3/3
The Pack: Rule Number 1 – No Mates
Chapter Two Hundred Sixty–Five
ANASTACIA
When the man in question arrives it is quite obvious. He must command quite a bit of respect around here because the entire room goes quiet at least five minutes before he steps ioff the elevator and into the hall. My senses light up the minute he does telling me everything I want to know… this man in a wolf.
He is a predator through and through and even without my gifts I think I would see it in the dark of his eyes. The ripple of muscles, the sureness of his steps. Everything about him shouts danger.
But will he know me? I somewhat doubt it.
I’ve gleaned more than a few things about this town since I came tumbling down the mountain. It is close knit and small for a beach town. The residents here aren’t thrown off by things like women that come racing out of the woods with death at their backs. They either aren’t aware that their is an entire pack of werewolves out here or they’ve accepted it and don’t care. One thing is for sure, the sheriff gets a wide berth when he walks toward my cell. The entire hall is hanging on the edge of his word. Even the drunk in the cell next to me seems to be holding his breath.
The man is big and impossibly handsome, with dark eyes and hair to match and jaw sharp enough to cut glass. Could have done worse. certainly won’t mind spending a few nights with you cutie.
“Anastácia Bordeaux is it?” He says to me, reading from a file on the clipboard he is carrying. His muscles bunch and his jaw is tight when he looks at me. As if the sight of me has raised his hackles and he can feel my energy through the iron bars of my cell.
“That is correct,” I murmur.
He doesn’t smile, despite that just pushed enough intent into my voice that he should have – at the very least–felt the pull.
Hmmm… I wiggle my fingers behind my back, focusing a little more heavily on what I want from this man than I would like. I’m even forced to turn my back for a second so that he doesn’t see the flash of violet spark through my eyes when I conjure my will.
“You mind telling me why you came tumbling out of the woods wearing no shoes and a party dress?”
I grin, forgetting myself for a moment when I see that he truly is unaffected by my charms. What the hell? “1 – uh… I was being chased.”
No problem. Plan B here we come.
“Chased?”
So now he looks somewhat interested, his brow furrowing intently as he pulls out his phone and shoots off a text – no doubt to another of his packmates. Good. Maybe he’ll send some wolves out to where I was found and they’ll scent the hounds.
“Chased by what exactly?” he mumbles absently, still texting.
“Not a boyfriend,” I taunt him, walking toward the end of my cell where the bar door locks and opens.
“Uh–huh. So you don’t know what you were running from? Or you just don’t want to tell me?”
Now that he is closer and he is looking into my eyes I should be able to push my charms at him, but when I try all I get is a sharp gasp of breath and a whisper.
He shakes himself. What color are your eyes, Miss Bordeaux?”
He saw them. He saw the flash of color. Shit,
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Chapter Two Hundred Sixty–Five
This asshole hos a mate.
Just Fucking Great
PAUL
I’m standing outside of the Bad Wolf Cafe when I get the text from Rainier to go and check the parking lot behind the bar where the false
Hose was found.
ME
Why? What the fuck? I’m not one of your damn deputies Curly. Have one of them go.
RAINIER
Oh, they’ll be there. But I need someone who can scent the grounds and Timmons and Koda stayed back on the island. So… that… leaves… you… )
ME-
Fuck off.
RAINIER-
I’m serious. There’s something weird as fuck about this chick and she says she was being chased by a pack of wild dogs. If she’s telling the truth, we need to know about it.
ME
Why WE? I’m not Ranger Joe or Sheriff Andy. Nor am I Lassie, Old Yeller, or Benjy. I don’t need to know shit about any fucking mutts that scurry through the woods.
RAINIER
Well, here’s the thing, soldier. The bitch has purplish eyes which are first of all a little scary- and she was running BAREFOOT and dressed for the club. Do you know how far the nearest club is from here now that Domonic’s place got shut down?
ME-
No. But please, do enlighten me.
RAINIER-
Seattle.
Fuck!
ME
Fine asshole. I need to check out the bar anyway.
RAINIER-
Make it quick shitface because I don’t want to release her until you do and I get the feeling we don’t want this broad anywhere around
here.
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Chapter Two Hundred Sixty–Five
Ob no? Viny’s that? Is the cute?
RAINIER
You’re asking MEEE?
ME
What? Does being mated make it impossible for you to answer that question?
RAINIER-
It does when it means my mate will remove my dick should I answer incorrectly. Yeah. Impossible.
ME-
So she 15 cute. Because if the wasn’t cute you would’ve just said no.
RAINER-
I see what you’re doing motherfucker and it’s not funny. Felix baby, if you are checking my phone right now then PLEASE understand that Don’t SEE cute anymore. I only ever see you. And Paul is just some bored little pup that hasn’t had any pussy in forever.
ME-
Checking your phone? Are you fucking with me right now you whipped motherfucker? And BTW Felix, I get PLENTY of pussy.
A RAINIER-
He doesn’t. He really doesn’t. Not since the accident.
ME-
Accident? Are you on drugs?
RAINIER-
The girl is a toad. An ugly, deeply tanned, heavily curved toad with weird as fuck purple eyes that have me wanting to carve my soul out and leave it at the door.
ME-
Nice.
RAINIER-
No. Totally creepy.
WE-
I’m heading to the bar. Then to the jail to see this Ribbet that you speak of.
RAINIER
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Chapter Two Hundred Sixty–Five
Yeah whatever, Hurry up though. I already want to go back.
ME-
Purple eyes dude? Really?
RAINIER-
I’m sure they look blue to the average bear, but I am a wolf so i can see them pretty clear
ME-
And a poet apparently. Do you serenade your mate with those garbage words?
RAINIER-
No. My BIG DICK is poetry in itself. I don’t have to say a fucking thing
ME-
How disrespectful. Did you read that Felix??? OMG
RAINIER-
Just get to the fucking bar you sloppy piece of shit.
ME-
Over and out Precious.
RAINIER-
Asshole.
ME-
Prick.
Pocketting my phone I run inside and tell Lizzie that she’ll need to lock up tonight after all. Even though I just finished telling her that / would do it. The look she gives me is point blank scary so I run out of my place with what feels like a bulls–eye on my back and bead down the street toward the bar. There are police scattered around the lot when I get there, so the first thing I do is dip inside to see that things are in full swing and Charlie is not only handling his new job well, but he’s even hired a local girl that I know from the restaurant down the way.
“Hey Kendall, I say abruptly, a smile shifting across my face when I realize Bartlett is going to go apeshit when he sees who one of his new bartenders is. “So you’re working here, now?”
Her dirty blond hair bounces around her pretty face and when 1 step a little closer I notice something I hadn’t before.
Kendall is pregnant. Holy shit.
My eyes glue to her barely swollen belly, which means that normal people wouldn’t notice – but of course I’m a wolf and I do. I can hear it. The barely formed heartbeat.
She must be about three months along and while I know it can’t be Bartlett’s because she’s not his mate- I also know that this means
Chapter Two Hundred Sixty–Five
she was cheating on him when they were together.
While I don’t think It will matter to him and that he more than likely new about it – I still have to work to keep a smile on my face in front of this harlot
Yup! Got hired this afternoon. I really need the extra money right now ind Charlie took pity on me when I came wandering in today,” kendall says, side eyeing me carefully.
Well thank God for Charlie then, I say with a hint of amusement, catching his eye for an all too brief moment.
She knows what I don’t about drinks,” Charlie shouts from the other end of the bar. “And Bartlett said I could hire whoever for the job
So you hired Kendall, I finish for him with a grin.
Kendall rounds on me, with two mixed drinks in her hands. “Problem, Paul? According to Charlie, Bartlett won’t be in here as much anymore so I thought that ”
“That you could insert yourself here and maybe he would take you back?” I whisper cruelly and she sours at me. “Not likely, sweetheart. Bartlett has turned toward greener pastures.”
Her artfully sculpted eyebrows shoot up. “Oh?” She snickers. “You jerk offs really are full of yourselves. You think you are the center of the universe. Well I’ve got news for you.” She leans over the bar to get all up in my space and I scowl. “I don’t give even a little fuck about Bartlett anymore. We’ve been over for months.”
“Two months,” I curdle. “Barely.”
She shrugs. “Over is over, homeboy.”
“Right,” I say with a tip of my head. “Watch this one,” I say to Charlie without looking away. “She can be pretty conniving.”
Kendall snickers then brings up her middle finger, places a kiss on it. “Give that to Bartlett for me would you?”
I step away from her before I can do something stupid like fire the bitch and walk straight for the back entrance. The moment I step outside I can smell it and I have to force myself not to shift.
“Fuck,” I snarl to myself. “They’re still out there.”
Chapter Comments
Lori Renner
I’m so enjoying this book
Rene Marie Beck–Ware
Please tell me Timmons finally gets a mate….
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