The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Sixty-Five

DRAVEN

Surprisingly enough, Emily took the news better than | thought she would. 1 expected her to faint, or scream, or

run from me, but she did none of the things Instead, she simply nodded, the quirkiest of smiles on her face and a

look of near disbelief in her eyes.

“Emily,” | prompt. “Do you understand what | just told you? Koda is a wolf”

“Yeah-no-yeah, | get it. | mean, | understand what you do Lionesses eat?”

at you said of

coure Id“:

Surma around, putting her back to me. “What should | make for lunch? 1 mean = |

| glare at her rigid backside, wondering if maybe she’s in shock couldn't say. Maybe we should ask them.”

“We eat what you guys eat,” Gayle

she enters from the backdoor and steps past the pantry. At least we do when we're human.”

My eyes find hers and | grin. Im guessing your hearing is more exceptional

She nods. That's an understatement. However, wolves have the trophy on

in that one as far as shifters go.

Wrong! Tardira disagrees, entering from the front

« house.”“”“You're forgetting about Astonoo! Wir met him last year when he flew in on vacation.”

“Oh yea,” deyle chirps. That man was hot. Never thought bats were sexy until him.” Rie Lacesand nods. His

hearing is second to none.”

| rap at the stI’'mily spins around

ever told as a child. “Are you telling mir that

taway | start thinking about Dracula and vampires and all the scary stories

Tardora chuckles. | mean - | guess you could call

“The also mjoys draining Hood

ing blood fro

Wh what? Emily ch

“But not for food,” Gayle winks. “Just for pleasure”

“Measure?” | Manch

“That man was bach for pleasure, Taedora sight.

“Omigod,” Emily whimpers

yone wanted to. Antonius is a shiter that changes from but to man, and he does in fact have

“Jesus Christ,” This

“He's fine as hell,” Gayle chuckles. Too bad Gryffran him off. He and | had a blast together.

“Hal” Tardora snaps. “You're crazy. That man was way more intothan he wi

One of these day The, youre going to have to accept the truth. He wanted me. H

1. me. He even tried to markas hist

My cars perk up. My head is on a swivel at | look back and forth between the two lionesses. “Mark you as his?

What exactly does that mean?

-Tardora begins to laugh, her eyes falling toward my throat. “Oh that’s right, | almost forgot,” she clicks her

tongue. “Dum did you dirty as hell. Biting into you and

not telling you shit about what was going on.” Her eyes find the faint crescent at the line of my throat and her

eyes sparkle, “but | asshe had his reasons.” Her eves Butter graciously. “You are his mate aber all,”

To my complete and utter surprise. Emily is the one who answers me. “With shapeshifters, a mate is one’s other

half. A perfect match gifted by shigher power,

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Chapter Sixty-Five

she whispers. The one and poly

| starehe, tiling my head in obedouin skepticism, “You know this because-

person is often called a soodsate/

She grims, “My grandma had a ton of werewolf books in her house. | used to read them all the time.

For smassey, | really thought you'd be more disturbed by this, You called Drenoide a monster"

She glowers. He tried to eat mej

“Sof what she says is amate, Gayle cuts in. “Sis not,” the sighs, neslding levand Tandura. “For linn

shifters, the mate bond in different. The miles been known to posess more than one mate, be it mule nt female.

But for wolves, then it only one.” She shrugs, “Actually, not difters are like that. But for sreason, lion shifters

are not. We can have multiple connection. Which is why it is so loved that Gryffin

“-hasn’t found his mate yet!” Tardona interrupts, sending her female companion an obonus look of disapproval.

“Were you aware that because you are mate - you never have to worry about him getting another gil pregsamt?!

1 snort. “What

Her eyes sparkle. “Shifters can only reproduce with their mates. Sure, they can mark anyone they want to, but

the mate bood is special. It is that way for a reason. And, as | said before, slion's can have more than one

mate. Which can cause at of problems in a pride.”

“Right,” Gayle coas “For instance, Gryff's dad had two mates. Gloria had him and my mother, Dana, had mr.

We're half siblings

| nodded. ‘I thought so.”

lips. “Our mamas hated each other. Still do.”

“Yup.” Gayle pops her lips.

“So there’s never been a wolf shifter with two mates? Not ever?” | inquire, not completely sure how much of this

information might be true. | mean - I'm su know what they're taking about - but | would just feel better if

Demonic was the one tellingthese things. | definitely would be more inclined to believe it if that were the

case. As is it these girls could be wrong. They're lion Shifters, not wolf shifters. If | am Domonics mate like they

say, wouldn't he have wanted to keep me

bere from the start?

“Not that we know of, Gayle says with a frown. “But | guess anything is possible.

over the ocean.

“I wonder if Koda has a mate, Emily whispers, turning away from us to stare out the rain ov

“No, he doesn’t,” Taedora says. These dudes are weird about mates. The Red Wolf Pack is the only pack of Wolf

shifters left in the Northwest and they run things way differently than most packs do.”

“How so?” | ast

Gayle sighs, sending Tandora a warning glance and a shake of her head. “You really ought to ask Dumonic about

that. It’s one thing for us to tell you about our rules and the basic rules of shifters in general, but it's something

else entirely for either of to speak on the inner workings of a wolf pack.”

Tedo met my eyes for a long moment. There's a lot of history in the hills of Port Orchard, Gayle’s right. We don’t

want to upset anybody. | mean - this is the first tin five years that we've been allies. | don’t want to mess it

up now. Not with what Gryffin’s going through with his lon“,

“Tar,” Gayle hisses.

“Right, sorry.” Taedora groans. “Enough about shifters. Who wants a drink?”

Th-uliah | complain. “You never finished explaining about vampires!”

Tardora giggles as the rest of us fullow her into the living room and she heads straight for the bar.

“Oh Antonio, my sweet Antonio. Her eyes twinkle. “Not vampires. Hat shifters. But, you think about it. That's

probably where sof those human horror stories probably cfrom:

“Bat shifters are natives of Transylvania. It’s the only place beautiful enough for thou winged beasts. Gaple ways

taking a pint of tequila from behind the bar and taking a drep drink directly from the bottle. “There are stories

that claim all shiters toginated from there, but | don’t believe L

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Chapter Sixty-Five

“Did you ever see him in his bat form?” | ask

The ladies ned in unison.

“Scariest thing | ever saw,” Toedora squeaks. | mean, yikes. They re huge and virtually impossible to catch” She

looks around. “Not that | ever tried or anything”

“Hat That's all you tried!” Gayle snipes.

| frown. “But you said Gryffin chased Antonio, away? Why - if you both like

A strange quiet seems to fall over both girls, “That's a story for another time.

“What?” Emily squawks “No way! You won't tell us the wolf pack secrets, an you have to give us this.”

Gayle growls, “Fine! You win. Ell give

you one wolf secret, because | refuse

to tell you out any erboutmal

PI prceststiol own half the

bottle of tequila and she doesn’t so

much as cough. There. Now nothing |

say can be held aglitBecause I'm

drunk” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

“Pretty sure it doesn’t work that way,” Tredora chuckles.

“Today it does,” Gayle sighs. The reason why the Red Wolf Pack is closed off, is because five years ago, more

than half of them deserted,

My eyes arrow at her. Deserted?”

“Cayle...” Taedora wams.

Gayle ignores her. “When their old packhouse burned down.”

“Gayle!” Taedora snaps, her eyes flashing. “Don’t!”

“It burned down?” | ask, worry trembling throughas | realize, maybe | don’t want to hear the rest of this tale.

At least, not from her.

“It was on the night of a full moon,”

Gayle sighs. “Just like tonight. But

their packhouse wasn{Cphedohly thing

theta la thé night. Her face falls

heavy and she attempts to take

another swig of the bottle but

Tandora snatches it out of her hands

That-is-o

she grinds out through clenched teeth. “Either you shut the fuck up or | shut you the fuck up,”

Gayle nods, tears filling her eyes. “You're right. I'll stop.”

Tedora meets my gaze. “Is there somewhere she can lay down for a while?”

1 nod, “Yeah. Third floor, last door.”

“Full moons suck,” 1 hear Gayle whimper as Tandora leads her away.

Watching the two of them climb the

steps my heart is full. | senses deep

loss in Rays heart Brie rist seems

sbléhow tied to the fire she

mentioned Tied to the wolves history.