by Kalen, Cat
“The tunnels. I can lead them to safety.”
Then it dawns on me. That’s how he’s been getting into my quarters, through the underground tunnels. And he knows about the secret passageways because he’s the one who helped the master design them.
But I can’t think about that right now. Right now I have to find the master and stop him before he gets away with Gem.
Once my father unlocks our cages, he gestures with a nod. “We can get to all the others this way, and then we can get to safety at the top of the mountain.”
My feet come to a skidding halt as a new plan begins to unravel in my brain. “You free your pack of wolves, then give the key to Mario. The handler is on our side and Stone trusts him. The master’s wolves will go with Stone before they’ll go with you.”
I see worry in his eyes. “What are you saying?”
As hot emotions rush through my blood I draw a breath to steady myself and remember my purpose. A new calmness falls over me and I step away from my father.
I think of my mother, Jace and Clover. They all fought for me, stayed brave for me and I’m not about to cower in the face of death and let the sacrifices they made go unavenged. As I let the decision settle into my brain I think about the vow I made a long time ago. I came back to get these wolves out of this prison alive, and I plan to do that even if it means trading my life for theirs.
Because I understand what my father had been trying to tell me and why he left the compound. Putting those you love in harm’s way, simply because you love them is far worse than death.
Stone understood this very thing. Which is why he always pretended to be my enemy.
“What I’m saying is I’m not going with you,” I inform him and shudder as the weight of the decision settles around me.
“Pride,” he warns.
“You free the others and get to safety. I have some unfinished business to take care of.”
Chapter Fifteen
Giving my father no time to protest, I climb to the top of my cage and disappear into the ventilation system. As I move through the ducts I feel the house shake from some sort of explosion and as I hold the metal walls to brace myself I realized just how desperate the situation has become.
Once the house stops vibrating I bolt forward on my hands and knees, twisting and turning until I come upon the master’s suite. I take a quick look inside and when I see him with Gem, I kick the shaft clear from the wall and drop down in front of them. I take on a combative stance, and my lips peel back to expose sharp canines.
The master turns on me, and surprise lights his eyes. My consideration goes to Gem, who looks battered and beaten, the gleam gone from her once vibrant eyes. The sight of her rouses my wolf and my nails elongate.
The master’s dark bark of laughter has my head swinging back to him. “Well, well,” he says as his focus goes from me to the broken vent back to me again. “Let me guess, your daddy had something to do with this.” He scoffs and continues, “I should have known. And really, I never should have expected a traitor like him to give birth to anything but a runt, anyway.”
I can tell he’s trying to taunt me, to throw me off my game so he can escape before I shift. But what he doesn’t realize is I’m no longer the little girl who thought of her size as a weakness. Thanks to Logan, I’ve come a long way since escaping here three weeks ago.
He grabs Gem’s arm harder, hauling her against his chest. She makes a frightened, squeaking sound and it prompts me into action but I slow a little when he uses her small body to shield his. I take one threatening step toward him yet he continues to hold his ground, the laughter fading from his eyes, which are now hard, raw with anger.
“You never were a threat to me, Pride.”
“You’re not going to get away with what you’ve done to us.”
I take a moment to assess Gem, to figure out how to stage an attack on the master without her getting caught in the crossfire, but when I see her green eyes glittering beneath the black bleakness and she mouths the word grasshopper, understanding hits me over the head like a mallet.
Grasshopper is her safe word!
My heart leaps with joy. Gem isn’t broken and this is her way of letting me know she’s okay. She’s stronger than I ever knew and that she had the foresight to plant a safe word at the beginning of this journey shows just how brilliant she really is.
I give a slight nod to signal my understanding, and don’t miss the small grin that pulls at her lips. I also realize from the gray pallor of her skin that she’s still feverish, which is preventing her from shifting and fighting back. But at least I know she’s going to be okay. Now I just have to figure out how to free her.
I turn my attention back to the master and he gives a shake of his head. “You know, your downfall has always been the way you care for others. You might have made a powerful leader one day, Pride.” He stops to let his disapproving glance rake over me. “But then again, how much I can really expect from a runt like you?”
Before I get the chance to show him, an explosion rocks the mansion and rips a hole in the floor beneath me. Dust flies into the air, and I choke on the particles. I wave my arms to clear the debris, but when I do I notice the master is gone, Gem with him. It’s then that I notice the hidden door at the back of his office. Before it locks behind him, I bolt forward and thanks to my small size I’m able to slip inside before it closes.
I hear footsteps on the stairs, and my ears perk as I follow the sound. I take the steps two at a time, my wolf clamoring to break free but I know I can’t let her out just yet. We might have more obstacles to conquer before I can let her off her leash.
From somewhere up above I hear a door bang open and slam shut, and assume they’ve reached the rooftop. When I finally reach the top, I approach the door with caution, not knowing who or what is waiting for me on the other side.
Using my shoulder I nudge it open and take a second to assess the situation. But when I hear footsteps thundering on the stairs below me, I know I have to make a move because it sounds like the PTF is closing in.
I dart onto the roof in time to see the master and Gem climb into the helicopter, the master at the controls. Using every ounce of strength I possess, I run for the airliner but when the door behind me opens and I hear, “Stop,” I spin around in time to see a gun pointed at my head.
My heart thunders because I instantly recognize the man with the gun trained on me. It’s the PTF officer I took down in Olympic National Park. The same one my wolf nearly tore to shreds but stopped at the last second.
I growl at him as the helicopter’s blades begin to spin. I need to move and I need to do it now, but the minute I turn my back on him, will he shoot me full of silver? I gauge the time it will take me to reach the helicopter and can only hope I can free Gem and kill the master before the silver poisoning takes effect, because I’ve come too far to let anyone stand in my way.
I’m about to move, but something in the man’s face changes, softens and when he speaks I can barely believe what he’s saying.
“You spared my life. Now I’m sparing yours.”
As my brain deciphers his words I realize he’s working with me, not against me. Without any time to give it further consideration I spin around and jump on the skids moments before the helicopter makes lift. With strength I never knew I had, I pull the door clear off its hinges.
The master’s eyes go wide. “What is this—” he begins.
But I grab him by the collar and say, “This, my dear master, is what you can expect from a runt like me.” Then I haul him from the helicopter and send him tumbling to the ground. When Gem jumps free, I pounce on the master, and my wolf howls in sheer delight, because she knows.
She knows I’m finally going to let her off her leash.
I pin the master to the ground beneath me, and my mouth salivates, ready to call on my wolf so she can rip into his throat and watch the life drain out of him. But when I listen to the animal cries in the distance, it does som
ething to me. I lift my head and as I scent the air my attention goes to the PTF officer who is watching me carefully. The sight of him reminds me that I’m better than this. I might be a wolf, raised as an assassin by a cruel man, but I’m not monster. Inside I’m just a seventeen-year-old girl who wants to live a normal life.
My wolf wails as I push off the master and climb to shaky feet. He scrambles backwards and rises. As I draw a calming breath, desperate to settle my wolf, I move between him and the helicopter, blocking his path. With panthers closing in from the stairwell I know he has nowhere to go. I turn to see Gem watching me.
“Pride?” she questions.
“The panthers are coming,” I say, breathless, as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “Let’s leave his fate in his own hands.”
With that I turn to look at the PTF officer, determined to make something clear. “We’re not the monsters,” I say.
He nods and moves toward me. “I know.”
“There are other compounds.”
“We’re searching now.”
“So you’re going to—”
“Yes,” he says. “Our unit has assembled a new task force.”
Just then the roof door swings open and out struts two sleek black panthers. They sniff the air like feral bloodhounds on a hunt, and when they catch the master’s scent, they stalk toward him, completely ignoring us three. The master falters and falls backwards. When he lands with a thump he begins pleading for his life, but the panthers never falter. They begin circling, closing the berth.
The officer grabs my arm. “We need to move.”
I reach for Gem and catch her hand as the officer races toward the helicopter.
We jump in and I look at the controls frantically. “Do you know how to fly this?”
He nods. “Years of training. All a part of the special task force.”
Over the loud hum of the blades I can hear the master howling, but when I think about all the abuse so many have suffered at his hands, I refuse to feel sympathy for him.
When we take to the air, I don’t look back, instead I focus on the ground, and on the future before me. “What about all the panthers that have been unleashed?” I ask. “They’re not like us.”
“We have a mess on our hands, but now that we know what we’re up against, we can figure out a way to deal with it.” He carries us up the mountain and when he finally lands at the top of the vineyard, he powers down the machine and gestures toward the rolling hills with a nod. “You need to get out of here.”
I peer into the night, swallow hard and say, “Thank you.”
I jump from my seat, and Gem steps up beside me. Before we lose ourselves in the dark, the officer says, “Take care of yourselves.”
As emotions choke me I grab Gem’s hand and we walk away in search of our family. When we finally spot them near the cannon, I see my father, his wolves, Sandy and all the staff. I’m not surprised to find Lawrence standing there and note he doesn’t look so tough anymore. I look through the throngs of wolves behind them and search for Logan and Stone, but when I don’t see them my heart goes into my throat.
A few minutes later, when we finally step up to them, my expression is stricken. I turn questioning eyes on my father, and he says, “They both went looking for you.”
I spin around. “They’re in danger, I have to go back.”
I make a step to go, but my father grabs my arm. “Wait.”
I turn back to see him and he’s smiling, then I follow his gaze. I cry out in relief when I see Logan and Stone cresting the hill.
My head goes back and forth between the two boys who mean so much to me, but when my glance settles on Logan and I see the raw hate in his eyes, my heart seizes. But it’s not me he’s looking at, it’s my father.
Before I know what’s happening, I see a flurry of activity and Logan starts running. Brutally fast, he pounces and slams my father to the ground. His canines punch through his gums and when his loud growls serrate the quiet and reverberate off the mountain, fear for my father’s life has me screaming.
“Logan, don’t,” I yell, and realize that Logan has no idea who this man is. “He’s my father,” I explain.
Logan bares his teeth and looks at me. “Pride?” he questions with a growl. “He was my master.”
That revelation takes me by surprise. I know Logan spent time in a compound but I had no idea he was ruled by my father. Then I remember something very important Logan once said to me when he saw my deep scars. He said his master wasn’t so cruel. That gives me a measure of comfort to know my father ruled with a softer hand.
“Logan,” I begin gently as he climbs to his feet. “If it wasn’t for him, we never would have gotten out alive.”
Pewter bleeds into his gorgeous blue eyes as his wolf continues to hunger for my father’s blood. “So you’re just going to forgive him for all he’s done?”
“I don’t know anything about forgiveness,” I say quietly and step up to him so I can put my palm on his face, letting him know how much I care about him. “But sometimes we have to do what we have to do. I understand that now.”
His hand closes over mine. “Pride, are you sure?”
I step back and my gaze goes from Logan to Stone and his eyes are asking the question that his lips can’t.
Who will I pick?
I don’t directly answer but I think the two alphas who I’ve grown to love know what I mean when I say. “Actually, I’m not sure about anything anymore.” In a crucial first step of discovery, I move closer to my father, understanding that I still have so much to learn about my past, my future, my family, my world, but most importantly, myself.
Before I make any decisions that will affect the rest of my life, I have to stand by the only man who can best help me find my way.
And I know the two boys who I care about the most, two wolves who would fight to the death to save me, might not like my choices, but I know them both well enough to know they’ll respect them.
Epilogue
After crossing the border with the necessary identification in hand, all thanks to Mario and his illegal connections, we make our way to Logan’s small, secluded town in the Canadian mountains—a place where we can only hope that Malcolm and the others are alive and safe.
I can’t deny that I’m excited to live a normal life and happiness swells inside me as I look at my new family: my father, Logan, Stone, Gem and Sandy, as well as a few other wolves who’ve decided to come with us.
The rest of the pack stayed behind, most searching for their long lost families while the others simply wanted to start fresh.
Mario and the staff stayed behind as well and it makes me happy to know they can now live the lives they’ve always wanted. My father, who is desperate to right his wrongs, provided everyone with enough money to get them on their feet.
I turn my focus to the future ahead of me, but as we approach Logan’s community the scent of smoke hits me hard. I turn to see a worried look in Logan’s eyes. I slip my hand into his and he looks at me, his blue eyes troubled.
“Maybe it’s nothing,” I say as an uneasy feeling closes in on me.
“Maybe,” he responds as our feet slap the pavement, but the closer we get, the stronger the scent grows. Smoke begins to saturate the air and when we finally crest the hill overlooking his small town, I suck in a huge breath and a cry lodges in my throat.
“Logan,” I say my stomach clenching.
He throws his head back. “No,” he wails and his loud distress howl cuts the quiet of the night.
Tears sting my eyes and I wrap my arms around him and hold him tight as guilt eats at me. This is my fault. I never should have let his family fight my battle.
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
With our world collapsing, I look at the charred houses and the burned community in chaos. Anger boils my blood and I know in an instant our fight for freedom, our fight to prove we’re not the monsters is far from over.
###
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Pride’s Pursuit
Coming soon
After defeating her master and releasing the enslaved wolves, Pride, Logan, Stone and the rest of the pack return to the Canadian mountains only to discover a village in chaos. Feeling responsible for the carnage, Pride is determined to show the world exactly who the monsters really are.
When her pack refuses to let her fight alone, Pride and her team set out to change mankind. But when her leadership is tested and a traitor emerges, not only must Pride pick between the two boys who love her most, her choice could either help put an end to war on the wolves or it could endanger the very existence of her kind.
About the author:
Cat Kalen is a multi published author in the romance genre under two pen names, Cat is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and watermelon. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cat can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
A maritime native and former financial officer, Cat has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.
Discover other titles by Cat Kalen:
Pride’s Run: http://amzn.com/B0062O0B3E
Connect with Cat Online:
Twitter:@catkalen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002600082432
Blog: http://www.catkalen.com/blog/
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