The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

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The Pack: Rule Number 1 – No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Fifty–Two

CANE

息

You’re a lion shifter now Cane.

That is what she said…right?

I shift my body in her direction, my brows furrowing as she watches me Her saucy confidence falters for a moment as her nerves begins to take over, Golden brown eyes darken, losing a bit of their spark as I remain mute, still at a loss for words. When her face falls a bit, a quivering frown turning her lips, I finally reach out for her, but she doesn’t see me.

Gayle’s eyes clamp shut. “I would have asked you if you wanted me to first, but–her voice breaks, tears pouring from the shimmering bronze of her closed eyelids-“you weren’t’healing. Y–you–you…I th–thought you were dead, she finishes with a harsh whisper, just as her chest begins to quake and her breaths start to come and go in rapid procession. The saddest little whimper escapes her lips as she begins to convulse and sob violently.

She’s hyperventilating. Fuck.

I leap toward her, startling a little when my small exertion of force shoots me the entire eight feet. Launching straight for the wall, I throw my weight backward a little to slow myself then I dip downward, scooping her into my arms and against my body. She moans against me like a small child, curling her face into my throat and clawing the muscles of my chest each time her body shudders.

Cradling her as close as I can in the rigid branches of my arms, I murmur, “Hush Kitty Cat. It’s over now.” But she doesn’t quiet, instead she begins to shake even harder. Her cries come in stronger and the sound of her agony takes me right back to that moment when I realized she couldn’t hear me. When I watched her kneel over me and scream. The memory of it pushes in from all sides and I hate myself in for putting her through it. I hate that I allowed my ego to rule my actions. Wanting to prove to her that I was strong enough to be her mate, I completely missed what was truly important and…we nearly lost each other. That fact barrels over me, fear gnawing at my chest once again.

and that I would never have any more than that one patheticly short moment of intimacy with her, not only did it destroy me, but it filled me with insurmountable anger. I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. It shouldn’t have mattered to me whether or not Roman lived or died. All that should have mattered was securing life

heart. I’m having to fight for control as it is not to cry myself. I still can’t believe that I’m able to touch you. That

to understand I–I wanted you here! I Wanted you with

Mad at you?

girl crazy?

her sobs climb back upward as she belts out, “G–Gio showed me what to do. He knew what was h–happening to your body. H–he said I was lucky b–because you must have ch–chosen to stick around,

back into the bed with her in my arms and pull the covers over the both of us. “Fresh, huh?”

biting back on another sob as she shivers against me. I couldn’t let you g–go. Everyone tried to t–tell me that you were gone, but I refused to believe it. But Cane,” she moans, “I was sooo afraid that they were right. I was so, so, afraid. 1-1 d–didn’t plan to ever stop biting you. They

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Two Hundred Fifty–Two

morbid topic and the shiver of relief that went through me knowing that I didn’t have to wake up six feet underground, or even worse – burned to ash

still looking for me in the woods because

you attacked, which hunter? Wait a minute, when

to Roman’s. The rangers plan to shoot me on sight, she

and noticing how beautiful she looks with her tear stained cheeks barely scrubbed with a

almost anxiously, “Like I was saying – I knew that once my brother took you away from me that I…I“-she pauses to take a deep breath-“I would lose it and that I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to you.” She swallows thickly and I reach out with one hand to swipe the lone tear from her cheek. “So…the moment that they took you away, I planned to shift

I realize what she’s saying.

up at me. “Yes…yes, Cane. I wasn’t gonna let you leave

said that, I clench