Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“You’ll only get to play the Seals in the final if you defeat the Washington Weasels—and I’m sorry, but that’s a dumb name for a soccer team—in the semi-finals,” Adrian pointed out.
“We’ll make it to the finals.” Casey had to believe that. “And we’ll annihilate the heifers. If we don’t make it, I’ll challenge Sherryl once my team has been eliminated from the competition.”
Adrian gave a satisfied nod. “She’ll be expecting you to wait, though. She’ll fuck with you in any way she can in the meantime, hoping to provoke you.”
“Oh, I know,” said Casey. “And I’m not saying I won’t smack the bitch down if she comes at me. Just that I’ll postpone issuing the challenge.”
“All right,” said Adrian. “In the meantime, she’s banned from our territory. She doesn’t get to visit her family here, she doesn’t get to attend any games.”
Preston’s brow puckered. “What about the cemetery? You intend to keep her from it? Her mate is buried here. She visits his grave at least once a month.”
“Not anymore she doesn’t.” Adrian lifted his chin, his mouth set into a determined slash. “A ban is a ban. I’ll negotiate an arrangement with her coach that allows her to come here only to play with her team, but nothing else—and she’ll be followed the entire time by one of my enforcers.”
“She’ll probably run crying to her Alphas and try to sic them on you,” said Eli.
“If they contact me, I’ll inform them that I’ll lift the ban if she apologizes to Mallory, Casey, and Preston. If I come across as fair and not cruel, her Alphas will have no reason to take this further. They’ll simply tell Sherryl to swallow her pride and apologize, which she won’t do—it’s not in her nature.”
“She’d rather swallow glass,” agreed Preston.
Adrian’s shoulders lowered. “It pains me to have to ban her from coming here—she was one of my minks once. But it seems that that doesn’t mean much to her now, and so I won’t let it mean shit to me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I’m just saying it’s odd that there are no ‘B’ batteries,” said Frankie, smoothing her rose-gold bangs away from her face. “Don’t you think so, Casey?”
Casey nodded at the tipsy she-wolf, who was a member of the Phoenix Pack. “Oh yeah, definitely.” She put her bottle to her mouth and tipped it back. The cold beer slid down her parched throat.
She’d gone out on “girls’ nights” with her teammates, so she wasn’t new to the act of sitting at a table full of rowdy females. Normally, though, she’d be itching to leave. She wasn’t a big fan of nightclubs. They were too loud and crowded, and her mink despised the strobe lights and stench of cigarette smoke. But there were no such issues in the Velvet Lounge, so it was easy enough to relax, have fun, and get buzzed.
The girls’ night was Shaya’s idea, since the females of her pack had complained that Eli always “hogged” Casey, giving them no time with her. Only Ally had stayed at home, although that was because she’d fallen asleep on the sofa. No one had wanted to disturb her, so Shaya had simply told Marcus to drive the Seer to the club if she woke before they returned.
Eli wasn’t particularly happy about the girls’ night, so it hadn’t come as a surprise to Casey when he suddenly announced that Derren “needed” Eli to work the Beta’s security shift at the club for him. She’d simply rolled her eyes.
She wasn’t sure whose idea it was for the Phoenix Pack females to meet them there, but now they were all gathered around the VIP table, listening to Mila sing on stage while Harley played on the electric violin beside her. Most at the table were also mouthing the lyrics and doing weird hand actions, to which Roni was crossing her eyes. Sucking on a lollipop, the female enforcer looked the height of uncomfortable. Casey had come to learn that social situations weren’t Roni’s thing.
Of course, some of the Phoenix Pack males had come along to watch over their mates—and damn if they weren’t very healthy specimens. But the guys had no sooner said their hellos to Casey than their females had shooed them off to the bar, insisting on having “alone time” with the other girls. The males were not pleased about it at all.
She couldn’t really snicker at the males’ overprotective behavior, given that Eli was patrolling the perimeter of the club just so that he could keep a close watch on her.
In the past week, since she’d first told him that she’d switch to his pack, he’d been sneakily moving her things from her place to his. Small things at first, like little knickknacks and framed photos from her shelves. Then some of her clothes had gravitated to his lodge, along with a lamp and two of her plants. He’d also whined occasionally that he didn’t want to have a separate home from his mate, but she’d just stared at him until he threw up his hands and let it go.