The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Seventy

ANASTACIA

My heart is thumping say pratically that do have to do the went to bed up to his way up you control seemed to

drain neytrything did thy magh, thy tinngine My day

All that sfor heat to midim the bemuku, der expense of the gut but my box* For a moment, | forget the type

of gon’s healy at the matt

taughtabout shifters and ofto try or that she thing on time, her the tfoxy by Yast

My zaza fises from his as to the wind founded Wond of it and promise of the life and was fed yet w there, leaning

toward what would pestatly has the wreed singed mile of my fine and the making went the Cotting off the

connection felt so amoy that my head give and pushing to do my sist

Stupid, stupid, girl. Were you really going to make a font of yourse

Yes, bitch. | was, the me

Still, for sreason | find my chest aching a bit with bee Stupid, hare, grally when to sunaffected by by it.

Sorry about that, 1 whinger, clutching my fingers into his shit and in the suis planes of the chest file with tode

Oh my... what in the everloving hell is wrong with ma

His eyes flutter downward once more to tangle with the line of my sight before to cars his throat and says, tho |

am abiety nor sorry about that

* For a long heartstopping moment of confusion I'm momentarily caught off guard, then his lips quick up in a hat

smile and | bet house

with the most natural, most genuine laugh the had in a long time, gr, | singer Ohay than

Just as we reach the door to a candy apple red way, | find him looking deres atagain is begin bieg teathy

disappears as tus pupils dilate, their aim falling toward my mouth as he licks his life. | could alter swear his aus

disse a little and that his gap tiginens around me, the tendons in his neck tending as he leans just a toy but

closer. My head | can tear thumping tembing and is completely out of sync with its usual, simple rhyth

What are your he whispers, but he doesn’t really look intent on that asset as he lowers his head chose Drawn,

down, down... almost as if hypnotized by something in me.

I'm yours...

It’s in my throat. On the end of my tongue. Everywhere in me. And | long to say it butt

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

Don’t you fucking dare. Are you nuts?

Suddenly, Paul freezes on the wind, his entire body colling with unese Tipping his head up to the air, | hear a low

grow numble within hits chest. The wolf in him comes straight to the forefront as his eyes dart around the

landscape straight ahead of an

“What is it?” | whisper, suddenly trembling a little as 1 curi deeper into myself a bit, grasping his shoulders

tightly

He doesn’t answer me, nor does he putdown, byd his gaze is steady as the hillside and although | cannot

sense the hounds myself from whatever distance they might be, | know they are likely watching, he a wolf

shafter | to more that certain that Paed can probably smell the bastards.

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Chapter Two Hundred Seventy

They're out there, aren't they? | hiss, my eyes grazing over the bark of the trees hunting for any sign of

movement.

They are, he says tightly, not even pretending that he doesn’t know exactly who they are. Shifting all of my

weight onto one arm, he fishes in his pocket for his keys so easily that | feel my core heat with a zap of molten

flame.

Shit.

Paul unlocks the door and depositsgently inside. My bare legs hit the smooth, soft leather and | almost purr

when | feel the graze of his hand under the cleft of my ass as he steps away. Closing the door with a swift click,

his attention still on the woods I sigh with relief, feeling safer than | have in over a week. When I realize how dark

his windows are they instantly makefeel even more secure, even though | know the hounds can likely see

right through their tint. But who cares about that part for the moment? | can buy into illusions just as easily as

anyone else can. Especially when they suit my purpose so completely. Even more so because I'm so tired of

running that | could be convinced to live among these wolves for the rest of my days.

Wolf shifters settle in packs for the most part, unless of course they are rogues, or vagabonds, or ignorant. I've

already seen enough since arriving here to tellthat Paul and Rainier must be members of the spack,

despite that this place does not seem like any sort of Packland that I've ever cacross. Not that there have

been many. Regardless, their presence was thick enough at the station that | know there are more wolves here.

Of all the corners I've raced off to in the past week, just trying to shake Draco and his evil ravenous horde, this

one feels almost... scatheless.

Destined.

One thing is for certain, the moment | am away from Paul, Draco is going to pounce. The very moment | am

alone, I'll bechis prey

once more.

| just need a way to convince Paul to letstick around. At least for a little while. Just a tiny... little... while.

Long enough forto do a little research and gather my strength.

As | watch the almost taunting way Paul scours the forest while he heads around the car | can’t help but rub my

thighs together. There is justs something about him that screams for my attention and I'm almost afraid to try

and charm him, because once | do, how will I know if his attentions are real?

I won't.

And for sdumb as fuck, bitch you never learn your lesson, reason... | want them to be...

Paul keeps his eyes on the trees even after he jumps inside and starts the engine of the jeep. “Are you cold?” he

asks without even looking

at me.

“Um... yeah, actually. I've been cold all day.”

He snickers, pulling out of the parking lot smoothly while keeping his attention locked on the north end of the

woods. Then he hits a few buttons on his steering wheel and heat blasts through the vents. “As many admirers

as you had in the sheriff's station today, you'd think at least one of them would have seen to your comforts while

you were in there.”

With a bite of my lip, | realize he’s right. That alone is something that i never seem to get right when | charm

someone. Then again, maybe | do get it right, but as it isn’t much more than a surface spell, all that tends to be

offered up, is surface shit.

Shit like smiles, and lude comments. Leers and rakish gazes.

| mean, I'm pretty confident that if I'd requested things like blankets or extra food while | was in, they would

have been provided toupon request... but he’s right. None of those dudes was actually thinking about me.

Not one of them. Not really.

“We need to talk about what's hunting you,” Paul whispers quietly.

“You know what's following me?” | ask, just to confirm.

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Chapter Two Hundred Seventy

Paul smirks, his forearms flexing deliciously as his hands tense on the steering wheel. “You know that I do. The

Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm

sway that | know, that you know exactly what | am, Anastacia.”

“Ana, 1 gripe.

“I like Anastacia better.”

“Good thing it's not your nthen, huh?” | reply sweetly.

He laughs, castinga sidelong smile. “You need something to wear. Something way more substantial than

you've got on so...” Paul pauses, making a left onto a long stretch of road that offers a breathtaking view of the

coastline. The street heads straight up the hill toward the more expensive looking homes and probably the

highway as well, but we're not going nearly fast enough to lose the hounds, but once we're on the highway... we

will be.

Hmm... | wonder if he truly plans to simply dropon the outskirts of town or...

“I was thinking we should stop by my place first,” he says almost nervously. “While we're there you can take a

nice long shower, change into sclean clothes, we could talk over a halfway decent meal, and then... after

we've both had a good night's rest-" his gaze finally tilts my way“-maybe we can set out on the highway

tomorrow morning?

Heat climbs my body from the tips of my toes to the very roots of my hair and my body blushes so deeply, |

nearly see a hint of rose in the bare cocoa coloring of my thighs. “You mean... you wantto stay the night at

your house? With you?” Please don’t be mated, please don’t have a girlfriend, please don’t be TAKEN!!! “A-a-

alone?”

Paul deflates, sighing as if in defeat. “Er-um-yeah... Maybe not such a good idea then, huh? Shit. Never mind

then, we can just-

“No!” I nearly shout, my hand jutting forward before I can stop it and latching onto the muscle of his thigh. “I

mean yes!” My eyes snap shut and | rip my hand from his leg. Fuck, fuck, fuck: “What | mean is... 1-I mean... I...

I'd love to.”

Fuuucccklilinnnggg Awwkkkkwwwaarddd.

Chapter Comments

Jacqui Rossouw

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Loving the pace. Thank you Jaylee... Hadgiggling at their awkwardness and feeling sorry for them too with

their unknowns.

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