Take Me Once, I'll Bleed You Twice novel Chapter 215

Chapter 215

CLAIRE

A pack barbecue sounded like a great idea in theory. Claire had been looking forward to eating a burger while lounging around in the sun. Instea was greeted by the sight of every member of the Mchezaji pack in one spot. Hundreds of wolves – in human form but still wolves – had gathered. / now that most of the surviving Bluemoon wolves had joined their ranks, the pack’s numbers had reached the quadruple digits; there were over a the

wolves present.

Claire sighed. Too many people. Far too many people. Sure, there were multiple bouncy castles and outdoor activities keeping the children entertain where was she supposed to sit back and relax when everywhere she looked there were people. So. Many. People.

Ten massive grills had been set up, each manned by four wolves in order to meet the demand of the masses. The smell of burgers, hotdogs, and chicl permeated the air. Banquet tables were set up with a variety of side dishes; potato salad, macaroni salad, real salads with leafy greens… Just a lot of Then there were the beverages. Almost every kind of soda was available, all stored in huge coolers were everyone was free grab whatever they wanted

It was insanity.

Who on earth would want to host this… this… This was not a pack barbecue; this was a pack festival, plain and simple.

Bea had already come and gone. As an honorary member, she’d felt the need to at least show her face and grab a burger, but being surrounded by so n wolves was too much for the human. It seemed the trauma of her month long experience with the mate bond had left her feeling uneasy around wolve general – not that anyone could blame her for it. Claire was surprised her friend hadn’t just cut them all off from the start but that was Bea for you; things differently than everyone else.

To no-one’s surprise, Riaghaire had accompanied the human to the barbecue. Though he used the sun charm, the vampire had still worn a light jacket, and sunglasses, making him look like some wannabe thug. Not that that was why the wolves kept their distance but Claire liked to think it was, as the thought entertained her a fair bit.

The noise from the crowd was giving her a headache and, now that she’d acquired her food, Claire deemed it time to wander into the packhouse. There! should not only find some semblance of quiet but also escape the mid-August sun.

She strolled through the building as she ate her hot dog and couldn’t help but look back on how much had change since learning she was part wolf iver had become a sort of friend, inviting her over to pack activities and just to hang out. Now that Claire knew part of her heritage was wolf, she had a male questions about what it meant to be one. She wanted to know their history, culture and, honestly, anything else they were willing to share.

Lost in thought, Claire turned a corner only to find the former Beta of the Bluemoon pack, Benedict, standing in front of the door that sed to the pack cas He held a paper plate with three burgers and the look on his face was that of someone conflicted by a decision that he dye to make

A single glance told her exactly what he wanted to do but not why he was having trouble doing it. “If you stand there much longer the food I get cold,” sh warned him in a placid voice

The former Beta’s body tensed the moment she started talking, causing Clatre to roll her eyes the guy had been avorting her like the plague ever since he taken on the roll of Mchezaji pack lackey. Not that she was around all that often but it was hard not to notice the guy walking into a room and upon seeing she was there, abruptly turning around and leaving or purposefully going out of his way to keep as much distance between them as possible

It was annoying.

“I, uh,” ne stammered, unable to look at her as he shifted his weight from fool to foot

“Gimme,” she ordered, holding out her hand as she motioned with her fingers for him to hand over the plate To her surprise, he actually met her gaze and

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Chapter 215-

held it The paper plate ended up in her outstretched hand after a couple seconds and she gave him a firm nod.

Turning to the door, she punched in Bea’s code – it’d been given to the human so that she had unlimited access to the wolf whose fate would forever be hers to decide. She had then shared with Claire, saying she had no interest in seeing Fuckface any time soon and would appreciate it if the blond could check that he was still locked up from time to time.

And that’s what Claire did. Once a week she went down to check that Hendricks was still locked away and miserable. Today, however, he was getting three burgers thanks to his former Beta. She wasn’t sure what to think of this act of charity but decided it wasn’t her place to question.

After dropping off the treat, she left the cages and returned to find Benedict still standing just outside the door. That was a surprise; she’d expected him t hightail it out of there the moment her back was turned.

“Thanks,” he told her, voice low.

Claire crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Benedict with narrow eyes. “What’s the deal?”

His mouth opened then closed. Running a hand through his short hair, making it stick out at odd angles, the wolf let out a sigh. “As much as I hate him… was my Alpha. And my friend.”

Claire shook her head. “That’s not what I was asking about.”

A look of surprise found its way onto Benedict’s face. “Oh.”

Letting out a huff, the blond glared at him. “What’s the deal with you avoiding me all the time, Benedict?”

The former Beta’s jaw dropped open. Was he really that surprised to hear she’d noticed his blatant attempts to avoid her at all costs?

Claire didn’t look away, staring the man down as he fidgeted under her gaze. For a supposed Beta wolf, the guy was acting like some kind of submissive… something. She hadn’t learned all the right terms for things just yet, but when she did she was definitely going to tell him exactly what he was acting like.

“I… figured… you would rather not deal with me after… everything with Beatrice.”

“So you made the decision to just run away with your tail between your legs whenever you see me?”

He frowned at her words. “I’m not scared of you.”

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