Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“At least I wasn’t dropped on my head repeatedly as a baby!”
“No, you were thrown at the freaking wall!” she hissed. “God, it offends me that you breathe!”
“You know what?” Damian pointed at her. “You’ve put on weight!”
Staggering back a step, she gasped in horror, hand flying to her chest. “You take that back!”
“Why? You gonna eat that too?”
“Satan’s child!”
“Flabby-assed bi—”
“Enough!” bellowed Vinnie.
Elle flushed, eyes slamming on the Alpha. “You always take his side.”
“Because he loves me more,” Damian taunted.
Vinnie didn’t bother pointing out that he hadn’t taken anyone’s side. Just watched as the teen and the boy stormed off in opposite directions. Sighing, Vinnie turned to Bracken. “If you and Maddie are going to have kids, don’t have more than one. Or at least wait a decade before having the next one.”
Bracken’s brow furrowed. “Why?”
Ingrid explained, “Pallas kits don’t get along well with their siblings if they’re too close in age.”
Luke pulled up his sleeve, showing a huge scar on his elbow. “Tate gave me that when I was ten. I ate one of his fries.”
Tate pointed to a scar on his neck. “That was courtesy of Luke when he was twelve. I went into his room without knocking first. Little bastard nicked an artery.”
“You startled me on purpose,” Luke accused. “And you did it because you could.”
Tate shrugged. “I was bored.”
Looking at Bracken once again, Vinnie advised, “Just stick to one kit, Slater.”
“We might not have any kits,” Bracken pointed out. “We could just have pups.”
“I still wouldn’t risk it,” said Vinnie. “You can tell yourself it can’t be that bad, but you’ll change your mind eight years down the line when you’re disciplining one kit for trying to kill the other in its sleep.”
Luke glared at his brother. “Not a night I’ll ever forget.”
Again, Tate shrugged. “That sound you made annoyed me.”
Luke’s brows snapped together. “What? Snoring?”
“Breathing.”
As the brothers proceeded to argue, Vinnie held up a finger. “One, Slater. Just one.”
CHAPTER TEN
Done wiping down the barbecue so it would be ready for the following day, Bracken dug out his phone. Before he had the chance to swipe his thumb across the screen, Marcus spoke.
“It’s two minutes later than when you last checked the time.”
Probably. But fuck if the time didn’t seem to be dragging. There was still another hour before the baby shower was over, and Bracken was impatient to go and collect his mate.
Hearing a childish squeal, he looked to find Kent chasing the pups around the play area. They were the only other members of the pack still on their territory. Caleb hadn’t gone to the baby shower either, but he was working Gwen’s shift at the motel.
Rolling back his shoulders, Bracken tried to shake off his tension. Couldn’t. Not while Madisyn was so far away from him.
Derren unscrewed the cap from his bottle. “Your mate will be fine, Brack. She’s on Phoenix Pack territory, which is very secure. We helped make it that secure.”
He knew that. But he also knew that the territory wasn’t impenetrable. Madisyn wasn’t a member of that pack, which meant she wouldn’t be the priority of anyone there in the event of a problem. And yeah, okay, he just fucking missed her. She made him smile. Laugh. Relax. Smoothed over the frayed edges of his soul. How could he not detest it when she was away from him? His wolf also missed her.
To keep his mind occupied, he’d cleaned up his lodge—since she was coming to visit tomorrow—and then he’d agreed to help the other males set things up for the barbecue. But with so little left to do, he was getting antsy. Bored. Restless.
“Why didn’t you go with her and just hang out with the guys or something?” asked Eli, wiping down the patio chairs with a cloth.
“She asked me to stay behind, because she knew as well as I did that I wouldn’t have resisted checking on her.” Honestly, he wouldn’t have even tried to stop himself from seeking her out.
“You know, I thought you and Madisyn would argue a lot,” said Jesse. “You’re overprotective, and you want all her time and attention, and she’s a highly dominant female with an independent streak a mile long. That’s not the best combination. But she’s been pretty patient with you.”
“It’s not patience,” Bracken told him. “Madisyn is a person who quietly asserts herself, states her case, and then expects you to deal with it. She won’t get into an argument about it, because that would be crediting your point with attention she doesn’t believe it deserves. She’ll compromise, but only if you’re prepared to do the same. If you try to browbeat her, she just sniffs and ignores that you’re even speaking.”
Derren grinned. “Which forces you to stay calm and respectful if you want to be heard and heeded. You need that.”