Pride's Pursuit (a Wolf's Pride novel, book three) (5 page)

when I do I get the sense of something very dark beneath the fragrant mask.
Something very dark indeed.

After a long, uneventful ferry ride, and an even longer night of driving along the Pacific
Coast highwaywe’re finally well on our way to reaching our destination. From the back of the
vehicle, I try to spend my time thinking and resting, understanding sleep might be hard to come
by in the next few days, but when the SUV hits a bump in the road it pulls me wide awake.

With a new day upon us, I give up on sleep and blink my eyes wide open. I tilt my head to
face the sun and as I drink in its mid-morning warmth, I let it seep under my skin, hoping it will
chase away the chill in my body, one, as of late, I simplycan’t seem to shake.

I crack my window and the crisp autumn wind whips at my face and blows my wild,
tousled curls into my eyes. Breathing deep, I tuck my hair behind my ears and inflate my lungs
until my chest is fully expanded. While the sharp intake fuels my blood cells and helps pull me
wider awake, it still doesn’t keep me from craving a hot cup of coffee, the hazelnut kind like
Mica, the elderly housekeeper who always tried to see to my needs, used to sneak me.

Off in the distance I catch hints of salty brine in the air and when the vehicle rounds the
corner and I glimpse the Pacific Ocean just over the embankment, my heart begins to race.
As it pounds rapidly inside my chest, it makes me feel lightheaded, but that doesn’t stop me
from sticking my head out the window so I can listen to the liquid surf crash against the rocky
shore.
As I take in the glorious sight—one that has always reminded me of freedom—my mind
races back to the time when I shared secrets with Logan. I think about that special night I
opened up to him, the night we talked honestly about our feelings and I told him what the
Pacific Ocean means to me.
Without conscious thought, my glance darts to the front of the SUV, my wolf seeking the
boy she once mated with. When I catch a pair of unguarded eyes staring back at me from the
rearview mirror, it produces a familiar fullness in my chest, one that has my wolf howling from
within.Logan’s smile is slow, the warmth in his ocean blue eyes every bit as warm as the
Pacific waters lapping nearby.But it’s the hint of vulnerability I see shimmering below the
surface that tells me he’s thinking about that night every bit as much as I am.
We exchange a long, thoughtful look, the bond we share evident in the way our eyes
connect. But as I think about the promise he once made to me, I realize so much has changed
since the full moon we spent in the cave.
We’ve all been through so much, seen too much for wolves our age, and I can’t deny that I
no longer feel like the young, naïve girl who ran through the woods with a powerful alpha—a
boy who taught me to hunt, feed. Survive. One who assured me that someday, when our fight is
over,he’d take me to the ocean to play in the sand and surf.
But as I think aboutthe war we’re about to face, and think about the things my father said
to me outside the mountain den, I can’t shake the uneasy feeling that our fight for freedom will
never be over. Before I can stop it, a low groan rumbles in my throat and draws Nova’s
attention. I turn from her probing eyes and diligently try to dismiss the frightening thoughts,
refusing to let my mind travel down that dark, dead-end path.
A movement in the seat directly in front of me gains my attention. I glance at Stone and
when I feel him surfing the outer edges of my thoughts, I mentally push back. Our gazes lock
and his haunted eyes search mine for answers, ones I simplydon’t have.
As emotions crowd me, I tear my eyes away to stare out the window, returning my focus to
the mission ahead. I think about what we could face at Lewis Lake, I wonder if the two alphas—
boys who are so completely different from one another—will be able to work together when the
time comes.
Or will their hate and distrust for one another end in bloodshed?
That thought has bile pushing into my throat. When my father announces from the front
seat that in a few hours we’ll be approaching our destination, I harden myself, and get my mind
back into the game of life and death.
We stop at a roadside gas station to fuel our vehicle as well as our stomachs. The master
used to think an empty stomach made me a better hunter, which is the main reason I want my
wolf full before trekking into the unknown.I don’t want hunger pangs distracting her, and can’t
take the risk that an empty stomach will drive her to do something I might regret later. At least if
I’m full, I’ll be better able to keep her settled and focused on our pursuit.
After swallowing down half a tuna sandwich, the rich creamy mayonnaise thick and
delicious on my tongue, I pop the cap on my can of soda. I take a huge gulp of the syrupy drink
and stretch out my stiff legs as I make my way across the wide expanse of black asphalt toward
the empty SUV.
From behind me a loud yelp pierces the air.I don’t need to turn back to know it’s the cry of
an agitated German Shepherd. The heavy metal chain clanking along the ground fills me with
horrific memories of my own collar as the dog bolts forward only to get yanked back inside the
mechanic’s bay beside the convenience store.
“We’ll be gone in a minute,” I whisper under my breath, understanding the animal is
threatened by the motley crew of wolves who’ve trespassed on its territory, and is reacting the
only way it knows how.
Not at all different from a boy I know.
When the mechanic yells at the dog and hauls him inside, I turn my attention to the fat,
ginger colored cat scurrying out from beneath a camper. It cuts across my path, stopping long
enough to hiss at me. With its fur standing on end, the cat arches its back in a defensive mode, a
failed attempt to make itself look bigger and frighten the big bad wolf away. Unable to help
myself, I bare my fangs, and when it runs across the busy parking lot and disappears under a set
of wooden steps, my wolf howls in juvenile delight, eager to take chase.
Except I don’t let her. Because the sight of the cat reminds me I have more serious matters
at hand. Like the deadly panthers that have been unleashed into the world. A fine shiver moves
through me as I take a moment to wonder what will become of them, and of the humans they
encounter. Then I once again think about the one panther that gave Gem her freedom, one that
went against nature, against its family. The same way some wolves go against their nature, and
turn their back on their packs to live rogue lives—the way my father had.
With that last thought tossing the sandwich around in my stomach and pushing a thick
clump of wet bread into my throat, I swallow hard, and shade the sun from my eyes. I nurse the
soda and strive to wash away the bitter taste lining the inside of my mouth and I catalogue our
surroundings to get my bearings. That’s when my father steps up to me.
Around a mouthful of mustard-covered hot doghe says, “I’ve been looking over the
coordinates, and Lewis Lake is well off the grid.I don’t think we should go in until after dark.”
I think about that for a moment.It won’t give us an advantage if we’re up against feral
panthers, but it could mean the difference between life and death if we stumble upon PTF
officers.I’m well aware that all hunters are equipped with night vision goggles, but our night
vision comes naturally, so the advantage is still ours.
“Okay,” I agree.
He gulps down the last of his food, and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before
turning his full focus on me. Dark eyes move over my face, assessing me.“What do you expect
to find there, Pride?”
“I don’t know, but since it’s our only lead Ithink it’s the crucial first step in figuring out
where Malcolm and the others are.”
“Are you prepared to do what you have to if you come across task force hunters?”
“I’m prepared to talk, to reason with them.To show them we’re not monsters.”
His brows collide as his forehead creases.“How do you expect to do that?”
“By not killing them,” I announce.
“And you think they’ll let you live, just because you spare their lives?” I open my mouth to
speak, but he cuts me off and says, “They’re dangerous men and this is what they’ve been
trained to do.It’s all they know and they enjoy it, Pride. It’s what they live for.”
I tilt my chin, but don’t miss the knot tightening in my stomach.“I changed the mind of
one,didn’t I?” As the words spill from my mouth, I wonder exactly who it is I’m trying to
convince. Him or me.Either way, Logan’s family is missing, and while I have no idea what is
waiting for us at Lewis Lake, I know it’s not in my nature to tuck tail and run in the other
direction.
Expression wary, my father pinches the bridge of his nose, his battle-scarred face twisting
in pain. I stare at him and my stomach sours in confusion.
Before I can ask what’s going on he says, “Let me ask you one thing.” He pauses for a
moment, and when he sees that he has my full attention, he asks, “What if you can’t change the
minds of many? What if this is a war that you can’t win?”
When I catch scent of his apprehension, old fears creep into my thoughts but I quickly
shove them out.“I can and I will,” I answer. I wave toward the rest of our pack who are still
inside the convenience store.“I promised them all freedom, the chance to live normal lives
outside the compound, and I plan on making that happen.”
Signaling my disinterest in carrying on with this conversation, because I can’t let his doubts
cloud my focus, I perch on the passenger seat and turn my thoughts to the maps sprawled out on
the dashboard. I run my finger along the highlighted path Logan has outlined and remember his
stake in all this. He has a family to find.
“Define normal, Pride?”
My father’s somber voice cuts through my thoughts like a silver blade, and my head jerks
up with a start.
“What?” I ask.
“Define normal,” he says again.
As I stare at him, he mops at a bead of sweat on his forehead and there is something so
profound, so darkly disturbing in his eyes when he looks past my shoulder to stare at the long,
black stretch of highway ahead of us, that it steals the words from my lips.
A warm afternoon breeze whips my hair around my face, and when my father exhales
slowly I catch a foul scent in the wind.I can’t pinpoint the rootof the odor, but I do know it’s
the same tainted stench that assaulted my senses when I spotted my father emerging from the
woods two nights ago.
Looking more tired than he did this morning, he circles the car and climbs into thedriver’s
seat beside me. As he slowly drums his fingers on the dashboard, a fine shiver moves through
me and my hackles spike. My wolf begins pacing, howling to break free and run. Even though
she doesn’t recognize the putrid scent clogging the cab of the vehicle, she doesn’t like it, doesn’t
like that it makes her feel restless, edgy.
Fearful.
I’m glad for the distraction when the others begin to file out of the convenience store and
walk toward us. When I catch Logan’s glance, Nova keeping pace beside him, he cocks his head
to the side. His eyes are questioning, distrustful, worried beyond his young years when he sees
my father sitting in the vehicle so close to me, which begs the question, what does Logan know
about my father thatI don’t?
As I mull that concern over for a moment longer, and think about our private conversation
outside the den the other night—when Logan assured me I’d soon learn about forgiveness—my
mind races with questions, mainly, why aren’t we all past the point of keeping secrets?
“We should go,” I say more to myself than anyone else, and while I want to question
Logan, to determine if he’s keeping something from me, I know now is neither the time nor
place, especially considering the way Nova continues to cling to him.
With that we all pile back into the vehicle. By the time we reach our final destination and
pull the SUV off the road to take a path into a remote area of the woods, the last ribbon of light
fades from the sky.
As darkness descends over the forest, we cut a bumpy path through the threadbare trees,
and drive until the dirt road narrows in on us. Once the vehicle stops Nova slides the door open
and I climb out behind her. I stand still for a long moment and listen to the night sounds. In the
far distance, I hear the familiar echo of a cannon sounding its last blast of the night, frightening
off any remaining birds from a local vineyard. A trickle of unease shivers through my
bloodstream.
We’re close, I realize. Far too close to my former prison for comfort, which once again has
me wondering why the name Lewis Lake strikes me as familiar.
I wrack my brain and search the recesses of my mind but my thoughts shift when my glance
lands on Sandy. I feel a moment of worry for her andcan’t help but wish the young girl was
better insulated from all this danger.Since she’s carrying a child, she should have been taken to
safety before this mission, but I do know that she’s right. She has lost as much as I have in this
senseless fight, maybe even more so, and needs to be a part of the battle to end the war on
wolves every bit as much as I do.
I take a moment to compose myself. Then, in my quest for information, I step over a fallen
tree and pull the scents of the forest into my lungs. Moving deeper into the dark woods, I can
feel the sky-scraping trees closing in on me from all angles, the canopy of leaves making it that
much more challenging to search for signs of danger.
With my pack at my back assessing the situation, I continue forward. Dry autumn leaves,
crisp and colored from the changing season, crunch beneath the soles of my oversized boots.
Animals scurry about, weaving their way around the trees, and birds take flight as we
intrude upon their domain. With the instinctive knowledge that we could be walking head first
into danger, I still for a moment, every nerve in my body on high alert.
Even though my wolf is fearless, eager to right wrongs, she knows better than to jump into
any situation without a plan of attack. But since I don’t know what we’re going to find out here
in the middle of nowhere, I’m unable to detail an outline, unable to strategize the best course of
action.
Needing to know what we’re up against, what sort of monsters will emerge from the deadly
darkness encroaching upon us, I hunker low and rub dry leaves between my hands, my wolf
feeding off the aroma of the forest.
I scan the area and search the ground for tracks, a hunting trick Logan taught me while we
chased game in Olympic Park. Squishing the leaves in my hand until they crumble, I bring them
to my and inhale. I let the various scents seep into my bloodstream, and when I catch a
distinctive smell, one that warns of death and danger, I jackknife to my feet and let loose a low,
distressed howl.
“What is it?” Stone asks, his eyes piercing the darkness around us as he steps up to me. His
gaze searches mine and I can feel him trying to read my thoughts.“Panther?”
I shake my head and brush the decaying leaves from my hands. As they fall to the ground in
a shimmer of color, I answer with,“No, but a female wolf has been through here recently, and
she’s frightened.”
Stone scents the woods and spins around in a circle to commit our current location to
memory.His voice is calm but I don’t miss the underlying urgency when he says, “We need to
move.Fast.”
I nod in agreement and with that he gestures for the others to follow. Using hurried
footsteps, I fall in behind him and while he takes the lead on this trek, Logan stays at the back of
the pack, keeping every one of us in his sight at all times.