Read Ascend (Wolf in Exile Part 3): Werewolf Shifter/Vampire Paranormal Romance for Free Online

“Alpha.”
    It was late evening, and he was little more than a shadow. Kalena could make out parts of him under the natural beams from the stars.
    He was dressed handsomely in ironed black slacks and a dress shirt. He had less hair on his head than she remembered as if it had been recently cut. His jawline was freshly shaved. He was the same, but it looked like he’d taken a great deal of time to look less like someone who had spent months in the wilderness.
    Back in Area S2, he’d worn his prison clothes better than most men wore their everyday attire. As he stood before her now, she most definitely sensed an authoritative and dominant edge about him. She was having a hard time figuring out which presentation of Thane she liked better. Then she decided she favored both.
    No matter how drastic the change to his appearance, there was no mistaking that the man standing before her was Thane Silex—the same man who she’d mysteriously developed an addiction to.
    Kalena didn’t know how many seconds or minutes passed while they assessed each other under the moonlight, but when their gazes finally met, all she could do was smile.
    “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and then held his palm up to receive her.
    “Thank you.” She hesitated only a second before slipping her hand in his and closing the gap between them. “You took a long time,” she said.
    “Anna.” Thane turned to address the maid. “Thanks for your generosity tonight. We’ll see you later tomorrow.”
    Anna nodded, and just like that she disappeared, leaving Kalena with the man she’d been waiting to reunite with all day.
    “I’m sorry for not coming to you earlier. My Pack hasn’t seen me in months and I—”
    “No need to explain.” Kalena interrupted and lifted her hand up to his face to touch his chin with her palm. With his two-day-old stubble gone, his skin was smoother. Even under the moonlight, all of his features were prevalent. “Tracy told me everything.”
    He lifted a brow. “Everything?”
    She smiled. “Just enough for me to understand why you’ve been so busy.”
    “How was the helicopter ride?”
    “Bumpy.”
    “So was mine. Sounds like those vampires could use a refresher course in piloting.”
    Kalena narrowed her gaze. “You know, I thought those guys looked a bit…inhuman. I knew they were different from me, but they smelled different than you.”
    “Smelled?” His eyes searched her face. “The changes in your body are coming along quite nicely.”
    “Yeah, I think so.” She blushed. “But I don’t want you to think I don’t need any more.”
    “Any more of what?” Thane spoke slowly, a grin spreading across his lips.
    She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her mind raced to their sexual encounter in the hut. “This DNA that makes me feel better, of course.”
    He chuckled softly. “I hope that more than my DNA makes you feel better.”
    The tension grew as they paused to stare deep into each other’s souls. He closed the gap between them even more, engulfing her with his warmth.
    “Thane…”
    She felt the growing heat between them and parted from him slightly to view the sigils glowing near his neckline. She remembered how they had appeared on his skin when they’d been alone together in the hut. That was a moment she wanted to experience again, if only for the few more times Tracy had estimated until she was cured.
    “Kalena, every time I’m near you you give me purpose,” he whispered against her hair.
    “I’m just an ordinary woman,” she replied. “I may have a few clues to help your case, but what can I offer you of real value that you don’t already have?”
    “You are extraordinary and more valuable to me than you know. After all of this mess with the company is over, if you decide to leave, I’ll have a hard time keeping my mind off of you. If you leave after you’re completely cured, you’ll walk away with your newly enhanced life, but the more distance you put between