50. Mai

The rustling leaves and chirping birds formed a soothing lullaby. I traced lazy circles over Ryan's knuckles, content in a way I'd never known before him.

"I partially Shifted. Twice." I said, softly.

"I saw."

"I didn't plan to. Not during the fight with Hayley. It was instinct, like my body just knew what was needed and did it."

"It's part of being an Alpha. You not only had access to the Pack bonds but you could draw energy from them. They gave you the power to control each part of your body, to partially Shift just some of it."

I was silent for a moment, thinking it through. "It felt like our renegade Pack truly believed in us. That we were, are, their Alphas. They gave me the strength to do it."

Ryan nodded slowly. "I've heard rumors about Packs that have lost faith in their Alphas, and their Alphas are weak, unable to partially Shift anymore. It's never been clear if the Pack lost their faith because the Alphas became weak. Or if the Alphas became weak because the Pack lost faith in them and this weakened the Pack bonds to the extent that the Alphas couldn't draw on the power in them."

"So, if a Pack loses faith in their Alphas, they become easier to defeat?"

"Maybe. It's certainly an interesting theory. I'll need to do some digging."

"Why don't we know already? Why don't Packs know about this stuff?"

Ryan shrugged. "If it's true, there could be a number of reasons. Packs tend to keep to themselves. This is not the sort of information that gets passed around Alphas. Plus, most Alphas have challenged for the position. Not many are trained up by the previous Alphas to take over. They go into it just as blind as we are and learn about things like this on the job, as it were."

"It"s wrong. Everyone should know about this. It's part of who we all are."

I fell silent, thinking it all over. I needed to talk to Camille. See what she knew about it.

After a time, Ryan pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder. "We should head back."

I sighed, not wanting this moment of just being us, to end. But he was right. We had responsibilities waiting for us.

We dressed slowly, stealing kisses and caresses along the way. By the time we emerged from the forest, my lips were swollen, and a pleasant ache had settled between my thighs.

Ryan wrapped an arm around my waist, pressing a kiss to my temple. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

I laughed, leaning into his side. "You certainly worked up an appetite."

"Only for you, beautiful."

My wolf sighed in contentment.

The sounds of laughter and conversation met us as we approached the campsite. Our Pack, those who fought and were battered and bloody, and those who had come after they heard we had won, milled about, grilling food, and enjoying each other's company, seemingly without a care in the world.

I smiled up at Ryan, love and determination burning in my chest. Today we'd cemented our claim on each other and the Three Rivers. And anyone who challenged that would soon regret it.

The scent of smoked meat reached my nose, and my stomach rumbled in response. Ryan chuckled, giving me a little squeeze. "Let's get you fed."

We made our way over to the grills, where Derek was flipping burgers and bacon. One arm was in a sling, but he was doing a good job with his other one. He glanced up as we approached, a grin splitting his face. "Well, don't you two look properly ravished?"

Heat flooded to my cheeks. Beside me, Ryan growled.

Derek"s grin got wider.

"How"s your arm?" I asked, nodding to his sling.

"It"ll be fine. Thomas patched me up. I"ll need to Shift when we get back but I"m on Thomas" painkillers so I don"t feel a thing right now."

Ryan nodded, and I caught a quick spike of relief through our bond. He"d been worried about his brothers.

"What about everyone else? Any serious injuries?"

"No deaths. A few serious wounds but Thomas has been working his magic. They"ll all live."

It was my turn to feel relief. I knew Ryan felt it through our bond when he stroked the back of my hand.

Sofia arrived carrying an empty tray. "They sure scoffed those quickly!" she said to me, pointedly ignoring Derek. Derek only had eyes for her though, tracking her every move.

"You know, you had some pretty fierce skills out there, Sofia," Derek said, oh so casually. "You been training?"

I exchanged a glance with Ryan. We both knew Derek was really trying to find out if Sofia had been training with someone and if so, who.

Sofia wasn"t falling for it. "If I have, it"s none of your business. Besides, someone had to pick up the slack while you were busy getting your arm broken."

"Ouch, that hurts." Derek placed his good hand over his heart in mock offense. "And here I thought you"d be impressed by my battle scars."

Sofia scoffed. "Please, I"ve seen paper cuts more impressive than that."

Derek leaned forward slightly, his voice deep and smooth. "I could show you things more impressive than that. You just have to ask, Sofia."

"Not interested, Derek," Sofia said, holding his gaze and putting down her tray. "I"ll never be interested." And with that, she turned and walked away, Derek"s eyes trailing after her.

I wondered if I was the only one who knew she was full of shit.

"You"re going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than that, bro," Ryan laughed. "You"ve got a fuckload of groveling to do, if you"re finally ready to admit she"s your mate."

"Yeah …" Derek trailed off, his expression dark.

"What about Brock"s enforcers?" I asked, pulling Derek"s attention back from wherever he"d gone to in his head.

Derek grimaced. "Most of them escaped. They"ll be helping Brock but we know who they are. The rest of them are being guarded by our enforcers."

My stomach rumbled loudly. Ryan glanced at me and smiled.

"We"ll deal with that later, Derek. Right now—"

"Right now, you both need food. Before you two starve," Derek said as he passed us two plates loaded with food.

I dug in gratefully, the first bite of juicy burger melting in my mouth. A blissful moan escaped me as I chewed; I hadn"t realized just how hungry I was.

After we'd eaten, I curled up in Ryan's lap, basking in the warmth of the fire and my Pack's presence. Apart from those with serious injuries, everyone who had fought for us that day sat around the fire, silent, protective. I felt safe and happy. Ryan"s arms came around me, holding me close as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

"We should get some rest. We'll need to head back soon, announce ourselves again at Three Rivers. It's important we do it on our territory as well," he said softly, though he made no effort to shift me from his lap.

"In a minute," I murmured.

Ryan pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his lips curving into a smile against my hair. "As long as I have you in my arms, I'm in no hurry to go anywhere."

Warmth flooded me at his words, my heart swelling with love for this man who had turned my whole world upside down. I tipped my head back to meet his gaze, drowning in the depths of his blue eyes.

My contentment dimmed when a sleek black SUV rolled to a stop about twenty feet from us.

What now?

The driver's side door opened, and a statuesque woman stepped out. Her skin was a rich shade of ebony, glowing in the morning light, and her piercing amber eyes seemed to take everything in at once. She wore a tailored white pantsuit that screamed authority, with a lavender silk blouse peeking out underneath. A silver wolf-head pin adorned her lapel. I didn't recognize her, but power radiated off her in waves.

The woman glanced around, her eyes settling on me and Ryan, then headed straight for us. She moved like she was someone who knew how to fight and was confident they were the baddest person in the area. "Alpha Mai Parker and Alpha Ryan Shaw?"

I lifted my chin. "Yes."

She nodded, her lips curling in a half-smile that was both pleased and predatory. "Excellent. I'm Talia Johnson. I work for the Wolf Council, and I'm here to commend you both for how you handled the Brock Harris and Hayley Parker situation."

I blinked, confused. How did they know? Was someone keeping them informed? And was it usual for the Council to send a representative to congratulate all new Alphas? I didn't think so. The Council only usually turned up when there was trouble, and she'd missed that boat by a few hours.

Her voice was velvety, but with a steel undertone as she continued, "The Council has been notably impressed with your resilience and your strength in the face of threats to your authority. You both have proven yourselves worthy Alphas for the Three Rivers."

"Thank you," Ryan said, his tone icy. He didn't like her sudden appearance any more than I did. "We appreciate the Council's vote of confidence."

Talia's eyes twinkled, and her smile widened just a bit, revealing a row of impeccable teeth. "You're guarded. That's understandable. I assure you, I'm here to help."

Help? I took a guess at her real motives. "Are you here about ripple? Or about the witches?"

She swung her eyes to me. I felt like an ant who'd just ridden a tiny unicycle in front of a human. I'd done something surprising, and now she was assessing me.

"Both actually."

"So, you think they're linked, too?"

She inclined her head. "I can see that we have a lot to talk about, Mai Parker. However, my primary role here today is to remind you that the Three Rivers Pack is due to nominate a new Council member in five days."

"I'm aware of the nomination," Ryan interjected, clearly unimpressed. "And if you really wanted to remind us of it, a phone call would have sufficed."

"Well, you're currently a Pack of particular interest to the Council, and this will be a special nomination. These are turbulent times. Your nominee will wield extraordinary power and their vote could be vital in swaying the Council's decisions one way or another. You need to be sure of who you nominate."

Of particular interest to the Council? That did not sound good. My phone rang in my pocket, the sound loud and jarring.

"I'll let you get on with your new roles. Congratulations on becoming the Alpha pair. I'm sure we'll see each other soon," Talia said, before turning on her heel and striding back to the car.

Well, that wasn't ominous at all.

I watched her get into the back seat before pulling out my phone and answering it.

"Yes?"

"You and your fucking family," Brock panted. "You always screw things up. No matter. I always have a Plan B."

Ryan looked sharply at me and held out his hand for the phone. I didn't think so.

"You sound out of breath. Are you running, Brock? Or hobbling with your broken leg? You better run, because we're coming for you."

"I don't need to run, Mai. You're going to welcome me back with open arms, and in five days, you're going to nominate me to the Wolf Council."

I laughed. "Did Ryan pummel your head so much that you have a head injury? You need to find a doctor, Brock, to put you out of our misery before we do."

"Laugh all you want. It's going to happen."

"What makes you think we're going to do anything other than kill you?"

He paused, and for a moment I wondered if he had hung up. "Because Jem isn't dead, and I'm the only one who knows where he is."