Feral Awakening (The Feral Series-Book 2) (34 page)

 The sight of her fully
shifted mate sent tingles of heat shooting through Kat’s veins. Her own emerald
eyes glowed in response. He was beautiful to her, even in this form. The arm
around her stomach suddenly flexed, making Kat aware of the male still pressed
against her back. He had clearly picked up on the change in her scent. With a
gulp, Kat tried to regain control of her racing pulse. She had no desire to
attract the attention of the men around her and possibly distract Ronan.

 For a moment the two
men circled each other when suddenly Lorcan lunged at Ronan, making the first
move. With flashing claws and snapping teeth the two men came together. Their
snarling and inhuman growling filled the cool night air. The earth shook
beneath their feet as they slammed each other into the hard ground, both
fighting for dominance. Fists and claws flashed in the moonlight as they both
rained blows on their opponent.

 Lorcan howled as
Ronan’s teeth finally found purchase, buried deep in the flesh of his shoulder.
Ronan’s body jerked heavily as Lorcan’s knee made contact with his ribs, surely
fracturing several of them. The two men strained as they each struggled to find
an opening that would land a killing blow.

 Almost a full hour
crept by as both men bled heavily from the wounds they had received. Though evenly
matched it was becoming evident that Ronan was gaining ground. No part of the
man remained, with the threat to his mate the beast had completely taken over. He
was savage and untamed. With every blow he grew more ferocious. From every
wound he received he seemed to grow wilder, gaining strength in his rage
instead of weakening like Lorcan was.

 Seeing that he was in
trouble, Lorcan made one final desperate play. He sneered at Ronan, blood
dripping from his mouth as he spoke. “I had her, you know, your little mate. I
pounded into her sweet body as she screamed my name. I took her over and over. I
covered her in my scent and filled her with my seed. Even now she may carry my
young.” Lorcan watched in satisfaction as Ronan’s eyes glassed over in a haze
of rage.

 “When you are dead I
will mark her neck and claim her in a way that you were never man enough to do.
She will be mine for all time.” The last bit of humanity in Ronan knew he was
being baited but the beast didn’t care. Something inside of him snapped. All
his fears finally realized, the fragile leash he had on his beast finally broke
flooding him with a feral rush of madness.

 Knowing he would only
have seconds, Lorcan made his move. Seeing Ronan’s beast taking over, he took
advantage of his moment of distraction. Sliding inside he slashed his claws
against Ronan’s vulnerable ribs in a spray of blood. As Ronan roared in pain
his claws continued to gain momentum as his body twisted around, coming down in
an arc, aiming straight for Ronan’s jugular.

 Lorcan’s feet came off
the ground, his whole body being thrown into putting as much force into his
strike as he could, confident he was about to sever his opponent’s head, a pair
of black claws flashed in the corner of his eye. Blinding pain ripped through
his torso as Ronan’s fist slammed through his chest, punching into his black
heart. The earth came rushing up to meet him as he completed his leap over
Ronan’s head only to crash to the ground, the force of the blow seeming to
shake the very ground. His massive chest strained as he gasped for one last
breath, a horrible gurgling sound oozing from his chest. He eyes were wide with
shock as the last thing he saw was massive black claws, slashing across his
exposed throat as his head was severed from his body.

 Throwing back his
head, Ronan roared at the moon, his massive arms thrown wide, his bloody claws
flashing in the moonlight. The beast roared its victory, as the men around him
began to ease back in caution. The medallion at his neck glowed with a blinding
light, unable to cage the beast within. He lowered his massive head, his sight
blinded by rage. He snarled at the other Lykan surrounding him, daring one of
them to attack. One man motioned the others back as he himself stepped forward.

 Thomas watched his son
closely, knowing he was watching him turn feral before his very eyes. Never had
he seen Ronan this out of control. If he removed the medallion at his neck he
would be lost to him forever.

 “It’s over son. You
won. Come back to me now. Everything will be okay.” Ronan snarled at him for a
moment but then seemed to quiet. This was his father and his alpha, someone he
trusted. Thomas could see the glazed look in his son’s eyes and wasn’t sure if
he was getting through to him.

 A quiet gasp had
Ronan’s focus jerking away from his alpha and targeting the tiny female at the
edge of the crowd. Seeing his mate in his brother’s arms had the massive
werewolf snarling in rage. Before Ronan decided to attack him, Teagan carefully
lowered Kat to the ground. He had spotted her trapped against one of the O’Connell
men towards the end of the fight and had quickly “convinced” the man to release
her.

 The minute Kat was
free of Brady, she warned Teagan that Liam was being kept somewhere on the O’Connell
property. To her surprise Teagan had assured her that they already had men
looking for him and reassured her that all three of the men that had been with
her that horrible day had all survived their injuries. Assured of her friend’s
safety she had insisted Teagan take her directly to Ronan but he had refused to
take her any closer than the edge of the clearing.

 Having eased her to
the ground, Teagan had released her but still held her arm tightly, not wanting
her to rush into the field.

 “Ronan.” She gaped at
him, never had she seen him this savage.

 Spotting her across
the field Thomas tried to warn her. “Stay back Kat, he doesn’t know what he is
doing.”

 Kat gaped at the
massive werewolf in front of her. This wasn’t Ronan standing in front of her.
He was huge and out of control and looked so very… feral. Fear shot down Kat’s
spine at the thought that she could be watching Ronan going feral before her
very eyes.

 Concern for him had Kat
taking one step closer but then she froze at the look in his eyes. He looked at
her from beneath a heavy scowl, as a predator would his prey and a tingle of
apprehension ran down her spine.

 “Ronan?” His fist
clenching at his sides, he closed his eyes as the sound of her voice ran
soothingly along his nerves. When he opened them again Kat didn’t recognize the
man staring at her with such hunger.

 “Come.” Ronan’s deep
voice growled at her.

 Kat watched him
nervously as she bit her lip in indecision and shook her head no. He snarled at
her disobedience, making Kat take a step back. She had heard the lies Lorcan
had spewed at him, causing him to finally lose control. Had Ronan believed him?
Was his anger now directed at her?

 She understood now why
he was always so afraid of losing control. This was what he had been afraid of
and he had been right. He was terrifying in his rage. This is what he had sought
so hard to protect her from. This was him losing the battle he had been
fighting with himself for years.

 From the corner of her
eye she could see Thomas speaking to Victor the vampire chief. She could tell
that they were quickly coming up with a plan to bring Ronan down. Looking next
to her she could see that some of the O’Connell men were doing the same. Fear
for Ronan flooded her system. No! He was hers to protect. He had come here to
save her and she would be the one to bring him back.

 Kat looked into
Teagan’s worried eyes, a look of determination on her face. “Teagan, you have
to let me go to him.”

 “Kat, no. I can’t let
you do that.” Kat could see by the look in his eyes that he clearly thought she
was crazy.

 “Teagan, I won’t let
them hurt him. He is here because of me. I can do this. You have to trust me.”

 “Kat, I can’t. He’s
not Ronan right now, he is all beast. Ronan and Ava would both kill me if I let
anything happen to you.”

 Kat fought the urge to
stomp her foot in frustration. “Teagan, I know both the man and the beast. Neither
one of them would ever hurt me. You have to let me do this.”

 “Kat, I….” Kat didn’t
have time to stand and argue with Ronan’s brother right now. She needed to move
fast and he needed to listen to her, now!

 “Dam it Teagan! Let me
go or you’re going to have one hell of a fight on your hands.” Kat’s eyes began
to glow in warning.

 Teagan appraised her
with a calculating eye, then with a snort of exasperation he released her hand.
After all, this was the same woman who had saved him and Ava when he had been
feral. “I hope to hell you know what you are doing.”

 “No matter what, just
keep the others from following us. I have to get him out of here.”

 “Kat…”

 Kat quickly took
several steps into the clearing before Teagan changed his mind.

 She could see Victor
and Ronan’s father tensing as she moved across the clearing. Seeing them she
prayed they wouldn’t intervene. This time she didn’t want to be rescued. This
was between her and Ronan and she wasn’t going to let him fight this battle on
his own.

 She knew his beast
would demand her submission. She didn’t lower her gaze though as a proper mate
should. Instead she looked directly into his glowing eyes as she walked closer to
him. She wanted him to know that she didn’t fear him even now as he stood
towering before her.

 Ronan’s glowing eyes
feasted on the sight of his mate. She was ethereal in the moonlight. A gust of
wind fanned her mahogany locks over her shoulders and brought her wildflower
scent dancing across his senses.

 Mine! He beast
snarled. There were too many males around her, threatening her, enraging the
beast. “Female, come.” His gravelly voice snarled at her.

 With a shake of her
head his mate refused him, a smile lifting the corners of her lips, her eyes
challenging him. Ever so carefully she slid her shoes from her feet so she was
standing barefoot in the cool grass.

 Her voice rang out
clear and sweet in the cool night air. “You want me…? Come and get me.” In
seconds her eyes were glowing a bright Lykan green. Her tiny claws flashed at
her sides and then she bolted into the night.

 Rage consumed him when
his mate refused his command and instead sprinted for the woods. His own mate,
dared to run from him and the beast demanded he give chase. Throwing back his
head in a blood chilling roar, Ronan sprang after her, following the path she
took into the woods. Several male voices yelled in alarm behind him but he paid
them no mind. Teagan’s voice could be heard over the others as he quickly took
charge. Blocking the path with snapping teeth and flashing claws, he refused to
allow the others to follow the pair into the woods.

 Her heart in her
throat, Kat ran as though her life depended on it. The problem was it wasn’t
just her own life she feared for but Ronan’s as well. She just prayed that
Teagan had listened to her and kept the others from hunting Ronan. If she could
just get him away from the other males she just may have a chance. She knew
without a doubt that he would overtake her in moments. She just needed to get
him as deep into the woods as she could before he caught her.

 Kat’s feet pounded the
forest floor beneath her. Her lungs screamed for air as she pushed herself harder
than she ever had before. Her dress fluttered like a ghost in the moonlight,
her mahogany locks streaming over her shoulders as she sprinted through the
shadows of the forest. Focusing on the trail she used all of her new found
strength and ran with everything she had. It wasn’t long though before she
heard something massive and angry crashing through the woods behind her and
closing in fast.

 A scream escaped her
as she found herself crushed against the beast’s massive chest. His speed
propelled them deeper into the woods as he clamped his arms tightly around her
body and brought them to a bone jarring stop.

 Kat groaned in pain
when Ronan’s massive claws raked across her back, drawing blood and tearing
tender skin. All that mattered was that he finally had her in his arms. He was
unconscious of the pain he was causing her. His mate had run from him but now
she would finally submit. Tonight he would mark her as his own.

 “Ronan!” Kat groaned
and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. The burning in her shoulder made
her instinctively want to fight him but she feared angering the beast any more
than she already had. Instead she burrowed closer to him and wrapped him in a
tight embrace. She wanted him to know that she was no longer running from him. She
was right where she wanted to be.

 “Ronan. Please. I
won’t run anymore.” Kat buried her face into the heat of his neck.

 “Mine!” Ronan snarled
and Kat began to panic as she felt his arms getting tighter around her body.

 “Yes. I’m yours. He
never touched me, I swear. I belong to you and no other.” Kat sought to sooth
him but tension and anger still radiated from him. His arms around her body
were as tight as steel bands.

 Kat gasped when he
reached one claw tipped hand to the back of her head and fisted her dark curls.
Wrenching her head to the side he bared her vulnerable neck to his hungry gaze
while holding her captive with his other arm.