The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen CANE Sitting down. I don't take my gaze off of Gayle until I've pulled her in for a kiss. She yelps when I yank her forward and into my embrace, but she melts intolike butter.

"Really Cane?" Delilah quacks from her side of the table. "You finally get haptized and you can't help but bring it to the breakfast table?" Gayle smiles against my lips and I draw her chin into my hands to stare at her gorgeous fac I don't know what you're talking about, D. I'm still pure, I joke, kissing Gayle once more before I release her to face the table.

Quinn stares over at us looking decidedly impressed. “That's a pretty neat trick, Gayle. I didn't think you had it in you." Gayle rolls her eyes. "Bite me, Lassie," she snaps.

My eyebrows go sky high and a smile turns my lips as I load my plate with food.

"How many lives do you have left now, Gayle?" Quinn carries on. After being shot by your he cuts off when Delilah punches him under the table somewhere special enough to cause his eyes to water. "Fuck haby girl," he hisses. I thought you wanted kids!” "That was your last warning, Quinn. First you steal my phone with the most scandalous ruse possible and now you cin here and poke my brother and my friend. I swear to God if you don't stop, the only kids you will ever seewith will not be yours, am I clear?" Baby- "I will have dozens of them, Quinn. All different kinds. And I "Oh y yeah?" he spits. "With who? Captain Gherkin?" Captain Gherkin? Gayle and Delilah meet eyes over the table and laugh.

Gayle giggles, "Ted?" Delilah nods with a snicker.

make you take care of them all "She told you about him?" Quinn hisses, watching Cayle's face but she doesn't give anything away. He turns back to my sister. "So it's true what Bartlett said. You have seen his- "Hey!" Delilah snaps. "I am eating! Please!" "So am I." I mumble. "Are we talking about Matthew's son Ted?" Delilah nods then shudders in disgust. "Yeah. Quinn and I ran into them at a diner on the Washington border, Quinn knocked his teeth out. Literally "I sit back for a moment, contemplating on how best to share what I've been dealing with. It's hard to change the rules you've been living by your entire life. Even harder to include the people you want to protect in your plans. Especially when that means they may not agree with your strategy "Matthew calleda couple of nights ago. He wanted to broker an agreement for your hand in marriage. I let the bomb drop, ignoring the sudden silence at the table as I dug into my food.

1/4 Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen "He said something to that effect, Quinn states. "I hope you gave him a clear refusal. Not that it matters. He'd be dead before he got to the altar.

"So he's not dead now, I take it?" I ask.

Quinn's eyes narrow at me. "No. Not yet." *But he is missing," I add, meeting his gaze, Quinn nods. "He is." "Roman was called in to find him. If Ted's there somewhere, he will." Quinn's eyes fit to Gayle in alarm, but she just appears confused. “Roman's in Blackjack?” "If that's where the hunters went missing. Then yes. He left early this morning. Around three or four a.m.” hone. "I have to call Gryffin." That would put him there a couple of hours ago." Quinn remarks, grabbing his phone. “I have "Gryffin?" Gayle snaps. "Wh-what? Why?" "Who's Gryffin?" I ask her as Quinn steps away from the table to make his call.

Gayle looks at me, her eyes worried. "My brother." "The one who wants to kill me?" I ask, bored.

The one and the same," she stai "He's the leader of our pride." "So tellthis," I begin, "how often do wolves and lions work together?" She grins. "We weren't always like this. We had a falling out about five years ago and never really reconciled until Domonic asked Gryffin for help protecting his mate. Now, it's like we're all members of the spack. We help each other. Look out for each other. It's kind of nice if you think about it." "A pack of lions and wolves. Wow, I deadpan. "Any others? Flamingos maybe? Or geese?" few humans, she says seriously, holding my gaze. "Hopefully one of them will Gayle elbowsin the ribs, "Haha, very funny. No. Just a few be you.

I smirk at her. She's talking about an entire flip of my lifestyle. Something that should require serious thought, but for sreason, it doesn't. "But what if it's against my religion?" Her face falls slightly and I'm quick to reverse gears. “I didn't mean it," I tell her, gripping her hand in mine. “You are my new religion." She smiles, her eyes twinkling Delilah groans, "Okay! Great! Love that you two are getting along so nicely, but can we eat so I actually have something to throw Later? The walls in this place are way too thin and I have a feeling I will need to." up Quinn returns to the table-looking visibly stressed and meeting my gaze with a newfound respect it seems. “I think it's twe start sharing information. I'll tell you what you don't know and you can do the same.” He looks at Gayle. "By the way, your brother is pissed that you went after your mate against his wishes. He still wants to kill him, but I might have lied and said you were planning to run away with him. When I said that, he changed his tune a bit." "It wasn't really a lie. I was planning to if it cto that, Gayle says.

2/4 Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen My heart does this weird little fumbling thing that almost takes my breath away. I glance at her again and see the face of that beautiful girl that I shot in the woods. I can't possibly deserve her.

17 Or sh "Ahem," Quinn says. "Would you like to start? Or should 17" Turning away from Gayle, I meet his yellow-brown gaze. I knew this was coming. I shouldn't be so wary of it now that it has, but I know sof the things I'm about to say might shatter Delilah's heart. But then again, looking at the way she stares at this Quinn, she might just be okay.

1 fix my eyes on my sister. "There are a few things I've been keeping from you, D." I rethink that comment, wince, then add, "Well... more than a few things I guess." Ch?" Delilah snipes, crossing her arms over her chest. Am I going to need a can of soup for I shrug, ignoring the threat, "First thing is, the reason I wasn't able to make the rent last month is because I hired a private investigator to look into our dad's lawyer She startles, but says nothing..

I go on, "He found out more than a few things that our mother was happy to keep secret." "The trust," she says simply, her eyes growing worried.

I nod, sitting back and trying to figure out how best to land this blow. There are requirements that if not met by the end of this year. give mom ownership over all our money." "What?" she snaps. "Why would dad do that? He left her plenty of her own!" "He would do that because I made him do it." She glares, speaking through her teeth, "You what?" "Not on purpose," I inform her with a shrug. "It's not entirely true that he died before to the Elder Few. He did want to nominate me, I refused." will e he had the chance to nominatefor membership Her mouth gapes open. "But I thought you loved hunting! Why would you refuse?" Then it seems to dawn on her and her eyes water. "The

I nod, trying not to let her tears affect me. I knew you didn't want that life. I knew it would kill you Obe part of it and honestly, I don't love hunting. I'm good at it. But I don't love it." I look over at Gayle. "And ever since two nights ago... I hate it." "I don't understand," Delilah says. "Then what are you doing here? With Roman?" "You know dad. He was a devoted hunter, D. He wanted his legacy to continue and I think that's why he added the stipulations to the trust at the last minute," "What are they?" she asks.

"One, is for you to be married. If you are not married by the end of the year, your two million goes to mom,” I say.

"Two million?" Quinn snorts. "Meh," "Shut up Quinn Delilah snaps and I can see her heart breaking "But you see," I say looking at Quinn. “My dad messed up on that part, because it never states who you need to be married to. Just that you need to be married," 3/4 Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen Quinn smiles slowly, as if catching on, but Delilah remains somber.

"What's the other one?" she asks. "What's yours?"

sigh, leaning back in my chair and studying Gayle next to me. I have to be an established member of the Elder Few. With my own wall complete with my own trophies or the rest of the money, all eight million, goes to her. To mom." Eight million??? Delilah snaps. That asshole! Then I see her head scramble as she works to catch up. “But if you're Elder Few, you are required to choose a husband forfrom the pool of eligible bachelors in the Elder Fowl

"Correct," Ladmit, focusing on Quinn.

"Except that my dad screwed up. He must have been angry when he added the requirements and forgot to add the fine print, or he just didn't realize the law behind transfer of entitlement. The trust as a whole belongs to one of us if at least one of these requirements are met. Being as you and I are the sole entities on the document, it can't legally pass to mom without overriding both of us first. So you see, if you get numied, you can have it all. The reason I'm here at Roman's, is because the last tI checked you weren't exactly on the market, but now... with Quinn..." Quinn's eyes light up and he smiles at Delilah. "I could have sworn you said that your brother was stupid."