3. Mai

Our half-eaten breakfast sat on the rickety table, the smell of bacon, eggs, and burnt toast lingering in the air, making my stomach churn. Mason and Sam, having brought breakfast for all of us from a local diner, were in deep conversation with Ryan, discussing the Pack, the latest rumors, and our next steps, but their words washed over me.

"… One other thing you need to know. My contacts have confirmed that ripple has made it to Three Rivers. This drug … Man, Ryan, this drug is bad news. Highly addictive to Shifters and …"

I frowned. What the hell was ripple? I was going to have to ask Ryan about it later, my mind was all over the place right now and I couldn"t concentrate for more than thirty seconds on what they were saying. While the others were occupied, I pulled out my phone and dialed Sofia's number. The connection rang and rang, every tone jolting my nerves. I needed to hear her voice, to know that she and Jase were really safe.

"Sofia's phone," a voice I didn't expect greeted me. Wally, the husband of the Pack doctor, Thomas.

"Wally? What are you doing with Sofia's phone?" I asked, my voice cracking with surprise.

"Sofia's just in the shower. I'm so sorry about Jem, Mai," Wally replied, his voice thick with emotion.

I nodded, knowing he couldn't see me, but there was a lump in my throat stopping me from speaking.

"Girl, if I could take away your hurt, I would in an instant. I can't tell you how glad Thomas and I are that you're okay, glad you got away from Seth."

"Is that Mai?" I heard Sofia's voice in the background.

"Thank you, Wally. I appreciate it. I'm just glad you guys are okay."

"We'll give Jem one hell of a toast tonight, I promise. I intend to get us all so drunk that we"ll still be seeing double and walking sideways tomorrow. Hold on, Sofia's right here."

A pause, and then Sofia's voice, familiar and yet somehow distant, came through the line. "Mai? Are you okay? I'm sorry …" I heard her start to sob.

"Sofia," I coaxed gently. "I needed to call and hear your voice. I had to know if you and Jase are alright."

"We're okay …" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Jase and I … I'm so sorry we didn't stop Seth; didn't stop you from being taken."

"It wasn't your fault. Nothing you could have done would have stopped him."

"But if we had, maybe you would have still been here. Ryan wouldn't have left. Maybe you could have stopped Hayley from … from—"

"You can't think like that." I knew I couldn't. "What ifs" would drive me crazy with regrets of things I had or hadn"t done, and I didn"t think I could cope with anything more right now.

She was silent for a moment, then growled, "If I could bring Seth back to life, I"d turn him into a chew toy for the neighborhood puppies, and then I"d drown him in a puddle."

I smiled. I knew she was going to be okay. She would always be my ride-or-die best friend.

"I know, Sof."

"So, what's next?" she asked, determination replacing her grief. She wanted revenge, just like me.

In the background, I heard Wally call out, "Hell yes! Tell Mai whatever it is, I want in! Just point me in the right direction and I"ll bring the sass and the ass-kicking."

I pressed my lips together to stop from laughing. Their support lifted a bit of the cloud that was in my chest. "Hold off for now, both of you. Rest, recover. Sofia, can you and Jase call in sick to work? I want you to lie low until we know more about what Brock and Hayley are up to. Ryan and I will come up with a plan, and we'll let you know."

"Okay, Mai." Sofia's voice was resigned, and I knew she wanted action, not rest. Anything to feel like she was doing something. "We'll wait for your word."

"Take care, chickie."

"You, too."

I ended the call and sat for a moment, my hand still gripping the phone. The motel room felt colder, emptier, as if a part of me had been left on the other end of that call.

The motel room's door creaked open as Derek and Shya strode in.

"We've got news," Derek started, his voice steady and somber.

Ryan shot me a quick look before turning his attention to them. "What's going on?"

"It's my dad, Michael," Shya said. "He wants to help."

"Michael?" I stammered out, disbelief coloring my voice. The Alpha of the Bridgetown Pack. Extending a hand to us?

"Yeah." Derek nodded, his gaze fixed on Shya, which I took to be a silent form of support. "Michael's got Tristan's rebellion under control. Tristan's done a Houdini and is nowhere to be found. Michael's offering us a safe haven."

The room was silent as we all took this in.

"Are you saying," I began, wanting to be absolutely clear, "that he's offering us sanctuary?"

Shya nodded, her jaw set in a hard line. "He said you, us, we're all welcome."

This was too good to be true. Could we trust another Alpha, another Pack? Especially after the betrayals from our own Pack? I cast a quick glance at Ryan, searching his face for a hint of what he was thinking. His features were unreadable, his gaze locked onto Derek and Shya.

"Why would Michael offer us sanctuary now?" I questioned, suspicion gnawing at me.

Derek shifted uncomfortably. Ryan was quiet beside me, but I could see his mind whirring, weighing the options.

"What's the catch?" I demanded.

Shya was silent. She didn't know or didn't want to say?

"Maybe there isn't one," Mason said.

I slid my gaze to Mason, and he immediately lowered his eyes.

"There's always a catch," I replied.

The room was silent for a moment.

"I think we take the offer," Ryan said finally.

"What the fuck, Ryan?" My patience snapped. "We can't just go marching into a rival Pack and set up home!"

"It's not like we have many other options, Mai," Ryan shot back. "We need a place to regroup, to plan. We're sitting ducks out here."

"So, we just trust some Alpha we barely know? What if it's a trap? What if—"

"Mai," Ryan stepped close to me, his eyes burning into mine, "I'll never let anything happen to you. I know you're scared. But we need to think rationally about this."

Rationally? He did not just say that.

For a moment, I thought my head was about to explode. Although, better yet, I wanted to make Ryan"s head explode.

I narrowed my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "Rationally, huh? And exactly how rational is it to just waltz into another Pack"s territory? Tell me, Ryan, do you have a master plan hidden in that pretty head of yours? Or are you just hoping they"ll have a nice welcoming committee for us with strawberry champagne and scones?"

"Oh, I"ve got a plan, Mai. It involves us not getting killed out here."

I leaned in closer. "And what if your master plan ends with us in a trap? We escape from Brock and Hayley only to willingly offer ourselves on a plate to Michael and Camille! You think your charming smile will get us out of that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "My charming smile worked on you, didn"t it?"

That was it, I was going to punch that smile right off his face.

I don"t know if Shya saw what I was planning but she quickly stepped forward. "My father isn't the enemy here. You don't know him, I get it. But I do. He's a good man, a good Alpha. He'd do anything to protect his Pack, and right now, that includes us."

"No offense, Shya," I said, swinging my gaze to her, my voice tight, "but it's a bit hard for me to trust anyone right now."

Shya lowered her eyes. I wasn"t sure if it was to keep me calm or because she saw me as a higher rank than her. And that was one hell of a scary thought. The Bridgetown Pack determined their succession through blood lines rather than combat. She was the nearest our kind had to a Pack princess and was next in line to be the Pack Alpha.

"I get it, Mai. I really do. And I can't make you trust my father. But, please, trust me. I've worked for Derek for these last few months. I've never passed bad information. I've always done what is best for both our Packs. I would stake my life on this. My father will help you."

Ryan tilted his head to one side. "He doesn't want Brock and Hayley in charge of the Three Rivers. They worked with Tristan to overthrow him. They are a direct threat to his Pack. It makes sense for him to court us as the alternative Alpha pair. If he offers sanctuary now, we'd owe him. And if we defeat Brock and Hayley, then all of a sudden, he has a friendly neighbor next door. Which only makes it safer for his Pack."

"You're asking me to trust a man I've never met," I said, my voice soft but steady. "To put our renegade Pack …" I swept my hand around the room. This was our Pack, small though it was, but they were everything to me. "You want me to put their lives in his hands."

"Yes," Ryan replied, meeting my gaze head-on. "Because it's our best shot, Mai, at protecting them."

I glanced around the room. Everyone was looking to me to make this decision. They'd already made Ryan and me the Alpha pair, whether we wanted it or not.

How were they all willing to just trust Michael on this? I'd trusted Ryan to look out for me, and he'd rejected me. I'd trusted Seth, and he'd beaten the shit out of me. I'd trusted Hayley, and she'd killed Jem.

I felt a pulse of concern come down my bond with Ryan. He knew what I was thinking, that I was dredging up these memories.

He stepped close to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He felt warm, and I eased into the heat. "I won't let anything happen to you, Mai. And we won't let anything happen to them." Ryan nodded to the others. "Michael is our best shot of a safe place to recover while we work out what to do next. If we don't go there, we'll have to go on the run instead. It's your call, Mai. Whatever you want, we"ll do it."

I'd run before, when Ryan had rejected me. And I'd run again when Seth hit me. I was done running.

"Alright," I conceded reluctantly. "We'll go to Bridgetown."