The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Seven TRIGGER WARNING: "The following chapter includes thoughts of suicide and depictions of traumatic loss, AUTHOR'S NOTE; All I can say is just try and hang on. It should be w DRAVEN "Oh my God!" I say into the phone. “That's so sad." My heart clenches in any chest as I imagine what I would feel if Domonic suddenly wasn't there anymore. What would I do if I couldn't touch him, or kiss him, or fight with him ever again? What would I wout for myself? I'd probably want to die, but Em pregnant so... Ed have to carry on. Fuck, that's depressingg "Yeah, I know, The murmurs on the other end. "They're on their way back not We're going to host a ceremony for him like we would for shifter, which is super surprising given that he's human. Er was human. Gryffin says he's never seen a braver guy in his life and he would have been proud to have him join our pride. Human and all," "Poor Gayle," I whisper, a few tears escaping to trickle down my cheeks, Im in the living room of the packhouse staring out at the choppy sea and when I start to turn away, I see in the reflection of the glass standing behind me. God, he is so damn silent when he moves. He appears to be waiting politely forto finish my conversation and my es catch on movement along the wharf where Adam is preparing to head back to the mainland. He wants a word with this Rogue Hunter They're bringing in too.

"I really wish you could be here now though. They re about to be here any minute and I'm going to need all the help I can get with Gayle. She's going to be... inconsolable." "Maybe I can be,” I say softly, ignoring the shake of Gio's head behind me. Catching his eye, I say, "Alam is about to head to Port Orchard and if I can convince a certain superhero of yours to calong and protect me, maybe it will be okay." smirks, lifting a brow a brow as I turn around to face hind "That's right! Gio's there! That would be awesome! Can he hear me? Tudora squawks into the phone, nods, rolling his eyes. "He sure can," I say.

"Hey Big Dog!" Taedora shouts, and I have to pull the phone away from ear so that she doesn't burst an eardrum. "Please! Please! Please go with her so that she can helpwith Gayle! That girl is like four different lionesses rolled into one on a good day, so on a bad day..." she lets the sentence hang.

Glo studiescarefully. "Do you truly want to go to this... to her?" Gigasks, I nod, throwing in a tically hopeful smile that feels strangely nostalgic. laughs openly. "Sthings never change, eh? I never could say no to that face." "Yes!" Tae and I speak at the stime.

“That settles it, then, I say into the phone. Ill be there in an hour or Then I hung up.

"I want to go too!" Ryder's voice chimes in when he stumbles down the stairs, his eyes hopeful. "Emily toldKoda won't be here tonight because they caught the person who started the fire and I want to go too! I want to see her again!" I shake my head at him. “That would be a very bad idea. First of all, Kodi would kill me. Laina or not. Besides baby I cut off, something Ryder said snagging my attention. What do you mean, see her again, Ryder? just because they caught the person, doesn't mean you'll get to see your mom again, I add gently.

To my utter surprise, Ryder rolls his eyes and scuffs. "I know that! Duh!m not stupid. I mean I want to see her again! The lady that Marted the fire." 4/4 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Seven My brow furrows. That's right, Ryder was only five years old when his mother died. So he wasn't with the rest of them when they were in the middle of their forced shift. He would have been in the house. He should've been dead! "It was a man that started the fire," I supply, watching Ryder's reaction carefully.

He shakes his head, no. "It was a lady. She saved me, I was asleep inside the house and when I woke up, she was holding me. She toldshe was sorry about my mother and that the fire was only meant for one. Then she putdown and disappeared. I never got to thank her for saving my life." he blood rushes down to my feet and I ask him, “Have you ever told Koda this?" The Ryder shakes his head. "I tried once when I was little, but no one would listen. They y were all fighting or crying or yelling at one another. Then, we left and I didn't see Koda anymore. I tried to tell my dad too, but he never wants to talk about it." Ch my fucking God. Seriously??? Oh my! GAYLE The ride his quiet. The air is heavy. If you askedhow long we've been on the road, I couldn't tell you, but I know we've already passed into Washington from Idaho. Delilah is driving, despite Quinn's protests, but just barely. Neither one of us seems able to focus on much at the moment. Quinn and Gryffin are behind us in the Escalade, with Roman tied up and subdued in the trunk. I don't know how they're keeping him under. I suspect Gryffin must be consistently delivering him fresh doses of the tranquilizer, because shifters are affected when shot with enough of a dosage, but we don't stay down long. They're probably going nuts behind us because the jeep is practically at a crawl and the pair of them are used to driving at ridiculously high speeds. But they aren't about to push Delilah to any faster after what went down at the cottage. Nobody is going to blher for her near catatonic state.

Not after everything she witnessed.

Not after seeing her brother's lifeless body lie there peaceful and still. Drenched in his own blood.

Oh God! Damn it Just thinking about the cottage brings a fresh pool of tears to my eyes and a rip of pain to my chest. As the new drops fall I attempt to swallow back a sob, not wanting to see Delilah crumple again the way she did when Gryffin led us into the room.

My chest is aching so fiercely it's almost like we're still there. It's just a ferocious and unrelenting as it was the moment I stumbled toward Cane and cried out to him. When I jostled him and he didn't wake up. Every single sound in the room disappeared and although I was aware of Delilah screaming and crying in Quinn's arms, I couldn't hear her. Then when Gryffin's eyes filled with tears and he spoke to me, I couldn't hear him either. I listened to Cane's chest and I couldn't and a heartbeat, placed my fingers at his throat and I couldn't find a pulse. Even though Quinn toldhe was gone, the words were muted and alien. I rejected them with every fiber of my soul.

I remember yelling at them. Soaring at them. Shouting that they were cong.

My Cane wasn't gone! He couldn't be..

Because... I just found him.

He just foundBesides, I would know if he were gone, right? My body would feel it, right? And mine didn't. Mine thought he was still there.

No force in the universe could be that cruel! Could it? No! Of course no So I flipped him over despite their protests, ripped off the back of his shirt and marked him anyway.

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Seven The fur thing I noticed was how cold my fangi didn't put any orgasmic plbourne from the That isn't true. I true. I did feel something Lov despite that, I refused toge in pumped Cane so far the backseat of the jeep and passed out for a few motrett's atheneed. When O I panicked, screaming in agony and jumping out of the jeep to head back into the house 1 very depleted from emptying my venom "Where in be?" I'd shouted after busting through the front doors to find the bring when Gryffin followedinside. "Please screamed. Tellyou did bury him Please Gryden h deposited didn't make it witch my body so Pere not fucking loving him said had my body shook with grid. Then be ther im at boek. The way I beged Gryffin to put him in One look at her ghostly jeep withso that I could hold request forgotte But then be shifted hook his head no.

Sow, with every mile we gain closer to home, a plan takes shape in

They want Roman alive because he has answers to questions they've been asking for five years. My brother wants him also that he torture him before he ends his Ele. Unfortunately for them, none of those things are going to happen. Because the very motto, VA ather I'm going to shift into Son and grant Roman a very public, very secution. Then off lers the woods.

toward the humans have been searching forsince last night with any luck they'll catch Because I can't let Gryden Endbefore they do, and now that very real possibility that he will. They have them to. I need them Because I want to leave this place.

He is the only mate I that I will ever have and if its not going to be in the world, then I follow him into the next.

The closer we get to Blackjack Creek, the more excited I begin to feel. My palms are sweating and I smile M (actually smile???) up at the helicopters that are still hovering above the woods. Soon I'll be with you Cone I won't let you leave me.

And that's when I feel it.

It starts inside oflike a pool of warmth, wrapping around my middle. and stretching up over my heart. The feeling is so electrifying and grating that I gasp as my chest blazes with fire. My torso is aching with new pain js and my hands rove over my body searching for injuries, best of course, there are none. hat's wrong?" Delilah cries out, watchingin the I meet her gaze in the reflection just as fresh tears trail from my eyes. this time, I smile.

Suddenly, my fangs are tingling. I whisper, "Cane."