Pride Unleashed (a Wolf's Pride novel, book 2) (8 page)

I’m almost relieved when I see
that
it’s Mario coming to let the dogs out.
Mario has always been nice to me, but I can’t ever forget he’s one of them.

He stares at me
longer than
what’s comfortable
and
I see the strain in his eyes
, a new weariness that wasn’t there three weeks ago.
Holding his gaze
I stare back, fully aware that Sandy is watching us
with dark
suspicion
.
I
can only
chalk her distrust
up
to her current condition
, and th
at
she’s been
beaten and
broken
by a man
who
I’m going to enjoy destroying
.

“Welcome back, Pride,”
Mario
greets
and while his voice isn’t soft, it isn’t hard either.
H
is
focus
goes from me to Sandy, back to me again.
H
e
studies
me
carefully
, like he’s deliberating his next words.
“
Are you prepared for today’s obstacles?
” he
finally
a
sks
but I can tell he wants to say something else as
his
tense
glance
f
licker
s
from me
to the padlock
dangling on the outside of my cell
.

When the upstairs light glints on the shiny metal key, it occurs to me that the bolt is new.
I’m not sure why that’s important.
But some part of my brain registers that it is.
I store that information away for later as Mario i
nserts the
k
ey
into the lock
, but h
is hand slows
before he twists it
.
I can tell he’s waiting for my response
, some kind of sign that I
understand
what he’s saying.
 

Instead of
responding
I
take a second to
digest his
cryptic
words
.
As they settle in my brain
I get the distinct impression that he’s trying to
war
n
me about
something
.
Something that
has nothing
to do with
the obstacle course we’re forced
to compete on
every day
and everything to do with the master
.

Apprehension curls through me and o
nce again my hackles bristle
, my fearless wolf ready and anxious to face whatever danger lies ahead
.
As I acknowledge the
strange new energy
inside the mansion
,
I take a moment to wonder about the compound and all its secrets.

W
hat
’s
happened here since I’
ve
been gone?

As I peruse Mario it occurs to me he’s being extra cautio
us
around Sandy.
It’s clear
that
h
e knows she’s been broken.
But d
oes he know I’m not?
Is it possible that the handle
r
can be trusted?
When I go for his throat
to
overpower him
will he shoot to kill, or will he
back away and let me
take
my
freedom
?

He grabs my chain and I follow him out of the cage
.
I pad softly behind him, the cement so cold on the
sole
s of my feet they begin to ache
.
Once he has Sandy leashed, he guides us up the stairs, and this time I fully expect
him to take me
to the master.
When we reach the top, the cannon thunders outside the window and I
take a moment to
count the seconds between detonations
.
I checked the timing when I was outside scouting the estate, but it doesn’t hurt to check again, just t
o
be one hundred perce
nt
sure that the s
chedule hasn’t changed
since my escape
.

My stomach grumbles but I ignore the
warm
,
enticing scents of
bacon, eggs, sausage and my favorite,
hazelnut
flavored coffee
,
as they
fill the mansion
.
Mario leads us
into the kitchen, toward the
back courtyard
, and when it
become
s
clear that
he’s actually taking me outside, instead of
straight
to
the
master
’s office
, I
try to keep the surprise from my face.

Since putting ou
r
plan together
weeks ago
I’ve done nothing but f
ret over
my
initial meeting
with the ma
n I hate
,
fully expecting
a brutal, if not bloody, interrogation.
Armed with a
solid
, believable
story, I was prepared to spil
l lies
, knowing I’d have to
convince
him
of my loyalt
ies
before
he’d let me out to mingle with the others.

I almost breathe a sigh of relief
as I move toward the back door
.
Almost
.
B
ecause everything in my gut tells me it can’t be this easy.

Nothing i
n the compound i
s ever this easy.

Mica’s indrawn breath reaches my ears when she sees me
. Then she exhales sharply, reacting like she received a physical blow when she catches Sandy’s
dark
, feral
gaze.
She quickly
turns away
and pretends to
fuss with a stubborn loaf of bread
.

The housekeeper
has always been nice to me
too
,
giving me extra scraps of food when no one is looking
.
B
ut I don’t acknowledge her
this morning
.
Es
pecially since the master’s little watchdog is
walking right beside me,
studying
my every move with entirely too much interest.

Using the clock on the stove,
I
do a quick check of the time
a
nd realize it’s late morning as
I’m led out
side
.
Th
e hairs along my neck tingle in anticipation
because high noon will be here
before
I know it
, and I must ensure everything is in place
prior to that
.

When
I step onto the dewy grass,
the
heavy
, sultry air dampens my flesh
and beads of perspiration speckle my skin
, now tanned from my week running
along
the mountain peaks
.
As my thin nightgown clings to my moist body,
I tilt my head skyward
.
I note the four impenetrable stone walls surrounding us as I
observe
the dark clouds mov
ing
in from the north.

A storm is coming
.

An odd shiver moves through me, but t
he sound of a starter gun pulls my
focus
and I
jerk my head to the left in time to see two
male
wolves take to the obstacle course, both
eager
to win
the race
so they won’t have to dine on scraps
tonight
.

Mario removes the
collar
from around my neck.
“Get yourself ready,” he says, then turns his attention to
Sandy.

I
take that time to
gather my bearings a
nd
s
can the courtyard,
keeping my face blank as I
anxiously
sear
ch
for Logan
and pray
that
he’s okay
.
But when my search turns up empty and I
realize
just
how
jam-packed
the
yard
is
,
m
y senses go on high alert.
I
carefully
study the
herd
of
stranger
s
, their
face
s
and scents
unrecognizable to me.

After a quick tally I estimate
there to be
at
least twenty new shifters in the crowd.
As I
watch
them,
and note the
probing
way they
’re all
looking back at me, intuitive intelligence
warn
s
me
that
the
m
aster is
building
himself
an
army.
A
nd a
very powerful one
, at that
.

Realizing a compound full of newcomers isn’t
something I
had accounted for,
something that could very well hinder
my plan
, panic bursts inside me
.
D
esperate to find Stone,
I look
through the throngs of wolves, who are all in various stages of shifting
.
Not only do I need
Stone’s
help, I want answers.
Where did all these werewolves come from, and why does the master need them?

All around me deep guttural h
owls mingle with
quiet
conversation and
as
the noise ebbs and flows
through the heavy air
I
lift my chin to tak
e in the six trigger happy guards manning the grounds from their
stony
perch
high
above us.

As I
study the
new wolves
,
one
of them
nudges me from behind.
I spin, but
receive a blow to the
shoulder
that has me whirling back around.
Air rushes from my lungs with an oomph and my teeth clench hard.
B
efore I can regain my balance, a
bump to
my
left hip
causes me to
stumbl
e
.
Twigs gnarl between my toes and pain zings up my leg.
F
earing I’m about to hit the ground with an undignified thud,
I widen my stance
and let my nails elongate
.

My wolf prepares to attack,
anger boiling deep and heavy in her belly
.
B
ut
before
she
can
shift
into her primal form and
challenge whoever
is crowding
her
, a fist
ful of d
irt is
thrown
into my face
.
I howl, and as th
e sound of my
nightgown rip
ping mingles with my
dark
yowl
it
becomes
glaringly apparent t
hat I’
m under attack.