1. Mai

The sun had barely risen, its rays only just managing to cast an autumnal pale glow over the motel. I remembered when this place opened. It had been the talk of the area, a shiny new motel for travelers and businesses, on the outskirts of our territory, bringing in new money and jobs to our town. Nowadays, its chipped paint and cracked windows highlighted its age and the broken dreams of the hopeful owners. The once vibrant blue sign had its paint peeling, and you could barely see the words "Three Rivers Inn" in the gloomy light.

It was owned by humans, two brothers, if I recalled correctly. The place had opened and swiftly gone downhill when Oliver was the Pack Alpha, but Jem and Hayley hadn't been able to turn things around for the humans in our territory yet. I guess now they never would.

After we checked in, I sat on the edge of the stiff, musty bed, my body aching and covered in bruises. Ryan, my mate—and how weird was it to say that?—stood by the window, his tall, muscular frame tense as he kept watch. He was wounded, too, but stood upright and still. It was only through our bond that I felt pain pulsing through him. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and I could see the same emotions swirling in his—grief and anger.

"I can't believe he's gone, Mai," he whispered. My heart clenched at the mention of my brother, Jem, the Alpha who had been killed by the very person he trusted the most—Hayley, his mate.

"Hayley …" I murmured, and with her name came the image of her cold, ruthless gaze. The betrayal still felt like a knife in my gut, twisting and turning as the reality of her actions sank in.

"Hey," Ryan said gently, walking over and placing a warm hand on my shoulder. His deep blue eyes, usually so full of confidence and strength, now held barely contained rage and determination. "We'll get through this together, okay? We'll find a way to make things right."

"What would ‘right' even look like? We can't bring him back."

"Maybe not," he admitted, his grip on my shoulder tightening. "But we'll find a way, Mai. We'll get justice for Jem."

I stared into his eyes, seeking solace in their depths, and I knew we were on the same page—we wouldn't let Hayley's deed go unpunished. We had a responsibility to Jem, to Ryan's brothers, to Sofia and Jase, and to the rest of the Pack.

"I'm going to kill her," I whispered, suddenly feeling calm.

Ryan held me with his gaze. "Whatever you do, we'll do it together."

Before I knew what was happening, he pulled me into his arms. I sank against his muscular chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the scent of pine on his skin soothing me.

"We'll get through this," he murmured against my hair.

I looked up at him, our faces just inches apart. The air seemed to crackle between us. Slowly, tentatively, Ryan brought his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. I melted into him, the contact igniting a spark of desire that quickly caught flame.

Ryan maneuvered us down onto the bed without breaking the kiss. My hands roamed across the hard planes of his chest as his lips moved to my neck, nipping and sucking in a way that sent jolts of pleasure through me.

"Ryan …" I moaned, arching into him. I wanted this so badly, something to take away the pain and grief. I wanted to feel Ryan moving inside of me and not have to think about anything else.

He ground his cock against me, the friction delicious even through our clothes. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his bare skin against mine. Sensing my need, he stripped off the shirt and made quick work of my own top and bra.

The lust in Ryan's hooded eyes matched my own. He kissed me hungrily before trailing kisses down my neck. I arched up, needing to feel his lips on my breasts. His tongue did a swirl over one before capturing my nipple in his mouth. I cried out as he sucked and teased the sensitive peak.

Just as his fingers traced the waistband of my jeans, I froze, hearing the sound of footsteps outside the motel room. My heart leaped in my chest; I'd been running and hiding for so long that the slightest noise set me on edge.

"It's okay. It's my brothers," Ryan growled. "Fuck! They always did have shitty timing." He kissed me gently, then handed me my top and walked over to open the door. I pulled my shirt on and stood up, ready to face them.

Mason, the twins—Derek and Sam—plus an unfamiliar girl almost fell into the room. They all looked exhausted.

"Are you guys okay?" I said, taking in their battered appearances. Sam's arm hung uselessly by his side. Mason was limping, and half his face was swollen, with a black eye and a split lip. The girl had a gash across her cheek, and Derek … Derek looked like he'd gone through hell and back. His clothes were torn, there were bruises all over his face, his brown hair was matted with blood, and his gray eyes were haunted and distant.

"Are you two alright?" Sam asked, coming straight to me and gathering me up in a one-armed hug. Sam was the Shaw brother who was quick to hug and offer comfort. The complete opposite of his twin, Derek, who had always been serious and stand-off-ish, even before he joined the military. "We were so worried about you, Mai. We should have been better, been quicker, in hunting down Seth. I—"

"Hush, it's okay, Sam. It wasn't your fault," I interrupted. "Besides, Ryan and I dealt with Seth. He can't hurt me anymore."

I felt Sam's chin nod on my shoulder just as Ryan growled, "You wanna let go of my mate?"

I frowned at Ryan. He was staring at Sam, his jaw tight and his arms crossed.

Sam was staring at Ryan, too, and then he glanced at me. "It's fine," he whispered, even though everyone in that room could hear him. "It's the mate bond. It was always going to hit him hard. I'm lucky he hasn't thrown me across the room."

I nodded. I knew that newly mated couples were ridiculously overprotective of their mates, and I knew enough not to get within arm's reach of anyone who was newly mated in case their mate took offense and attacked me, but this was going to take some getting used to.

"Who's the girl?" I asked as Sam stepped back.

The girl was slender, about my height, but looked a hell of a lot better in tight jeans than I could ever pull off. The blood from the gash on her cheek had dried, and she'd put her auburn hair in a ponytail, though some strands had come loose and were stuck to the dried blood on her face.

Mason was staring at her like a lost puppy, but she was avoiding his gaze. Instead, when I asked the question, she turned her eyes to me. "I'm Shya," she said, her voice quiet. "Michael's daughter."

"What?" I bugged my eyes out at Derek, but he remained silent. My best friend Sofia had been on a few dates with Derek about a year ago, but then he started to ghost her. Scared something bad had happened to him, she'd driven over to his house, except on the way there she saw him walk out of a bookshop with Shya and hug her. Derek was not a hands-on kinda guy, and Sofia was convinced something had been going on between Derek and Shya. Since then, Sofia and Derek had barely talked to each other and when they did, they were usually yelling.

I turned to Mason. "Seriously, what the hell is she doing here?" Michael was the Alpha of the Bridgetown Pack. Last I'd heard, Michael was plotting to invade us and start a war. Of course, I'd been out of contact for a few days when my fucking ex, Seth, had kidnapped me, beat me senseless, and kept me locked up in his basement. But even so, it was some turnaround if he was letting his daughter tag along with our renegade Pack.

Mason shrugged. "It's fine, Mai. She's been working as an informant to Derek. Besides, Michael's backed off; he has other things to focus on now. Turns out the murders and the framing of Carson for them were all a plot by Tristan, the Bridgetown Beta, working with none other than our boy Brock to take over both Packs."

Before I'd been taken by Seth, we'd suspected that Brock was up to something, but not this, not killing Jem and taking over the Pack. "How did this happen? How did they get away with it for so long?"

"He must have been planning this for a long time," Mason growled. "We took our eyes off the ball, Mai. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's no one's fault."

Mason looked at me, his eyes haunted. "Hayley killed Jem." His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

"I know," I whispered, choking back tears. The raw grief threatened to overwhelm me, but I couldn't break down. Not now.

"She did it right in front of us. She didn't even hesitate."

"Tell me," I demanded, needing to know how it happened.

Sam sighed. "We'd gone with Jem to the Alpha House. We knew about Brock's plot, knew he'd started to take out our supporters. We were trying to form a base where our people could come for safety and where we could coordinate everything. Hayley was there. She met us at the door. She hu—" Sam choked off, unable to continue.

"She hugged him, Mai," Mason said. "She hugged him and kissed him, then drove a silver knife into his heart. He never saw it coming. None of us did."

"But why? Why would she do this? It doesn't make sense."

"I don't know. As soon as Jem went down, Brock and his enforcers surrounded us. We barely got away. I think if we'd been any further into the house when she did it, we'd never have escaped. We'd all be dead on that floor alongside Jem."

I could feel the tears rolling down my face. I couldn't stop them. I turned, and Ryan was there, pulling me into him. He held me tight, soothing me, feeling my pain and his as it reverberated back and forth down our bond.

"I'm going to kill her," I repeated, my voice steady and resolute. The others looked at me, and I could see the fire of revenge burning in their eyes. "We're going to make her pay for what she's done."

"Damn right, we will," Ryan growled, his grip on me tightening.

"We need a plan," Derek said, finally breaking his silence. His voice was cold and distant, but his eyes were grim and resolved.

"First, we heal," Ryan replied, his gaze roaming over all the injuries we had. "We're no good to anyone like this. While we recover, we gather intel. Find out what their next move is and how best to counter it."

"Agreed," I said, looking around at my small band of loyal friends. "Our priority is protecting the Pack and each other. Then we get justice."

"Speaking of the Pack," Derek spoke, his voice low and cautious. "We did manage to get some news on the others."

"Sofia?" I asked, knowing my voice betrayed my eagerness to hear about my best friend.

"Sofia and Jase are safe," Derek continued, a hint of relief in his eyes. "They're with Wally and Thomas. They'll protect them."

I breathed out loudly, feeling a weight lift from my chest. Knowing that Sofia and her brother were okay meant a lot.

"It's good that we have friends on the inside," Ryan said, a determined glint in his blue eyes. "We might need their help."

I glanced at Ryan, not sure how I felt about using Sofia and Jase as spies for us. They were my friends; I wanted to protect them, not put them in danger.

"There's one more thing you should know," Derek said, taking a deep breath as if bracing himself. "Jem … He wanted you to take over the Pack. To be the Alpha pair."

My heart hammered in my chest, my hand going to Ryan's.

"You've got to be joking?" I'd only just come back to the Pack. I'd run four years ago, when things got too much. I'd known for years that Ryan was my fated mate, and yet I'd watched him parade around with a collection of girls from the Pack. I'd thought I was okay about it. I was too young, and as my older brother's best friend, Ryan was off-limits until I was of age. But then, at a Regional Pack Meet, Sarah Conley had been all over him, and I'd lost it. I'd marched over to them, dragged Sarah off Ryan, and then declared to the whole fucking Meet that Ryan was my mate.

Ryan and Jem had been appalled. I hadn't realized how delicate our positions were in the Pack. Oliver had been the Alpha then, Jem the Pack Beta. Everyone knew that Jem wanted the top job and that Oliver was searching for ways to weaken Jem. By declaring myself Ryan's mate, I put a huge target on my back—I was the perfect person to take out. It would disable both Jem and his best friend and enforcer, Ryan. Jem and Ryan knew this and had done the only thing they could—Ryan rejected me in front of everyone, claimed I was a delusional little girl with a crush, and Jem had ordered me home.

I'd been so humiliated, so shocked that Ryan, my mate, could deny it that I couldn't breathe. Overwhelmed and heartbroken, I'd run. I left Three Rivers, spent four years dodging any mention of the place. Ended up in Cocrane, where I built up a freelancing website design business. Then Seth had started to take notice of me. He showered me with attention, made me feel like I actually was someone who could be loved, someone who deserved to be loved. It was great, until it wasn't.

It had taken me a while to realize just how controlling Seth was. How quick to anger he was when I didn't do something he wanted. Then, during one argument, he hit me. Broke my arm and two ribs and twisted my knee so badly I had to use crutches. That was it. So I'd run again. Heading back to the only place I knew I would be safe.

I'd just wanted to lie low for a few days. Heal my injuries, make a new plan. But Ryan had found me hiding out in my old apartment in Three Rivers. He told me the truth about why he rejected me and then spent every waking moment trying to convince me to give us a go. Given all that, it was no surprise that I had trust issues. I was just starting to get past that with Ryan, but Jem couldn't possibly have meant for me to take over the whole fucking Pack.

Mason nodded in agreement. "Jem was planning this for a long time. We've been searching for you, Mai. He thought we were close. He was sure that when you came back, you and Ryan would seal your mate bond."

"He can't have known that!" Hell, I'd only known for a few days that I could forgive Ryan and that I wanted to be with him.

Derek walked toward me. "Of course he could. He knew you. He knew how much you loved Ryan and how pig-headedly stubborn Ryan is. He knew Ryan would do anything to win you back. Jem saw it years ago; you two are destined for each other."

"But he didn't know he was going to die. Why would he want to leave the Pack?" I asked. "He loves …" I gulped down my sorrow, "loved this Pack."

"He knew his relationship with Hayley was destabilizing the Pack," Derek replied. "He thought if you and Ryan took over, the Pack would thrive again. He wanted to take Hayley away, spend time with just her, work out how to make her happy."

I felt a rush of emotions—shock, fear, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.

I shook my head and glared at Derek, willing him to take back his words. "No. You're wrong. We're not meant to be the Alpha pair. That is never gonna happen."