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Chapter 52
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Pack Chapter 53
Bailey couldn't help from lighting up when she saw Gavin and Wyatt strutting into the roadside diner. It especially pleased her that their grim expressions melted into warm smiles of welcome upon seeing her. In short order, she found herself squished in the center of the U-shaped booth, ringed by men. It was enough to render a woman breathless-and make her girly parts moisten. As the new arrivals ordered, Bailey frowned, noting some contusions on their knuckles and faces, marks that seemed days old, but which she knew neither had sported that morning. "What happened to you?" Stretching his arm across the top of her shoulders, Gavin hugged her into him. "Nothing, except I missed you." "It looks like you were in a fight." She flicked her gaze up to him, but he met her query with a soft smile. "Nothing Wyatt and I couldn't take care of. Don't worry. You're safe." "I'm not worried about my safety," she said, her stomach suddenly tight. "I'm worried about
Pack Chapter 54
Their new campsite looked much like the one of the night before-lots of woods, no toilets, and filled with men who somehow seemed more vibrant than ever. Watching them from her perch as they set up camp-her feeble attempts to help more like a hindrance-she wondered what made them seem larger than life as they stalked about, filled to the brim with a simmering energy. It was over a dinner of roasted hot dogs and salad that Gavin casually dropped the bomb. "The full moon's tonight, so we're going to take turns going for a run, if that's okay?" She almost spat out her mouthful of food. "Say that again?" Jaxon laughed. "When the moon shines bright, we turn into furry frights." "Do you want to cuff him, or shall I?" Parker asked Gavin quite seriously. "Oh, don't hit him," she exclaimed. "It was rather poetic." A trio of snorts met her words, but Jaxon beamed. "I have another one if you like that. Roses are red, violets are blue, your lips look so juicy, a
Pack Chapter 55
Coasting through the woods, following the trail Jaxon left in drops of blood, Wyatt let his fury against rogues build. Why won't they leave her alone? Why are they still brazenly chasing her? It baffled him. Rogues weren't known to go after complicated targets. So what was it about Bailey that made them keep coming? What did Roderick want from her? The time to ponder those questions would have to wait, as he came across the snarls of animals sparring. Springing into the fray, he took in the scene, from Parker grappling viciously with a mottled-coated foe to the others circling, preparing to launch their own cowardly attack. Assessing the imminent danger to his friend, Wyatt landed on the back of a wolf who thought to attack Parker from behind while Gavin, with a snarl to frighten all but the most foolhardy, dove at the rest to keep them at bay. A bestial part of himself rejoiced in the yelp of pain of his enemy as his teeth sank into flesh. Bloodlust and the exhilarat
Pack Chapter 56
Excruciating pain woke her, a familiar agony that made her think of evil red eyes and the cell she'd been shackled in. What the hell? The image of a cadaverous, grinning facsimile of a man faded in her mind, replaced by the blazing light of agony as her body melted back into her human self. Awash with sobs, and shaking like a leaf in a strong wind, it took her a few moments to realize arms held her, rocking her. She clutched the body that offered her comfort, anything to help dispel the nightmare. Unfortunately, her mind would give her no respite and kept replaying over and over her horrible change and then . . . the blood. Oh God, the blood. "Jaxon!" she wailed, the realization of what she'd done making her sob anew. "Hush, Bailey. He's going to be fine. He's a tough bugger. But what about you? Are you okay?" Hysterical laughter threatened to burst forth, and her eyes filled with tears. "N-N-No, I'm n-n-not all right," she stuttered. "Oh my God, Wyatt. It
Pack Chapter 57
Gavin breathed a sigh of relief when he came across Bailey and Wyatt, thankfully unharmed, the cries he'd heard those of the mating kind. He slapped Wyatt on the back as he curled an arm around Bailey's waist. "Congrats." A blush pinked her cheeks, and Gavin laughed as he kissed her to show her that he wasn't bothered by her newest mate. "Relax, darling. I'm not going to go into a jealous fit and challenge Wyatt or anything." "That's good," she replied softly. Then her expression turned morose. "How's Jaxon? Wyatt said he'd be okay. Is he very angry?" "A better question is, should he be punished for letting you run off in the first place?" Gavin growled, still not over his anger when he'd found out what happened after he dispatched the rogues and returned to camp. "It's not his fault," she said, jumping to his defense. "Nobody knew I was going to-to . . ." Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip. "It's not an embarrassing disease, sunshine," Wyatt
Pack Chapter 58
The closer they got to their final destination, the more Bailey's stomach tightened into a ball. Despite what she'd learned about the compound, and the reassurances of her lovers, whom she rode with, she found herself terrified. Oh God, what am I getting myself into? In spite of her fears, she couldn't deny she needed to go there, needed to find out what had happened to her and her body. And, if she were really truthful with herself, she didn't want to leave Gavin and Wyatt. Actually, she didn't want to leave any of them, and she didn't have just her new inner wolf to blame for that. She enjoyed being around them. They made her feel alive in a way she'd never felt, even when her parents lived. The passion both Gavin and Wyatt showed her blew her away. The kind of pleasure she discovered with them was usually reserved for romance books, not overweight call-center operators, which brought to mind another thing. With them, she never felt fat. Tom, her scuzzy ex, had enjo
Pack Chapter 59
Lessons on helping Bailey accept her wolf began the next morning, with the decision made that Parker and Dana would act the part of teachers instead of using strangers. The arrangement suited Parker just fine, as it would allow him to spend time with Bailey. However, he'd imagined it as a pleasant interval spent talking, and maybe flirting. He'd not counted on her fear of the whole shifting process making her ornery. It took a lot to hold back a sigh of impatience at her now millionth time repeated, "But it hurts." "I know, baby, but that's only because you're new to the whole shifting experience. Over time, you'll get used to it." Seated in the shade of a tree, away from the hustle and bustle that comprised daily life in the compound, Bailey sighed and looked down at her lap, where her fingers restlessly weaved together. "So you all keep saying. Might I say that as a pep talk it sucks? Why can't I just stay in this body? I could hide in the basement on full moo
Pack Chapter 60
Gavin paced Nathan's office, disturbed by the report he read. He slapped it down on the desk with a curse. "How the fuck could we not know this was possible?" "Care to explain?" Wyatt asked, seated in a casual pose. Only Gavin's long acquaintance with him let him know his friend was anything but. John, Nathan's second-in-command and pack doctor, launched into a summary. "We've been digging into Bailey's roots. We first traced her father's line since it was easy, given we had his last name and date of birth. Nothing jumped out at us. He's a born and bred American, from a long line of humans. Where it got tricky was when it came to tracing the mother." Over the last few days, as Bailey settled into pack living, Gavin and Wyatt had unobtrusively gleaned information from her on her family. What little she knew, that was. Having wanted to keep her good humor intact, and her fear at bay, they'd decided against outright questioning. It had taken longer, but Gavin consi
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