Free Heart of the Wolf by D. B. Reynolds Page A

come right out and say it to a human. It might be a while because the moon was only hours away from full and Ren would soon lose both the desire and the ability to use a cell phone.
    “I understand,” Tommy said quickly. “Do I need to call anyone? The cops?”
    “Absolutely not. You call no one, Tommy. Especially not the cops. If anyone asks, she’s asleep.”
    Ren hung up and dropped the phone on the seat, freeing the fingers of his right hand to rake his hair back ruthlessly. Fucking Kathryn couldn’t stay put for one stinking day even with a seasoned wolf hunter on her tail.
    He pressed his foot to the floor and felt the Mercedes respond.

Chapter Thirteen

    Ren skidded to a halt, barely missing the wide front porch. Snow was piled deep in the yard, and Kathryn’s big Land Rover was parked out front. Ren barely glanced at it as he walked by. He could feel the moon climbing the night sky, invisible behind the thick clouds. The need to change burned in his veins and gnawed at his muscles as Wolf clawed his flesh, demanding to be set free.
    The door was unlocked, and he pushed it open slowly, breathing through his mouth, trying not to drown in the overwhelming scent of Kathryn that filled the air here. There were wet footprints on the floor, boots first, with bare feet tracked through as she’d stripped away her clothes. They were all over the place, jacket, boots, pants, and undergarments scattered in her urgency to shift.
    He threw back his head and drew a deep breath into his lungs. And Wolf howled.
    Ren fought to control the change as he stripped away his own clothing, but her scent was everywhere now, filling his nostrils, inflaming his senses, hardening his cock. In moments he was naked, streaking back outside, barely managing to close the door behind him before Wolf took over. He slammed to the ground, falling to all fours as his body took on its new shape. Tendons screamed and bones groaned as they were forced to shift. Smooth skin became sleek fur, onyx claws curled from his fingers, and his mouth filled with gleaming, sharp teeth.
    He was allowed only seconds to recover, lying on the ground, his lungs gasping for air. And then he was forced to his feet, snarling as Wolf urged him to run, to find her, to claim his mate.
    He started slowly, searching for the latest trail amid the drowning scent of Kathryn, picking up speed as he narrowed his search. The snow was deep here, covering the forest floor, drifting high against the trees, but Wolf’s body was created for this. Wide paws skimmed over the snow, distributing his weight so perfectly that his passage left only the barest of impressions, as though he weighed a fraction of his two hundred and fifty pounds.
    Kathryn’s scent was easy to follow now. Comfortable in the familiar surroundings, unaware of the danger stalking her, she was making no attempt to hide. He raced after her, nose to the ground. Wolf was single-minded in his pursuit, paying little attention to anything else, ignoring the scurry of small animals scattering in his path, the squeal of a rabbit trapped in the bare hulk of a lightning-struck tree.
    A faint, unpleasant scent wrinkled his snout, the familiar stench of humanity and the city. Wolf shook his head, trying to blow it away, intent on finding her. The need to focus on his mate, to follow her trail, was an ache driving him to find her, to take her.
    But Ren was more than Wolf. He forced Wolf to slow, to turn aside and follow the greasy smell to its source—a lone truck parked on a narrow fire road barely wide enough to accommodate it. Wolf whined as he circled the vehicle, feeling the warmth from the tires, hearing the ticks of the cooling engine. He sniffed around the passenger compartment then turned to lift his head and stare into the woods where the scent led. Human sweat, the chemical smell of the truck’s leather seats, and the biting stench of oil and gunpowder.
    It was the hunter.
    Wolf howled and took off, urgently