Reluctantly Lycan Read Free

extremely dangerous and unstable.
     
    On Tuesday night when Marala returned home from her shift at the gas station, she went to work cleaning her two bedroom apartment from top to bottom. Taylor would be there tomorrow and it was the only free time she had to do it. Her excitement and nervousness pushed her into a manic cleaning mode.
    “What are you doing, Mom?” Jak asked on his way to the refrigerator for a snack.
    “I told you that I have a friend coming by to make us dinner tomorrow. The house needs to look nice.”
    Jak scoffed. “Not possible. This building would have to be imploded and rebuilt.”
    “I do the best I can.” Losing motivation and with exhaustion creeping up on her, Mara fell heavily onto the sofa.
    “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. I know you work hard. I’m sorry.” He walked into the living room and sat down beside his mother.
    She forced a smile. “It’s okay. If I could, I’d buy us a big house with a pool. And we’d never eat another pack of Ramen noodles.”
    “But I like Ramen noodles.”
    Mara started laughing. “You know, we haven’t had a chance to talk much lately. How is everything? School good? Any girlfriends?”
    Jak groaned and flipped on the small television to avoid the conversation.
    “Is it that hard to talk to me?”
    “Things are fine. Grades are good. And I have absolutely no interest in any of the girls at school.” He answered, glancing away from the TV briefly to gage Mara’s reaction.
    “Why is that?” She asked.
    “I don’t know. Lately I’ve….”
    “Go on.”
    “It’s stupid. I feel like I’m on the outside looking in. Like I’m supposed to be somewhere else.” He shrugged. “You’ve done well without dating or anything up until now.”
    Mara closed her eyes, thinking back to her teen years and how different they had been from Jak’s. Kaden crossed her mind. They’d been pushed together and urged to fall in love from the beginning. It had worked, too. For her, anyway. That big, arrogant boy had held her heart in the palm of his rough hands. She wondered if he’d bonded with anyone, if he were pack leader now, if he had children other than Jak.
    “What are you thinking, Mom? You’re crying.”
    Hastily, she wiped at her cheeks. “No, I’m not. Something burned in the kitchen earlier at work and my eyes have watered all day.” She forced Kaden Dakota far from her mind. “You’ve led a hard life, no wonder you’re not interested in girls. Education is more important that dating right now.”
    “Maybe that’s it. I think a lot of them are hot, but I need more than that.”
    The urge to bond for life. It seemed like only yesterday to her that Jak had been a baby and now the wolf had begun to rear its head to take her son. There wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it either.
    A pounding knock at the door interrupted them. “Expecting someone?” She asked.
    Jak shook his head. “I’ll check.” He leapt off the couch and headed to the front door. Mara watched as he checked the peephole. “There is a huge dude outside.” He said, coming back into the living room. “Seriously, he looks like a body builder or something. Leather jacket, long dark hair. Should we call the police?”
    Marala ran to the door and placed both hands against it as she gazed out as Jak had moments before. “Oh my god.” Her mouth made the motions, but the words never came out. Only an inch or two of door separated her from Kaden. “Go to your room.”
    “Mom?”
    “I said go and don’t come out until I tell you to. Now!”
    He lingered for a few seconds before heading down the hallway. She waited until she heard his door shut, her forehead resting against the cheap metal of the front door. The transition into adulthood had treated Kaden well. He was even more attractive than she remembered. His hair flowed over his shoulders, he was taller, and his muscles… praise the moon, those biceps .
    “I can smell you in there, Marala.”
    “What