Pride Unleashed (a Wolf's Pride novel, book 2) (28 page)

As much as I hate to
stay locked in my cage for another night
—I
’d really like to break out of th
is
prison before
I’m forced to face whatever
it is
the master has planned for the courtyard tomorrow
—I
have no choice but to
sit tight and tame my wolf
.
While I’d like to let her off her leash, I know better than to
hurry
things
along
.
Rushing
only
leads to mistake
s
and every move I make in this deadly game
of life and death must
be played with intelligence and strategy.

Once I’m back in my own room, I drop onto the top of my cage
, bracing my feet on the
metal
bars
as I regain my balance
.
Then
I move with agility, without sound as
I m
ake my way to the edge
of my cell
.
I
roll onto my stomach and
slide down the
bar
.
After my feet hit the floor, I
reach for the key
,
open my door
and
slip inside
.
I take a quick peek at Sandy
to ensure she’s still asleep
before I lift
the corner of
my cot and
place t
he key
beneath
for safe keeping.

By the time I settle myself into my
bed
, my heart is racing a million miles a
n
hour
and there is nothing I can do to settle
my shuffling thoughts
.
The fact that
freedom
for all
is
so close
that
I can almost taste it, not to mention the
huge
spike in my
adrenaline
,
makes it difficult for me to
unwind
.
B
ut I force my eyes shut
and will my body
and
brain to relax
.

When I open my eyes again,
I know a new day is upon me.
I turn to find Sandy staring at me
,
shards
of silver
puncture the
brown
in her eyes
as her
wolf growl
s
at me.

“
Sandy,
” I say to her
in a soft tone
, needing most desperately for her to understand I’m on her side, but taking care not to give away my plan to
o
early.
“Everything is going to be okay.”

When she doesn’t respond,
my eyes go to her stomach.
For a brief moment I wonder
about her pups, and wonder
if Stone will
be a good father.
It saddens me to think
that
he had no
father o
f his own,
no
positive role model
in his life
.
My thoughts stray to
Logan’s father
and what he taught the young alpha before he died:
hunting, fishing, nurturing
—t
hings Stone never had the chance to learn from a
father
figure.
But thinking about fathers has me
thinking of my own.

I roll onto my back and stare at the ventilation system.
While it was only
two days ago
that I picked up on
my
papa’s
scent, it feels like a lifetime
has passed
, and has me questioning what’s real and what isn’t.
Maybe he
’
s
not
really here
in the mansion
, at all
.
Maybe
he hadn’t come to me
in person, or in a dream
.
Then again, m
aybe that’s just wishful thinking.

It’
s not that I don’t hope he’s alive.
I do.
But if he is alive and he’s here
asking me to forgive him,
then
it means he’s done something
he needs forgiveness for.

And
since
I know nothing about forgiveness
…
 

When I hear the lock upstairs my stomach sours
.
I
remember
the
master
’
s cruel smile and that he has something
special
planned for
me
today.

Mario descends the stairs slowly
and my senses go on high alert.
I listen to his blood flow through his veins, slow and s
teady,
but
underneath
that superficial shell
I can smell his anxiety.
From Sandy’s agitated
state, it’s clear
her wolf
has
picked up on it too.

I track his movements and
I instantly realize he’s having a hard time meeting my gaze, which speaks volumes.

He knows my fate.

My pulse leaps and I jump from my c
ot
.
I want to ask him what he knows but
the words catch in my throat because
I
don’t dare
question him in
front of
Sandy.

Moving quickly
and efficiently
like he does every other morning, he goes through the monotonous routine of unlocking us from our cages and fitting us with
those heavy, uncomfortable
collars.
Then he hooks a chain to the restraining bands around our necks and herds us through the kitchen until we’re both outside.

I pull in the scents around me, wondering if the panthers are still in the vicinity
.
Have they
captured Logan’s family or worse…

Once we’re in the courtyard
numerous wolves move around me, sizing me up and pulling in my scent.
I swallow and wish there was a way for me to reach
out to
them.
I wish I could make them u
nderstand
that
if we all work
ed
together we c
ould
outman the master
.
But the despair I see in their eyes lets me know they’re broken and loyal.

Mario
proceeds to
unhook Sandy
.
As
she sheds her nightgown and shifts
I use that time to search for Logan and Stone.
I try not to show a reaction when I spot them in the distance, both keeping a
wary
eye on each other and
the other
eye
on me.

Looking for a distraction, I angle my head in time to see Sandy
run her paws through the dewy grass and turn her muzzle to the sky to drink in the warm morning rays.
As I watch her, and remember that she has babies growing inside of her,
it renews my vow to get out of here, but in the meantime I know I
need to win my race today.
Winning means I can give her extra food.

Determination courses through me when
I turn back to Mario
.
H
is
gaze meets mine
as he removes my collar, and I see real worry in his eyes.
But his voice is calm when he says,
“The master pitted you against Logan today.”

Logan?
I consider that for a moment
and wonder why the master would pit me against
a
power
ful
alpha
; one
who
no
other wolf in the courtyard—e
xcept maybe Stone
—c
ould possible beat
.

Is he simply setting me up for failure?

“So this is what he had planned?” I ask, thinking it can’t be this easy
.
Nothing is ever this easy.

What am I missing?

As I stress about that, I
realize
there is no way I can win today
’s
obstacle course
, not if I’m pitted against Logan, which means I won’t be able to share any of my victor
’
s winnings
with Sandy
.
B
ut that isn’t going to stop me from finding another way to get
her
the nourishment she needs
.
Perhaps
my guardian angel will deliver b
read and bacon
once
again, and
I can
offer it to her.

“
You’re both up first
.
”
I
can tell by the look on his face he’s trying to warn me about something.
I look past his shoulders to take in the course.
Is there some
fatal
flaw he fears I’m going to miss
?

When I don’t see anything unusual I turn back to Mario.
“What is he hoping to accomplish by this?” I ask
in whispered words
.

Mario’s eyes go dark a
nd
his voice hard
ens
when he says,
“You tell me.”

I take a moment to puzzle it out, then
I make a noise, a half grunt
,
half growl as understanding hit
s
like a fatal blow
.
“He knows
,”
I whisper through grit teeth
.
“He’s testing us.”

“
He
thinks
he k
nows.”

I glance around frantically, searching for my mate.
I need to talk to him, to warn him
.
He can’t let me win.
But how can I convince
an
alpha
to go against nature
and let
his mate
go hungry while he gorges himself on fresh f
ood
?

Stepping away from Mario, I move toward the wall, pull off my nightgown and neatly fold it.
I allow my body to shift, then sit b
ack on my haunches and proceed to groom myself as I search for Logan, wanting to make a private connection.
That’s when I see him taking his position at the obstacle course.

Mario steps back up to me and leads me toward Logan.
I
browse
around and take in all the eyes staring at us.
From my peripheral I spot the master coming from his private entrance.
Of course he wouldn’t miss this.

“
Logan
,” I hurry out when I move in beside him.
“
This is a test and you can’t let me win
.”

He looks at me
and his muscles bunch as
his
shrewd
eyes rak
e
over my
light
fur
.
N
ow that I’m back inside
the compound
and half starved, my coat
is
thinning,
lacking in luster.
When I glimpse the quiet reflective side of him, a side that reminds me he’s just a boy and I’m just a girl,
I
instinctively
go back on my haunches and
try to groom myself.
I preen myself casually
not wanting Logan to notice how matted and mussed
I look.

He turns his head from me and sets his jaw like the discussion is over.
“
You need to eat
.”

“
I did eat.
Someone left food for me last night
.”

“
Who
—” he begins like he doesn’t believe me.