The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Thirty–Three

BARTLETT

“Rescued you! Not kidnapped! Quinn barks out, surging forward with his signature playboy smile cresting his lips. His eyes cut to mine warily, the ‘What the hell are you doing? message clear in his gaze, “Come on Bartlett, you dont want to scare the girl”

Damn. What the hell was I thinking

I guess I was į to ust trying to be

honest with her as possible, but he’s right. Maybe I shouldn’t be quite that honest.

Rose tenses next to me, the tiny little vibrations of her body’s response grabbing my undivided attention (not that she ever

and 1 study her traction to Quinn. Most girls fall all over themselves when he flashes that smile. I’ve seen it happen a thly lost it

when Rose’s eyebrows bunch together in Irritation, I can’t help but smile,

She’s not buying his song and dance the way most do

“I think I prefer the cold hard truth, thanks,” she snipes at him and I have to suppress a laugh.

“That’s what you think, now,” Quinn remarks, half under his breath, before stepping back with a shit–eating grin.

Delilah saunters toward the bed, her hazel blue eyes narrowing into slits with every foot closer she gets. “Why not scare her? She and the rest of those assholes deserve everything they get,” Delilah spits viciously and although I want to tell her to chill out, I hold my prace.

I don’t know her yet, but I do know she’s distraught. She’s grieving. Our whole pack knows about her brother and what he did. Quinn feels responsible for what happened and while the rest of us know that the blame lies with the killer, we also know that it was our desire to have Roman brought in alive that led to the incident. There’s not one of us who doesn’t regret how it happened in one way or another. I wish I could have met the guy From what I hear he was one of a kind.

Rose trembles beneath the covers and her discomfort ripples through the bond. The connection that Rose has no idea we share tells me all I need to know about what she’s feeling. Strange, I never imagined it to be this acute. This… expressive. According to Draven and Felix, aside from the general awareness that comes withthe bond, it only kicks in for them when their respective mates are feeling intense emotion or pain. But maybe it’s different for everyone, because it seems like I’m getting every little thing Rose is feeling. Or it could be the fact that Rose is wannre of the bond and has no subconscious filter causing her to broadcast her emotions completely.

She’s afraid of Delilah for some reason. Or, at the very least, incredibly intimidated by her. I wonder why.

When I see Delilah’s lip curling upward again in anger, I step in. “Are those clothes for Rose?” I ask, gesturing to the small bundle in

Delilah’s arms.

Delilah flinches, her pretty hazel eyes watering as she looks my way. “Yes,” she says, “They’re from Taedora. Although, I can’t imagine why she’d be willing to donate them to a Wer. However, I didn’t know they were for Rose and they might not fit. Taedora is quite a bit slimmer

than she is,”

Wow. Rose’s embarrassment skates through the bond and I’m suddenly little mad. I am never mad. th fact, you might just say I have the most resilient temperament of all my brothers. Everyone knows that, (iven the readers do.) But just now I’m having to work to keep my anger in check. At this moment I’m wanting to toss Delilah’s little ass up the stairs to watch her bounce a bit. Instead, I throw Quinn Jook and all he does is wince apologetically.

The pants should fit her fine. Her waist is slim enough,” I say, eyeing Rose’s figure with all the hunger for her that I feel. She notices this and blushes, sending a shockwave of heat through our connection that has me springing off the bed so that my dick doesn’t punch Through my zipper. The arousal is so great that my voice is slightly shaky when I continue. “If the top doesn’t fit, sh–she can wear one of of Quinn’s shirts for the time being.”

What the Juck? I sound like on flot.

1/3

Hundred Thirty Three

The sound of

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me, Rose. 1

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Two Hundred

bite of her plump, juicy red lips and I’m forced to turn away so that I don’t do something

her.

cut off by Quinn clamping a hand over

nervous chuckle, closing his arms around his mate to keep her suddenly violent arms from him. “But

probably nothing but profanity, then she

him.

his hold on her. He shoots me a look, “I’ll take Charlie

releases her. She snarls at him as she whips out her phone, “You – are so fucked, Maximus. And I don’t mean it in a good way.” Then she gazes down at her phone and her entire demeanor changes. “Oh! Oh my God,” she gasps. “Cane healed! He healed! We have to get back! We have to go back now!”

as happily. Quinn releases a steady breath of air and I know without asking that his world just got a whole lot

and she jumps up and

to Cane? Rose

Shit!

I prepare myself for an uncharacteristic show of temper, but to my surprise

it, Rose Gruber” oh crap here it comes-“I would suggest sticking with your savior for a while. The cops in town want to put you in jail for illegally hunting and the entire damn county is out hunting for the lioness that attacked you. The lioness that was only defending

expecting all that, but

Fear soaks over our connection and I’m filled with the sudden desire to reassure her and somehow chase it away. Her lower lip trembles and

of her and placing both hands on her shoulders. My hip presses against her outer thigh and even though there are several layers of fabric between us, I feel a rush of heat flow through me at the contact. Her warm cinnamon colored eyes lock on me, her breathing turning ragged as her gaze sweeps