Keeping Kaitlyn Read Free Page A

All she knew was that one minute the gorgeous man was there….
    And the next moment he’d turned into the biggest wolf she’d ever seen.

    Chapter Two

    Her breath caught in her throat as the creature’s head turned and a pair of dark, mysterious brown eyes met her gaze. Those were wolf eyes, but the soul in them was the same. This was Lucas . All black, furry, and big as a pony, but it was him. Impossibly.
    Oh, holy… Her supposed “mate” was a werewolf?
    The sounds of the approaching riders grew louder and the wolf gave the forest his full attention. He repositioned himself, putting his huge body between her and whatever was about to burst into the clearing. It was an oddly protective gesture that made her sorry she’d pepper sprayed him.
    A low growl issued from the wolf’s throat. It made all the hair on the back of her neck rise. His hackles rose as a group of five men rode out into the clearing and a vicious snarl erupted from his throat. The horses all shied and whinnied when they saw the wolf. The leather-clad rider in front—a broad-chested guy with salt-and-pepper hair—looked past the wolf to where she sat on the grass. His eyes narrowed as he spotted her and her blood turned to slush in her veins.
    Never had she been so sure someone wanted to kill her.
    A flash of white caught her eye. Another wolf, of the same size as the first, leapt into the clearing and ran flat out for the men. Lucas broke into a run too, striding beside the white wolf. Some of the horses reared, dumping their riders off their backs. Others bolted. It was mass chaos as the group tried to get away from the oncoming rush of teeth and claws.
    The head of the group held her gaze for a moment longer and it was like only the two of them existed in the world. The look on his face told her clearly that he would end her life one day. Then he turned his mount and disappeared into the dark forest.
    Kaitlyn took a few deep breaths. She kept expecting to wake up, as if this was all some weird dream. But the hard ground beneath her told her otherwise…as did the crazy beating of her heart. Not to mention the remnants of the pepper spray which still stung her eyes. No way was she dreaming or imagining any of this.
    Both wolves trotted toward her and her heart rate ratcheted into the stratosphere. There was nothing warm and fuzzy about having two pony-sized wolves running toward you, even if you were pretty certain the wolves had just protected you from a psychopath. She scrambled to her feet and retreated backward until the wolves came to a stop before her.
    The black wolf blurred again and the sound of one organic creature becoming another reached her ears. It was a noise she couldn’t even describe, but it made her think of bone, blood and stretching tendons. She turned her face away. When she dared a glimpse again, Lucas lay on his side in the grass…naked. The white wolf stood silent sentinel, his yellow eyes focused intently on her.
    “What the hell is going on?” She put her hand on her hip and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to mask the quaver in her voice. All she really wanted to do was pass out, but no way was she fainting in front of these guys.
    Lucas pushed up from the ground, shaking his head as if to rid it of ringing. “We’re still not safe here. That was a hunting party that came across us unexpectedly. They’ll be back with reinforcements. We need to move out. Kaitlyn, ride the wolf. He can carry your weight.”
    “ Ride the wolf? No way.” That was just one strange thing too many for her right now. She eyed the eerily calm white creature, who eyed her back. “I’d rather walk.”
    Lucas stood and all the rest of the words on her tongue disappeared. The man was naked and not apparently modest. Glancing down, she raised an eyebrow. And she could see why. A man hung like him had every reason to show off.   “We aren’t walking; we’re running. Think you can keep up?”
    She ripped her gaze away from his pelvic area,