Read Online Pride's Run by Cat Kalen - Free Book Online Page B

him, and I can’t help but notice how strikingly
handsome he is. Dressed in a navy t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans
it should be easy for him to blend and lose himself into the crowd.
But he doesn’t. At least not to me.
    When my body reacts strangely, I give a quick
shake of my head to clear it, hardly able to believe my reaction to
this boy.
    This mark.
    My gaze travels back to his face and haunted
eyes with a lifetime of secrets lock back on mine. Foreign
sensations erupt in my stomach when he blinks dark lashes over
liquid blue eyes. I swallow. Hard. Because there is something about
those vibrant blue eyes of his that remind me of the Pacific
Ocean—remind me of freedom.
    I sit there and try to still my heart, and
despite everything warning me to, I can’t seem to pull my glance
away, can’t seem to turn from him. What is it about this boy that
holds my attention and fills me with curiosity, fear?
    I take a moment and wonder what he sees when
he looks at me. Does he see a young runt, eyes too big, lips too
full and skin too pale? Or does he see a girl? One, who, under
different circumstances he might approach and ask to buy a soda.
One he’d consider bringing home to meet his parents.
    My heart beats faster and I can feel my chest
rising and falling as I get lost in that girlish thought. For a
moment I forget who I really am. For a moment I allow myself to
dream. But when reality comes creeping back, like it always does. I
fist my hands until my nails penetrate flesh. I’m not a normal girl
and I can never have a normal life.
    Get your head back in the game, Pride.
    Rattled, I work to harden myself, to focus,
but when his lips turn up at the corner, the hairs on my nape
tingle, like they always do when my wolf senses danger. Then it
suddenly occurs to me—he knows. He knows what I am! And he
knows why I’m here. My blood rushes and my animal instincts go on
high alert.
    I narrow my eyes suspiciously and study him
harder. He, in turn, lazily drums his fingers on the scarred
tabletop and inspects me. His glance is tentative, searching,
deeply probing and I don’t miss the curious lift of his dark brow
as we size one another up.
    For some reason I get the distinct impression
that not only does he know what I am, but that he’s been waiting
for me. My ears perk as I listen to the blood in his veins. It’s
slow and steady, a telltale sign that he’s not afraid, at least not
of me.
    With confidence oozing off him in waves, he
continues to drum his fingers and I shift on my stool,
uncomfortable under his careful scrutiny and concentrate on the one
question that keeps circling around inside my head.
    Who is this boy?
    I take in his face, his brown,
shoulder-length hair, the pretty flecks of pewter in his blue
eyes—tiny flecks of pewter that weren’t there a moment ago.
    Oh no!
    My body tenses and it takes every ounce of
strength I have to keep from flying out of my chair, shifting
mid-air, and pouncing on the boy who is studying me with intimate
recognition. Because this boy isn’t a boy at all.
    He’s a wolf.
    A shifter, like me!
    But he’s not just any shifter. He’s an alpha.
One who is dark and dangerous and could tear my head clear off my
shoulders before I could even think about bolting.
    My heart drums in my ears and as I tear my
gaze away my survival instincts kick into high gear. I need to
move. I need to run. I need to do something.
    My glance flutters around the room to catch
sight of my bodyguard. He’s watching me, but he’s also watching the
cute brunette two tables over. My pulse pounds so hard in my neck I
fear some vital organ in my body might explode. But I can’t think
about that right now. Because right now, with my guard’s attention
diverted, this might be my only opportunity to run. I wet my dry
lips and swivel on my chair, calculating how long it will take for
me to reach the back exit. I’m fast, but my mark looks faster.
    Moments before I’m ready to bolt I steal one
last look