Pride Unleashed (a Wolf's Pride novel, book 2) by Cat Kalen Read Free Book Online Page A

stare at them from across the courtyard, I can taste Gem’s tension like it’s my own. It leaves a bitter residue on the back of my tongue and has sour bile pu nching into my throat .
    I fight for a measure of control as I look her over, my brain registering the bright red scar s on her forehead a s well as the swollen puffy flesh around her blood crusted mouth. A chill scurries up my spine and air leaves my lungs in a whoosh when I realize just how badly this could turn out. Because the truth is , Gem, who has never known abuse in her entire life, and who has never , ever been confined by a cruel master , is in way over her head.
    We all are.
    My breath comes quicke r, my pulse pounding in my throat as I clench and unclench my hands , berating myself for not calculating this risk . How will I ever get her out from his control before the cannon strikes at noon?
    Thunder rumbles in the dark sky and when the clouds split open, the cold rain do es little to soothe the hot rage rising inside me. Fat raindrops cake the dirt on Gem’s torn clothes and dilute the blood dribbl ing down her trembling chin . The intoxicating scent gain s the awareness of the restless wolves milling about and they begin to circle like the ravenous predators they ’ve become since capture —since the master turned them into his puppets.
    Guided by instinct, I make a move to go to her, but Stone’s hand comes down on my shoulder to stop me and the sheer strength of his grip doesn’t go unnoticed . His fingers bite into my flesh, pinning me in place and when the word , “Don’t , ” rumbles in the air, my footsteps still.
    Before I can even think about my next move , the cannon sounds in the distance and my brain registers that it’s high noon . I spin around frantically, my eyes surfing over the crowd, except ing to find a courtyard in chaos as my team clos es in from the outside .
    Except what I find instead has my heart hammering and my pulse racing like mad .
    Panicked , m y glance darts to the guards and dread f loods my lungs, making it difficult to breathe when I find all six of them still s tanding tall, their guns directed at the courtyard as they polic e us dogs from above.
    Apprehension surges through my bloodstream and I feel like my world is closing in on me. The impenetrable fortress walls seem to be inch ing closer and closer, squeezing the air from the yard until and my arteries I can barely comprehend how quickly things have fallen apart . I force myself to breathe slowly, m y mind rac ing with unanswered questions .
    W hat happened to my pack ?
    Our plan?
    T hunder claps loudly snapping me back to reality , and as lightening streak s across the cloud bloated sky my nerve endings crackle in warning, my brain repeatedly screeching that this was not supposed to happen!
    This was not supposed to happen!
    With the world around me collapsing, everything inside me screams in alarm, my senses, emotions and thoughts running circles in my brain until my mind shuts down and my animal impulses come out full force.
    Fearing the worst—a failed mission and a life time of captivity for all —there is nothing I can do to keep my primal side at bay . Fully understanding that s omething has been unleashed inside me, and that I won’t be able to stop my caged wolf from turning mutinous , I deliver a yelp .
    M y torn nightgown rips clear of my body as I embrace the wild animal clawing at my insides. The world around me goes deathly still and I ignore the searing pain pulling at me as my joints pop and my bones slide into place .
    Once my metamorphosis is complete I crouch low , putting my weight on my front paws in preparation as my nails rake the rich , pungent soil.
    I take in all the eyes staring at me, one cruel set in particular. As c oldness envelops me , fight or flight instincts kick in hard and my wolf lets loose a deep guttural howl , her control snapping like a frayed leash .
    Targeting the master’s challenging gleam in my