Runt of the Litter Read Online Free PDF Page A

of
gasping or panicking, she basked in the feel of the chill. The shocking
temperature let her know that she was alive. She’d fought to live another day.
    Focus.
    She wriggled a little, and that was where she saw the
danger.
    Don’t panic. Stay focused. Harness your skill. Embrace.
    Glancing down, she saw her foot tangled in the weeds.
In her mind, she flashed back to that day. She’d panicked, trying to tear the
weeds from her. Releasing a little breath, she leaned down.
    The wolf inside
her pounced at the cage within her mind. Tori
froze in place. It was the first time her wolf had ever tried to escape.
    Fight.
    Live.
    Show them who we are.
    Removing the weeds she broke for the surface taking
several gasps of air.
    “Tori? Tori!” Uncle Paul’s voice broke through her
concentration. Breaking the water to the side of the lake, she jumped out.
    “I did it, Uncle Paul. I did it.”
    “What the fuck did you just do?”
    She gasped, turning around to find Jack leaning
against a tree. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.
    The wolf inside her released a little growl that had
the whole of Tori’s body vibrating.
    What was that about?
    “I’ll talk to you in a moment, Uncle Paul.” She
slammed the phone closed, staring at Jack as he stepped closer. In his fisted
hand, he held a shirt. He was in a pair of boxer briefs. “Shouldn’t you get
dressed?” She didn’t feel comfortable with him being naked and close to her. It
sent her nerves on end.
    “I’m so pissed off at you right now.”
    “How long was I under?” she asked, checking the time on
her phone. Shit, she really should have checked her time.
    “You were only under a few seconds. Are you completely
insane?”
    “A few seconds? Are you sure?”
    “You splashed into the water, and I was about to
follow you in. As you can see I only got to my shirt and jeans.”
    She’d been under seconds, and yet to her, she’d been
under minutes. When she got rid of Jack she’d call her uncle back and let him
know. It was good news, great news, and her wolf was coming alive.
    “You really didn’t need to.” She made to turn away,
but Jack held onto her arm.
    “Who were you talking to?”
    “That’s none of your business.”
    “Do you have a boyfriend?”
    “Again, none of
your business.” She pulled out of his hold, hating how her skin
seemed to heat under his touch. The last thing she wanted was to be attracted
to Jack. He was the beta and would probably laugh at any attraction from the
pack runt.
    “You better tell me or I’m going to be having a
serious conversation with your father.”
    She picked up her shirt and glared at him. “It’s none of
your business. Stay out of it. I’ve not seen you in three years, and on my
second day back you’re threatening me?”
    “You almost died the last time you jumped off that
boulder. I almost had a fucking heart attack, and I’m nearly nineteen years
old.”
    “Then shouldn’t you be chasing after girls your own
age? Why are you following me?”
    “I saw you escaping out of your house with a backpack.
I happened to be looking out of my bedroom window when I saw you moving in the
forest.”
    She frowned. “You do realize you sound like a creepy
stalker.”
    “What would you have done if I hadn’t been here?” he
asked.
    “This is not your problem, Jack. It’s mine.”
    “I’m making it my problem.”
    Growling in frustration, she yanked on her shirt,
glaring at him. “You’re completely insane. Do you know that?”
    “You could have got tangled in the weeds again, Tori.
You could have died, and no one would have been here.” He started to shout at
her.
    Instead of cowering down, she was only getting angry. She
and her uncle had done the best that they could.
    “I didn’t die and you were here, so it wasn’t like I
was alone, was it?”
    She jerked her jeans up, glaring at him.
    “Do you have a death wish? It’s bad enough that you’ve
got to get through you transit—”
    “That’s exactly why