The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

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The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred-Sixteen

DRAVEN

Five minutes after | called him, Dart was strolling through the front doors like an avenging angel. His stride was

steady and unhurried, his eyes scanning the perimeter through the windows. Ever vigilant up until the point that

he realized Taedora and | were baking biscuits in the kitchen. Brows furrowed in confusion, he asks, “What kind

of emergency calls for biscuits and gravy?”

| grin, tossing my oven mitts up on the counter as | leap into his arms for a warm welcoming hug. “We're making

breakfast for everyone.”

“Everyone?” Bart asks. “Who is everyone?”

| smile bouncing back on my heels. “Emily, Koda, and you.”

“Emily and Koda? Are you sure they're going to make it?”

| laugh, my eyes sparkling as | nod toward the driveway and the silver SUV pulling in behind Bart's truck. “Yup.”

An hour later the five of us are gathered in the living room when | pull out the jewelry box and flip the lid open

for all to see. A chorus of gasps and curses follow. Koda tenses, his arms guing so tight around Emily that she

yelps.

“When did Domonic give that to you?” Bart asks, reaching forward to take it in his hands.

“This morning,” | say. Just before he left. He toldto keep it until my answer was yes and then... just that 1

should put it on and he would know.” | smile, my eyes watering at the memory. “When | saw what he did to the

guestroom - how he made it into a nursery‘-I swallow-“l opened it to put it on and-"

That message was there instead of the ring,” Koda hisses. “Have you asked Domonic about it?”

| shake my head. “No.”

Any particular reason why?” Bart asks.

“You know why,” | say simply.

He and Koda both nod. “Right,” Bait acknowledges. “You don’t want him to send you away again.”

Koda growls, “Excusefor a minute.” The rest of us watch as Koda settles Emily on the seat next to him and

steps out front.

“Where the hell is he going?” Taedora quips, hopping out of her seat to peer out the front door.

“Not far,” Emily says. “He won't leave me. This is the farthest his been fromsince we got back here.”

“He’s on the phone,” Bart says, meeting my gaze. “Calling Rainier.”

“What?” | snap. “Why Rainier? What does he have to do with a

of it

Bart chuckles humorlessly. “Aside from the fact that he’s the one who Domonic had retrieve the ring in the first

place?”

“He is 1 gasp, my eyes narrowing as something nags at me, gnawing at the back of my mind.

Rainiers always been nice to me, but I've always sensed a slight resentment. Like he wasn’t entirely happy that |

was here. Could he have put that message in the box forto read? Or for Domonic to see and once again

decide it was too dangerous forto stay?

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Chapter One Hundred-Sixteen

Ideally hope not, but maybe the best thing to do is confront him about it and find out.

Lahead in the room perks up when Roda comes back in the front. His eyes go straight for Taedora. “You helped

put up the cameras

round the bar and the Sheriff Station?

Turdura nude, her eyes going vivid and catlike as she purrs, “I did. Why does it matter?”

“Well soon see,” Koda informs. The ring was buried behind the dungeon exit of the Sheriff Station. One of the

places we had you lions place the cameras. If someone dug it out before Rainier did, we'll know

bart hoses. And if there's no one on the camera but Rainier...”

Koda nods, “Then there's only one other person who might have had access.”

Bart rubs his chin thoughtfully in understanding as their eyes meet over the tabletop. “And Rainier is looking

through the footage as we

what he finds and bring it over afterward,” Koda explains.

Tudor’s gale surrows at him warily. “So you don’t think Rainier had something to do with

at that,

da staps, his dark blue eyes taking on the first glimpse of anger I've seen since Emily woke up from her coma.

“Rainier is a lot of

not a traitor.” Koda returns to his seat lifting Emily back into his arms the moment he sits down. | have to smile

upding the way he relaxes once he snuggles into her neck. Is that what Domanic and | were like all of the time?

No wonder everyone kitew |

“You two are adorable,” | say with a smile

Instead of the embarrassed anger I'm used to seeing from Koda, his eyes heat as he draws Emily in closer. She

blushes prettily, falling

kisses her lips softly. From my seat on the end of the couch | watch Bart smile sadly, his ryes focused on the pair

of them as they cuddle and I notice for the first thow truly lonely Bart seems to be. | don’t know what

possessesto speak my bed thoughts out bud, but | do.

“Your murte will find you too, Bart. | promise.” | whisper and his eyes flare wide before meeting mine.

He clears his throat. “Thats a nice thought kiddo. But it doesn’t make it true

| smile, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “It’s true. | can feel it,”

lay.” Tardona squawks. Because that wasn’t weird at all.”

1 tip her off, grabbing the jewelry box off the table and placing it back inside my pocket. “Okay. So back to the

task at hand. Assuming

thaar’s nothing on the cameras,” | say, pacing back and forth as | stare out at the yard. “Who is the only other

person that might have

allows, his gaze lowering with a shake of his head.

des a deep breath,

words coming out so softly they re almost hard to hear, “Rainier’'s human wife. Angle.”

“Kaituer has a mata??” | yelp. “Why didn’t | know that?”

Har studes his head, grantinga wan smile. “She's i

not his mate. But she is his wife.”

De Dume. “So be murtied someone who was not his mate?”

kude and fart no | in unison, their eyes locking from across the room.

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Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

And his wife Angle is now what Baller

Honestly? Bart shangs | dont know he might that he’s and

Tene lag have they lun married? Lask

Alisel a you. Angle Breally want into town a year add

she was the sule uusia of a luating acrident

Angle Hainier was the first man on the araw when she was founded seemed to regain les mury, they fell in love

and were married

“Huh,” | half, with a cross of my at

the wildly way

was with why you by the hea

tagh they kee

Thedora isks before saying Hghtfully, | ender being and Well yes HAIT

Bart ds. “Yes. We all felt sorry for her. When it cout that her fly der har ything and the

And you're sure they're not mates? | ask, thinking to myself that Don’s des might how pedalier seg o

i

irdvious that theyrer

|

smile cheekily. “Look who's talking

He grins. “Maybe | should call Itainier back and tell him to bring Angin

I hate my lip thoughtfully. “Maybe, but

Hainder already doesn't like. rae very

much, iN | Jon tkhow rdw that have

td1dl her what she supposedly don't

know? The content is on

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Bart grumbles, “It's not th he doesn't

like you.” He sighs, his eyes taking

that faraway bunk X30 “|meah)

thnk aque EE I'thinking none of

us would ever he allowed to have

mates. Then Dobsonic meets you,

Koda meets Emily- and just like that,

have been changed.” The content is

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chapter there!

“Understood,” | say softly. “That's really kind of sad too, if you think about with the damaged girl he fell in love

with?”

“Exactly,” Bart agree.

Because what if Painier meets Aus mate? W

Suddenly it occurs to me. If Angie

washed up on the beach a year and a

half ago — then she couldn't have

anything to do IE BED fli fave!

koyn Bhything about it. But... if she

had somehow discovered what the

boys were and had heard about their

rules somehow... she might be

feeling threatened. So | ask, “How

often do these messages pop up?

These No Mates warnings? The

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the latest chapter there!

Bart's eyes go dark as he leans back in his seat. ‘Not until after you arrived, Draven. There's never been any

threat to the rule... until you.”