Absolution

Excerpt From: Absolution

"Dance?"

A hand appeared in Kitty Kelley’s line of sight. She flinched.

Damn it, I’m stronger than this.

She hated the fact that she was reduced to jerking away at the slightest movement. She was safe now.

Kitty had been too busy keeping an eye on her twin sisters, Bunny and Poppy. Her parents had been high on drugs when they named them all. Who in their right mind would name werewolves after animals that wolves would sooner eat than play with, and a flower?

Her sisters had gone to get some punch. This was the first time the three of them had joined the Masters pack for an event since they’d been rescued from the Tyler pack. One of the few lucky breaks they’d been given in their lives.

It had been the pack alpha, Russell Masters, who’d insisted they join the festivities. He’d been so good to them over the last few months that they couldn’t refuse. It was thanks to him they had a roof over their heads and they weren’t starving.

Kitty smoothed down the front of her skirt to calm herself and looked up to see who’d asked her to dance. He’d pulled his hand back when she’d had her kneejerk reaction.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you." Everett Cord grinned down at her and shrugged. He put his hand in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

Everett was very handsome with his spiked strawberry blond hair and dark green eyes. He had a very appealing dimple on his chin. For some reason she wanted to lick it. The thought came out of nowhere. She shook her head.

He’d been there the day she and the girls had been rescued. It was Everett who pulled her and her sisters out of the awful pack house they’d ended up in when their parents had died. Murder-suicide and she really didn’t want to think about that. Not now and maybe never.

Everett was losing his smile and backing away—it was her fault for not speaking up and getting lost in her own thoughts. Shoot. She couldn’t have that. She needed to thank him.

"Wait. Sorry." She glanced at Bunny and Poppy, who were talking to a few of the other pack members and they seemed good—safe. They didn’t need her hovering over them. They were sixteen going on eighty and would be embarrassed if they knew she’d been keeping tabs.

Kitty took a deep breath. It’s okay to let go and have a little fun. She didn’t have to worry about her sisters as much now that they were here. The Masters pack accepted them as their own. They’d proved it time and time again over the past five months.

"I would love to dance."

One of her favourite songs just happened to be playing, Cowboys and Angels. Everett bowed low and held out his hand, wiggling his fingers this time.

Kitty smiled. It felt good. She didn’t think she’d ever be happy again. She placed her hand in his and he tugged her off her seat and guided her towards the dance floor.

They were in the forest, in a big clearing behind the pack house. Someone had strung up white lights in the trees and they twinkled over the pond. It looked like the lights were dancing over the water. The pack had set up the refreshments in between some trees leaving a nice space for dancing. Other couples were out there, but Kitty didn’t really know them. Well, except for Peter, Everett’s cousin, and Peter’s partner Grey.

The couple had stopped by the cottage that she shared with her sisters. She thought it might have been because Peter felt guilty. It was his dad’s pack who’d taken advantage of her and the girls.

Enough. Fun, that’s why I’m here.

They reached the clearing and Everett twirled her around and shuffled her across the makeshift dance floor. He wasn’t really following the beat of the song, but two-stepping her around at a fast pace. Kitty hadn’t had this much fun in—she couldn’t remember when. She threw back her head and laughed when Everett dipped her at the end of the song, she lifted her leg high and her hair brushed the ground.

The next song began to play and it was more romantic than the first one. She recognised it from the movie 'Armageddon', Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing. Kitty thought they’d go and sit back down, but Everett pulled her close and they swayed back and forth—so different from the playfulness of the first dance. He nuzzled into her neck and she laid her head on his chest. His scent was overwhelming, it made her feel safe and he smelled like cinnamon.

Mate.

No. Kitty stiffened in his arms. That couldn’t be right. They’d met before this. How would she not know? No, no, no, no, no, no. She couldn’t have a mate. It was destructive. People died. Kitty jerked away and scrambled backwards. Everett looked confused, but she couldn’t speak even if she wanted to, because the panic was building too fast. She couldn’t breathe. She had to get out of there. She turned and ran smack dab into a person from her past that she never wanted to see again. She backpedalled away and almost fell flat on her ass. She started to shake—this could be very bad. How the hell had he found them?