Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
“We cannot have him near the pack,” Alpha said.
“And that is why my place is perfect,” Rose said. “I’m pack, but I’m a recluse.” She shrugged. “It’s perfect, you guys know it. It’s a good starting point, and let’s face it, if the”—she gave the explosion noise—“is to happen, I’ll be the one you call to clean it up.”
She hadn’t been the one they called in the beginning. Rose figured they thought they could handle it, and then more kept coming, before they realized they were in over their heads.
“I don’t like this,” Alpha said.
“I think it is a good idea,” Draco said.
Rose had come to see that whenever he spoke up, everyone always seemed surprised. She knew his story, and the truth was, he probably should have been long dead by now, but the club and the pack kept him as sane as possible. They were his rocks.
Alpha looked toward Draco, as did everyone else.
“Come on, guys, you know if Draco is speaking up, that has to account for something,” Rocco said, with a slight giggle to his voice. It made him sound a little crazy.
“I don’t like it. You may be a recluse, Rose, but you’re pack, and I cannot allow anything to happen to you.”
“Perfect, you know, I was thinking the same thing, which is why I should go and stay with her.”
And now, Rose knew why Rocco was so onboard with this. She should have known her mate would have an ulterior motive. Rose looked at him and he merely smiled at her. No one knew they were mates, at least not as far as she was aware.
“I can take care of myself,” she said.
“But, you don’t have to. I’ll be there to keep an eye on everything.” He even gave her a wink, to which she looked toward the Alpha.
She didn’t mind Rocco being with her. There would be jobs he needed to do.
Alpha sighed. He wasn’t happy.
“You’re right, but I’m not happy.” He reached into his jacket pocket and handed out the keys. “I suggest you take multiple tranquilizer darts with you, just in case, and make sure you call us if there is a single difference in his personality.”
Rose nodded, taking the keys from him. She spun on her heel and made her way out of the clubhouse. Agatha and Amelia were there, and she gave them a wave. Both women looked mighty disappointed, but she offered them a smile.
“You know, they’re trying to be friendly,” Boyan said, hot on her tail.
She’d walked all the way to the clubhouse and had no choice but to walk all the way through the forest, heading toward the cages.
“You don’t have to follow me,” she said.
Rocco surprised her even more by reaching out and taking hold of her hand, locking their fingers in place. He totally surprised her, and at first she didn’t know what to do. She was a little taken aback.
“What?” Rocco said. “You don’t mind me holding your hand, do you?”
“No, no, I don’t mind.” It had just shocked her that he would do that.
They walked, hand in hand, for several feet. It was cold, and the air was getting ever colder.
“You know, I like him,” Rocco said.
“Graham?”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. Seems to know his stuff, you know.”
Rose nodded. “I hope we’re all wrong about this, and that Milton purposefully tried to kill others that might have been getting too strong or something. I don’t know. I don’t know what was going through a madman’s mind when he decided to start experimenting.”
“You know, I have wondered if he’d mixed some of our genetics with that of a bear.”
This made Rose stop. “A bear bite kills us.”
“That I know, but it doesn’t mean Milton was aware of it. Think about it, it might be why some of them don’t make it. A bear bite isn’t exactly a nice ending, is it.”
She couldn’t deny that. A bear bite was exceedingly painful, and a quick death was much nicer.
“None of this makes any sense,” she said. She rubbed at her temple.
“It’s hard to get your head around, and trust me, I’ve had a little more time than you to try and understand it.”
Rose sighed. It felt good, holding his hand, which was strange.
“Why did you offer to come and stay with me?” she asked.
“Alpha wasn’t going to allow you to take Graham without a guarantee that you had one of the guys with you. Seeing as you’re my mate, I don’t want to think of any other guy getting close to my woman, and besides, it means we’ve got a reason to hang out as well.”
Rose laughed. “You know, telling people we’re mates would be reason enough for most people.”
Rocco nodded. “Yeah, but that is going to come with a whole heap of questions, isn’t it, and it’s not going to put me in a good light.”