Wolf's Ascension by Lauren Dane Read Free Book Online Page A

locked.
    “Kari, please. No one is going to hurt you. They’ve all been worried sick. Luckily I had my cell phone on. I don’t usually out here. Andreas called to tell me that you were missing and to be on the lookout for you. I’m so glad I found you and that you were okay.”
    He stopped the car in front of the lodge and people started streaming out onto the deck and lawn.
    Kari stifled tears of frustration. Ryan turned to her. “Kari, please don’t.”
    “Don’t what!” Rage exploded through her. “You can’t keep me here. It’s illegal! Why are you doing this to me?”
    Andreas approached the passenger side door and Ryan flipped the lock. “Kari, thank god you’re all right. You scared me to death.” He reached toward her to pull her out of the car and into his arms but she screamed into his face.
    “Do not touch me! Keep your hands off!” She beat at him with her fists, kicking and flailing.
    He backed up, waiting for her to get out, but she just sat there. She was done making this easy on them. She was going to be such a pain in the ass they’d willingly drive her to the next town and drop her off just to be rid of her.
    Ryan reached out to touch her shoulder and she slapped him off. “You either!”
    “Kari, what can I do to make you feel better?” Andreas reached out to her but stopped, hand in midair.
    “You can let me go. You can let Ryan here drive me into the nearest town so that I can get home and back to my life. I promise I won’t even call the cops or anything. Please, just let me go.”
    He looked pained. “Anything but that, Kari. You’re one of us. I can’t let you go. You could end up hurting yourself when you transform tomorrow night. You might even hurt someone else. You don’t want that, do you? To hurt someone unintentionally?”
    “I. Am. Not. A. Werewolf. You. Are. Not. A. Werewolf. There. Are. No. Such. Things. As. Werewolves!” Each word got louder and more insistent.
    Skye walked up to the side of the SUV, hands open, palms out, so she could see he was unarmed and posed no threat. “Andreas, show the poor girl already. She’s scared shitless. Let one of us transform so she can see.”
    Groaning at his own stupidity, Andreas wanted to smack himself. Why on earth hadn’t that occurred to him before? He’d been so dumbstruck by her physical presence and his need to touch her and be with her, his normal logical abilities had been snuffed out. He nodded to Skye and looked back to Kari. “Kari, watch.”
    Kari looked at Skye as he took off his clothes, handing them to Phillip. Naked? Well, at least the delusion is an attractive one , she thought as she watched the muscles that lined his body ripple with movement.
    Crouching on all fours, he stretched his body and suddenly the electricity that she’d felt at the base of her spine when she’d been attacked by the dog came back. The fine hairs on her arms stood up, and the air crackled with power. Before her eyes, Skye’s smooth skin became lined with jet-black fur. His face lengthened and became a long muzzle.
    Jesus H., he was a freaking werewolf. The one from her dream, she realized as she saw what was definitely a wolfish grin on his face.
    “ Fuck ,” she whispered. “I should have never gone into that alley.”
    Skye, the wolf—whatever he was, whoever he was—shook himself out and trotted toward her. Scrambling back with a panicked cry, she bumped into Ryan, who, she realized, was also one of them. Another freaked-out cry tore from her throat and she hurled her body into the far back row of seats, as far from them as she could get.
    Elaine slowly approached the car and got into the passenger seat. Kneeling, facing Kari, she lowered her voice. “Kari, I know this is a lot to take in. As we’ve said—normally, we don’t do things this way. Andreas would have come to you in human form. Gotten to know you and eased you into our world. Michael made a mistake. He’s young. He let emotions get the best of