The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred-Forty-Five

FELIX

Standing next to the door waiting for Rainier to knock, | notice his step slow near the landing. | could feel him

coming up the stairs when he first entered the bar. The man had heavy feet. But now, he heated. Why? Was

helding his ring again? PITI! Not on my watch

buddy.

1 rip the door open and our eyes meet. From what | can tell, he was simply standing there lost in thought, but

one glance at his left hand and | see the ring is still missing. A beast of irritation begins to garl at my insides,

angry that he is still trying to dupe me.

“Give him a chance... Bartlett said. Hal A chance to what? Continue to pretend? To act like he’s the Honker Hero,

the savior of fallen hoes?

“It's not lunchtime,” | say with as much indifference as my traitorous heart will allow,

He climbs the last few stairs swiftly, throwingan amused look as he steps pastinto the apartment.

Uninvited, might | add! I catch whiff of his vanilla bourbon scent as he playfully shoulder checksand 1 nearly

swoon. But then | remind myself that someone else has been enjoying his scent far longer than I. Someone else

owns it. Owns him! All of him! His deep voice, his quiet smile, the mechanical flex of his muscles every the

moves, his... man ports! There is a woman out there and her fucken nis Mrs. Rainier Riotte, and that

woman is not me.

It's the realization that someone else has his nthat burns into my chest so painfully that I'm forced to lean

on the door for a minute

when | close it. Dawn it | wanted so badly for him to be mine. But... he’s not.

He's not

“Felix,” his concerned voice sounds at my back. Turn around sweetheart

| shake my head, fighting the outrage of emotions scattering through me. | take a few deep breaths and feel him

step a bit closer, so | shave off the door and side-step him as | walk toward the couch. Glancing up as | take a

seat, | catch the look on his face as his arms fall to his sides and his fists clench. He looks lost. Like an

abandoned child that doesn’t understand why he’s suddenly alone. The hurt that | see etched on his features

burns into my throat and my fortress begins to crumble. It’s only there for a moment, but that’s all it takes for a

ball of guilt to settle into my stomach and makefeel like | just kicked a puppy.

“Bartlett's nice,” | supply, in an attempt to break the ice.

He's still staring toward the other side of the room as if lost in thought “Yeah, he is,” he agrees absently, finally

turning my way. His normally confident walk seems unsteady as he edges toward the couch. The closer he gets,

the more uncomfortable he begins to look. As if he’s rethinking his decision to chere, or considering turning

back T-um,” he begins, not meeting my eyes. “Ercan | sit down?”

The insecurity in his voice when he asks that, curls around my heart like a band-aid. Staunching a little of the

bleeding pain I'm feeling and makingwant to wrap myself around his legs. Because the truth is, if he were to

turn around and leave right now - no explanation, no nothing - | would be devastated.

“Please,” | say softly, allowing sof the frost in my gaze to melt away

When he takes a seat on the farthest end of the couch, leaving a world of space between us, I'm suddenly

aching for his touch. But | shouldn't be surprised he chose to keep his distance, especially after how | greeted

him.

He focuses on the ground in front of him, clamping his hands together between his knees. “You're planning to go,

aren't you?” he asks, his voice suddenly raspy. “I made a mistake and now... you're just going to leave.” He

shakes his head, closing his eyes.

| don’t know what to say. Telling him yes might result in him walking out the door and not looking back and

telling him no... would be a lie. Made a mistake? As in me? Am | the mistake? Tears begin to burn behind my

eyes and | clamp them shut, fighting like hell to keep them back. Then | take a couple of shuddering breaths, all

the while knowing that if he looks atright now, he’ll see how much pain I'm in. So I struggle with it and it

seems the more | attempt to control it, the worse it gets.

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Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five

“I know you're angry‘ be says sétly, and his voice sounds closer now, but | don’t look because I'm solli wodong

for cursul think | lied to you. That | used you. But | didn’t. You can burte

do... just... please don’t leave,” he finishes in a whisper.

My eyes flutter open, a few silent tears escaping as | observe him sitting next

“You don’t understand,” | say tightly, and he finally raises his eyes to mine. They go law flexes, a muscle in his

throat thifting. “I really, really wanted you.” [Breath and girls like- we're a fantasy. And | knew that,

you're not mine.”

de then turbulent upon sight of

warded to burse you and | can

More tears stream from my eyes and he flinches as if I've struck him. His hand reaches for the terrachad, touch

again. Warm fingers caress my cheeks, wiping the tears away bedde dritting down to my lips to gently

You're wrong,” he says, sliding his hand down my arm then wrapping around both of my

I lift my chin, studying him as he watches our hands. “I'm not wrong, I'm a mistake. You said so poormat”

His brow furrows and shifts closer, pushing his outer thigh against my You te...” he trails off, shaking head.

“You're not the mistake,’ he repeats

“You not wearing your ring doesn’t change anything. There is still someone nothing to me. A woman who was

probably out of her mind wondering where you not a thief, and I’m not a mistress. You don’t have to feel guilty

about ite. 111: tears fall from my eyes. “You just have to letgo

curled under me. “You're not the mistake, Pal

much to it. A wombat

hot night. | may be a pest mums simp. fine. You don’t have to take care of

did on the yacht. Be appear almost angry and p onto his lap. His face burrows into the side of my

His chest heaves and his eyes darken, the irises swirling in color like the suddenly yanksinto his arms.

Closing them around me, he settles hair and he releases a hot shuddering breath into my skin. “No,” he rasps

out, his voice strangely deeper than before, almost patied. His muscles seem swollen, the heat of them burning

through the fabric of our clothes and imprinting on my skin. “No,” he says again, and 1

feel him tremble.

Sselfish part ofalmost wants to tell him that it's okay. That | can be his mistress, that | will stay here and

accape whutne he’s willing to give me, but | know better than that. I've been accepting less for my whole life

and now that

again. But | dont say that. Instead, | run my fingers through his hair le I've been dying to do trying to soothe hit

He purrs against my neck, and soon, he is kissingthere. | need to stop him, but | cant yet. His arms an body

is still quaking beneath me.

“Just givea day,” he mumbles into my throat. “One day. Please. I'll for everything”

Fix everything? How? What?

the couch. I.

He continues to kiss and nibble my neck, shifting our bodies so that he is now lying on top ofas a sound like

a growl rumbles deep within his chest and something sharp scrapes over my clavicle at the base of

« PT . . Q

Rainier,” | whimper, noticing as his

muscles seem to be tightening

, 2

aroundor else... they're growing.

Even his shirt looks ta shrinking over

his shoulders. As [ig epeetioctine

ughenrg Mdre iolent, he shifts

his hips intoand | feel his

super-sized erection grind against

my lap. | hear something rip and for a

: )

moment | think he's torn my blouse,

q end q

but then | realize it's the loves of his

shin. shirt is ripping off his back!

What the hell is going on? | grip the

back of his head in my hands and try

: : f “

to still his ravenous lips. “You have to

» :

stop. Please...” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Another growl rumbles and his voice sounds almost inhuman when he maps, “No. You're going to try and leave

me, and I'm not going

let you

A sob lodges in my throat, and my heart cracks wide open, fighting with my brain for dominance. In that pement,

| feel myself surrendering to the chaos. | start moving against him, widening my legs for him, My lips kiss the top

of his head and | drag my

2/3

Chapter One Hundred-Forty-Five

his shoulders. His growling gets

louder and | start to wander about all

things magic. | suddenly think of the

wolf that | heard that night in the jail

cell. The way he-sedfried Ses to

i ow Rit him in my snu Closing

my eyes to the strange sound Rainier

is making as he devours my neck, |

could almost imagine werewolves

were real. And that | was smack in

the middle of one of those fantasies

being ravaged by a man that was

g nq

sometimes a wolf. Wouldn't it be

amazingof that were true? The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

“Rainier,” | moan as he begins to suck on a particularly sensitive spot the side of my neck. It begins to ache and

throb. Pulating painfully as if it's reaching for something. “It hurts?” | cry out.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart,” he growls in that strange voice of his. “You threatened to leave me, and | can’t let you

do that.”

a q q q cn

| whimper beneath him, thinking it's

no use forto argue right now.

Just as | am about to relent. Just as |

am about to A does mM

ca... 7 :

FgnerRot a: ps over my neck

and something sharp pierces into my

flesh. The pain has my back arching

and my eyes falling heavy | can hear

Rainier moaning, the sound

thrumming through my blood as the

stinging sensation begins to soothe