The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred–Sixty–One

QUINN

When Thunsons and I arrive at Dobson’s cabin, the first thing that I notice is the sweet smell of sugared Blac. It’s faint, just a whisper in the air, but the scent is so deliciously templing that I find myself trotting through the busted doorway of the cabin in search of its source. The place is completely empty, save for a few cans of soup and an assortiment of tools. Following the shadow of an aroma that has suddenly grabbed a hold of my balls, I find myself in the middle of the foom with my nose to a moldy old couch. My eyes catch on a bright yellow scarf that peeks between the cushions and I drag it out with my teeth. Nestling my muzzle into the soft fabric for a moment, I realize this scarf belongs to Lilac. Whoever she is. The odd desire to take the thing with me has my ears twitching hat I ball the damo thing up anyway and tuck it behind my jowls. Timmons les into the spice in his human form, his eyes dark with disappointment.

“It looks like they skipped already,” Timmons says, stepping toward a discarded pair of night goggles and a radial listening device. “There are a good amount of traps around the place, but they’ve all been spru

I shift into myself, my brows furrowing and I reroll the scarf and tuck it under my arm. “That’s weird,” I supply, ducking outside as my senses fire on the familiar scent of my blood.

I walk into the trees and right away I see it. A large double spring steel bear trap that is fairly coated in my blood.

“Jesus, Timmons gasps. “Guess that’s one mystery solved. We must have been out here last night. Probably around the same time Gayle

was.

I pod, leaning down to finger the jagged steel teeth! Poachers and hunters don’t just up and leave this kind of equipment. It’s not cheap and judging by the state of this cabin, these guys aren’t rich. They’ll be back. I’ll bet my next blow job on it.

“I’d almost take that bet if I didn’t know you were talking about the one that divorcee cougar gives you every Friday.”

I flip him off, smirking as 1 stand up and prepare to shift. “That cougar you’re talking about, can make taking a whole dick look like a magic trick, and sing a song while she’s at it.”

Timmons cracks up as the two of us shift and race into the thick of the woods heading for Port Orchard at about fifty miles per hour. To some that might not seem very fast, but try moving at that speed in a forest dense with trees and brambles. I can promise it will feel a whole lot quicker once you’re weaving and dodging and scouring the forest floor for evil steel teeth.

My eyes catch on someone hiking toward the creek. I race through the trees, passing the stranger so that I can get a good look at Lilac as she comes up on the downgrade of the hill. The moment ! pause between two

me. I was moving fast

scans the woods warily. I study her face as she does this, keeping low to the ground just in case she pulls a weapon. But from what I can tell, she’s clean. Not even a hint of gunpowder on her. Weirdly enough, she doesn’t look scared as she surveys the woods, but thoughtful. Like she is trying to figure something out. Or maybe… she’s wondering what is stalking her and planning a better layout for her traps. Suddenly, she stills, her body turned in my direction. Raising my head and creeping in closer, I align myself with an older fir. Its trunk and my coat are nearly a dead match and I know she would have to be a Shifter to spot me.

reflect a thin sliver of sunlight that filters in with the breeze. Her gaze is arresting in the most hypnotic way, her irises shining like twin blue gems, studded with tiny opalescent fragments

looking like these days, I may as well that planning

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Chapter One Hundred–Sixty–One

one pulling them.

gently. I am as likely in tap that, as 1 am to tap Old Bob from the docks Pocher females definitely fall into the category

my lovely tac a silent farewell. That’s when she decides to speak to me and both Timmons and

I’ll be sure to pick

sure if 111 be coming back handages to tend to your paw!”

me?

ΠΟΥ

y hurt pow

she thinks she

one that caught me. Gayle did say that it was two males and a girl. Maybe it’s only the men that are the poachers and Lilac

into the clouds and drag yourself

toward home without figuring out a little more about Miss Lilac, I lead Timmons toward the creek. This time keeping far enough away from her that we can avoid any chance of her hearing or seeing us. As we crest over the bottom of the hall, my mind wanders back to a couple of hours ago. When the twelve of us first came out of the forced shift and a gaping hole seemed to be carved right into my heart. I told everyone that I felt strange, like I

is only o