The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty–Six

CANE

There’s this moment that passes when you’re about to die. An instant of complete clarity. It is almost as if there is a layer of fog lifted

the colors seem brighter. Detalls are more acute and so are intentions. In fact, right then, when you realize whe

you know there is any way around it, you move toward it without fear, For that half a second, time stretches, the

acceptance lakes over. You brain says, Chi, so das in it then. This is low? And, you

Drun it

to get the bullets. Or Griffin.

1 knew better, I never should have taken my eyes off of him. I should have sent Quinn to get

There was never any y way they were going to watch over him the way I would, because they are not human. They can heal

1, however, cannot,

Gayle.

I should have listened to her when she asked me to go with them. I should have said, “Fuck this asshole. Let him come for me and the spent as much time as I could noticing every single one of Gayle’s smiles in the way that she apparently noticed mine.

Now… I’ll never know them. Those precious couple of hours with her in roy arms is all i will ever get.

dry didn’t 1997

I mean… why

Why was I so obsessed with playing the hero?

But I know what the answer is. Of course I do.

wanted her to see me as someone who could protect her. To know that just because I was human and weaker than her in some ways, that I had plenty to give. I needed to do something for her that she was never able to do for herself and….

have been plenty of time for heroics if I’d just conceded to

she was begging. She begged me. And what do I do? Shoot her again

me yet, and she was going to go.

hastard just to be one of those stupid, arrogant, pricks – and then I s her outside of the cottage, disabling her and

know me for. That’s all she’ll

Pain.

sorry Kitty

Goddamn it

shool

1/3

Hundred

love me and’t felt that. I felt it and it felt so good. I

Cane. You get what you get. At least

him? I’m sure that’s when he was able to take out the bullets. That’s probably the real reason he kept talking so much shit. He wanted one of us to lose our temper and attack him so he’d have an excuse for moving. I don’t know

of a wolf bleeding out from his abdomen attracts my attention and 1 smile. At least he’s going to go

orange–brown eyes are angry as he watches me, blood coloring the dark brown fur of his underside. As far as wolves go, he’s fucking

hyena than a

2

asshole. See you on the other side.

here in a pool of my own blood, with a gash the size of my forearm and as deep as my whole

today, I had never seen a wolf shift before. Now that I have, I’ve got to say, it’s pretty fucking scary. The moment my eyes spied the bullets on the ground, I heard it. The snap, crackle, and pop of bones shitting into something otherworldly. By the time I was able to lift my chin, Roman was already half wolf and his fully shifted paw was flying toward my mid–section. It is safe to say

I did it. That’s when

chamber into his stomach. At that point, I no longer cared that they wanted him alive, because I wanted him dear. Looks like I’ll get my wish, so

sounds above me, panic more than

frightened mother hen as he surveys my injuries. For a moment, he looks around like a helpless child, his chest heaving as he pulls at his

his gaze going from me to Roman then

know I understand, then I turn back to Rogan’s wild, feral glare and give him the middle finger. “Give this to my dad, will you?” I say, because I’m pretty sure there is a special hell for people like him and my Pops. “I can’t be sure, but I’m betting you and I are headed different places you sick–cough, cough–Tuck.”

mouth. Frowning, 1 picture Cayle’s face when she hears the news and I want to kick

snarls. “I won’t let this happen!” Then Gryffiny disappears into my room,

blanket.