Feral Awakening (The Feral Series-Book 2) (31 page)

 Ronan growled low at
her, his beast rising to the surface and making his eyes glow. Kat got in front
of him once more and smacked her hands against his chest. “Come on Ronan! Just
let the beast have me! Let it have me because I guarantee you, the beast hasn’t
ever hurt me as bad as the man has!”

 Ronan snarled at her,
taking a step back. How dare she attack him like this! His beast roared at her
aggression. All night long his beast had strained to break free. Seeing her
with the other males had driven him mad, the way they had circled her, blocking
him from what was his. Her challenge could not go unpunished. Images of her
smiling up at the other males flashed before his eyes. It was all too much. It
was his right to teach her her place. His beast demanded that his female submit
to him and no other.

 “Come on Ronan just
shift already!” One more smack to his chest and Ronan was seeing red, his
control slipping, his claws began to emerge. “Shift dam you!” Kat stood in
front of him panting in her fury, tears running down her face. Her tiny claws
extended she wound up to hit him again but instead found her hands trapped
against his broad chest. Kat watched helplessly as Ronan began to shift before
her very eyes. The muscles of his chest flexed and then the buttons of his
shirt began to pop off and the seams began to tear across his sleeves and
shoulders.

 The power of his
transformation slammed through her in a painful blast, making little black dots
appear behind her eyelids. Shards of bright energy scraped along her skin like
pins and needles. Gasping for breath, Kat closed her eyes and shook her head,
trying to shake off the pounding in her head and the aching in her joints. Carefully
opening her eyes she found herself in the grasp of a fully shifted Lykan. The thick
claws of his hands now resting on the backs of her arms, he still held her
pinned to his massive chest.

 Furious glowing golden
eyes glared down at her as she bent her head back to see his face. Sharp teeth
flashed in the moonlight with his angry snarl. Now he would make his female submit
to him. He would show her that her aggression would not be tolerated. Now he
would…. Beautiful glowing emerald eyes stared back up at Ronan and the look on
her face took his breath away. There was no fear in her, just complete
trust
and… pain. Pain caused by him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she broke down and buried
her face in his chest. Crying, she burrowed closer to him. To his surprise he
could feel quiet sobs shaking her body. Carefully releasing her arms he wrapped
one thickly muscled arm around her back and held her closer while she cried.

 The back door to the
patio was thrown open as Teagan and his father rushed out onto the concrete,
frantically searching the dark until they spotted him. The other males in the
pack had heard them fighting and sensed his shift, so close to the house. Racing
down the path, they both came to a sliding halt in front of him and Kat.

 With a snarl, Ronan
wrapped both arms around Kat protectively and angled his body so he was between
his family and her. Several other men gathered at the doorway but didn’t come
any closer as Thomas raised one hand signaling them to stop.

 Thomas spoke to his
son calmly, his focus on the tiny female held tightly against his chest. “Easy
son. You don’t want to hurt her now. Why don’t you let me take her inside while
you calm down.”

 Ronan growled low in
response but he had already begun to calm down even before their appearance. Thomas
was both his father and his alpha. He instinctively would do as his alpha
commanded.

 Kat’s tear streaked
face peeked out from over his arm at the two men who apparently thought they
were coming to her rescue. Ronan released her but she hesitated to move away
from him. Red flushed her cheeks that they would see her like this. Dashing her
hands under her eyes she grimaced at them. “It’s not his fault. I did this. I
lost my temper and hit him. He wasn’t hurting me.”

 Pain filled her eyes
as she looked up at him. A look of resignation lit her small face. It was the
look of someone who had finally given up. “I’m sorry Ronan. Thank you. Thank
you for saving me and for bringing me back to the pack. Good bye Ronan.” Anguish
filled her eyes as she looked at him one last time.

 Squaring her shoulders
Kat stepped away from him and headed up the path to the patio. Embarrassment
flushed her cheeks anew when she saw the other men gathered there. They all
quickly moved out of her way as they held the door open as she passed and then they
slowly filtered back into the house, certain their alpha could handle his son.

 Ronan watched her
walking away from him. It was probably the last time he would see her. As Kat
entered the house Ronan turned his attention back to his father. He wasn’t
surprised at the fury he saw there. “Shift!” Thomas growled at his son, his
sharp fangs emerging with his anger. Calmer now, Ronan reined his beast in and
quickly shifted back into a man, a man that was in a lot of trouble with his
alpha.

 “What the hell were
you thinking!” Thomas fumed in front of him.

 “I wasn’t. It’s a
problem I often have around her.” Ronan ran his hand through his hair and then
looked at it in surprise. His hand was shaking.

 “Don’t worry, I plan
on leaving in the morning.”

 “Why the hell would
you do that?” Ronan looked up in surprise at his father.

 “You see what we do to
each other. She isn’t safe with me.”

 “You’re lying to
yourself if you truly believe that.” His father growled at him. Ronan’s head
jerked up in surprise. “I heard her yelling and then I felt you shift and I
have to admit I feared the worst. Then I come out here and find her crying in
your arms completely unharmed. Son, I don’t know of too many males that could
have handled that temper of hers without hurting her.” Ronan glowered at his
father but he was listening.

 “How close was she
when you shifted?” Teagan asked his brother.

 Ronan flushed and
looked at the ground, folding his arms across his chest. “I was holding her
against my chest.”

 “Dam it Ronan!” Teagan
shook his head at his brother. Ronan was ashamed that he had endangered her the
way he did.

 “I know, it won’t
happen again. That’s why I need to leave.”

 “Ronan, you’re a dam
fool. You shifted with her in your arms and still she doesn’t have a scratch on
her. The girl can clearly handle your beast. Why in the hell would you give her
up? She is one of the most amazing female Lykan I have ever met. If you were
going to hurt her you would have certainly done it by now. She isn’t in any
danger from you. You don’t need to leave.” Teagan ground his teeth in
frustration and struggled against the urge to knock his big brother upside his
thick head.

 “Son, I understand
your concern but that is one of the strongest women I have ever met. I know she
pushes you to your limits but just think. All the times she made you lose
control, have you actually harmed her in any way?”

 Ronan didn’t respond except
to look down at the ground and take a sudden notice in the scuff on the toe of
his shoe but Thomas already knew the answer and he could see that he was
finally getting through to him.

 “She needs you Ronan. I
can’t bond her to anyone else. None of the others could handle that temper of
hers and you know it. She is safer with you.” Ronan continued to scowl at them
in silence. Thomas threw is hands up in frustration.

 “Just think about what
I have said. Come on Teagan.” With one last scowl glance at his brother Teagan
and Thomas both headed back into the house, leaving Ronan alone with his dark
thoughts.

 Kat rolled over in her
bed with a low groan. Memories of the night before rushed in to torment her. Ronan
was leaving today. She hadn’t slept much, her fight with Ronan playing over and
over in her head. Looking at the clock she groaned. Lying in bed and hiding
today sounded good but she knew it wouldn’t do her any good. What she needed
was some fresh air and she knew just where to find some.

 Kat dressed quickly in
a pair of Ava’s stretchy capri pants and tied on her tennis shoes. She had even
managed to scrounge a sports bra out of her friend’s closet and topped it off
with a fleece pull over. Double knotting her shoes she whipped her hair up on
top of her head in a pony-tail and left her room, headed for the kitchen.

 Walking into the
kitchen Kat’s vision was filled with the four beautiful men gathered around the
kitchen island.
Not a bad way to start your day.
A girl could get
used to this.
“Good morning gentlemen.” Kat sang to them. Four deep voices
grumbled in response, their eyes admiring the tight pants hugging her form and
the full curve of her back side as she turned to face Conner at the counter
top.

 Dimple firmly in
place, Conner pushed a plate of eggs and toast and a banana at her in greeting.
“Here I made you some breakfast. You’re going to need some fuel so you can keep
up.” Kat smiled at his teasing, if they were trying to intimidate her it
wouldn’t work. Kat was looking forward to this too much. The men put their own
dishes away while she wolfed down her breakfast and drank some coffee. Conner
was actually living here at the alpha’s house but the other three men had homes
of their own.

 Putting her own dishes
into the dishwasher, Kat beamed at them. “Let’s go!” Liam laughed at her
enthusiasm and they all headed outside. Kat’s thoughts kept trying to return to
the fact that at any moment Ronan would be leaving but she determinedly held
them at bay. She planned on focusing on the run even though her heart felt like
there was a brick sitting on it. She was grateful for the distraction. She
didn’t want to be around when he drove away from the house.

 The five of them set
out across the yard and then past the grounds of the alpha’s house. Connor and
Liam led, placing Kat in the middle of them and then Tanner and Caleb at the
rear. Kat could feel her mood getting lighter the deeper they got into the
woods. Lodge pole pines and Cypress trees soared over head. Kat almost crashed
into Liam’s back when they stopped in front of her as she was distracted
looking up at the trees around her.

 Kat looked at them
questioningly and then watched in surprise as first one man and then the other
pulled their shirts over their heads. Conner’s dimple made an appearance as he
smiled at her. “Dam it, I should have known you guys were not going to play
fair.” Kat grinned at them. How could she be mad with all these beautiful male
bodies to look at.

 “Come on Kat. Run with
us.” Connor’s eyes glowed as he partially shifted and then turned to take the
lead through the forest. Well two could play that game. Kat’s eyes began to
glow a brilliant emerald green and her nails lengthened to sharp little points
as she channeled her own animal instincts. With a laugh she took off after
Conner, following the same path he had taken through the trees. With a tribal
yip the other’s flanked her as they too began to run.

 For miles they ran,
Kat following first Connor and then Liam in a game of follow the leader. The
energy of the pack surrounded her, giving her strength and pushing her to try
harder. She was running with the wolves. Dodging trees they ran, leaping over
fallen logs and jumping swollen creek beds moving at a super natural pace. Kat
felt amazing, adrenaline running through her veins, fresh air filling her
lungs. Never had a run felt like this before. Now that she knew what she was
and embraced it she was tapping into strength she never knew she had.

 Kat knew that they
were holding back for her but she thought that she was doing a pretty dam good
job of keeping up. She could tell that Conner was pushing her. Trying to see
how much she could take. She loved that they were not treating like some kind
of delicate flower. She knew by his admiring gaze that she hadn’t disappointed
him.

 Kat could see Conner
coming to a stop up ahead of her so she began to slow down, coming to a stop
next to him. The others stopped too. All of them winded and breathing hard. Kat
smiled and gripped her hands above her head, opening her lungs and catching her
breath. “That… was… awesome.” Kat panted. The guys chuckled at her as she
settled onto a large bolder resting at the edge of the swollen stream they had
stopped next to.

 Liam looked at her on
her perch, hunched with his hands braced on his knees. “I gotta admit. I
thought we would have to carry you back home after the first mile.”

 Kat stuck her tongue
out at him and tossed a pebble at his head. “Liam, you…”

 “Shhh.” Kat’s sentence
was suddenly cut off by Connor’s shush. All of the men suddenly tensed and eyed
the forest surrounding them. Connor closed his eyes and seemed to focus on
scenting the air.

 “O’Connell.” Connor
growled. Kat looked at all of them in alarm.

 “We have to get Kat…
Argh.” Liam was suddenly thrown back as a gunshots echoed in the canyon. Kat
watched in horror as he suddenly fell to one knee as blood ran down his
shoulder.

 “Liam!” Kat quickly
found herself drug off the boulder as Conner shielded her with his body and ran
with her to the trees. Caleb wrapped one arm around Liam’s back and draped his
other around his shoulder, supporting the wounded man while they headed for the
trees.