The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred–Fifty–Seven

DELILAHI

I wake up in the cold of a foggy morning to the crazy sounds of my brother Cane and his dumbass friend Charlie packing up the pickup truck so we can head back to Oregon.

“If we get there now and tell them what we saw, they have to let us in Cane is saying as I drag my ass up off the couch.

“What the hell? I snap, noticing that the pair of them are covered in blond and scratches. That’s when I remember the wolf from last night and I have to wonder what it is they caught last night.

“D! We have to head home to TEF Headquarters. The cabin is paid for a week, so you’ll have to stay here until we get back,” Cane says, grabbing his keys off the table.

“What?” I screech. Fuck that! “Oh hello no! No! I’m not staying here! And what did you guys catch last night? When did you come back?”

Cane takes a deep stupefying breath and sits next to me, his face deadly serious. “What we caught last night, we can’t talk about to you. Not here. Not yet. We have to take our discovery to The Elite Few. They’re gonna wanna know about this shit.”

I snort. “You’re fucking loopy. They don’t give a fuck about you idiot! They hardly gave a fuck about dad! And what the hell do you mean, discovery? You two falling into a bramble is hardly breaking news. Let me guess, you thought you caught a wolf, but it turned into a fairy and snaked right out of your grasp.”

He shakes his head, his eyes lighting with excitement. “We caught a lion he hisses, and Charlie whoops into the air. “But it wasn’t a lion when we got to her. She turned into a woman.”

Where’s a can of soup when you need one?

“You better hope you’re lying, Cane. Because what it sounds like to me, is you set an illegal trap and caught a human, I grumble, leaping, up from my place on the couch.

to God, D! We saw her! She was a lion! And then we shot her and… she was a

scream, closing my eyes. My mind is whirling with images of my brother being carted off to prison for murder and then me right afterward

you, D. She got away! After we shot the lion It…. I dunno… shifted into a naked

laughter bubbling from my throat. “Just how much did you drink last night before you headed

time. “We just had some coffee, that’s all.”

coffee,” I say in disbelief. So there is nobody, then. No lion. No imaginary female. Good. Okay,

says suddenly,

Oh shit. The wolfpled all over me.

anymore about it. “Crazy. It

it?” I chirp, racing for the bathroom with a clean outfit from my bag. “Don’t you idiots dare leave without

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Chapter One Hundred–Fifty–Seven

your crary story. They’ll have you committed

Earl used to tell me stories about Shifters in these woods. Why did you think it was thuit 1 always wanted

of things to your child’s brain! You can’t believe everything they’ve ever

brother gasps, his eyes falling sad and I instantly feel like a complete bitch. “I know you think I’m stupid, D. But I’m not. I know what the fuck I saw and I’m coming back for it! That Shifter is my ticket into The Elder Few, like dad

Elder Few is made up of a bunch of rich psychopaths that have nothing better to do for fun than skin defenseless animals!” I shout. “You are my brother and I’ll

window. “You just don’t understand. You weren’t part

We have to see if we can find a way to get it released early, because we can’t live like this anymore. And mom’s not helping.

in agreement, “I know.”