The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five QUINN As we approached the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview, just outside of the Oregon/Washington border, I pulled off the highway. There was a burger joint with an amazing view of the Columbia River just to the left of the off-ramp. I had eaten all day (unless you count the bite or two my brothers and 1 took out of the human last night LOL) and I was usually caught stuffing my face. Mainly with proteins.

I mean sure, as Wolf Shifters, we require an abundant amount, and we naturally tend toward meat, but there are all kinds of foods we can gain sustenance front. However, as wolves, we do gravitate toward animal matter. Each and every one of my brothers loves nothing more than a good steak and lobster dish, but ever since opening up my gym in Port Orchard, I have taken to ingesting large quantities of both plant and animal based foods. Why? Because I have a lot of gym members that are older human women. When The Pack House 24 first opened, they were constantly coming tofor dietary advice. At first, couldn't really help them because I'm a wolf, and the only alternative to meat that I was ever taught to conswas nuts. But after a month of diving into the world of human nutrition, endeavoring to upgrade my portfolio, so to speak, Hell as much in love with soy as I did with COWS, Today, my gym not only provides the Energy Bar - a before and after cafe for protein shakes and all-natural smoothies, but I've added the Fuel Up Counter- a tiny cafeteria style restaurant devoted to serving a variety of plant-based meals. It's somewhere the older folks can sit and eat before a workout, or grab stakeout for the week ahead. I have my very own little group of Steel Magnolias that absolutely loveandare meet at the Fuel Up for lunch every Sunday, Luna Lilly used to tellthat I was going to grow up to be the largest in the pack and for a while, I actually thought that meant I was going to be Alpha. So when we all turned ten years old and Domonic and I got into a boxing match over who was going to take the lead, Luna Lilly pulledaside to have a heart-to-heart.

MINT-FLASHBACK **Quinn baby, what's going on?" Luna asked.

I gazed up at her with angry eyes, thinking that she lied toabout who I was going to be. "You said that I was going to be the biggest! That means that I'm going to be Alpha! Why would Domonic be Alpha, if I'm going to be the bigger wolf?" She grinned at me, ruffling my hair and taking a seat next toon the bricks. "Becoming the biggest doesn't necessarily mean you are going to be Alpha, sweetheart. An Alpha isn't built just from muscles and strength. He is chosen by the pack as a leader because of his dominant nature and the strength of his Alpha Energy I crossed my arms over my chest, gazing up at her with a half smile. "Is that why Domonic never lets the rest of us play football without him? Or basketball either? Whenever it's justand Tim orand Rain playing, he runs out and stops us unless he wants to play too. He is always so bossy!" She laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah. Probably." Then she wrappedup in a hug, kissing my forehead and makingsquirm. “You boys are going to be a fearsonse lot. You all have Alpha running through your veins and sometimes, that worries me." "Why?" I asked, stupefied.

Her smile wavered. "Because it's true. Each of you will grow to be very powerful wolves and even stronger men. In most cases, having more than one Alpha born to a pack means the wolves will separate. Either leaving one day to lead their own territories, or taking over another pack without a suitable Alpha male. In worst case scenarios, the males will fight to the death and the last wolf howling will be made Alpha I gasped, 'I don't want to leave! The twelve of us are best friends! And I would never want to hurt Domonic." | shrugged, blushing when Luna Lilly quirked an eyebrow in reminder of our fight just then. "Well, mean, not really, hurt him. But nobody's ever died from a black- She chuckled, "I know, and that's why I need you to makea promise.

1/3 Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five I paffed up my chest, nodding at her solemnly. "Anything Luna Lilly." She leaned close to me, whispering so that none of the others could hear us from inside the packhouse, "When the tcomes, and the twelve of you take over? Stay together. Never separate! You are going to need each other very much one day, and I fear what might happen if you grow apart. In leaving it up to you to remind them of his much stronger you are together. You are brothers, not friends "Okay," I said, frowning at the sadness in her eyes. "I promise. But if I forget, will you remindwhen the tcomes?" She smiled sadly, "It might not be me, but somehody will." END MINI-FLASHBACK Luna Lilly was always a very intuitive soul. She might even have been a bit psychic. After the fire five years ago, and we found out that our mothers were dead, that one conversation cfloating back toand I realized that she knew, Luna Lilly believed something bad was going to happen and did nothing to stop it. Sometimes that knowledge gets the better ofand I want to scream and shout to the Heavens. Thinking that if she was aware of the danger, that she should have told us. I mean, why wouldn't the give us the chance to at least try and save them? But in reality, it makes no sense to be angry about it. There's no way to change the past. I miss Luna Lilly just as much as I miss my own mother, and truth be told, I kind of miss my dad too. But now, we have Draven, and if I'm being honest, she's becoming the perfect Luna. Just learning of her existence that day in the bar changed everything for me. When Domonic revealed his mate had found him I felt something like instant relief. A heavy weight was lifted from my heart and I knew that Draven was the somebody Luna Lilly had mentioned. The somebody who would remind us to stick together... the somebody that would teach us that we needed to love. Glancing at my mate as I pull into the parking lot, I realize something. She is the only female that I've ever been afraid of. Not in the Jesus Christ, she is scary kind of way, but along the lines of the "What she doesn't likeenough way. She is the only girl that I have ever been nervous talking to. Honestly, her initial impression ofwas correct. I have been a bit of a manwhore. You won't find a single establishment in all of Port Orchard that I haven't fucked in one way or another. Meaning I've had the waitresses, the clerks, the nurses, the sailors, bank tellers and teachers and even a few of the girls from my gym - I've even been with a few of Domonic's strippers. But none of them have ever madefeel anything for more than a ten minute interval.

Delilah... all she has to do is frown and I'm instantly replaying the last five minutes in my head and wondering what I might have done to damage her smile.

She's frowning right now. Shit, "We're about an hour from Clatsop," she says. "And thirty minutes from my hometown, but okay, I get it. You must want to eat." Shutting off the engine, I hear the almost inaudible sound of her stomach rumble and I want to laugh. She doesn't know I can hear that, but I'm glad that I did. "Are you going to act like you're not hungry, then?" A saucy smile tips one side of her mouth and she blushes then lowers her head to say teasingly, "I just ate a little while ago, don't you remember?" Not fair! Not fucking fair. I hiss, in immediate pain as her words sink in and my balls try to climb up the base of my dick. Lilac, you little devil you. My hands lock around the steering wheel and 1 clear my throat, willing away the memory of her wet heat on my fingertips. Oh fuck, I haven't even washed my hands yet. Traces of her juices are probably still on my fingers and if I wanted to, I could probably taste her right POW You are so going to pay for that," I promise with a dark chuckle.

There's something I didn't tell you," she chirps, throwingthe most bone worthy smile I have ever seen. Her wicked hazel blue eyes stroke overslowly and 1 feel my muscles swell everywhere that she looks. As her pupils dilate, her arousal wafts my way and I swear to God it takes everything innot to pass out from the sudden surge of blood in my loins. Im a vegetarian," she says seriously. "I never eat meat," she simpers flirtatiously, eyeing my zipper as it peaks rapidly over my ever growing package. "Not counting yours, I mean." She did that on purpose, that I much is clear. Her sudden confidence is the fucking sexiest thing I have ever seen and I love that she likes to 2/3 08:54 Fri, Nov 15 Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five

toy with me.Oh fuck... she's evil and I'm going to have to feed her again e apte if not just to teach her a lesson."

I'm just about In do that when her back suddenly goes rangrod straight, and her eyes look on something on the other side of the window. 'Charlie?!" she shouts.

Then she leaps out of my car with almost bilaman speed and races into the restaurant without so much as a glance back. Chapter Comments KKN never a dull momenté Jacqui Rossouw You know we love it..