The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred Ninety–Two

HARTLETT

low in the brash just behind the

The long branch that

divet i 4 golden for in the trees above the camper Quinn is tanding on. cout from the massive trunk of a redwood, it at least ten feet up from the roof of the RV But the damn thing is nearly as mantive as a tree itself. Its weighted, I can tell. Whir meant Goose is probably prowling over the top of the damn thing, eager to make a meat out of one of those hunters

Creeping in closer, I hear Domonic’s growt, signaling the rest of us to me when he does Melting against a fallen tree trunk that is nearly the exact shade of my russet colored cost, I count the offenders. My muscles tense when I realize one of them is female.

Fucking Christ. What the fuck is a woman doing with these guys?

The Lions will kill her without

second thought. I know it. Their hate for hunters runs much too deep. They wouldn’t give a shit if one

a ten year old. Well, okay, maybe they would. But as far as they’re concerned, female hunter, male hunter – it makes no difference to them. In natural lion prides, the females are the hunters. Shifters and naturals aren’t so different from each other. Even though as shifters, we’re basically more advanced, we still maintain our basic animal instincts. Especially when in that form.

And me? I’m not gonna hurt a woman. Not even if she had a Glock full of silver bullets to my head. That would be my ending I suppose. Because my instincts are to protect the opposite sex of every species.

As far as my brothers are concerned… there might be a few that feel the same way that I do, but there are more than a few that don’t Rainier for instance. And Domonic. If the shoots at them? She’s going to get hurt. They might not kill her, but they aren’t going to leave her a trigger finger that’s for sure.

Damn it. Now I have a choice to make. I can either join in the fight with my brothers and our allies and simply ignore the female, or I can shes go straight for her, grab her attention, and hope to lead her away from the fight. The problem with that logic is from what I can see, probably the easiest kill. Meaning someone might decide to take her out early just to get her out of th way. I refuse to let that happen. So…… there’s only one thing left to do.

Im going to have to get their attention before the attack. Which means, once again, Domonic is going to be pissed.

Before I can change my mind, I slide deeper into the dark of the woods and come around on the opposite side of the line of hunters. I’m facing Quinn and the girl has her back to me. Her hair is tied back in a long lustrous braid. It’s thick, like a rope, and the color of maple syrup. The elaborate winding tail of it falls well below her plump round ass. She’s thicker than a hunter should be, thats for sure, but that doesn’t mean she’s weak. She just may not be as agile as her companions are.

Quinns sudden crouch on the roof tells me things a head turning my way.

sare about to happen and before it does, I let loose with a howl that has every hunter’s

Good. Here t

they come.

QUINN

of the woods straight ahead of me, I tense, shaking

away.

Martlett,

fuck are you

trees and my eyes cut to Domonic who suddenly isn’t there anymore. I snarl and growl as loud as I can, then watch as Ted’s back

to hunt me right

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One Hundred

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Ted and his cronies, Shit, I shouldert be up here. I leap though the air

what might happen should one of the other campers come out? Drom 1 they realize here many different laws they are

back, I ready myself to pounce. My plan is to keep silent until right before and on him. I want him to know four, but not until it’s too late. Just as he locks in his ammo, I shoot Into the air. When in motion, natural

exceptional creation can occur. So when I’m hit across the ribs, not once, but twice mid–leap, I

the fucking

me into an aerial tailspin. I crashed into the trees so

and the healing is not going to

the never ran into the woods? It must have been planned

the moment. I can hear Ted laughing and trying to congratulate the female,

buffs then melts back into the grass. A terrified scream reverberates through the trees from twenty yards away, followed by the unmistakable sound

close my eyes. How funny would it be for them to put me in their trailer dead, only to have me resurrect and rip them apart as they

of my ribs. What the hell? That was quick. Then, my vertebrae are knitting back together as my ritis crackle and snap back into place.

chest when I hear Ted booted footsteps heading this way.

and get me

Rose! This bastard is nearly as big

the girl

the

hold myself stiff as a board so that he’ll think that I’m dead, but that’s when he notices

shake off

begins, reaching down to pick something up off

just sitting on top of my

fur is stained with blood. Shit, he’s searching for my wounds And when he doesn’t find any…–

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Hundred Ninety–Two

he shouts, right up next to my ear. “Come here and look