The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Fifty-Nine

DRAVEN

Draven Emily a voice calls tofrom the bathroom doorway and | jerk upright.

“Emily,” Tamile, glancing her way: “Cin”

“Oh my God,” she cries out, stepping intide and taking a good look at my face.

Shit. I must look like hell

“I'm alright,” Lassure her, dipping my head under the water for a cool moment before strength of her muted

subbing. “Hey!” | stand up, pulling the drain when I do, then and pull her into a bug theokay, really, I'm fine. I've

had way worse.”

coming back up. When | do, she is in trans. Her body shaking i

ring for a clean towel on the rack. After wrapping myself

And that the truth. What Marcus used to do towas a hundred times worse than slut happened today.

“I cant believe you” she whispers, pulling away. Her dark eyes are filled with wonder when the looks at me. “How

are you so strong?”

I shrug: | don’t consider myself strong at all. “I'm not

“You are!” She argues as we saunter into Domonic’s room.

g” i tarp. “You are. | didn’t get dumped into the ocean after being assaulted and to be honest if | had | probably

would have chosen to sink

Sadly, | speak the truth. The first tMarcus assaulted me, that’s exactly what | tried to do, | took a gun out of

his closet and pressed it to my head. | even pulled the trigger. Luckily, the damn thing wasn’t loaded. Whew.

Every t| look back on that day, all | feel is weak. So | push it down, where | store most of m and | bury it

beneath mountains of bulshit.

Su no, | am not strong. The first t| faced any of my past was when | spoke to Domonic about it. Before that? |

was good with the avoidance technique. though? Not so much.

“I don’t believe that,” she sighs, but a hint of a smile plays over her mouth.

| walk over to Demonic’s dresser and pull out a pair of his pajama pants and a plain witte t-shirt. This is all I've

have to wear until he gets back, | puetz. It will do. Watching Emily while | get dressed, | notice she is pacing the

room. Shooting strange looks atevery tshe makes a pass.

“What is it?” | ask, sensing there is more than just my bruises on her mind.

“I don’t know if | should tell you,” she says, growing more and more nervous. Her vollowers and she continues to

pace. “I don’t even know if | believe it

“What?” | cue, thinking | more than likely know what she’s about to say.

She must have witnessed one of the guys change when they went after me. The way she rps glancing toward

the door like it might burst open, tellssherafild of someone in the house.

| saw your boyfriend do something. She huffs, dropping into the velvet armchair against the wall and burying her

face in her hands. Something horrible. And | don’t know if | should tell you about it or not. You'll probably think

I'm nuts.”

Uh-oh. My eyes narrow, and | take a seat across from her on the bed. “Something homible?” | repeat. Are you

sure it was horrible?”

She nods, lifting her head. Her eyes flare wide. “So horrible.”

Fachool my features, trying to remain calm. A deeper part ofwants to snap at her but | know she’s just

ignorant, so | don’t. “Uh-huh, What makes it horrible? The fact that he can sit into a wolf, or the fact that you

can't?”

“What? What does that mean?” She gasps, her back straightening. “You already know about him?”

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Chapter Fifty-Nine

18-a wolf 1-ton?”

Her eyes grow frightened and she swallows loudly. “X-are you a

| shake my head. “No”

Oh thank God?” She hisses, her eyes flying around frantically. “We need to get out of her

“No, we do. We're safe here.

“Wh-what?” She stammen. “How can you think that?”

“I don’t think that, I know that.” | place my hands on her shoulders and meet her eyes. “Like | said, I'm not a

wolf, but I wish | was

Her eyes bulge. “Why the fuck would you wish for that?”

“Because if | was a wolf, Marcas and Leo would have been dead long ago.” | sigh, suppressing the urge to shake

her. | don’t like the way she’s handling this. No one here has tried to hurt her. Not once. At least - | don’t think

they did. Either way, her ignorance is getting on my nerves.

“Who is Mares?” She inquires softly

“Leo’s father. The devil,” | say smoothly, remembering that Domonic still has him on jockdown. Then, | try a

different approach. “Would you hateif you found out that | was a wolf? Would you think | was... horribir?”

She shakes her head frantically. “No! No way!

| glare “Then why would you call Domonic horrible? Because we got news for you, he’s not the only wolf

“He fucking growled at me!” She shrieks, her hands flying about her head wildly. “He was going to bite me!”

| bite my lip, trying not to smile. “What? When?”

“When they cin and found that you were gone. He attacked met

| shake my head. ‘No. He never would have done that.”

She begins so cry again, softly sobbing as she rocks herself. “Yes. He would: He definitely tried to, but Roda

stopped him.”

Koda stopped him, eh? 1 roll my eyes. “Koda, the hero,” | snipe, showing sof my nation. It's on the tip of my

tongue to tell her that Koda is a big bad wood too, but | don’t. Not my secret to tell. Is that all you saw? Just

Domonic changing into a wolf?”

“Is that not enough?” She snaps, her voice rising incredulously. “I tell you he’s a werewolf? A monster! And you

want to know if thats the only thing???

“He’s not a monster!” | hiss, getting angry “And don’t you dare fucking call him on

She hiccups, retreating into herself. “1-I'm sorry | just-"

“Stop!” | growl out, standing up. “I like you Emily. | do. And we have a whale hell of lot to talk about. But do not

catch yourself talking about Demonic that way again, or we're going to have a very big problem - you and me.

Understand?”

Emily begins wringing the front of her sweater with her hands like she might have a panic attack and | have to

fight the urge to laugh. She nods, “O-okay.”

But | can tell that its not and | berate myself for being so callous. Shit. Not everyone has had the chance to learn

the difference the way that | have. | need to have a bit more compassion for her. | mean, | reacted the sway

when | first found out what Marcus was. Then again, Marcus ir a monster, and the things he did towere

criminal

“Qumanic probably lashed out at her becI'd been taken.

1 sigh, reaching for her hand. Surprisingly, she takes it. “Con. Let's go downstairs. Have you had a chance

to try that stew you made?

The shakes her head. “No. When pda went after Domonic, he toldto lock myself his room and that’s exactly

what I did.”

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Chapter Fifty-Nine

I rod, good. “What did Koda tell you then we got back?” Lask

trembles, shaking her head as tears fill her eyes once more. It doesn’t matter. Lets go eat

1 mile, ratious for a moment of what might have happened between them. It's none of my business, | know this.

Still, I can’t help but wonder

DOMONIC

Istride into the Putt Orchard Sheriff

Station to find Gryffin and Goose

Lo : n

there waiting I'm qniy mldiy Of

sprarséd After what Koda told me

back on the island. But the haunting

look that Gryllin givesshakes me

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chapter there!

He looks physically ill. His normally golden skin is a muted shade, tinged with gray. Its eyes are cupped with dark

shadows and the golden light that normally fires

He looks drained.

Jesus Christ,” Ihess and he no

| need to know what he took from me, Gryffin rasps, his eyes wet. And | need to get it back.”

i swallow, working my jaw. “Well, let's go and see what we can find out.” | turn toward Hainier, who | know has

been here for thirty-six straight hours. “When's the last tyou thicked on that hastard?”

put the chains on him a

after Lagan stitched him up, Rainier says. “That was the last 3 saw him.”

I + ” q

Wheres Timmons?” | ask, glancing

around at the empty station. Rainier

has had all the human deputies, qn

patrol since theaight ue bought the

OB Theris Not that they would have

seen anything anyhow. The only

people who have access to the

dungeons of the basement are the

members of our pack and there are

absolutely no canetas down these.

| sent him hto get srest hours ago Rainier says, rubbing his eyes.

I nod, my eyes falling over the bon

shifters who are anxiously waiting

f q

next to the elevators. I'm gaing ta

ie thamINfares Tean't

have 10g ted Ss. [can't risk

hbving him here with no one to watch

over him. All of us wolves need to

sleep before tomorrow night or will

be too weak to fight our animal

urges. The content is on

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chapter there!

Gore, Gryffin, and | enter the elevators and | punch in the access coder that allow below.

The moment ser step out onto the dungeon floor, the sharp tang of cupper floods my ses. The rank smell of fresh

blood is heavy in the air.

“What the fuck?” I hiss, my Fangs slicing out. The eerie silence of the space is deafening and a feeling of

foreboding washes overwith the darkness of the hall.

Why are the lights out?”

I hold up my hand, simaling that Gryffin should stay back while Coose and | creep further in. The concrete floor

appears shiny and it takesa full minute to understand why.

Woven in blood

facing down the hall | grow as | approach Marcus’ cell. It's open and rage ignites iroide