30. Mai

"Get it out of your head right now, Mai. It's not gonna happen," Ryan growled. His eyes were on me, their possessive stare practically a physical touch, a green sheen flaring in them.

"You need to deal with Derek first," I told him, my voice firm but my insides churning. "Then we'll talk."

Ryan's jaw tensed. He knew I was right.

He pulled out his phone, his movements slow and deliberate.

I turned away, but my acute hearing picked up every word.

"Michael, I have a request."

"What do you need?"

"Can you lock Derek down? Sofia's been taken hostage. We've received an ultimatum from Brock and Hayley. We hand over Mai, or Sofia will be killed."

"Dammit!"

"Can you do it? Derek will go nuts at the news. I know him; he'll charge over here without thinking and get himself killed."

"He's not going to like being locked down, Ryan."

"I don't give a fuck what he likes, Michael. I won't lose my brother. We are fighting fires on multiple fronts right now, and I don't need another complication. Can you help out or not?"

I heard Michael sigh. "I have some enforcers who will help me. We'll keep him locked down until he's calm."

"Thank you. Tell him I won't let anything happen to Sofia. I'll find a way to free her."

"Will do. Good luck."

Ryan ended the call and looked at me.

"We'll handle this," he said. "We'll find a way."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust in his confidence. But the doubts were there, nagging at the edges of my mind.

Ryan's hand reached out, slipping round the back of my neck, his touch grounding and reassuring. "We're doing what we have to do. We're protecting our Pack, our family. We can't let Derek charge into a situation where he'll get himself killed."

I nodded. I knew he was right about Derek. Derek would lose his mind when he heard Sofia had been taken by Brock and Hayley. It felt wrong, though. Asking another Pack to lock him down. He should be here with us. He should be involved in whatever we decided to do. I looked around at the faces of my friends, our little renegade Pack. Jase, Thomas, Wally—all eyes were on Ryan and me, waiting for a decision, a plan.

"We've got ten hours," I said, my voice breaking through the silence, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. "That gives us maybe five hours to come up with a plan."

"We're not handing you over, Mai." Ryan's voice was strong, but I felt the ripples of fear coming from him through our bond.

"And what about Sofia?" Jase's voice was tinged with desperation. "We can't just abandon her."

"We won't," Ryan assured him. "But we can't play into Brock and Hayley's hands, either. No way will they release Sofia, even if we handed Mai over."

"The fuckers will want a public execution," Wally spat, anger and frustration evident in his tone. "They'll want to make an example out of Mai and Sofia at the Pack meeting."

I nodded. "Agreed. If I do hand myself over, I doubt they'll just let Sofia go, but I don't think they'll kill us right away. They'll want to talk first, and then, you're right, they'll want something public to send a message. The Pack Meet will be perfect for that."

"You can't know that they'll wait," Ryan replied harshly.

"You don't honestly believe that Brock is Hayley's mate, do you?"

Ryan stared at me for a moment, and I knew he wasn't sure where I was going with this. Then he shook his head.

"Jem was her true mate. Of that, I have no doubt. She killed him. Even as hard-hearted as that bitch is, there is no way she is not feeling the effects of having murdered her true mate. I'm Jem's sister, she'll want to talk to me. To absolve herself. To convince herself that she did the right thing. She'll keep me alive. Brock will want me dead at the Meet. If I hand myself over, it gives you time to come up with a plan. We don't have ten hours, we have twenty-four."

"I don"t give a fuck if you kick me in the head. The answer is no, Mai. Absolutely no fucking way. We'll find another option."

"Okay, then. We could storm the compound. You went out this morning; how many people can we count on? We need them now. We'll need to go in the next few hours."

Ryan grimaced. "Not enough to take the compound. We need more time to gather our people. Maybe if we put out an alert, hope that enough people show up?"

"And trust Sofia's life to that? It would be suicide for us all. One last grand stand against Brock and Hayley. It's what they're hoping for, so they can kill all the rebels in one go. They'll have planned for it, Ryan. And as soon as we attack, they'll kill Sofia."

"You're not fucking doing it. End of discussion," Ryan growled, then he turned and walked out.

The cold, smooth sheets of the bed in Evelyn's cousin's guest room pressed against my skin. I was trying to rest, but my mind refused to quiet down, replaying the past few hours like a relentless movie reel. After Ryan refused to listen to me and walked out, I'd started planning our move from Thomas's. Ryan came back after half an hour, and we'd gone over the plan with him. Both Ryan and I had avoided the subject of me handing myself in, and we'd set things in motion.

I could still feel the tension that was in the air as we'd waited for Ryan, Mason, and Jase to scout around Thomas's house, taking out anyone who might have been sent to watch us. Thomas, Wally, and I had prepared Sam—still in a coma—for the move, working under Thomas's directions. The weight of Sam's limp body on the stretcher was a reminder of everything we had to lose.

Ryan and Mason had brought two cars around, and we'd bundled into them. They drove carefully, watching to see that we weren't followed, doubling back a few times to make sure. Then we'd headed to Evelyn's cousin's house. Ryan, Mason, and Jase had dropped us off to get Sam settled, then they'd headed back to collect all the enforcers still tied up at Thomas's house.

We couldn't kill them—that wasn't who we were—and we couldn't leave them there for Brock and Tristan to find. They would tell them that Ryan and I were back, and we still needed the element of surprise. Ryan knew one of his enforcers, one who hadn't been rounded up; a werewolf called Irina had a place where she could keep them secured until we decided what to do with them.

I'd sat with Sam for a while, watching his chest rise and fall.

"Everything will be okay, Sam," I'd whispered, my voice barely audible. "I promise."

Then I'd come up here to rest. Not that sleep was happening. As I lay there, the sound of the door creaking open broke into my thoughts. I turned to see Ryan walk into the room. He looked so tired.

"Any news?" I asked, sitting up and wrapping the sheet around me.

"Brock and Hayley have been rounding up our people," he stated. "We've been able to contact a few. But they're not just targeting our people. They're taking their families, too. My guess is they'll hold them until they are sure they can hold the Pack."

A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard, struggling to keep my emotions in check. "They're destroying everything Jem worked so hard for."

"We'll get it back," he whispered, lying down next to me and stroking my hair. "We'll undo all the damage they've done. We'll make it ours, make it better for everyone."

I nodded, not trusting my words right now, and cuddled into him. The tension in my body began to ease. The warmth of his presence and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulled me into a state of calm. My mind wandered, unable to resist the magnetic pull of desire that sparked between us. In that moment, I craved nothing more than to be as close to him as possible.

"Ryan," I murmured, my voice thick with longing. He looked down at me, his blue eyes darkening with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

I didn't need to say anything more. He didn't hesitate. His lips found mine in a kiss that left us both breathless. Our bodies moved together slowly, exploring each other as if it was going to be our last time. Every touch was deliberate, every caress gentle yet possessive. It was tender and sensual, everything I needed right then. Ryan positioned himself between my legs, his hard length pressing against my entrance. My breath hitched as he slowly pushed inside me, filling me completely. We both gasped at the intense sensation, our bodies joining as one.

"You feel so perfect," Ryan whispered, his voice rough with desire.

With each slow, deliberate thrust, I felt waves of pleasure building within me. It was tantalizing; every nerve of mine was on fire. He was going to coax this orgasm from me, one stroke at a time.

"Ryan …" I moaned, my fingers digging into his broad shoulders as I clung to him.

"Shushhhhh," he murmured against my lips as he rolled his hips. Our bodies slick with sweat, I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding him close to me and giving him access to deeper parts of me. The pressure inside me grew, and I could feel my orgasm approaching, an unstoppable force threatening to consume me.

Ryan cupped my head with his hands, and I looked deep into his eyes, feeling the love he felt for me surround me and fill me up. I wanted this. I wanted this every fucking day. I had everything to fight for, and I intended to make sure it was me left standing, not Brock and not Hayley.

We moved together, taking our time, gradually increasing the pace. It felt amazing, this slow, relentless build-up that was making my whole body hum with pleasure. I never wanted it to stop, but my body had other ideas. It was like I had no control; Ryan's hard body was steering me toward the heights of bliss. My pussy tightened around his cock, milking him and sending me over the edge. I cried out as my orgasm hit me, just as Ryan shuddered with his own release.

Ryan collapsed on top of me, and I loved the feel of his weight bearing down on me. I wanted him to stay there forever so I could savor the intimacy and connection we shared. I wanted to shut out reality, but it was almost as if I could hear a clock ticking on our time together.

"We can do this, Mai. We'll find a way. Don't ever doubt that," Ryan said, kissing me gently.

I wished I could believe him. I really did.