Addie (Pack of Misfits #1) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,43

shifter mating instinct for anything else though. It’s not as if Herrick actually likes me, despite the way he’s cracking his knuckles like he wants to conjure Mario in front of him and punch him in the face.

Lafe starts pacing around the room and Penn eyes him warily for a moment, making sure he isn’t going to hurl anything else against the wall.

“Are you trying to say that Pack Rockhead organized that robbery and that they attacked you today at the motel?” Herrick asks.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

He shakes his head. “Why would they do that? They’re a prominent and strong pack. They don’t need to use humans for robberies.”

“Why would Pack Rockhead have been involved?” Penn asks.

I look at them like they’re idiots. “Why does anyone rob a freaking bank? For money, obviously.”

“But their pack is centuries old. I highly doubt they have money problems,” Herrick replies.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Are you seriously defending them right now?”

Herrick scoffs. “Don’t get dramatic. All I’m saying is, are you sure it was them?”

I balk at him. “You are unbelievable! You stand there, after being in town for what, a couple of weeks, and act like you know better than I do?” I snap. “You don’t know shit, Herrick.”

“Alright, alright,” Penn interferes. “Calm down, Addie.”

“No,” I say with a swipe of my hand through the air. “He’s calling me a liar, and I won’t stand for it.”

Penn sighs. “That’s not what he’s saying. He’s saying—”

“I know what he’s saying,” I say, cutting him off. “He’s saying that he’ll always take another preds’ side over someone like me. He’d rather give the benefit of the doubt to them, a pack he doesn’t even know, than give it to me, the female he’s mated to. All because I’m a duck from Pack Aberrant—a shifter not nearly good enough for him and his hotshot coyote, isn’t that right, Herrick?” I challenge, practically spitting my words.

Herrick says nothing, just clenches his jaw and glares at me with his dark eyes and brooding expression.

“I didn’t get the impression that they were the kind of shifters to hire humans for illegal activities,” Penn says carefully.

I bristle at that and focus on him instead. “So you’ve met them? You’ve met Pack Rockhead?”

Penn’s eyes shift to Herrick nervously. “We, uh…we applied to join them.”

A bitter laugh barks out of me and I rub a hand down my face. “Of course you did.”

“Addie…” Lafe begins.

I shake my head and hold my hands out to ward them off. “No. I’m done. You were right to want to sever the bond. I refuse to be mated to you three. You stay away from me, and I’ll stay away from you. Your rut will be over in a few days so long as we stay separated. Go fuck whoever you want,” I tell Herrick crudely.

My whole heart hurts. My animal is practically weeping. “Our bond will eventually break after no contact,” I choke out the words, pissed when I realize a tear has escaped and is running down my cheek. “Have fun joining Pack Asshole. You’ll fit right in.”

I turn on my heel and stalk out the front door, slamming it behind me. This time, none of them follow me out, and I’m relieved, because as soon as my feet hit the grass, more hot tears start falling down my face. Miserable and aching from the distance of my mates, I perch on the curb with my head in my hands. I can hear the guys yelling at each other from inside, but I tune them out.

My emotions are going haywire, and the strained mating bond isn’t helping things. It’s like everything inside of me is at war. On the one hand, I’m pissed that the guys met with Rockhead to possibly join that pack, and I’m hurt that they doubt who attacked me and why. But I also want to go back in there and curl up against Lafe and let him finish what we started earlier, because I can tell I’m about to hit my second wave.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait long for Zoey to show up, since I texted her from Lafe’s phone earlier. I hop off the curb as soon as she pulls up, and practically launch myself into her car. Unlike hobo me, Zoey looks cute in a white romper with skulls and roses all over it. She takes one look at my disheveled appearance and tear-stained cheeks and her expression turns worried.

“Oh, honey. What happened?