Pride's Pursuit (a Wolf's Pride novel, book three) (3 page)

Logan’s mouth tightens in genuine concern as he guides her to the sofa. He sits beside her
andI don’t miss the possessive way she looks up at him.While I know he’s the alpha, respected
and admiredby all, I can tell that he’s especially meaningful to her. I think back to the time that
Logan told me his name means hollow, like a tree hollow or branch, one that provides a habitat
for others.He’s a protector and I know hedoesn’t take his role in the pack lightly.
His voice is low, quiet when he asks, “Do you think you’re ready to talk?”
When she nods, Stone and my father move to stand by the small kitchenette counter while
Gem, Sandy and I perch on the edge of the cushy mattress. With all eyes trained on Nova we sit
quietly and listen as Logan asks the question I’m most anxious to hear.
“Did Malcolm and the others find their way back here?”
When she answers with no, her words ring hollowly in my head and Idon’t know whether
to feel worry or relief. The fact that Malcolm and his small armyhaven’t made it back means
they weren’t part of the carnage. But it also means they are still out there somewhere, either
caught by the PTF or running from ferocious panthers.
Either way, if there is a chance they’re still alive, I have to go back to help. And whileI’m
there, maybe Ican convince the PTF that we’re not what they think we are, and that we can be
productive members of society.
When I think about confronting the PTF an uneasy shiver slithers though me and in that
instant Logan’s eyes briefly meet mine. He studies me carefully like he knows what I’m
thinking, what I’m planning. His legs widen and he runs damp palms along his jeans before he
turns the questions back to Nova.
“There has been no sign of them at all?”
“Nothing,” she says, her long black hair flaring around her pretty, sun-kissed face as she
gives an adamant shake of her head.
“Okay,” Logan says and exhales a frustrated sigh before redirecting the conversation.“Did
you get a good look at who did this?”
She nods.“The PTF.”
Logan’s fists clench and I can hear his blood rush faster, but he keeps himself in careful
check, the way a good leader always does. But as Nova delivers the blow, confirming what I
already suspected, I realize she’s not telling Logan anything he doesn’t already know either. Has
her news brought back painful memories of the way the officers killed his parents years ago? Or
does his worry stem from something else?
I watch his throat work as he swallows.“What happened to the others?”
Hands folded on her lap, Nova’s gaze drops to the floor and there is real sadness on her face
when she says, “Some didn’t make it.”
Logan closes his palm over hers.“And the others?”
“They fled.” Her eyes widen, then turn hopeful as they lock back on Logan.“Maybe they
went to Richmond’s Village in the Jasper Mountains.”
Logan’s nod is slight, but his voice sounds unconvinced when he answers with, “Let’s hope
so.”
SuddenlyNova’s words sink into my brain, and as I digest what she’s actually saying my
pulse leaps. If there really are other compounds such as this one, then it’s quite possible that
someday we could reach one and all live normal lives.
Logan’s next question catches me off guard and my heart stills as I wait for an answer.
“Why didn’t you go with them?”
I catch a moment of hesitation beforeshe speaks and it’s that hint of uncertainty that has me
wondering if she’s being completely truthful.
“I couldn’t,” she hurries out, her voice rising an octave.“They had me trapped.”
Logan goes silent for a moment, and scrubs his hand over his chin.“Which brings me to my
next question,” he says quietly.“Why did they let you live?”
She shifts unnaturally on the sofaand I can tell she’s uncomfortable and trying to hide it.
Her eyes cast down in thought before she grips the hem of her sweater. With a quick tug, she
pulls her shirt up to expose a deep purple scar near her hip. Collective gasps cut the silence
because every wolf in the den knows there is only one thing that can cause such an ugly wound.
Silver.
“They shot me, and left me for dead. But lucky for me, the bullet only grazed my hip and I
was able to gouge out the flesh around the wound before any of the poison could seep into my
blood.”
There is cold calculation in her gaze, but from the captivated looks on everyone’s facesit’s
clear I’m the only one who sees it. It does, however, have me thinking more about the PTF.
From what I know about them, they rarely miss their mark and always verify their kills. So why
didn’t they ensure she was dead?
When a tremble moves through her, Logan puts his arm around her shoulders.“Okay,” he
says, soothing her in a soft tone.“It’s okay, Nova. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
She makes a tortured noise, and that’s when I see tears clinging to her dark lashes.
“How…how do you know?” she asks, her voice trembling slightly.
Logan reacts to the fear in her and drags her closer.“Because you’re with me now. And as
long as you’re with me, nothing is going to happen to you.”
With that, she blinks the water from her eyes and gives him a big smile. Even though I
know Nova is in need of comfort, and Logan is her alpha, the wolf in me doesn’t like the way
they’re connecting, the way he is empathizing with her. I fight down the tightness in my throat,
grab a pillow and plump it with my fists.
“There is something else,” she announces.
I sit up straighter, eager to hear what else she has to say.
“Before they left I heard one guy talking on his cell phone.” She pauses to give a shiver.
“He said something about feral panthers.”
Gem and I exchange a knowing look. Thanks to one panther, she managed to escape and
make it to safety while the rest of her family was chased through the mountains. We know so
very little about these shape-shifters, but one thing we do know is that they run purely on
instinct and the human part of them lacks our sense of right and wrong. Which makes them a
very dangerous enemy.
Then again, I can’t forget about the one who let Gem go. So maybethey aren’t all blood-
thirsty monsters like we believe, and maybe if given the chance they can be taught control, and
eventually live normal lives.
“And a few minutes later the men all took off,” Nova adds, pulling my thoughts back.“I
think they were going after them.”
Logan gives a slow shake of his head, like he’s piecing together the chain of events.
She delivers her next words slowly, as if to emphasize the importance of them. “I also heard
them talking about a placecalled Lewis Lake.”
Lewis Lake?
I search the recesses of my mind, trying to figure out why that name sounds so familiar to
me. Was it a place where I’d once hunted and killed a deadly drug lord, or was it simply a
geographical location taught to me by Miss Kara, the lady who educated my old master’s
enslaved wolves?
I’m not sure. But what I do know is that this whole situation feels off. There is something
about Nova that I can’t quite put my finger on.I don’t know what it is, or what she’s up to, if
anything, but I definitely plan to find out.

As rain begins to patter on the roof of the den, I inch my eyes open and glance around the
tight confines of the cabin. I have no idea what time it is, but judging from the angle of the near
full moon as it briefly cuts through a heavy cloud to peak into our only window, I’d hazard a
guess that it is well past midnight.

The air around me grows heavy, suffocating, and after experiencing freedom in the
mountains, my wolf growls low, hating the claustrophobic feeling closing in on her.
Haunting memories of being held captive in my small cage come rushing back, and I
quickly rise up from my crouched position on the hard floor. My body protests as I stretch my
limbs and my joints pop and twist while I pad silently across the wooden slats.
My glance moves over Gem, Sandy and Nova who are all curled up on the mattress, to
Logan and Stone who are both hunkered down and asleep near the door.I don’t miss the fact
that the sofa is empty, my father nowhere to be found.
Even though I know I should be sleeping, because something tells me I’m going to need my
strength in the days to come, I step over Stone and hear Logan mumble something in his sleep. I
still for a brief moment, then once I’m sure they’ve both settled back into a deep slumber, I pull
on a pair of snow boots left by some previous tenant, twist the door open, and step outside.
The cool wind hits my face like a hard slap, pulling me wide awake, and big, heavy
raindrops spill over my body and plaster my long, blonde curls to my head. I shiver as I blink a
fat droplet from my eyelid and edge away from the den, not wanting to wake the others.
The heavy snow, now wet and slushy from the downpour, squishes beneath my oversized
boots. Without conscious thought I wrap my arms around my body and hug my sweatshirt tight,
all the while ignoring the fact that it’s far from waterproof and the thick cotton is growing
heavier by the minute.
Moving silently I walk to the edge of the cliff and glance down, taking note of the unnatural
silence around me. Deep in the valley below the flames are all but gone, murky smoke polluting
the air and obscuring the fire-ravaged village.
A branch cracks behind me, heraldingsomeone’s approach. Using slow careful movements
I turn around and brace myself, my eyes peering into the inky night as I breathe deep to drag in
the intruder’s scent.That’s when I spot him. A tall shadow emerging from the dark forest. My
father’s glance moves to mine, and he advances with purpose, the air around him awash with
blood.
Fresh blood.
But it’s not the blood from any animal I’ve ever encountered. This blood is foul. Rancid.
Diseased.
A strange sound gurgles in the back of my father’s throat and when he moves closer I
nearly gag from the sickly odor that comes with him. I catch a streak of crimson trickling down
his chin before he quickly swipes it away.
He puts his bloodied hands behind his back as if to obscure them from my vision, but it’s a
failed attempt to hide them from my probing eyes.
“I take it you can’t sleep either,” he says.
Realizing he’s trying to redirect my thoughts, I look past his shoulders and search the
ground. But when my glance comes up empty, no dead carcasses in the near vicinity, I ask,“Are
you hunting?”
“Deer. But it got away.”
I give a dubious look and I’m about to press, but when he asks, “What now Pride?” my
brain shifts focus.
For a moment silence hangs heavy as I turn my attention back to the destroyed village. A
long while later I break the quiet.
“I can’t stop thinking about what happened to Logan’s family.” As the fight for life and
death plays out in my mind’s eye, cold shivers move through me, twisting and knotting me up
inside.“What if they’re all…” My words fall off as guilt gnaws a hole in my gut.
“No one is blaming you,” he says, as if he can hear the internal struggle going on inside my
head.
Surprised by his insight, I jab my thumb into my chest and fight back the urge to yell my
next words.“I’m blaming me.”
“Why is it you think this is your fault, Pride? The PTF didwhat they’ve been trained to do.
Seek and destroy.”
I spin to face him.“What they’ve been trained to do is wrong.” When he hesitates, and
doesn’t jump in and agree with my convictions, I wave my hand toward the valley below and
this time there is nothing I can do to stop myself from shouting my response.
“What? You think this innocent pack deserved to be burned from their homes, or worse,
burned to death?”
“No. But not all wolves are good, Pride. Just like not all humans are. I suspect there is no
way for the PTF to know the difference.”
My gaze darts to his and since he opened the door to this conversation, I decide it’s time to
grab hold of the knob and tear it clear off its hinges.
Holding no punches, and glaring at the man whose blood rushes through my veins, I say,
“This insight comes from your own wolf experiences, I presume.” Not only do I want to rip
open the secrets between us, I want to toss them on the ground and stomp on them until they can
no longer hurt me.
The truth is, when I made the decision to get to know my father, I knew it wasn’t going to
be easy. Lessons learned have taught me that
nothing
in this life is ever easy. But in order to
face my future, I know I have to understand where I came from. In order to do that I have to
confront my past, no matter how dark it is, or how much I might hate what I might discover.
And right now, whether I like it or not, my traitorous father is the only connection I have to my
heritage.
“Yes,” he says honestly, his voice deathly quiet.“I know this from experience.” He takes a
small, tentative step toward me.“I’ve done things. Things I’m sorry for. Things I hope you’ll
one day forgive me for.”
Anger hits with the force of a hurricane wind.“You say you left the compound to protect
us, so the master couldn’t use your empathy against us. Fine. I accept that.But that didn’t stop
you from harnessing other wolves and using them to do your killing.”
“I didn’t just leave that compound to protect you. I left so you’d never become like me.”
“And by
‘like you’
do you mean a traitor to your kind?”
“I got involved in things that weren’t easy to get out”
I press my palms to my temples.“Then, why now? Why, after all these years did you
decide to come back?That’s the part I don’t understand.”
We exchange a long look, then he answers with, “Because it was time.”
Frustrated by his cryptic answer, I spit out, “What is that supposed to mean?” My feet
stomp in the slush and I hug my damp sweater to my chilled skin.“That’s not even an answer.”
As I pace to the jagged edge of the cliff, I listen to the rain gush down themountain’s rock face
and wonder what it is he’s still not telling me.
He steps up beside me and glances at the sky. His eyes are distant, like he’s remembering
something from the past as rain soaks his face.“I never meant to hurt you,or your mother.”
When I think about my mother, I gulp air, a tortured sound catching in my throat.
“I want the hurting to stop,” I say around the lump lodged in my esophagus. I wave my
hand toward the valley below.“I want all of this to stop.”
We stay like that for a long time, both lost in our own thoughts, then my father finally
breaks the quiet by saying, “I know there is nothing I can do or say to keep you from going back
to California, but when you do, I need you to remember one thing.”
I stare at him, and wait for him to elaborate. Once again silence ticks on for an endless
moment until I finally say, “I’m listening.”
“You can’t ever forget what’s in your nature, Pride. You can’t ever forget that sometimes
you have to let your wolf rule.It’s the only way we can preserve our species.”
I give a savage shake of my head, wanting to leave that part of my life behind me.“I’m not
an assassin. Not anymore.”
“I’m not suggesting you are.”
“I just want to be free and live a normal life.That’s why we all came here.”
“Look Pride, what I’m trying to say is that there are two sides of you. I know you want to
live a normal life, that of a typical teenage girl, but you can’t ever forget the primal side of you.
It’s what makes you who you areand it’s what keeps you alive.”
I think about that side of me, the brutal wolf that killed on command. My stomach sours and
I turn my back.“Not anymore.”
“Don’t be so sure. When the time comes, your wolf will know a split second before you do
what needs to be done. You need to listen to her.”
I spin back around and stare at him.When I realize what he’s suggesting, I ask, “Are you
implying that I should kill all the PTF?Wouldn’t that simply confirm their theory that we’re
monsters?”
“All I’m saying is you have to know when to let the animal side rule and when to let the
human side take control.” His eyes cloud with something that resembles remorse and I wonder if
that trace of regret is for things he’s lost or things he’s going to lose.“It’s important. For your
future. And the future of the pack.”
While I don’t really know what he’s getting at, I do knowthat I’m not going to kill anyone.
My hands are stained with enough blood as it is.
Exhausted, I turn back around, and when my glance lands on Logan, I stiffen, a gasp
catching in my throat.
Exercising caution, he takes a step toward me. His face is drawn tight, his eyes feral.“You
shouldn’t be out here.”
As he approaches, I take note of the quiet distrust in his eyes as he glares at my father—a
reminder that my father once kept Logan caged in his underground prison. I understand the
hatred and suspicion Logan feels toward the man who betrayed our trust, the trust of our kind,
and in no way do I blame him for it.
While I chose to stand by my father, to get to know him,the choice wasn’t made because I
trust him.I don’t. But everything in my gut tells me that he’s the key to my past, which is the
key to my future, and that I have something very important to learn from him, something only a
father can teach.
I don’t know what that somethingis, and it’s quitepossible that I’m wrong, but I’m not
about to miss out on an opportunity to learn. Knowledge isn’t only power, it’s the fundamental
answer to surviving in this new world.
Unease moves over Logan’s face as he breathes deep, and I wonder if he’s catching traces
of that same fetid odor that assaulted my senses earlier. A moment later something in the alpha’s
expression changes, softens. He sucks in a sharp breath and it startles the nocturnal animals and
sends them into hiding. Twigs snap and cut the silence as Logan and my father glare at one
another.
“What?” I ask, my glance darting back and forth between the two.
Logan opens his mouth like he’s about to speak, then something passes between the two,
some unspoken message, some level of understanding that leaves me confused.
When Logan closes his mouth, my father relaxes slightly and turns to me.“Get some sleep,
Pride.Tomorrow night’s the full moon and we all need to be prepared.” With that he disappears
inside the den, leaving Logan and me outside. Logan steps up to me and his steady hands rake
my wet hair back off my face as he assesses me.
“Are you okay?”
I want to ask what just happened between him and my father but when he uses the soft pad
of his thumb to swipe the rain from my face my words lodge in my throat. His gentle touch
combined with the deep concern in his eyes has my stomach clenching and my heart pounding
hard against my ribcage.
“Come on,” he whispers.I don’t budge as he stands over me, looking so big, so strong. So
male. A shiver of awareness awakens my wolf and it’s all I can do to keep her leashed. “Your
father is right. You need rest. We all do.”
I look past his shoulder and when I think about going back inside the cabin I feel a moment
of panic.“I don’t want to go back in there.” I stop and look skyward.“I want to be out here. It
feels less…”
I pause, looking for the right word, but Logan comes to my rescueand says, “Confining.”
“Yeah, confining,” I agree, thinking about how astute he is and how well he can read me,
even without a mental connection.
“Okay, come on.” He captures my hand in his and guides me to the den where he uses the
wooden overhang to keep the rain from reaching us. With my back pressed against the exterior
wall, he inches toward me and his close proximity pulls a shiver from deep within. Feeling
suddenly breathless, I lick a raindrop from my lip as my glance moves over his face.
His eyes drop to my mouth and for a minute I think he’s going to kiss me. Goosebumps
break out on my flesh when he grips the hem of my drenched sweatshirt.I don’t miss the hunger
in his touch when he rubs the wet material between his fingers. It’s that raw ache of need in his
eyes that has me remembering the gentle way he once explored every inch of me, the intimate
way he cared for my body that night in the cave.
Intense blue eyes examine my face and he pushes against me, transferring warmth between
our damp bodies.
“Take this off,” he says, his voice low, throaty as he pulls my sweater from my waist.
The soft pad of his thumb scrapes over my trembling skin and as his heat reaches out to me,
his warm breath chases the chill from my body. My pulse pounds at the base of my neck and a
deep primitive sound rises from the depths of my throat as my wolf reacts to his primal essence
and animalistic scent.
“Logan,” I manage to push past my lips.
He inches back and I immediately miss his heat. But when he begins to peel his raincoat
from his shoulders, I realize he has mistaken my shiver for something else.
He clears his throat, his lips hovering close but never touching mine.“You’re soaked and
you need to get out of these clothes and into something dry.”
My hand touches his face. “Logan,” I begin, not really sure what I’m going to say. Not
reallysure what I’m asking of him, or even if I have the right to ask it.
His big palm closes over my hand, his eyes searching mine, seeking answers.“Pride,” he
says and I don’t miss the emotions clouding his stormy blues when he continues, “You know I
love you. You know I’m going to fight to the death for you, don’t you?”
I instantly think about that night at the compound. When I found out about my father’s
betrayal and took comfort in Stone’s arms.
“Logan…I…” A look passes between us and everything in his expression tells me he
knows what I’m thinking, what I’ve done, and what I’m trying to say.
“Shh,” he whispers as he helps me from my sweater.“It’s okay.”
“I didn’t mean…” My words die on my lips as I stand before him with my body and heart
exposed.Even though I’m still half dressed, I’ve never felt so naked. So vulnerable.“I never
meant…”