Kalen Read online

  “You’re nothing more than a brute,” she practically snarled as she glared at him.

  If she knew how much her anger turned him on, Kalen was certain she would be appalled.

  Chapter Four

  Ally glared up at him, her arms crossed in front of her breasts to hide her hard nipples. She hardly wanted this jerk to think she was attracted to him. He was a highhanded, chauvinistic prick. Well…maybe chauvinistic was a good thing when she was barefoot in the woods, but it didn’t make her any less embarrassed that her rear end was almost pressed against his forearm…her almost bare rear end.

  “Um… Seeing as we’re forced to be so…intimate, do you think you might introduce yourself?” Ally was amazed at how fast he could run while carrying her. She was five-foot-eight and not a skinny miss. As much as she hated to admit it, the man could run faster than she could without carrying a thing.

  “Kalen,” he replied without missing a beat.

  Hell, the man wasn’t even out of breath. It made her sick. What was he, some kind of triathlete? “Kalen? That’s an unusual name.”

  “Yeah, well, my mother loved the name Galen and when my brother and I were born, she wanted us to have names that rhymed.”

  “Oh, twins huh?”

  “No.” He shrugged, which was a feat considering he still held her in his arms. He grinned. “I think she was on crack.”

  “I don’t think crack was around when you were born.” She bit her lip. “Was it?”

  “Definitely not, but she was on something.” He laughed.

  It was amazing that the man could run at top speed and still manage to carry on a perfectly normal-sounding conversation while doing so.

  “So…” she paused to lick her lips. Ally wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have heard him groan. “If I’m too heavy for you, you could always put me down. I think we’re far enough away that those two idiots won’t be able to catch up.”

  “They will if they use the four wheelers they had stashed under tarps behind the cabin.”

  “Crap.” So much for that idea. Ally shivered. The action probably only proved to Kalen that she needed him to carry her, if only to keep her feet off the cold ground. “It’ll be full-on dark in a few minutes. Why would they bother?”

  There was a long silence before he said, “You know.”

  Yes, Ally was afraid she did know and she didn’t like the idea. She shuddered at the thought of either of those two men laying one large paw on her. “It’s just my luck that the only two people out here when I needed help had to be smelly, mentally challenged criminal types.” She heaved a sigh and finally gave in to rest her head against his shoulder.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. Get some rest. I know the change was rough on you and you’ll need your rest when the change comes upon you again.”

  Ally wasn’t sure how she felt about this complete stranger holding her in his arms and calling her sweetheart, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Her insides began to ache and burn again and she shook her head in denial.

  Not again. Please, God. Not again. I can’t take it.” She moaned as another wave of pain overtook her.

  “Holy shit, Ally.” Kalen stopped to sit her on a large boulder and bent to peer into her eyes. “Take off your clothes.”

  “If you think I barely escaped Dumb and Dumber back there just so you could force yourself upon me, you’re out of your cotton picking mind.” She managed to glare at him though it felt as though she was burning up from the inside out.

  Kalen cocked his head and grinned. “Darlin’, if I wanted to have my wicked way with you, that bit of cotton and scrap of lace wouldn’t stop me. Take off your clothes so you won’t ruin them when you change. It’s a miracle you didn’t tear that tiny excuse for underwear the first time you shifted.”

  “Oh!” Ally’s face burned at his comment. She hadn’t thought of that. “Turn around.” Just because Ally decided that what he said made sense, didn’t mean she had to like it and it especially didn’t mean she would let him watch her undress.

  She sighed, stood and removed her clothes when he turned around, then folded them into a neat little bundle and hid her thong inside her shirt. She hated the thought that he would see her underwear and she resented the fact that he would have to carry it for her.

  Why in the world had she decided today was the day to wear the most impractical clothing she owned? One thing was certain, she thought as she glanced up at the sky. Someone up there must have thought she needed an attitude adjustment. Or they had a sick sense of humor, one or the other.

  “Are you done?”

  “Yes, but don’t turn around.” Ally clutched at her stomach. “I’m still not a dog.”

  Kalen shook his head. “You never were a dog. You were a wolf.”

  “A wolf?’ She felt her eyes go wide and looked down at her hands. Her fingers ached and her insides were on fire. She groaned, her body beginning to convulse. “Do me a favor, will you?”

  “What?” He started to turn.

  Ally immediately crossed one arm over her breasts and placed a hand over her crotch. “Don’t turn around. I’m naked!” Ally saw him grin as he once again turned away.

  “I can’t help you if I can’t touch you, sweetheart.”

  “Will you stop calling me that?” Ally clutched at her stomach, willing the pain to go away. She couldn’t take anymore. Much more of this and she would go mad. She knew she would. “I’m not your sweetheart. I don’t even know you.”

  With a groan, she fell to her knees clutching her stomach. Almost immediately, she felt Kalen’s hands on her shoulders.

  He tucked her under his arm and whispered in her ear. “Let go, Ally. Don’t fight it. Just let it come.”

  “I can’t. It hurts.”

  “Of course it hurts. You’re fighting it. Just let go. Let the pain wash through you as you reach for your wolf.”

  “I can’t. It hurts too much. I don’t think I could, even if I knew how.”

  “You can, Ally. I know you can. Remember what it felt like to be a wolf? What you felt like when you changed? Reach for that. Concentrate on it and imagine yourself becoming your new animal side.” He rocked her in his arms as another wave of pain wracked her. “Reach for it, Ally. Remember what it felt like when your hands became paws, when your beautiful face changed into a muzzle and when your arms turned into the legs of a wolf.”

  “It hurts. So much for getting my legs waxed yesterday. They’ll be all hairy again in a minute,” she said with a snort.

  Kalen choked on a laugh. He probably wasn’t sure if she was finding humor in her situation, or if she was serious and upset at thinking she’d wasted her money.

  “Oh, come on. You know that was funny.” She stiffened up as another wave of pain hit.

  “Reach for it, dammit!” Kalen growled, most likely at her stubbornness.

  He was certain she would change so much faster and with less pain if she just reached for her other side and embraced it. How could he be so sure?

  “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, Ally. After all, I could be just as bad as that kook who calls himself a scientist. But what could it hurt to listen to me just once? Just once, Ally. I’ll even help you. Trust me to help you. Just this once.”

  Ally made up her mind when another wave of pain began. Each wave was worse than the last and even though she fought it with everything in her, she knew she would lose the battle in the end.

  Was it better to give up the fight and reach for the change? Was he telling the truth, or would the agony continue on as though she never made the effort to give him even a modicum of trust?

  A rivulet of perspiration ran down the side of her face and he wiped it away. “You have to hurry, sweetheart. Billy and Bobby have managed to escape the hold I had on them. They are on their way and they aren’t on foot. It won’t take long for them to get here.”

  He moved away. “I’m going to undress now. Don’t be alarmed, I don’t intend to touch yo
u. I’m going to turn into my wolf. Those two may have four wheelers, but we have the speed of our wolves. With luck, we should be able to stay a step or two ahead of them. Plus the men won’t be looking for two wolves, so that’s an advantage as well.”

  * * * *

  Kalen watched as emotions chased across her face. What was she thinking? With the strong connection they had, he could just enter her mind and take the information, but he didn’t want to. He needed her trust and he wasn’t going to get it by invading her privacy.

  He cocked his head and listened for a minute. They didn’t have much time. He could hear the four wheelers the two men rode and they were getting uncomfortably close.

  Kalen finished undressing, folded his clothes and stuffed them into the pack with her t-shirt and skimpy panties, then hooked it around his neck. It was a bit tighter than before because he needed to run faster this time. That would be hard if he had the overstuffed pack bumping his forelegs as they dashed through the woods.

  “Have you made up your mind?” he asked as he turned. He grinned then, stared down at Ally who lay in the fetal position with her eyes squeezed tight.

  “I didn’t look, I swear.”

  That statement wasn’t altogether true. Kalen could tell by the blush spreading over her cheeks and down her neck. “It doesn’t matter if you did,” he said with a chuckle. “I got used to walking around naked a long time ago. Those of us born into our species have learned that there are much worse things than someone seeing us naked.” He shrugged. “We must strip every time we change and we are naked when we change back. It’s not a big deal.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. You were brought up that way. I wasn’t.”

  He grinned. “Have you seen me staring at you?” He hoped she hadn’t. He’d tried not to stare at her. She was beautiful with curves in all the right places. She was perfect, just the type of woman he would love to sink his cock into. He shook his head, trying to dispel the image. He did not want a mate. Shrugging, he turned his back just to prove he wasn’t staring. “Nakedness is natural to our people. You’ll get used to it.”

  “I doubt it.” Her words came out little more than a grunt of pain and he sighed. “Will you trust me to help you now?”

  “I’m laying here naked, aren’t I?”

  If he lived another five lifetimes, Kalen didn’t think he would ever get tired of hearing her smart mouth. He frowned at the thought. He didn’t plan to spend five lifetimes with this woman. He wasn’t ready to settle down. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to settle down. Ever. Mating with anyone was not on his to-do list—at least not any time soon.

  Another moan of pain had him forcing his way into her thoughts. He did his best to block as much of her pain as he could while he helped her visualize the image of her wolf. Help me, Ally. You must think of your wolf, visualize it and reach for it. Imagine what it felt like the first time you changed. How your pelt grew long and thick, how your hands and feet turned into paws, your face lengthening into a muzzle.

  “Stuff it, Kalen. Face it, I’m a dog. I have.”

  Kalen shifted into his wolf form while still merged with her. Did you feell that, Ally?

  “I didn’t feel a thing, but the damned pain in my hands, my face. Hell, Kalen, even my bones hurt.”

  Of course they do, he replied with a shake of his head. They’re changing shape, some lengthening, others growing shorter. Even your teeth are changing. What I was trying to get you to realize was that it didn’t hurt me to change.

  You were born doing it. She shifted to mental communication, most likely because it was easier.

  Actually, I wasn’t born doing it. None of us are. We don’t make our first change until we’re going through puberty. You really aren’t much older than I was when I made my first shift.

  I’m twenty-seven years old!

  Kalen tilted his head to the side and made his wolf grin. It’s still a lot younger than I am, sweetheart.

  He would have argued with her, but another wave of pain seemed to come from nowhere and she clutched her stomach with a low moan. I can’t do this anymore. If you have an ounce of compassion, you’ll kill me and put me out of my misery.

  Not on your life. Kalen was pissed. How could anyone do this to someone else so indiscriminately? What was wrong with that damned lunatic who called himself a doctor? How did he justify what he did to others? Was it in the name of science, or did he call it patriotism? Kalen had met many patriots in his lifetime and not one of them ever used an innocent civilian to further their cause.

  The thought made him growl and Ally glanced up at him with fear-filled eyes. That look only served to piss him off more. No one had the right to do this to anyone, to take away their life, their choices, as though they didn’t matter.

  Ally screamed with her pain. Kalen could feel the men growing closer, but this was something he knew he couldn’t hurry.

  Kill me. Please, Kalen, just kill me.

  For the first time in his life, Kalen wanted to hunt a man down and kill him slowly. If he had his way, Doctor Richard Thornton would only die after he begged for it, the way his victims did.

  Reach for it, Ally. Feel your wolf there, just beneath the surface of your humanity. Think about the way it made you feel. Your sense of smell is stronger, your sense of direction unerring. Remember what it felt like to run like the wind, the freedom, the joy of running through the woods.

  Finally, Ally’s wolf burst free. Her face elongated into a muzzle, her ears shifted, moved to the top of her head, cocking forward to listen to the sounds of the woods surrounding them. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air, her beautiful eyes stared up at him, and she blinked.

  Why wouldn’t you kill me? I begged you. She continued to stare at him as though accusing him of some great crime. I told you, I don’t want to live like this… I can’t live like this. Don’t you understand? This isn’t natural. I’m an aberration.

  Kalen snorted. You are nothing of the sort, Ally. If anyone involved in this damned mess of changing people into weres against their will is an aberration, it’s that crazy scientist who keeps injecting innocent people, ending their lives as they know them before moving on to his next victim. He is the aberration. Not you. No, not her. Never her. She was everything that was normal in an otherwise crazy world.

  He cocked his head to the side to listen for their pursuers. Those two idiots have abandoned their four wheelers to creep up on us. They heard your last scream and they are close. We need to leave before they find us.

  Ally stood and stretched, then shook the leaves and dirt from her coat. She looked up at Kalen with shock. How did I do that? It felt…weird.

  Kalen chuckled into her mind, then trotted into the brush, away from the men his senses told him were not more than seventy-five-feet away from them. It’s instinct, sweetheart.

  I told you to stop calling me that. She growled, then trotted after him. Are they close?

  Yes. They are very close. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear them crashing into the clearing we just left in a minute or so.

  Then we should run, shouldn’t we?

  Kalen would have liked to have been able to run, but he knew they couldn’t afford to leave the two men with the knowledge of their existence. They now knew about weres and if they left them alive, they would soon contact other humans about their kind until they found someone who would listen to them. He couldn’t have that. Not now that they were at war, fighting to keep their species secret while that lunatic, who called himself a doctor, kept injecting innocent humans with an agent that turned humans into shifters.

  If only their alpha could get the formula and get rid of the good doctor who invented it. They could repopulate their species with those like the MacDonald brothers who wanted to become weres instead of injecting innocents who merely wanted to continue their lives, blissfully ignorant of anything they would consider abnormal.

  Kalen sighed, trying to figure out a way to tell Ally that he would have to kill those tw
o. How would that make him any better in her eyes? He squeezed his own eyes closed at that thought. Why did he want to be better in her eyes? The feelings growing so deep inside him were not welcome. His wolf fought him at every turn as he denied wanting a mate. Perhaps Kalen Tolbert didn’t want a mate to share his life with, but his wolf did and he had chosen Ally.

  Unfortunately, I’m going to have to deal with those two. They no doubt look at me as some sort of prize, or trophy animal they want to hang on their wall and brag about. By now, they suspect the same of you. They’ll want the five minutes of fame they’ll get by proving that werewolves really exist.

  Don’t be ridiculous. She snorted. Werewolves don’t exist. They can’t exist.

  Why was she so adamant in denying the truth of her situation? Was she that desperate to hold on to what little bit she could of her old life?

  Kalen nudged her shoulder, turning her away from the clearing and trotted a distance away with her at his heels. How do you explain us if weres don’t exist, Ally? What would you call what you are now? Stopping, he turned to look at her. For some reason, he needed to see her, to look into her beautiful eyes. You certainly aren’t human anymore. Humans don’t turn into wolves and run around the woods on all fours. What are you if you’re not a werewolf, Ally? What are you?

  Ally didn’t have an answer for that. With a snort of disgust, she turned around and headed away from him.

  Where are you going?

  Anywhere is better than here.

  Even back into the hillbilly twins’ clutches?

  Uh, well, no. She frowned, her wolf’s eyebrows dropping over her eyes. Of course I don’t want to go back to them. Do you think I’m some sort of idiot?

  No. I don’t think you’re an idiot. I do think you have a poor sense of direction, though. If you keep heading that way, you’re going to run into them. They’re only about one-hundred feet or so behind us.

  Ally turned around, shoved her snout in the air and headed off in the other direction.