It was quite large and
beautiful and it was easy to see how much Elana loved it here.

 Having finished their
tour of the house, Elana grabbed a coat for both herself and Kat as they headed
outside to see the rest of the grounds. Kat was thoroughly enjoying Elana’s
company. Elana tucked an arm into Kat’s as they walked along comfortably on the
path that connected the house to the next building. Apparently Kat’s need to
touch wasn’t strange here as Elana herself seemed to want to be in constant
contact with her as they walked. Both women were unaware of the golden eyes
that watched them from one of the windows.

 Opening the door,
Elana escorted Kat into what was their temple. The building was beautiful and
almost church like. A large skylight lit up the two story ceilings. A feeling
of familiarity began to enter Kat’s conscious. Images of her mother’s worried
face glancing down at her as they walked down the aisle hand in hand came
flitting through her mind. Walking to the front of the large open room she
could see four columns and at the center of the columns a large medallion stretched
across the floor. Suddenly Kat realized she knew what the design would be
before she was even close enough to see it. Her breath left her throat as she
suddenly realized she had been here before.

 Standing at the center
of the medallion she spun in a circle, looking around her in wonder. Elana
stood expectantly, watching her with her fingers pressed to her lips, afraid to
say anything to break the silence of the moment.

 “I… I’ve been here. Haven’t
I?” Kat’s gaze met Elana’s in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

 Quietly Elana walk
over and joined Kat on the medallion. Taking her hand in her own she ran her
fingers down her arm and over the leather cuff on her arm. “Why do you hide
this?” Elana sadly unsnapped the cuff, exposing the scar on Kat’s wrist and
gently ran her fingers over the mark. As Kat watched her in confusion she could
see that Elana also had a similar mark on her own wrist.

 Images of a man with
golden eyes began to flood her memories, images long forgotten by an innocent
mind. The man with the golden eyes, smiling down at her, her parents standing
behind her and a pretty pink dress that she had been so proud of that day. A
bite to her wrist and then a sense of strength and protection and belonging. Then
pretty ribbons that trailed down her arm and fluttered in the breeze when she
twirled in a circle. She had been here, with her family. The mark on her wrist
wasn’t just a scar, it was important, but why?

 The door of the temple
thundered in the silence as someone entered the building. Distracted, Kat
turned her head to see who it might be and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Walking
down the aisle was the man from her newly recalled memories. It was Ronan. Ronan
was the man with the golden eyes.

 Suddenly she could see
the face he had been hiding so well from her. Rays of light from the skylights illuminated
his angular face and glanced off the various highlights in his hair. The hunks
of hair that had hung in his eyes were finally gone. His hair had been cut into
short waves and his face cleanly shaved revealing a strong jawline and chiseled
features.  Her eyes drank in the sight of him now that there was nothing to
hinder her view. He was beautiful….
He was hers
….

 Desperately Kat looked
to Elana for answers. “What… what does this mean?” Tears filled Elana’s eyes as
she prepared to explain.

 “We are bonded
Katianna.” Ronan’s deep voice echoed in the empty temple. He stepped onto the
medallion with her and Elana smiled and placed Kat’s hand into Ronan’s much
larger one. Stepping back she beamed at the two of them once again standing
together in the place where they were joined so many years ago.

 “When you were just a
little over three years old, our packs sought to align our two families. The O’Connells
and the McLarens. We had an uneasy truce and the packs thought to strengthen
the alliance with our boding. I gave you this mark on the day of the bonding
ceremony in this very spot. I was the next in line to lead my pack and you, the
daughter of Donavan O’Connell the alpha of the O’Connell pack. Your mother
Moria was his mate. Our bonding aligned the two packs.”

 Shady memories of that
day slipped through her fingers in a blur. Something bad had happened though. Something
scary.

 “Something went wrong
though. There was fighting, wasn’t there. My mother was crying. Why?” Kat
looked at Ronan, desperate for answers.

 With a sigh of
resignation he prepared to tell her the rest. “Your father was killed here. Someone
murdered him, here in the temple along with two of his guards and someone made
it look as though the McLarens were to blame. Your pack thought we lured you
here to kill their alpha.”

 Kat stared at him in
shock. Why had her mother told her that her father died in that car accident? A
feeling of dread settled in her stomach. “So did you? Did your pack murder my
father?”

 “No. No we didn’t. I
swear to you Kat.”

 Kat looked into his
eyes and she believed him. Maybe it was their bond but she knew he wasn’t lying
to her. He had deliberately kept things from her but he had never lied to her.

 “Do you know who
killed my father?”

 “We never did find the
killer. We suspected that someone wanted to make sure the two packs didn’t form
an alliance and sabotaged the ceremony. Of course the O’Connell pack
immediately declared war on us, wanting vengeance for their fallen alpha.

 Teagan and I were able
to get you and your mother to safety but that was the last time I saw you. Two
days later the burned remains of your car were found and both you and your
mother were declared dead.” Ronan released her to run a hand through his newly
shortened locks. “I believed them. Your mother placed a pendant around your
neck that severed our bond. The same pendant I took from you days ago and
destroyed.”

 “My pendant? I had no
idea. My mother gave it to me and said it was a family heirloom and she
insisted that I never take it off and I didn’t. But why did my mother fake our
deaths and go into hiding?”