Page 85 of Pack Kasen: Part 1

I slip outside the small cabin that has been my prison for the last few days. Then I edge slowly to the side of it, so whoever looks out from the house or the bunkhouse won’t see me.

I never stop listening as I strip out of my clothes and toss them aside before sinking into a crouch.

Never have I been more eager to become a wolf.

We need to be brave, and we need to stop anyone who gets in our way.

My wolf growls.

The change sweeps over me, fast, because every moment I’m human, I’m vulnerable.

The moment I have four legs and sharp teeth, I bolt for the building that I hope to hell is a garage.

The silence of my surroundings is oppressive. I’m panting more than I should, a product of that hated silver cage. My paws are silent on the ground as I run, head down, eyes focused onthatbuilding.

But I never lose the sense that someone is watching me.

Suddenly I’m there.

I slam into the double wooden doors of my target building. Wood cracks and one side of the door flies open.

I skid to a stop inside and thank the universe. It’s dark, but there must be motion sensors in here because lights flicker on, though I don’t need them to see the five vehicles neatly parked inside. There are no windows. The gas fumes make my nose itch, but I keep looking. Where there are cars there must be…perfect.

A wooden board with hanging keys.

Shifting back isn’t as fast or smooth. It takes a lot more out of me than it usually does and I put it all down to that meathead Wolf King and his stupid cage.

Getting to my feet after two fast changes in quick succession makes me dizzy. It takes a second to reorient myself and my wolf, to my surprise, buffers my weakness with her strength.

Stop. You need to recover from the cage,I tell her.

She huffs at me, like a mother hen pecking at her chick to just do what it’s told.

Tears well in my eyes. I have missed her so much. I promise never to tell her that sometimes sushiispreferable to steak.

As I hurry to the keys, I glance at each vehicle I pass. I don’t know much about cars, but I know Jeeps aren’t just built like tanks, they’re expensive and are seriously reliable on almost every kind of terrain there is.

The black Corvette is nowhere in sight, otherwise I’d have taken the fancy sports car in a heartbeat.

I snatch the keys with the Jeep logo embossed on the hard black plastic. Two seconds later, I’m at the vehicle, unlocking it with a satisfying beep and sliding into the cool leather seat.

It smells like the Wolf King.

Even better.

I smile as I slam the door shut and start up the engine. If anyone deserves to have their car stolen, it’s that jackass.

While I’d prefer not to be driving back to civilization buck naked, my clothes are back near that cage, and sometimes you have to move your priorities around.

In my case, getting out of here is more important than explaining why I’m driving naked should anyone stop me.

The door I ran into isn’t really big enough for this huge vehicle. I really need to have both doors open, but who the fuck cares if I dent or scratch this Jeep when I ram my way out of here? Not me.

I’m putting my foot down on the accelerator when a woman sprints past the open door.

I stare, struggling to believe what I just saw. Seconds later, a large black wolf flashes past in close pursuit.

My wolf growls.

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