The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Ten GAYLE That has to be the bridge your brother was talking about," I shout, pointing toward the top of a wooden structure that barely peeks out over the tall grass.

"Where? Delilah snaps, exasperated.

"Over there!" I point toward a large copse of trees and what looks to be the drop off of a jagged valley. It's behind the woods. It's camouflage." "Well, do you see the road he was talking about?" she asks, pulling to the side of the lone highway and shielding her eyes from the sun as it creeps up on the horizon. "Because I can't see anything. Why are your windows not tinted??? Everybody tints their windows! Don't they?" I giggle, shaking my head as I fish around in the center console for Tars old sunglasses. "Not lions. We have exceptional vision in both the daylight and the dark. I can look dead at the sun at any tof day and watch the birds fly under it." "Really?" she exclaims. Really? For how long?" "What do you mean?" I find the glasses then slide them into her lap. “Here, you can have these. Put them on.” "Thank you! These are badass," she gushes, studying them before she puts them on. "What I went to ask was, how long can you look directly at the sun before it starts to tase your eyesight?" She gasps, "Gajde! Are you aware that these are Prada?" "Yes, of course I am, Lilah. They were Tag's and that's the only brand of sunglasses that she ever wesurs.

She loves her sunglasses, even though they're completely useless to us." I punch the moon release button and slide open the sunroof. And to answer your other question all day. From sunup to sundown." Then I unbuckle ny seatbelt and stand up in my seat, poking my head out of the sun roof to study the landscape more carefully.

What does it look like?" she asks.

A big glowing ball surrounded by sparkling fire," I inform her, spotting the river cane told us about a mile away where the valley flattens, out a bit. "Not only can we literally sun watch, but we can also see eight times farther than you guys can. I can see more of the bridge now that my view isn't obstructed, but I'm still having a hard tfinding where the dirt path meets the highway that we're on. The grass is just too damn high, "That's so unfair!” she grumbles. "How is it that we as humans are born with enough brains to skyrocket ourselves to the top of the food chain, but we are at the bottom of the barrel for absolutely everything else. Every other predator on earth gets to have a bunch of cool stuff! Perfect eyesight, superior strength, exceptional speed, sharper teeth!!! I laugh, hoisting myself up so that I'm seated on the roof of the jeep. And what makes you think humans are at the top of the food-chain, Lilah?" She snickers. "Because we are! Not naturally, no. But our brains are more advanced than that of the natural apex predator and what we weren't born with... we created." "That's where you're wrong," I tease, glancing down at her through the roof's opening before launching myself up onto my feet. "You're forgetting there's one more species even higher up on the pyramid than humans." "Oh yeah?" she taunts almost arrogantly. "And what species is that? Dragons?" Now that I'm standing five and a half feet higher than before, not only do 1 spy the carefully camouflaged road, but I can see the mountain In the distance. And...the cottage on the far side of the river. That's it that's the place. Hes in there right now... waiting for us. With a genuine smile that I don't think I've flashed since my mother died, 1 effortlessly slip back down into my seat and say, "Shifters." 1/3 21:28 Fr, NOV Chapter Two Hundred Ten CANE I hear a car roll up out front just as I step clothes in here with me? I step out of the shower and 1 rush to wrap a towel around my waist. Fuck! Why didn't bring my Rolling my eyes, I rip open the bathroom door, steam chasing behindas I spot my sister through the large bay windows. She and her friend must have parked on the far side of the house instead of under the awning, which has enough space for four and a half cars. Why? Are they afraid something followed them here? They probably left their vehicle on the gravel tumabout that is meant to remain clear at all times. It have to be moved, but since it is on the only side of the house that is completely invisible from every vantage point, it can stay there at least until tomorrow. Besides, it's not like Roman is here to bitch about it and she is my sister. The absolute only female in this entire world that I consider a princess.

She raises her sunglasses onto her head and our eyes meet through the long glass panel of the front door. Dread unfurls in my stomach as I reach for the deadbolt and I can finally see the color of her eyes. A normal Delilah, a cand content Delilah, has eyes that are hazel blue, and are threaded with slivers of gold and green. An extremely pleased Delilah, or an excited Delilah, shimmers with a swirling oasis of turquoise and green, with highlighted gold around the edges.

But today... her eyes are more green-gold than they are any shade of blae... and that can only mean Shit She's mortally pissed about something.

And an angry Delilah can be more dangerous than any other creature on this earth.

one thing.

Fuck. She must know about Charlie.

mur All me.

She's going to fucking For a moment, my hand freezes on the lock and 1 do a mental inventory of every door and every window in the house. Dif I leave any unlocked? Holy fuck I hope not. The possibility that my sister may have playedlike a fiddle this morning is enough to cause my palms to sweat and my chest to pound at a hundred miles per minute. There is no female friend d that was attacked by a shifter. She just wanted to know where I was. The real friend she is talking about, has to be Charle Fuck, fuck, fuck We stare at each other through the glass, neither of us saying a word. As I continue to remain frozen, as stuck as a Roman statue, my eyes dart back and forth in search of this friend.

I don't see any sign of her and my suspicions of this being skind of a set up increase tenfold.

'Open the door Cane," she demands, her gaze narrowing onas she crosses her arms over her chest, "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" I ask.

She scowls, rolling her eyes. “So I didn't brush my hair, so what? Open the goddamn door Cane!" "Not your hair, D. Your eyes." Her eyebrows shoot up as it dawns on her that she's already given herself away, but to my surprise, she just rolls her eyes and says, “Okay Cane, yeah, you got me. I'm super pissed about what you did to Charlie and we will be discussing it. But that that's not why I'm here." Hes alive! If Dehlah knows about it, then he has to be Thank fuck A flood of relief washes overand a piece of the wall that I built around my heart that day crumbles, but the guilt for what I did and 2/3 Chapter Two Hundred Ten

the memory of it are still there bolding strong. I grit my teeth to keep all emotion from my face as Rell her, ve "We're not going to talk about it. Not now, not ever. Things are different now, I made a decisim and I stand behind it." My sister's eyes darken with a swirl of emotion, but other than that she doesn't react. "He's not here with me, Cane. So open the fucking door or so helpI'm going to stop asking."

I shake my head in disapproval, pissed that she'd even threaten to disrespect my mentor & home. I know my sister and she's got more fire in her temper than she does in her hair. If I don't open the door, she'll break every fucking window in this place. Even after she gets inside.

Claring down at her, I rip the door open and ask, "Where's this lead of yours? Or did you even bring one?" She smirks, turning her head in the direction of the turnabout. "After you." Okay Maybe she really did make a friend. Well, colorimpressed.

My sister has never gotten along with other girls. Not even for a playdate when she was in diapers. It wasn't that she wasn't liked, she was, at least she was at first. But it never took longer than an hour or two in her company for people to ascertain the truth about Delilah Simply put? She's a bitch.

"Cane, this is my new friend, Gayle," Delilah says.

My eyes are glued to the floor as Gayle steps into my line of sight, so the first thing feet.

ing that I notice is that she's barefoot and she has pretty "Nice to meet you," I say to her feet, before dragging my gaze upward and nearly swallowing my tongue, Holy shit Chapter Comments KKN