Pride's Pursuit (a Wolf's Pride novel, book three) (14 page)

The panther flies backwards and I immediately do the one thing Logan asked me not to. I
purposely position myself between Logan and the cat, putting myself in the direct line of fire.
The cat hisses at me, and knowing I have to call on everything Logan taught me about
survival, I face this instinct-driven cat using both my heart and my head. I taunt it, pretending
it’s no threat by going down on my haunches to groom myself.
Reacting like I knew it would, it pounces and flies through the air at me, and because my
wolf is smallshe’s able to slide under its airborne body, and the cat slams to the ground behind
me with an audible thud.
I catch Stone rushing my way, but knowing this is my fight, I spin around before he can
reach me, before the cat can gain purchase. With all my strength, I grab its head and rip it clear
off its shoulders.
When its body goes limp, no longer able to hurt the boy I mated with, I hear someone shout,
“Stop!”

When that one word rings in my ears, my wolf registers the meaning and I glance up to see
a boy coming close. From his thick, dark hair and rich cognaccoloring, I know he’s a shifter.
A panther in a boy’s body!
I growl low and prepare to make short work of him so I can attend to Logan, knowing he’s
going to die on me if I don’t, but Gem jumps up from her crouched position near the house. She
yells at me but with my wolf in kill mode, I give a savage shake of my head to warn her away.
“
No, Pride. This is the boy who helped me,
” she says and quickly turns back to her human
form.That’s when I see Officer Sanford coming from around the house, and watch Malcolm
and the others climb to their feet, their collars now deactivated. I exchange a look with Officer
Sanford, and when I meet his eyes, I know the handler, and every panther except the one
standing next to Gem is dead.
With that I turn my back to the crowd and crawl toward Logan, my heart aching painfully.
“
Please, Logan,”
I cry, unable to keep the desperation from my voice.
“You have to shift
and heal yourself
.
I can’t lose you. I can’t
.” But as I plead with him, I wonder if he’s too far
gone, too weak to shift.
After a long agonizing moment, his eyes flicker open, and his breath is labored when he
says, “
You broke your promise
.”
“What are you talking about?”
I hurry out, trying to keep the panic at bay as I watch blood
gush from his neck. I put my paw over the wound, but there is nothing I can do to seal the gash.
“
You said you wouldn’t put yourself in danger because of me
.”
“
Logan
,” I cry out.“
You know I’m not about to stand by and watch you die.”
He nudges me with his muzzle and pewter eyes narrow as his voice goes serious.“
But you
promised and mates aren’t supposed to lie to each other, Pride
.”
I gulp air as his silver orbsmove over mine, and I don’t miss the way he calls us mates,
don’t miss the implication in what he’s saying, what he’s asking.
“
Please Logan, you have to shift. I need you
.”
“
I know you need me, Pride. I need you, too. But the thing is,I don’t just want to be the one
you need, I want to be the one you want
.”
I exhale a long, slow breath and with my emotions in complete turmoil I can’t stop myself
from blurting out, “
Logan, you
are
the one I want.You’re the one I’ve always wanted and
always needed.Don’t you see, it’s always been you. Always.”
With that Logan shifts, and as I watch the wound on his neck heal, and realize the cat only
grazed his jugular, I quickly return to my human form. Ignoring those around us we rush to each
other and cling like our lives depend on it, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I realize they
do. The voices in the courtyard fade to a distant buzz as we hold each other, drawing strength,
courage and love from our tight embrace.
His scent seeps under my skin and pulls a howl from my wolf. I grip him harder, my
fingernails biting into his skin while tears spill down my face. We stay like that for an endless
minute and I let my wolf take comfort in his protective arms, let her give herself over to this boy
completely, body, heart and soul.
After a long while, Logan pushes my hair off my face and says, “It’s going to be okay,
Pride.It’s all over.”
Gem steps up to us and hands us our clothes. Logan and I stay close, our bodies constantly
touching as we dress, and while I feel Stone surfing the outer edges of my thoughts, I can’t quite
bring myself to look at him, can’t quite deal with his emotions when mine are so out of control.
In need of a distraction while I get myself in check, I drag my shirt over my head and look
at all the spilled blood, all the senseless death and destruction, then turn to take one last glance
at the body of my father.
With my heart aching forthose I’ve loved and lost, every single thing my father said to me
over the last week resonates in my mind. He knew I had to go down a dark, dangerous road
before figuring out I could never change mankind. Our species will always be hunted. The best
we can do in this harsh world is to find a way to survive and work to define our
normal
.
Thinking of normal has me thinking of Officer Sanford and how he needs our help to
determine which wolves are rogues and which can be saving. Logan might have just told me it
was over, but I know it will never be over. Not for me.
It’s true that I want to stop fighting, especially since someday I want to start a family with
Logan, but how can I walk away from this war? How can I turn my back on those that need me?
As soon as that thought enters my head, Stone steps up to me.
“Pride,” he says, and there is nothing he can do to mask his emotions from me.
I look into his tortured eyes, hating how lost he is, and when I think about what he heard me
say to Logan, and think about how much that must have hurt him, sadness swells in my chest,
squeezing to the point of pain.
“Stone,” I choke out, having no idea where to begin. I reach out to him, expecting to find
anger and sorrow, but the strange, unfamiliar energy I discover instead catches me off guard and
has my wolf wailing.
Intense eyes full of deep understanding watch me for a long time and I feel him in my head
soothing my worries before he finally breaks the mounting tension and announces, “It is over for
you, Pride.It’s time for you to walk away from this.”
“What are you talking about?”
He briefly looks at Logan.“You’ve found your path, and now it’s my turn to find mine.”
My throat aches painfully as heartache sets my chest on fireand that’s when I realize he’d
been in my head earlier, and knew my choice long before this moment.
“Stone—”
“Your fight is over, Pride. I want you to travel to the Jasper Mountains with Logan and his
family so you can make the home you always wanted. I want you to livea normal life.”
“Stone, no,” I cry out.
He steps closer, his heat reaching out to me.“No, Pride.It’s want I want for you. All I ever
wanted was to keep you safe, you know that. And the only way I can ensure you remain
unharmed is if I hit the streets with Sanford. That way I can protect you from the outside.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, my rattled brain racing to catch up.
“I’m going to help him hunt, and I’m going to help him rescue kids like Blaze.” I stare at
him and that’s when I know why he blocked a portion of his thoughts from me. He knew how
this was going to end, knew I wasn’t going like the dangerous path he’s chosen.
But how can I stop him when he’s so desperately trying to find his way? I swallow, and
when I think about his strength of character, the incredible kindness inside him, my words lodge
in my throat.
“Besides, Nova is still out there and I can’t take the chance she’ll come after you.”
I open my mouth, but he cuts me off and says, “Don’t worry. I won’t kill her.” He shrugs,
“I guess on some twisted level I can understand why she did what she did. Love really can make
a person act crazy.” He pauses, then adds,“I think she’s trying to find her way every bit as much
as I am and you never know, maybe I can convince her to hunt with me.”
I grip his shirt and hold him tight, hardly able to believewhat he’s saying, hardly able to
believe he’s no longer going to be in my life.
His face softens and he brushes his finger over my cheek. He stares at me for a long time
before saying,“I once told you that I could never let you walk away from me again, that it
would kill me. But I want you to know I’m going to be okay, because this time, Pride,I’m the
one who’s walking away from you.”
A cry lodges in my throat as I listen and digest what he’s telling me. When I think about
him leaving my mind races back to my father’s mansion, to the time he paired Stone with
Officer Sanford.That’s when it hits me. My father knew. He knew what he was doing when he
matched Stone and the former PTF officer. He knew all along where I belonged, and knew those
two had a greater purpose. He was forging alliances, building trust and bonds, because my
future and the future of our kind depend on them.
Stone turns to Logan.“I was wrong about you,” he says.“You’re more than capable of
taking care of her.” His eyes flicker to Gem.“And everyone else.” As I watch him, watch the
hate leave his eyes, I understand how heroic and courageous he really is. When a small strained
smile turns up the corner of his mouth, I know an uneasy truce has been made between the two
most amazing guys in my life.
My throat closes over, tears spilling harder now.
Stone turns back to me, his dark eyes swimming with raw emotions.“If it were anyone else,
I’d never let you go, Pride.”
I choke and cling to him. Stone holds me for a moment, then grips my shoulders. He eases
back,and I feel Logan’s strong arm slip around my waist.
The two alphas stand eye to eye, then Stone puts his hand on Logan’s shoulder. As they
stare at each other Stone says, “Take good care of her.”
Logan places his hand on Stone’s shoulder. “You know I will.”
With that Stone backs up and gives a slow nod.“I do.”
“Take care of yourself, Stone.”
Stone’s glance goes from Logan to me and he says, “Take care of each other.” He turns
back to Logan.“Get her out of here, Sanford and I will take care of this mess.”
With that he turns from us and I stare at his retreating back as he walks toward Officer
Sanford. My heart lurches while I watch him go. I reach out to him mentally, to say one last
goodbye. To say what I should have said to him a long time ago. Thank you.
“
Stone
,” I yell and run toward him.
His movements still and he angles his head unnaturally, but when my call to him goes
unanswered, I suck in a sharp breathand wonder what’s going on.
“
Stone
,” I cry again, almost frantic as I search for him in the dark.
“
Hey
,” I hear, and spin so fast I nearly lose my balance.
“
Logan
?”

His smile is slow, and the warmth in his eyes runs so deep it washes over my soul and
brings a new kind of heat to my body. “
Yeah, Pride.It’s me
.”
“
Logan
,” I say my heart racing in confusion.“
You’re in my head. How? Why
?”
But then I remember what my father once said. Sometimes bonds are tested, broken even.
And it’s only then that new, deeper connections can be made.
“
Come here
,” he says.
I rush to him and he circles his hands around my waist to lift me clear off the ground. Warm
lips settle over mine and he whispers into my mouth.“It’s time for us to go find our normal,
Pride. Your fight is over.”

Sheer exhaustion takes hold and my lids fight to close as Logan drives the overstuffed SUV
back to my father’s house. From the passenger seat I angle my head to see him, and when he
offers me a warm smile full of love and kindness, my heart squeezes in my chest.

He holds my hand and I blink to keep my eyes open as I listen to Malcolm question the
panther that once spared Gem. When I learn of the atrocities committed against their kind, I
understand that when it comes right down to it, these panthers are just as innocent in all this as
we are—used as pawns in a world where greed rules.

The boy goes on to
explain that he wasn’t from the primitive village that the other shifters
had come from.He’d merely been captured in the crossfire. And unlike his pride in the African
jungle, where the human part of them knows the difference between right and wrong, there are
still many cat colonies out there that run on pure on instinct. Just like there are some wolves out
there who always let their primal side rule.

He has no idea how they were first found and recognized as shifters by men in America,
and doesn’t suppose he’ll ever know. All he knows is he wants to keep the others in his pride
safe, and the best way he knows how is by staying on American soil and stopping the hunters
before they set out to trap another.

As I think about that, and all that has happened over the last month, my lids slip shut. With
Logan beside me, keeping watch over me, I allow myself to drift off until we reach my father’s
estate.

Once we’re sure there are no other panthers stalking the compound, we m
ake our way up
the winding path. With the plan to spend one more night here to rest up before we take off to
Richmond’s Village in the Jasper Mountains, we all climb from the car. Once inside the house, I
talk quietly to the guards about my father as everyone makes their way to their rooms.

After speaking with the guards I walk to the kitchen while the others prepare for bed.
That’s
when I see a manila envelope on the table, addressed to me.
My pulse leaps as I pick it up. I carefully peel it open and when I glance inside to see a
stack of pictures, emotions bombard me, because deep in my heart I know. I know my father left
this because he never expected to come back.
Logan steps up behind me, “You okay?”
“I’m okay,” I answer and while I can’t bear to look at the photos, there is a part of me that
takes great comfort in knowing my father was watching over me all these years, the best way he
knew how.
I draw in a breath, and when I pull in the estate’s aroma and a different, yet familiar scent
fills my senses, a new calmness comes over me. As Logan stands with his back to my chest, and
my skin begins to prickle, I know my fight is not quite over.
I put the envelope down, and turn to Logan.“I need to be alone for a minute, okay?” While
it’s not a lie, it’s not entirely true either. But I need him to walk away, because the fight I’m
about to face is my fight and mine alone.
Logan hesitates for a moment, and I feel tension ripple through his body.“Okay,” he says,
and when he steps away, a chill moves through me, partly from the loss of his heat, and partly
from the scent that is souring my stomach.
I feel Logan hovering on the outer edges of my thoughts.He’s an alpha. A protector. I
know it’s not easy for him to step back and let me do what I have to do, but I love the faith he
has in my abilities, and love even more that while he’s walkedaway, he’s still staying close.
With movements that are swift and purposeful, I head straight to the kitchen drawer, and
pull it open.When I find what I’m looking for, whatI’d discovered days earlier, I spin around
and come face to face with the man from my nightmares.
“Pride,” he greets me, flecks of pewter puncturing his cruel eyes. Then he gives me a brutal
grin and I watch his bones shift, his body preparing to morph, to kill the young pup who has
given him nothing but trouble.“I should have known I could nevertake you by surprise.”
“Why?” I ask, my voice hard, my wolf waiting for the signal, but I don’t need my wolf for
this battle. No. The girl in me is going to take this fight on.“Why did you force Sandy to change
you?”
He grunts deep in his throat.“Come on, Pride. You’re smarter than that.”
I stare at his face and note how much he’s aged over the last few weeks and the sight of his
tired eyes has me thinking of my father.That’s when the pieces of the puzzle come together.
“You were sick,” I say. “You were dying.”
His grin is dark, menacing.“And now I’m not.”
“We can get sick and die, just like humans,” I challenge.
“Wolves live for centuries before old age kicks in, and with these new regenerative
abilities, I’m as healthy as ever.” Looking a bit bored by the whole conversation he says, “Okay,
let’s make this quick, shall we. I have things to do, and a few wolves to claim.”
When his eyes meet mine I know what he’s thinking, that he’s more powerful than me now,
and while I know better than to ever underestimate him, I know he’s still underestimating me.
That’s his first mistake.
I hold my ground.“Of course, old age and sickness isn’t the only way wolves can die. You
of all people know that.”
Eyes unafraid as they stare at me, he lets loose a bark of laughter, and I know he sees me as
no challenge. But when I take my hand out from behind my back, and he sees what I have, his
laughter dies an abrupt death. I keep my wolf settled as he drops to the floor and calls on his
wolf.
That’s his second mistake.
Because before he can complete his transformation, I rush at him and knowing I never
should have left anything to chance, never should have assumed those panthers had killed him, I
do the one thing I should have done in the first place.
I slap a collar around his neck.
His bark echoes off the walls around me, but his tortured cries are short lived.Because he’s
too inexperienced to know how to leash his wild side in the midst of transformation, and there is
nothing he can do to halt the shift from man to wolf, nothing he can do to prevent the collar
from snapping his neck.
As I look at him, I let loose a long, piercing howl and think of all those I’ve loved and lost,
all those who were tortured and abused by his hands.
All those I vowed to avenge.
I take in the unnatural angle of his head, and know in my heart that justice has finally been
served.
When I look up and see Logan in the doorway, his body, heart and soul reaching out to me,
I draw a deep breath, let it out ever so slowly and say, “Now it’s over.”