The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Eighty–Two

PAUL

Downstairs with my brothers, I keep one eye on the open door of my bedroom and my ears piqued to listen. There was no need to share what Anastacis had just done and said, everyone on the first floor had heightened senses and each and every one of them heard her themselves.

“Crazy fucken shit, Timmons hisses. “So saltwater, eh?” He turns toward Gryffin. “Your daddy tell you that too?

Gryffin’s jaw clenches and he shakes his head, no. “What he did tell me, was that a shadow hound killed in the night under a blackened space will kill the beast, but release his shadowed soul. Then that soul will grab the first natural creature of likeness, presumably a dog- or hound, and take that life instead. Apparently shadowed souls can room freely in the dark.”

“Shit, Timmons curses.

1 ask, “Take that life instead? Meaning what exactly?”

Gryffin’s head jerks in my direction. “Meaning he will transfer his soul to another hound. A natural. And that natural will become a shadow hound shifter. My father said shadow hounds in daylight can be killed, but only under a full sun. Only when the sun is directly above it will the shadowed soul be banished.”

“Well that’s not good,” Rainier gripes. “I mean, fuck. That makes them pretty fucking”

“Indestructible?” Gryffin supplies. “Yeah, I know.”

“I wo

wonder if they’re aware of that trait, says Cane thoughtfully. “When the three of you went after them in the woods, they all looked pretty different to me. As if they weren’t even of the same litter. They might not even know what their shadow capabilities are. The real question is… do they become shadow, or are they born shadow?”

“You’re right,” 1 agree, just as the scratching on the rooftop s

more about that.”

rooftop starts up again. Raising My eyes heavenward, I say, “I need to talk to Anastacia

“Unfortunately, that’s not something my father shared with me,” Gryffin complains. “If I’d known we were about to meet some, I might have asked.”

“Well what’s stopping you from doing so now?” I ask..

Gryffin grants me an apologetic smile. “Selfish desire. I don’t want that asshole coming home with his whores and if I’m suddenly Interested in sta ow hounds, he’ll know there’s a reason for it and might decide to find out what that is. He’s been bothering me about taking on a few chosen females. Females that he hand–picked for me himself.”

he’s in Africa? Is he lioness hunting

you,” Gryffin says with a

course wedding, I attempt to steer the conversation back toward the hounds.“So to bind one in saltwater and wash it of its taint

its soul, Koda inserts with a grin. Two birds with

drown the

Koda hisses, “Exactly.”

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Two Hundred

“So get up there and grab us

Bring him

goddamnedd beach and wash the shadow

men that have been chasing my not my–Anastacia. I want to make that fucker bleed and have him tell me everything he and his kin planned to do to her. Then… I’ll have him apologize and beg

CANE

the slide of the deadbolt behind us seems to echo in the woods. The pair of us are naked and despite the frost in the air, I’m not even a little bit cold. Another perk af becoming a shifter I suppose. When Gayle and I parted ways at the docks, she was concerned that I might have trouble shifting on command and did her best to get Gryffin

pissed at me. She didn’t even kiss me goodbye. My beautiful savior who mourned my death, refused to even look at me. Denied me a proper send off on my first pack pride mission.

to her and reminding her of what we almost lost. Because I’ve already made the vow with myself, never to leave her like that ever again. I want a kiss from her every single fucking time we separate from now

cat. I need to

smashing good time,

tune into the night around us, my eyes lasering

And there It

see the roof of Paul’s house. Just as we expected… they appear to be waiting for something. They want the girl left defenseless. Or… they are testing our strengths. Suddenly, this gives me pause, but as we already have a plan in place, I don’t speak on

won’t matter what they know when they are dead.

the same time I do, because he meets by gaze with a nod in their direction. I smile, then I’m off. Racing through the woods at speeds even the wolves can’t follow. Trees and shrubbery pass by in a blur. Darkened colors of barest green and deepest un or that bleed into each other are the only markers of the path I follow. The plan

hounds never even

prepared for the beast

I do, half a second before I circle at the base of a particularly all evergreen. One they should never have taken the time to climb, because….. now… there’s only one way down that

myself that I

ANASTACIA

troubled sleep and for a moment I’m completely confused. A quick glance around reminds me of where I am, of whose home I am in, and for

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