Pride's Run by Cat Kalen

offers me, but
I’m so hungry I feel faint. If I try to escape when I’m this light
headed, I wouldn’t make it ten feet out the front gate.
    After a quick consultation with myself, I
slowly reach for a finger sandwich, then lean back in my seat to
eat it.
    “What have I done to deserve this?” I
cautiously ask around a small bite.
    The master props one elbow on his desk and
scrubs his hand over his chin as he studies me. As I stare at him,
I see an element of desperation on his face, one I’ve never ever
seen before. It piques my interest and has my wolf stirring.
    “It’s not what you’ve done. It’s what you’re
going to do.”
    Not at all surprised by that answer, I force
myself to chew slowly, even though I want to gobble it up and go
for another. I continue to eat and try not to fidget, anxious to
find out what’s so important to the master that it’s forced him to
call on his best tracker.
    Finally he says, “I have a job for you.” When
he leans forward and narrows those deadly eyes, I can smell
something on him that I’ve never smelled before. Fear. It teases my
wolf and triggers my senses.
    As if to emphasize the importance of his next
point, his voice takes on a hard edge when he adds, “And I need you
to follow my orders exactly.”
    I swallow the rest of my tiny sandwich and
gauge the master as I reach for another. He doesn’t stop me and the
fact that he’s letting me have seconds can mean only one thing. He
doesn’t want my wolf ravenous during this hunt, doesn’t want my
carnal hunger getting the better of me. Whoever this mark is, he
must be needed alive and that makes me curious. What threat does
this mark pose to my master? How much would my master suffer if I
purposely screwed this job up on him?
    Then another thought strikes, and I nearly
choke on my next bite.
    The master is sending me out!
    I can hardly believe it. After delivering
yesterday’s news, why would he take such a huge risk and allow me
to leave the compound? I don’t ask because I already know the
answer. I’m the best tracker he has and this mark is important. But
does he not understand that he’ll be helping me past my first big
roadblock, the electric fence?
    Excitement wells inside me and I try to keep
my face expressionless, I don’t want the master to know what I’m
thinking, but the telltale gleam in his eyes speaks volumes.
    He knows I’m going to run.
    The master gives me a small, shrewd smile
that holds no humor. “I’m sure you’re smart enough not to try
anything foolish.”
    Just then I hear voices in the courtyard. I
glance out the window in time to see Mario lead Jace and Clover
past the window. The bottom falls out of my world when
understanding hits like a hard blow to the stomach. Air rushes from
my lungs and my last vestige of control snaps like a taut wire.
    “No!” I bark out, when I see the weariness on
Clover’s face. Her glance locks on mine and she mouths something to
me. Something that sounds like run.
    My heart seizes and I draw a savage breath.
It’s clear they know my fate—they also know theirs—yet they still
want me to run, to fight back, to take over where my parents left
off. They’re willing to accept the punishment that comes with my
disobedience.
    Rage unfurls inside me and a growl rips from
my lungs as I jump to my feet, but the gun cocking behind me is the
only thing preventing me from shifting and crawling over the desk
to tear flesh from bone.
    Lawrence closes in from behind. “Easy,
kitten.”
    My chest heaves as I glare at my master, my
wolf scratching at my insides as she struggles to free herself.
    He taps his fingers on his desk as we stare
at each other, a silent battle of wills. A long moment passes
before he asks, “Do we have an understanding, Pride?”
    I don’t answer. I can’t. Instead, I continue
to glare at him, chaos erupting inside me as the contents in my
stomach churn and rise in my gut.
    Believing he still has the upper hand, my
master pulls