The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred Eighty–Three

QUINN

Flick

Damn it Charlie…

I feel Delilah tense behind me the moment the bell over the restaurant door sings with Charlie’s arrival.

“Charlie! We’ve been looking everywhere for you, ma boy, the old man says, his voice dripping with phony cheer.

Charlie’s face is a mask of fear. I can see him trying to control his reaction to the two men now carefully converging on him, but despite his valiant efforts to appear unfazed, he looks frightened as hell.

The dumbfuck, Elder Matthew’s son, smiles wide and fake, his teeth damn near twinkling in the sunlight, “The council has had a change of heart, Charlie.”

Fidgeting with his freshly bandaged forearms and holding a roll of gauze in his hands, he starts to back away until he stumbles, barely catching himself along the wall of the restaurant.

“Quinn,” Delilah whispers behind me.

Do they know how well you know Charlie?” I ask her as quietly as I can, my eyes trained on the father and son duo as they approach trembling Charlie.

“T–I don’t know,” she says. “Maybe not.”

“Stay in the car and unlock the backdoor for Charlie. Il take care of this,” I whisper.

“W–what do you m–mean?” Charlie stammers, the sweat on his brow easily visible with my enhanced eyesight.

“No!” Delilah growls. “They’re probably armed! Those weirdos always have some kind of weapon on them.”

I spin around to face her, still keeping my cars tuned into Charlie, as amile slightly at the worry in her gaze. “Try and trust me, Lilac,” I say, grabbing the back of her head and pulling her face in for a quick kiss, before I save her little admirer’s life.

Oh shut. That’s delicious.

Her breath hitches when our lips meet, and although it’s the quickest kiss shell ever get from me, that doesn’t make it any less powerful. The warm energy that sparks against my lips when they touch hers sends a pulsing awareness through me and I groan. Backing away from her, I gasp in amazement. So that’s what it feels Me… That’s how you know… Is it even possible to love someone you’ve just met? I’w think!–

yes, yes it is.

glossy and dazed… even a little confused as she watches me. She touches her hand to

she felt it too.

it… and soon… she’ll

mouth and

in his waist band. I can see its outline and the way his hand hovers over

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One Hundred

all,” young dumbfuck says smoothly, it’s such an obvious lie that even Chatlle sisakes his head in disbellel,

Chulle says, and for a moment I’m proud of the little jerk. “You guys are crazy! You turned my best friend against ime! I don’t want to be part of that,

his hand over Charlie’s shoulder. “We’re still gonna need you to come with us though. We have a few

eyes. “Get in the car, Charlie. I’ll take care of

whirls on

when sitting in the car never factored in for him until, just now. It’s almost as if he does a

The moment he said those

enough to steal his son’s attention for

as he races for my

Dumbfuck shouts, reaching for Charlie and missing

but I catch my fish, snagging him by the back of his shirt and spinning him around like a ballerina before I send the full throttle of my fist into his grill. Now… the fact that I didn’t let go of the idiot’s shirt when I sent my knuckles into his mouth, probably made it quite a bit more painful, both for him and me, but I didn’t mind. The satisfying crack that I heard as two of his front teeth broke free of his gums was worth some ragged skin over

hit the pavement and I glared. “Calm down.” I snapped. “He’ll live. He’s still got his molars,” I say, as 1 kneel clown in front of the prick. The little bastard was dazed, but he was still conscious… pity, So I lean in close and say, “That’s for thinking

son–of–a–bitch!” Matthew hollers and I hear a gun cock behind me, but I keep walking. “Til kill

mind. Keeping a straight face, I leap inside my vehicle and yell, “Get down!” Which, thankfully, both

the back floorboard. “Those people are

tell you when you can get up.” Then, I dial Rain and

et the call

loudspeaker as

me,” Rainier says.

to speak for a moment. The pain of my body as it attempts to push out the three bullets I was hit with, stuttering speech for

alert. “What’s

even though I know the two humans in my car can’t.

town on the Washington Oregon border,” I say as calmly as possible. “I need

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Fri, Nov 15