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

crosshairs, my pewter eyes —e yes that have seen far too much for a girl my age —zero in on his pulsing jugular .
    I draw the master’s scent into my lungs, and when I move past the expensive cologne, I can smell the silver in his pocket, the gun powder residue on his hands from the last wolf he executed. Some small coherent part of my brain is telling me to s alvage my plan, to show obedience in some last ditch effort to prove my loyalties , but I can’t seem to leash my wolf .
    She hungers to spill his blood and nothing or no one can stop her .
    The rain falls harder, the torrential downpour coating my thick fur to my body and blurring my vision . Stone is yelling at me, his dark, hostile voice vibrating in my ears, cautioning me .
    From my peripheral vision I can see him stripping his clothes from his body , desperate to s hift back into his primal form. But I ignore his word s of warning and bare my teeth in challenge . Despite the six guns pointed down at me, ready to shoot upon the master’s signal, I call my wolf into action and my beefy paws sink into the mud . I take a threatening step forward.
    My actions aren’t rational, or smart, but when th e strong , primal scent of wet earth reaches my nose and reminds my wolf of freedom , of running through the mountains unleashed, it prompts her to move faster .
    Standing his ground, the master gives me a savage smirk , everything about hi s cool exterior exud ing confidence . I realize it ’s his malicious way of letting me know he’s not afraid of the runt he ’d raised and controlled since birth .
    As my enemy shows no fear in the face of an attack it occurs to me j ust how much danger I’m in. Just how much torture I’m going to have to endure before he kills me.
    But I’m certainly not about to let that stop me.
     
     

Chapter Four
    As uncontrollable rage unfurls inside me, fury obscures my vision, causing me to miss the wolf closing in from behind. His heavy body lands on top of mine, and I crash to the ground with a n agonizing thump. I thrash beneath him, my long talons digging into the wet , unforgiving ground as I struggle to gain purchase.
    Sharp canines go to my throat and I howl, the sound carrying in the breeze and echoing off the distant mountains. Breathing hard, I twist and turn, wanting to see into the eyes of my killer before I draw my last breath . But when I manage to turn my neck, and find Stone restraining me from above, his teeth locked on my jugular with predatory precision, it has me questioning his loyalties.
    But the ease at which he dominates me has my mind racing back to all the times the master pitted me against him during our agility training. I’m not sure why I’m suddenly thinking about such things . Perhaps it’s because I’m dying and my very life is flashing before my eyes.
    Regardless, a s blood pours from my neck, one thing becomes glaringly apparent . Over the years Stone could have easily beaten me at the obstacle course , yet I always came out the victor. Everyone, the master included, thought it was because I was smarter, able to think with my head and not my heart. But I’ve only just come to learn that Stone has spent his life fighting with a combination of the two, and that has undeniably made him the better warrior. As I think more about that fact m y heart crashes harder and suddenly everything become s crystal clear .
    Stone always let me win because win nin g meant I’d eat fresh food that day, even though he’d go on scraps. He let me win to save me, the same way he’s saving me now.
    “ Pride ,” he warns and I don’t miss the deep desperation in his voice as his warm breath wash es over my face . When hi s familiar scent reaches my nostrils and weaves its way th r ough my blood it does something to my wolf .
    “ Stone… ” I cry out , wanting to tell him I’m okay, that I understand what he’s doing , and that I’m grateful for everything he’s done for me, but I can’t quite find the