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Ruling The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 3) 7
Mashed potatoes and steamed veggies, braised, slow-cooked meats, honeyed baked goods…there was something for everyone. I’d never seen so much food in one place, but considering the number of wolves attending the alpha ceremony, I shouldn’t have been surprised.The elders of both packs sat at one table near us, and they seemed to be in the middle of a deep discussion. My mother, Glenda, and Dr. Stan were also with them, eating and listening.Dom volunteered to grab us some drinks.“Tavi, Bryn, over here!” The voice drew our attention. Tavi’s friends Mark, Lora, Preston, and Hallie were all sitting with a few more of Tavi’s friends. “We’ve got so much to talk about!”Bryn and I looked at Tavi. There was a slight blush on Tavi’s cheeks, but her smile was polite when she shook her head.“Not tonight,” she told them. “But we’ll all catch up later, okay?”“Oh, sure.” Hallie’s smile fell. There was a pause, but the group got over their disappointment quickly. One of them must have said somet
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On one side were Wayne, Ellen, Graham, Ida, and Jasmine, and on the other side were Colby, Ross, Dana, Edward, and Grant. They were completely silent as they ate.“Looks like a face-off,” Tavi said, just loud enough for us to hear. “What the hell is up with that?”“Probably has something to do with our meeting with them,” Dom replied.“It was a shitshow,” I said. “They asked if I was going to follow through on a hostile takeover. I told them I wasn’t, and I said they should get to know the Kings before they demand that I kill them.”“Sounds reasonable to me,” Tavi said. “But I bet their response wasn’t.”“Hell, no,” Dom said. “They threatened to get rid of Night if he didn’t follow through.”Bryn scoffed. “I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’m not. I guess they’re willing to sink to any low to get what they want.”I sighed as we sat at a little table near a tall oak tree. “I was hoping I’d be able to keep them in line, but I’m not so sure. This is the last thing we need with our
Ruling The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 3) 9
“Mind if I cut in?” Lance asked, smiling at Bryn.My wolf growled. I was a millisecond away from telling him to fuck off, but Bryn’s hand on my chest stopped me. “It’s okay,” she assured me.My skin crawled as I stepped away from my mate, but I didn’t go far. I stood on the sidelines, watching them closely. There was nothing unfriendly about the way Lance danced with Bryn. His hands never strayed anywhere disrespectful. Still, my wolf paced around, dying to jump out and tear the two of them apart, but I held myself back.When the song ended, Bryn came to find me. She kept her expression upbeat and friendly. If I didn’t know her so well, I wouldn’t have noticed how her cheeks had paled.“What did he say to you?” I asked as I pulled her into my embrace.“Nothing terrible, but he really burst my bubble,” she said. “He said it would take more than a pretty dress and dropping formalities to merge two packs. He told me that we have enemies everywhere.”The muscles in my jaw twitched. I trie
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As I walked to him, he looked at me with a very satisfied grin on his face. “Hey, beautiful,” he said. “Have you seen yourself lately?”“What do you mean?”He got up, still naked, and took my hand. He pulled me in front of the tall mirror. It was new, something I’d bought at the marketplace a few days ago. I’d hardly looked into it except to give myself a cursory once-over.“What?” All I saw in the mirror was my damp hair and towel-covered body.He laughed and gently removed the towel. My eyes widened at the round slope of my belly. Almost five months had passed since Night became alpha, and so much of my time had been filled with organizing meetings to get Kings and Wargs used to each other and getting accustomed to my role as den mother. I hadn’t even realized I was showing.“Oh my goodness,” I breathed as I ran my hands over the bump. “Feels like this just sprang up on me.”“Gods, you look so beautiful,” Night said. He placed his hands over mine and lowered his lips to my neck.I l
Ruling The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 3) 11
There were Wargs who wanted to move onto Kings’ land, and there were Kings who wanted to move to the more rural Wargs’ territory. These documents had the details of who wanted to move and what kind of accommodations they needed. Facilitating these movements was just one of the many duties I’d taken on as den mother.A bit later, I set out to meet with the others. My mom, Tavi, and Council Member Jasmine Howler were waiting with them. I’d told Night that I’d be meeting with women, but the truth was that there were a few men who also wanted to help out. Some of them were Warg fathers whose mates held duties as hunters, sentinels, trackers, or fighters. I remember how much that used to confuse the more traditional Kings, but the novelty was wearing off as the Kings realized there was nothing strange about this “non-traditional” role for men.“Today,” I said, “we’ll be mulching the ground with straw, wrapping our fruit trees with hardware cloth, and prepping the soil for next year’s plant
Ruling The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 3) 12
Janet, an older Warg woman, spoke next. “Steph, my granddaughter, came home with a bruised cheek the other day. My daughter thought it was just typical pup roughhousing, but Steph told me that a King boy had told her that she was feral.”I stopped spreading straw to look at the others. “Oh no. Does anyone else have similar stories?”There was a chorus of agreements and nods. Apparently, these incidents were also happening outside of school while the children were playing. A leaden weight settled on my heart.“I’m so sorry your children have been dealing with that,” I said. “I’ll see what we can do to make that less likely, but it should start by changing things at home. Make sure you remind your children that it’s important to be kind to everyone and that if they have an issue with another child, they should go to a teacher instead of handling things on their own—”“Did you say your granddaughter’s name is Steph?” a King woman, Inez, demanded. “She gave my son a black eye!”Janet glar
Ruling The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 3) 13
“I’m so sorry,” Tavi said. She was the only one with the courage to speak, and for her—someone who had lost her family and so much more to Kings men—it was huge to apologize for the retaliatory actions of her home pack.“Thank you,” Gladys said. “I used to hate Wargs, but that rage faded years ago. I’ve lost a lot, but I know that no pack has had an easy life. I know Gregor or Troy sent killing parties to hurt Wargs, and I know my mate had crossed too far into your territory. In my old age, I know life isn’t perfect, but violence never solves anything. It’s important to hold the people you have as close as you can because they might not be there tomorrow.”“I’ll say this…” Jasmine said gently. “If Night is looking into your missing children, he’s the best person for the job. He’ll find an answer.”Her words almost knocked me off my feet. When I looked at Tavi, I saw that she was equally taken aback. That was the very last thing I’d expected Jasmine to say. Wasn’t she planning on repla
Ruling The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 3) 14
“I don’t know about ‘trust,’” Dom said, “but if we’re just talking about pack knowledge…well, Lance.”“Lance? Really?”Dom shrugged. “If nothing else, adding him to the team will allow us to keep an eye on him. We might even learn more about his goals.”“I’ve heard about this guy,” Kai said. He was approaching his late forties, his red hair graying at the temples. “Nothing substantial, but the Kings talk about him a lot. He seems to have a lot of connections.”I made a face. “I think I’d rather throw myself at the council. They might have information at the meeting.”Dom shrugged. “Still. Something to consider.”“Maybe as a last resort.” I couldn’t even picture myself getting close to Lance, let alone sitting down and having a conversation with him about the history of the Kings Pack. But Dom wouldn’t have suggested something like this without thinking it over.“If you do end up meeting with him,” Dom said telepathically, “you might get him to admit something about what he and the War
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