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.

a little confused as she watches me. She touches her hand to

she felt it too.

is my mate. I know it… and soon… she’ll know

I mouth

see its outline and the way

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Hundred Eighty–Three

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

don’t think so, 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

Charlie, Matthew says, closing his hand over Charlie’s shoulder. “We’re still gonna need you to come with us

behind them and meet Chulle’s terrified eyes. “Get

whirls on

never factored in for him until, just now. It’s almost as

all his teeth. The moment he said those

Elder Matthew hard enough to

he races for my

Dumbfuck shouts, reaching for Charlie

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

prick. The little bastard was dazed, but he was still conscious… pity, So I lean in close and say, “That’s for thinking you will ever touch my

I hear a gun cock behind me, but

no mind. Keeping a straight face, I leap inside my vehicle and yell, “Get down!” Which, thankfully, both Lilac and Charlie do. As I peel out of

my God!” Charlie screeches from the back

when you can get up.” Then, I dial Rain and let rings once and he

et the call

over the loudspeaker

to me,”

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

suddenly alert.

breathing, even though I know

was just shot at, in some backwater town on the Washington Oregon border,” I say as calmly as

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Fri, Nov 15