Pride Unleashed (a Wolf's Pride novel, book 2) (14 page)

I work to clear my head and tuck away my lingering worries as I step inside Miss Kara’s suite.
Now that the storm has passed, w
arm
afternoon
sunshine spills in from the big bay window
overlooking
her
majestic
mahogany desk
but does little to
chase the chills from my half naked body
.

I take a small step into the room
and
the wood
floor
feel
s
hard beneath my
blood
ied
feet as I’m a
ssault
ed
with a medley of floral perfumes.
My nose twitches as I
examine
the large suite, looking for any kind of change
, anything that could
have been altered
since
my last visit, when
Miss Kara fitted me in a gorgeous, white mating dress.

Looking
as
elegant
and slim as ever
with her long dark hair pulled back into a
n
artful ponytail
,
Miss Kara
lowers the book she’s been reading and
jumps from her
plush
recliner.
Her eyes are bright, her arms wide
a
s
she
rushes over to me.

She gives me a quick squeeze, then
her
peach
-
painted lips, full and glossy
from too much makeup
,
pucker slightly
.
As
she scrutinizes
me
, she
pulls a long, wet
strand of my dirty hair between her fingers
for a close examination
.
Lawrence removes the chain
but keeps my collar in place
a
s she
inspects
my split ends,
then
s
he makes
a tsking sound a
nd turns her focus to my current
bedraggled state
.
B
ut
suddenly
pleasure moves into her eyes
replacing the stern consternation
as she takes in my new curves
.

“Pride,
look at you,
” she begins
, her white teeth flashing in a smile
.
“You’re growing up on me.
”
Keeping her voice light, even though I know it holds a great amount of concern she asks, “
How did this happen
?
”

I want to tell her it’s because I’m no longer
haunted by hunger
, that
for the last three weeks I’ve eaten
real food
—f
resh food
—b
ut instead I just stare up at her and
wonder how much the handlers and staff know about my escape.
About what’s going on inside the compound?

With that, she
claps her hands
together in
a familiar gesture, and points a
strict
finger at me.
“You
might be filling out,
young lady,
but you
’re currently
a
pitiful
mess.”
She waves her finger to the
colonial
door
on my
left
.
“To the shower
with you
.”

As I move across her warm wood floor, I think
more
about
Miss Kara.
Besides Clover, she is the closest thing I’ve had to a mother since losing my own.
Not only does she shower and dress us
wolves
when the occasion calls for it, she’s also the one who teaches us about manners.
In my line of work, education and manners come in handy when I’m trying to lure my mark.

Once inside the bathroom, I push on the door, leaving it slightly ajar like
rules dictate
.
I peel my cold, wet nightgown from my shoulders, and drop it into the laundry basket
, know
ing
I’ll be given a new one
by nightfall
.
Catching a glimpse of my reflection as I move past the mirror, I can’t help but notice the changes in my body.
But thinking of my body has me thinking of Sandy, and all the changes that are taking place inside her
s
.

Naked, except for the heavy collar around my neck,
I turn on the hot spray and step inside the stall
.
I take a second to enjoy the blissful heat
against my cold skin,
then
grab the strawberry scent
ed
soap as
I
think more about Miss Kara
.
Will
she take
her freedom if I offer it, or would she be too afraid of the consequences should I fail
?

But failure is not an option, I remind myself.

After I shower,
I wrap a big fluffy towel around my
clean
body
and step into the room to find Miss Kara and Lawrence in deep conversation.
My ears perk when I take in the distressed look on Miss Kara’s face,
and I
try
to
tune into
what they’re saying,
but when they see me they instantly separate.

Miss Kara
rushes to me and
leads me to her grooming station
.
She
sits me in front of her big shiny mirror and
brushes out my
long
hair
before she trims the split ends.
Her tone is light and
conversation
al, and
we discuss things like
we
normal
ly do
, talking about everything and anything except
for
my time in the woods.
I
wonder if she’d open up to me if
Lawrence
wasn’t
stand
ing
guard at the door.

Once she has my hair dried, she stands me up and I
see a hint of worry in her
dark, chocolate
eyes as she
reaches for her most expensive perfume
and holds
it
just above my head
.
As she
gifts me with a
generous
squirt
, I don’t take pleasure in the
floral
bouquet
as
it rains down on me from above
.
Instead I
wonder why she’s being extra generous today
.
She usually on
ly
sprays
me
with perfume when I’m being sent out
to capture or kill a dangerous drug lord
, one
who dared to cross
the
master.

Since
I know the master doesn’t plan on letting me out of the compound anytime soon
, this show of generosity worries me
.
It also
begs the question, is she being nice because sh
e know
s
the
cruelties
that
li
e
ahead of me?
I
s this
her small way of trying to make things easier
for the master’s rebellious wolf
?

Once
she’s pleased with
the state of
my hair and makeup,
she hands me a pair of jeans and a
t-shirt
—the master likes for
his wolves
to look presentable when
we’re
brought to him
.
I pull them on, noticing how snug they feel now that I have curves
.
I don’t, however, get shoes.
S
hoes have laces and I can make all kinds of weapons with
laces
.

Miss Kara puts her hands on my shoulders and turns me toward
the
mirror.
Her eyes narrow
in thought
, a careful scrutin
y
as her gaze moves over my body
.

“Look at you,”
s
he says
in a soft voice meant for my ears only
.

I stare at my reflection
,
which is
almost unrecognizable
—e
ven to myself.
As I
wonder who th
at
young girl is looking back
,
I note that m
y
dark
eyes
, now lacking the
inky black
smudges
beneath
,
no longer look stark against my
skin.
My
long blonde hair
looks
healt
h
y
as it
fall
s
in wild waves around my face
and
I can’t help but think how much I look like an ordinary seventeen
-
year old girl
.
One who would easily
fit
into
the
crowd.

But
when I look closer, I see
something else in my eyes,
something that separates me from the teens I’d encountered when I was running in the
n
ational park.
 

“You look different.”

That statement catches me off guard and fills me with worry.
The last thing I want is for anyone to notice a difference in me.
In this prison survival means blending in.

“I fed on wild game when I was lost in the woods,” I hurry out.
“I’ve put on weight.”

Miss Kara
shakes her head, and her ponytail swishes from side to side
, slashing
against
her coffee
-
colored cheeks
.
“No,
” she says under her breath.
“I
t’s more
than
that
, Pride
.”

I don’t say anything
.
I can’t.
Because
I know she’s right
.
I also know that i
f
she’s notic
ing
the slight changes in me the
master will
,
too.
Which means I’ll have to work extra hard to desensitize and show no emotions in the face of the man I loathe.

“Pride?” she asks
with quiet concern
.

For the first time in my life I’m happy to hear
Lawrence’s
voice
when he
interjects
.
In a
lighthearted tone he uses
only
in front of Miss Kara,
he questions,
“Is
there a problem, Kara
?”

Miss Kara drops her hands
and when she turns to him I grab an elastic band from her grooming station and stuff it into my pocket.
I’m not sure what compelled me to do it.
Perhaps it’s because of Sandy.
Perhaps if I can fix her hair or show he some small gesture of kindness, she’ll see I’m not a selfish wolf who cares only about herself.
Or maybe it reminds me of the girls I met while I was running in Olympic park, and that reminds me of freedom.
And my mission to kill the master.

“No problem, Lawrence,”
Kara
returns easily
, her eyes cautioning me
whe
n
she turns back to face me and
fluffs my hair
with a little too much
enthus
iasm.
“Just a few finishing touches
and then we’re done
.”

B
ut
when
I
meet her glance in the mirror, and catch a whiff of her apprehension, I know she knows.
She knows I’m going
to
take out the master.
I tear my eyes away from hers
because I can’t allow anyone’s fear
s
to stand in my way
.