Page 31 of Pack Kasen, Part 1 (Caught #1)

30

KAT

T he deer isn’t turning.

I focus on its brown eyes, wide with fear, instead of the antlers that will skewer me if I don’t win this game of chicken.

The wolf harries the deer, snapping at the deer’s hind legs and nearly getting trampled. But the deer doesn’t care. It’s terrified and running for its life.

The distance closes between us.

Five feet.

Four.

That’s okay, I tell myself. There are worse ways to go than saving a boy’s life.

Three feet.

Two.

One.

Its nostrils flare as if it finally scents me.

The deer sharply swings away, nearly running over the wolf behind, as it thunders toward the forest.

I skid to a stop, my heart racing.

The wolf, who was chasing after the deer, and who had startled it so badly, does likewise.

We study each other for a beat, then I swing back to Leo, who has dropped his lion, and who is still staring at me.

Even across the distance between us, I can feel his fear.

He must have been terrified.

Behind him, near the line of trees where I slammed on the brakes to rush after Leo, people gather. I don’t know who they are, but I hope they’ll stay back, giving me a chance to check on Leo and get away from here before I’m thrown back in a cage.

I could go now, but I need to make sure he’s okay or I will never forgive myself.

Returning to my human form is slow, and I’m weak as I rise to my feet. Shaking off my unsteadiness, I approach Leo and sink into a crouch in front of him.

He doesn’t move. Just continues to stare at me with large blue eyes as his chest rises and falls. His heart is pounding so hard it’s making me wonder if there’s something else I should be doing to reassure him.

“Are you okay, Leo?” He’s shaking, clearly still afraid.

After what just nearly happened, he has a right to be.

But I don’t know how to talk to seven-year-olds, so I move to pat his arm when he… changes .

Then I’m staring at a little gray wolf with soft looking fluffy fur and big blue eyes, drowning in his clothes. I hadn’t known he could change so young. My first change happened when I was thirteen, scaring the shit out of me even though before that I’d known I wasn’t alone in my own head.

He’s cute. A very cute wolf.

I can’t help but smile. “Wow.”

“ Leo !” a woman yells.

I turn to look at her, jumping when something wet and rough touches the back of my hand.

It’s wolf Leo, and he’s licking me. Maybe to say thank you?

I twist my hand and give the back of his ear a scratch, which makes his little tail wag.

“Guess you like ear scratches, huh?” My smile grows. “But I don’t think cuteness is going to get you out of trouble, bud. Your mom looks worried. You should go over so she can see you’re okay.”

From his mother’s anxious expression, I have a feeling he was out here playing when he should have been inside with her.

I pull the rest of his clothes away.

As I watch him run over to his mom, he trips over his own feet. I can’t be the only one who smiles at his clumsiness. I’m not sure if he’s just that excited to see her, or if, as a new wolf, he still has a lot to learn about co-ordination. Probably a little of both.

I laugh when he nearly knocks her over when he leaps into her arms. Someone places a hand on her back to steady her. Not that she even notices. She wraps her arms around Leo, squeezing him so tight that he squeaks and wiggles as if to get free.

When our gazes connect, her love for him is in her eyes—so is her terror—at what so nearly happened. She mouths, “Thank you.”

I nod, pleased I was able to save his life, and that I didn’t have to kill a terrified, startled deer. Even if it was the size of a rhino.

They’re still embracing as I get to my feet and my gaze connects with the Wolf King.

He’s standing a couple of feet in front of everyone, completely naked, which briefly distracts me and reminds me that I’m also still naked.

I blush at the twenty or so people staring at me, but I don’t bother covering my nakedness. They’ve already seen everything there is to see.

The Wolf King steps toward me, jaw slack, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

“Mate,” he whispers.

The word tunnels into me, awakening a part of me that makes me retreat a step.

There are few things in this world that scare me. But that word…

I shake my head so violently, my hair whips me in the face. “ No .”

I’ve almost gotten used to him flinging unfamiliar words at me these last few days, but this word has an impact unlike any I’ve ever heard before. It’s like a spike, lodging itself in my chest.

I walk away, angling toward the road so I can get back into the Jeep I was stealing.

Footsteps move toward me.

The Wolf King grips my forearm. “Kat?—”

I wrench my arm free and stalk around him. “I’m going home. You’ve had whatever fun you wanted to have.”

“Kat, I—” His hand stretches toward me.

Like the animal he tried to convince me I was, I peel my lips from my teeth and snarl at him. “Touch me, and it will be the last thing you ever do. I swear it.”

It’s only when my eyes flick down and I see the claws my fingers have become that I realize how truly I mean it.

He’s so surprised by my outburst—and my clawed fingers—that he freezes.

His mouth moves like he wants to speak but can’t find the right words.

Taking advantage of his shock, I dart around him.

As I run away from him, I rub the heel of my hand against my chest to chase away the strange sensation squeezing my heart.

I get behind the wheels of the car, put my foot down, and get the hell out of Dodge.