The Werewolf’s Bride: The Pack Rules #1 by Michele Bardsley Read Free Book Online Page A

paper about this type of structure for a history class. The other half of the huge space was the most like an Egyptian temple, with its brightly painted reliefs and tall red-rock columns carved with symbols only known to the werewolf culture.
    Above us, the night sky looked like diamond-studded velvet. It was an appropriate dome for this cathedral created from nature. Torches with large, flickering flames dotted the entire place, giving off plenty of light for both participants and observers.
    Once the first girl took her spot, the rest of us spread out beside her. Five feet away, a similar line of werewolf males faced us. There were nearly twice as many of them.
    I couldn’t help myself. I sought out Grey and found him immediately. He stood in the middle of the pack, slightly in front of the other grooms, his long, black hair loose and flowing. He wore black slacks with a blue dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His dress shoes gleamed in the torchlight.
    I could feel the heat of his gaze on me before I gathered enough courage to meet his eyes. His stare telegraphed the intensity of his lustful desires. Oh, mercy. I felt the breath leave my lungs in a sudden, anxious whoosh . I couldn’t deny that he was handsome. He stood taller, stronger than the men around him. I felt my belly quiver in anticipation, in fear. A foreign heat gathered between my thighs and my nipples tightened. Unnerved by my reaction, I looked at the ground and tried to slow the rapid beat of my heart.
    Werewolves chose brides based on their pack ranking. The alpha went first, then the beta, and so forth. A werewolf had the right to forfeit his choice if he found none of the brides to his liking. It was possible higher ranked werewolves would take a pass, allowing one of the lesser ranked to find a mate.
    The brides, however, didn’t get the same opportunity. We were the tributes. Though the pact ensured that we would be treated well and given all that we needed to create family and home within the pack, no one was guaranteed emotional connections.
    The Choosing was not about making love matches.
    It was about completing business transactions.
    But despite the coldness of such an exchange, more than one true mating had come from the Choosing.
    I did not, however, believe that would be my experience.
    I knew very well there was a difference between physical pleasures and soulful bonds. I couldn’t expect more from Grey than what the pact promised. Yet, I felt some regret that I would never have the opportunity to fall in love. It sounded like such a wonderful experience—certainly more pleasant than being mated and bred with a werewolf.
    “We are gathered tonight to honor the pact between the Shadow Pack and its protectorate, Bleed City.” Aunt Lila stood on a raised podium behind the werewolf grooms. Her voice projected easily throughout the theatre—yet another aspect that could be traced to Roman ingenuity. “As we have done since the time our saviors arrived and gave us shelter and sustenance, we offer our eldest daughters to the males of the Shadow Pack. We give you our greatest treasures in gratitude for your protection of our community.”
    Aunt Lila’s gaze landed on each and every one of the brides. “We thank you, daughters, for honoring the pact.” Aunt Lila lifted her arms, palms raised to the sky. “May the marital bonds created by this Choosing bring joy, understanding, and peace. May you all be blessed with children and with happy homes.”
    That was it. Ceremony over. I couldn’t quite comprehend the lack of pomp and circumstance, but it hardly mattered.
    Grey was already striding toward me. Before I had a chance to even say hello, he swept me into his arms and marched us off toward a side exit.
    I heard the raucous calls of the werewolves, the gasps and giggles of the other women, and the enthusiastic applause from the parents watching. Grey’s muscles tensed as if his wolf wanted to claw its way through his skin. Willing or