Feral Awakening (The Feral Series-Book 2) (29 page)

 Ronan looked at her frustration.
It was a question he wanted an answer to also. “I don’t know. Something must
have happened in the days following your father’s death that spooked her.”

 “I truly thought you
died in that accident. I broke your pendant that morning that we slept in the
bed of your truck. The moment I did I could once again feel our bond and knew
who you were.”

 Kat looked at Ronan,
completely overwhelmed. “You mean you knew we were bonded and knew who I was
from that day and yet you didn’t tell me!” Ronan looked away from the hurt he
saw in her eyes.

 “Kat, I couldn’t even convince
you that you were really a Lykan. How could I convince you of the rest of it? You
were so determined to run away from me, I thought it best to wait to tell you
all of it.”

 Kat suddenly began to
see the last few days in a new light. Memories of him pushing her away. Her irresistible
draw to him. Her eyes widened as she quickly processed everything. Dread
settled in her stomach like a rock.

 “You’re still leaving,
aren’t you.”

 Ronan’s gaze lowered,
no longer able to meet her eyes. “Yes.”

 “You knew all along we
were bonded and still, in spite of everything you still don’t want me.”

 Ronan, growled low at
the hurt and betrayal on her beautiful face. “Kat, it’s not like that. A lot
has happened since our bonding ceremony. I can’t be a good mate to you.”

 “I’m so stupid. Why do
I keep letting you do this to me?” For just a moment she had let herself hope. For
just a moment she had thought that she would get to keep him. When would she
learn? Shaking her head in disgust with herself she struggled to pull thick
steel walls up around her heart. They had a bond, he had made an oath to her
and he meant to break it. She felt utterly betrayed. Never again would she let
him or anyone else hurt her like this.

 A strange tightness
settled in Ronan’s chest at the pain he saw in Kat’s face. “Kat…”

 Ronan instinctively
reached out a hand to sooth her. Kat flinched as he reached for her, drawing a
low growl from the man before her. “Don’t! Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me
again.” Her words, although not shouted, seemed to echo throughout the temple.  

 Turning her back on
Ronan, she walked over to Elana who had moved a discrete distance away from
them while they talked. Holding out her hand she waited while Elana hesitantly
placed her leather bracelet back in her hand. Ronan watched her stiffly snap
the leather braid back in place around her wrist, once again covering his mark
on her wrist.

 Not giving him a second
glance she walked to the door of the temple with her head held high. The door
thundered behind her with a sense of finality.

 Sharing a weary glance
with his mother, Ronan rubbed his face in frustration before turning to follow
Kat out. Elana watched his retreating back for a moment before following, a
calculating look entering her eyes. Anyone with eyes could see that Kat was in
love with him. It was also clear to her, her son was in love with his little
mate and she was just the person to make sure he realized it before he ruined
both their lives.

Not knowing where else
to go Kat had retreated to her room. Elana had arrived shortly after that.  For
a moment Kat considered shutting her out but one look in her face and she just
couldn’t do it.  She may be Ronan’s mother but she was the only one so far who
had been completely honest with her.

Kat found herself
melting into the woman’s comforting hug. They had talked for a long time and
Kat found it iresistatable not to confide in her new ally.  Elana had answered
as many questions as she could about the O’Connell pack and then answered a few
more questions of a personal nature. Thanks to Elana, she finally had a better
understanding of the Lykan culture and what it meant to be a pure-blooded
female Lykan. She had also answered all her questions about what she could
expect now that she was “of age” and it wasn’t good. Apparently it was going to
cause a lot of trouble with the male Lykan’s once they heard that Ronan wasn’t
going to complete the mating bond. Looks like she had just become the most
popular girl in town.

 Elana had hinted at
the fact that she would need to be bonded to someone quickly in order to keep
the peace. Great. Just great. That was all that she needed right now. She
hadn’t told anyone that she didn’t have plans to stay here and already they
were trying to marry her off.

 Hopefully they would
give her a little time before they started making plans for her future. Kat had
decided to try and keep an open mind and to spend some time with the pack
before she decided if the Lykan lifestyle was for her. No matter what, she
wasn’t going to let them bond her to someone she didn’t want. She would run
before she let that happen. Just let them try and stop her.

 Kat took one last look
in the mirror, tugging the front of her borrowed dress a little higher over the
swell of her breasts. The family was having a small dinner celebration in just
a few minutes in honor of having both of the alpha’s sons back at home and to
honor Teagan’s new mate. Wanting to ease the pack into accepting Teagan’s
vampire mate, only a few select guests had been invited. Elana had wanted to
make it as easy on Ava as she could. Kat was relieved that Ava’s new mother-in-law
was clearly accepting of her being mated to her son. Now they just had to win
over the rest of the pack.

 Elana had brought her
a dress to wear tonight but Kat was really questioning her judgment. It was a
beautiful deep eggplant purple. The waistline draped over her stomach in loose
folds and then slid elegantly down the curve of her hip ending in a hem that
stopped just a bit above her knee. That part of the dress was great, it was the
rest of it that Kat was worried about. The top of the dress also hung in loose
folds of silky material but it hung a bit too low for Kat’s taste. Thin straps
went over her shoulder, crisscrossed in the back and then came back under her
arms. The back of the dress was open from neck to waist. So although it wasn’t
tight and slinky, nor was it too short she was still feeling a bit exposed. Briefly
Kat wondered if Elana was up to no good. She seemed so sweet and unassuming
though. Kat was sure that she meant well and it really was a beautiful dress.

 Kat had managed to
finally get all of her hair piled loosely on top of her head with little pieces
falling softly around her face. It was a little nicer than she usually wore it
but not too stuffy.

 Kat pulled in a deep
breath and then let it out in a long puff the sent her hair fluttering off her
forehead. She wasn’t sure how to deal with Ronan tonight. A sharp pang of
sadness shot through her chest. Absently she toyed with the five strands of jet
black beads that covered his mark on her wrist. It would probably be best if
they just stayed away from each other. There really wasn’t anything left to
say. She wondered how long he was planning to stay. He hadn’t really mentioned
anything specifically.

 “Okay girl. Let’s do
this.” She could suck it up for one night and pretend that her heart wasn’t
breaking. Right. No problem. Squaring her shoulders, Kat straightened her spine
and prepared to leave the safety of her room.

 Kat could hear the low
rumble of many voices as she made her way down the stairs. Looking over the
banister she could see the guests had all congregated in the massive great room
and were broken up into little groups laughing and talking. Carefully she
concentrated on putting one strappy heel in front of the other as she descended.
It would be so awful to tumble down the steps in front of the whole pack. Concentrating
on the steps, she was unaware of the many hungry male eyes in the room that
suddenly stared at her in masculine appreciation.

 Arriving safely on
solid ground Kat looked up to see Ava headed straight for her. Ava gave her a
tight hug and leaned in to speak quietly in her ear. “Oh my god. I am so glad
you are here.” Leaning back Kat took in the tight smile on her best friends
face. Tucking her arm into Ava’s she gave it a squeeze of reassurance. “Girl,
you know I’ve got your back.” Kat teased her. She knew how nervous Ava must be,
facing the pack for the first time as the only vampire in the room. Kat could
feel her protective instincts waking up with a long stretch. Just let anyone
try to mess with her Ava. If anyone even looked cross eyed at her friend she
would introduce them to her new claws.

 Kat and Ava began to make
their way through the crowd, Ava steering them back towards Teagan who stood talking
with his father across the room. Catching her mate’s eyes on her Ava groaned at
the savage look in his eyes. Teagan had noticed all the heated looks the two
girls were receiving even if the two of them seemed oblivious to all the
attention. Still holding onto Kat’s arm like it was her life line, Ava leaned
in close and muttered. “Teagan already looks like he is ready to hurt someone. This
is going to be a long night.”

 Their progress through
the room was suddenly brought to a stop as Elana suddenly glided in front of
them. She looked perfect as always in her simple black dress with her hair in a
French twist at the back of her head. Giving them both a brief hug she beamed
at them. “The two of you look so beautiful tonight. Ava, do you mind if I steal
Kat for a moment? I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.”

 “Of course, go right
ahead. I’ll see you in a little bit Kat.” Elana had already made the rounds
with Ava, it looked like it was poor Kat’s turn. Kat met Ava’s eyes and the
slight tightening of her eyes clearly communicated that there would be serious
payback later for abandoning her. She dutifully allowed Elana to steer her in
the opposite direction though. She could tell that Elana was thoroughly
enjoying showing them off and wouldn’t dare ruin her fun. Ava gave Kat a little
wink and then made her way across the room to Teagan. As Kat’s gaze wondered to
where Teagan stood waiting impatiently for his mate she suddenly found her
breath frozen in her throat. Ronan now stood at his brother’s side.

 Both men looked
amazing in their dark slacks and button down shirts, it was Ronan though that
kept her breath frozen in her chest. Even from across the room she could feel
his gaze blazing heat across her skin. For a moment his eyes held her captive
until finally Kat forced herself to look away. He heart heavy in her chest, she
resigned herself to staying as far away from him tonight as possible. She could
still feel his eyes on her as Elana steered her to a group of people standing
in front of the massive stone fireplace.

 Kat was introduced to
a blur of people. She was relieved to find them all very welcoming and
friendly. It was easy to see though that the men clearly outnumbered the women
here. The few women she met were very sweet and reserved as they stood firmly
at the side of their overly protective mates. Elana had told her ahead of time
that two of them were also pure-blooded Lykans and one was a half breed. They
had all smiled politely and said the appropriate things but Kat didn’t think
they liked her much. They seemed a little reserved with her. Unfortunately her
history and the situation with Ronan had already made it through the grapevine.
She was sure they found her strange since she had been living alone amongst the
humans. She was sure these women had never spent a day alone in their lives.

 She was next
introduced to a group of four men who were standing in front of the large
atrium window. The window led out to a large patio and looked out over the
mountains that were shining silver in the moonlight. Oh ya, Kat could sense a
set up coming from a mile away on this one. What was Elana up to?

 Kat suddenly found
herself shy as she became the center of all that male attention. She tried to
relax and concentrated on remembering their names as they took turns shaking
her hand during the introductions. She noticed they all took her finger tips
gently instead of gripping her whole hand, as though they were afraid of
breaking her. She also noticed none of them released her until they absolutely
had to.

 She had to say the
Lykan’s definitely had good genes. All of the men here had such rugged good
looks. They reminded her of a bunch of mountain men, broad shoulders and
chiseled features. The girls in Eureka Springs would swoon. Hell, Patrick would
swoon too. They all had a very wild and natural beauty about them. Not the fake
store bought beauty of the Eric Norris’s out there.

 “Sweetie, I have to go
check on dinner for a minute. You stay right here and I’ll be back in a bit.” Elana
smiled sweetly at Kat and then fluttered away before Kat could offer to come
and help. If it wasn’t obvious that she was up to no good before it was obvious
now. Kat saw the twinkle in her eye before she left her alone with the group of
men. Ha, ha very smooth Elana.

 “So how are you
enjoying your stay here with the McLaren pack so far?” Connor, the one with one
dimple in his cheek when he smiled asked her.

 Kat smiled at him in
response. “The McLaren territory is some of the most beautiful country I have
ever seen. You are all so lucky to live here.”

 “So I understand that
you were raised with the humans?” It was still strange to refer to other people
as “humans” for Kat but she wasn’t offended.