Chapter 207
“Bulgarian,” I said, watching shock, fear, and anger simultaneously register. “We’ll be watching you especially close.”
A low growl came from him, but he turned and stomped off with the others.
The good thing about the North Pass is that it was literally that, a pass. A steep mountain that sloped down to the valley on one side and a rock face comprised the other. It was thirty feet long and about five feet wide, just enough to comfortably walk it in single formation. Side by side was possible, but could be scary as hell. Just on the other side of the pass it opened up, and I knew they could find a
place to camp.
I shifted to my wolf form and walked over to the pass. About ten yards in I could just see around to the entrance on the other side. I dropped to the ground with a huff and knew it was going to be a long night. Elise’s soft fur snuggled into my side. I looked at her and she grinned, giving me a big sloppy kiss across my nose. The noises that followed from her were kind of creepy, but I knew it was her laughing through her wolf.
While my mate tended to be more serious and guarded in human form, her wolf was extremely playful, carefree, and affectionate. I had caught glimpses of that personality in Elise too, when she let her guard down. I longed for the day that her guard stayed permanently down. We were making progress, but I still felt like there was a part of her that she held back from me.
She settled down and went fast to sleep as I kept watch.
As the sun began to crest through the trees, I stirred at a nearby noise. A snap of a twig had me jumping to my feet with a menacing growl. I had fallen asleep. Elise was still sound asleep on the ground next to me as if she were completely unaffected by anything in the world. So peaceful.
The sound of approaching footsteps had my wolf baring his teeth as a low rumble shook through my
chest.
“Whoa, boy. Whoa!” Jack said as he stumbled back a few steps.
I shifted. “Bloody hell, Jack, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing? You nearly put the cross sideways in me heart, Patrick.”
I shook my head, trying to calm my nerves. I shifted and breathed in through my nose and out
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through my mouth as my racing heart slowly subsided.
He sat on the ground in the middle of the path a few feet away from me and I slowly did the same, acting as a buffer between him and Elise, careful not to leave my mate unprotected.
“She really worth it?”
I looked back at the still sleeping black wolf and smiled. “Yeah, she is.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Stupid sappy smirk on your face. Who’d ever have thought it? You? Patrick O’Connell? Favored son of Aidan, Clan Alpha? I didn’t believe it when I heard it. Now look at you.”
“Never happier in all my life, Jack.”
“She really that good?” Jack asked, wagging his eyebrows up and down and making obscene gestures with his hand. I tossed a rock at him, trying to keep my composure. I knew he was only trying to get a rise out of me.
“Fine,” he finally conceded. “This place got a good tavern at least?”
“Aye, it does. The Crate. It’s down in town.”
“Good to know. So, all that talk last night about ‘my territory‘ and ‘my pack,‘ you can’t possibly believe that. You’re an Irish wolf. You belong in the Clan. We’re not here to fight you, Patrick–we’re
here to take you home.”
I looked at him in confusion. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“Jack, Da banished me from the Clan. He sent Niall to fight me for my mate and take over Westin Pack. I’ll never return to our homeland.” The thought saddened me, but not as much as I expected it should. It was true: for me, at least, San Marco was already home. Westin was my pack.
Jack looked horrified. “No, that’s not right. Niall’s orders were to come and bring you home.”
“No, Jack, they aren’t.”
“He can’t. He can’t fight you. For her?”
I shook my head. “No, for Da.” I let that sink in a bit before hitting him with the next question. “You
Billionaire Alpha’s 99 Deadly Games
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gonna tell me why a Bulgarian is traveling with you?”
“A Bulgarian?” he snorted. “I don’t know what you mean. You talking about Bruno? He’s no Bulgarian. Found him in the woods, we did. A lone wolf. Your da took him in and has been counseling him. Thought it would be good experience and extra help to get you home.”
I stared at him like he was an idiot. “He’s a Bulgarian, Jack.”
“No, he’s not. Niall would have told me.”
“Like he told you about his challenge?”
“I don’t know what you’re playing at here. Our orders are to grab you and get back to the Clan as quickly as possible.”
“Then why didn’t you just grab me last night? We could be hours away from here by now, but
where’s Niall?”
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