Prowl (Winter Pass Wolves Book 3) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Vivian Wood, Amelie Hunt
fools, they had no idea that they were here in front of her right now because of her own machinations. "Where are we going?"
Avery's mouth was a little dry as she said it. This was the tricky part, the part where she assumed that her uncle would summon her into the command center and test her loyalty, rather than just sending her straight to the black site. He was more and more unpredictable these days, so it's hard for Avery not to hold her breath while she waited the answer.
"The War Room. Get moving, and don't try anything. I've been itching to put one of my new silver bullets into one of your kind, bitch."
Avery's brows arched at his language, but she merely rose without a word and followed the men to the main command building. Her fingers itched with the need to slip her hand in her pocket and touch the USB drive she’d tucked away there, which was the last thing that she should do right now. Her uncle was paranoid, in this case rightly so. That USB drive held a ghosted copy of her uncle’s most important computer files, the theft of which had taken Avery over a month. The information contained there was going to start the revolution, the end of his reign with the Hunters and the entire movement as well.
Avery wrinkled her nose at the wash of air-conditioning on her skin as she stepped into her uncle's quarters. Every other building at the Compound was bare-bones, metal furniture bolted into cement. Not the command building though, the place where the men in charge spent all their time. Here it was all dark wood and air-conditioning and Persian rugs, food serves by a private chef, aides and maids and bustling secretaries running around.
One such secretary was waiting just outside the massive oak double doors of the War Room, all done up in a pencil skirt and pearls, the anathema of the female Hunter soldiers. Avery tugged at the hem of her ratty black T-shirt, wondering what it would feel like to wear those kind of clothes again, to put on lipstick in the morning, to dress any damn way she pleased. Must be nice.
Then again, judging by the bitchy smirk on the secretary’s face, this woman probably got her position by sleeping with Avery’s uncle and who knows how many other of his commanders. Yeah, forget it. Avery would rather wear a potato sack the rest of her life think kowtow to the Hunters.
"You can go straight in,” the secretary said, stepping back to give Avery a wide berth. "Dr. Burke is waiting for you."
As the secretary yanked the War Room door open, Avery suppressed a roll of her eyes. Dr. Burke now, was it? She doubted that very much. The thought was swept away when she stepped into the war room and found her uncle at one end of the long steel conference table, flanked by four of his cronies on each side.
Looking like nothing so much as an oversized salt-and-pepper-haired weasel stuffed in a black pseudo-military dictator’s uniform, her uncle waited, fingers steepled and expression unreadable.
To her surprise, her uncle muttered leave us , and the War Room quickly emptied. He regarded her with a chilling glance, taking several long moments before he spoke.
"You're very lucky, Avery. You know that, don't you?" he asked.
Avery dropped her head a few inches but didn't otherwise respond.
"You've been chosen for a new project," her uncle said, his eyes glinting darkly. "A project that is going to give us the status and power that we truly deserve. Needless to say, it's very important."
"I'm happy serving as I am, helping with the bookkeeping," Avery said, keeping her gaze lowered.
Her uncle gave a sharp bark of laughter, and his amusement was more chilling than anything he could've said.
"Frankly, Avery, the only reason you're even alive is because the wolf who turned you is a very, very special prototype. He was irreplaceable… attitude problems aside. Lucky for us, you turned successfully."
Avery's heart began to throb in her chest.
"I don't understand," she said. "The attack… It was
Avery's mouth was a little dry as she said it. This was the tricky part, the part where she assumed that her uncle would summon her into the command center and test her loyalty, rather than just sending her straight to the black site. He was more and more unpredictable these days, so it's hard for Avery not to hold her breath while she waited the answer.
"The War Room. Get moving, and don't try anything. I've been itching to put one of my new silver bullets into one of your kind, bitch."
Avery's brows arched at his language, but she merely rose without a word and followed the men to the main command building. Her fingers itched with the need to slip her hand in her pocket and touch the USB drive she’d tucked away there, which was the last thing that she should do right now. Her uncle was paranoid, in this case rightly so. That USB drive held a ghosted copy of her uncle’s most important computer files, the theft of which had taken Avery over a month. The information contained there was going to start the revolution, the end of his reign with the Hunters and the entire movement as well.
Avery wrinkled her nose at the wash of air-conditioning on her skin as she stepped into her uncle's quarters. Every other building at the Compound was bare-bones, metal furniture bolted into cement. Not the command building though, the place where the men in charge spent all their time. Here it was all dark wood and air-conditioning and Persian rugs, food serves by a private chef, aides and maids and bustling secretaries running around.
One such secretary was waiting just outside the massive oak double doors of the War Room, all done up in a pencil skirt and pearls, the anathema of the female Hunter soldiers. Avery tugged at the hem of her ratty black T-shirt, wondering what it would feel like to wear those kind of clothes again, to put on lipstick in the morning, to dress any damn way she pleased. Must be nice.
Then again, judging by the bitchy smirk on the secretary’s face, this woman probably got her position by sleeping with Avery’s uncle and who knows how many other of his commanders. Yeah, forget it. Avery would rather wear a potato sack the rest of her life think kowtow to the Hunters.
"You can go straight in,” the secretary said, stepping back to give Avery a wide berth. "Dr. Burke is waiting for you."
As the secretary yanked the War Room door open, Avery suppressed a roll of her eyes. Dr. Burke now, was it? She doubted that very much. The thought was swept away when she stepped into the war room and found her uncle at one end of the long steel conference table, flanked by four of his cronies on each side.
Looking like nothing so much as an oversized salt-and-pepper-haired weasel stuffed in a black pseudo-military dictator’s uniform, her uncle waited, fingers steepled and expression unreadable.
To her surprise, her uncle muttered leave us , and the War Room quickly emptied. He regarded her with a chilling glance, taking several long moments before he spoke.
"You're very lucky, Avery. You know that, don't you?" he asked.
Avery dropped her head a few inches but didn't otherwise respond.
"You've been chosen for a new project," her uncle said, his eyes glinting darkly. "A project that is going to give us the status and power that we truly deserve. Needless to say, it's very important."
"I'm happy serving as I am, helping with the bookkeeping," Avery said, keeping her gaze lowered.
Her uncle gave a sharp bark of laughter, and his amusement was more chilling than anything he could've said.
"Frankly, Avery, the only reason you're even alive is because the wolf who turned you is a very, very special prototype. He was irreplaceable… attitude problems aside. Lucky for us, you turned successfully."
Avery's heart began to throb in her chest.
"I don't understand," she said. "The attack… It was
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